Speaking of Li Shimin, everyone knows a poem written by Mao Weiren, "Qin Emperor Han Wu, slightly lost literary style; Tang Zong Song Zu, slightly inferior to the wind", which shows that Tang Taizong Li Shimin was the most accomplished monarch in Chinese history.
His reign of culture and martial prowess was a model for ming jun to emulate in later generations.
Mao Weiren once commented on Li Shimin: "Since ancient times, there has been no right wing of Li Shimin, followed by Zhu Yuanzhang'er. ”
However, "those who are good at fighting die, those who are good at swimming drown", in Li Shimin's military career, he was conceited and brave, took the enemy lightly, and even used himself as bait to lure the enemy into battle.
First distress: nearly captured
In July of the third year of Wu De (620), Li Shimin led the Tang army out of Tongguan to attack Wang Shichong, who was entrenched in the Luoyang area.
The Tang army was stationed in Guzhou, and Wang Shichong led 30,000 elite troops to tie up in Cijian, and the two armies confronted each other.
Li Shimin led a group of light cavalry to lure Wang Shichong into battle.
Wang Shichong immediately sent a large number of troops to surround Li Shimin, and Li Shimin's light cavalry was very frightened.
Li Shimin ordered them to return to the camp first, alone behind the palace. Wang Shichong's brave general Shan Xiongxin led hundreds of cavalry to attack, and Li Shimin was almost captured alive.
However, Li Shimin held himself on a horse and shot superbly, while retreating, he opened his bow and arrows, and shot the enemy army left and right, and none of the enemy should fall. Wang Shichong was frustrated in battle and led his troops back to Luoyang.
Old Book of Tang, Volume II, Benji II: In July, he led the armies to attack Wang Shichong in Luoyi, Shicigu Prefecture. Shi Chong led 30,000 elite troops to Cijian, and Emperor Taizong picked it with light horses. At the time, the crowd was outnumbered, trapped in a heavy siege, and the left and right were afraid. Emperor Taizong ordered the left and right to return first, leaving the apse alone. Shi Chong Xiao forced Shan Xiongxin to ride hundreds of horses to force him to compete, and Taizong was defeated. Emperor Taizong shot it left and right, and fell down without hesitation, and was given the title of his general Yan Yi. Shichong is the town of Bacijian under the eastern capital.
Judging from this battle, Li Shimin was victorious.
However, if we analyze it, Li Shimin was so careless that he personally led a small number of people to the enemy camp to make a bait challenge, and as a result, a large number of enemy troops went to battle and surrounded Li Shimin and others. Although he finally succeeded in breaking through, he was in danger and almost captured.
The Art of War says: Soldiers are brave and brave, and they will be noble.
As the supreme commander of the conquest of Wang Shichong, Li Shimin should sit firmly in the chinese military tent, strategize, and win a decisive victory thousands of miles away. If there is a war, first send your generals to carry it out. How can you personally risk your life and personally go to the enemy camp to challenge it?
What are his generals doing?
Why not send them to challenge and lead the ambush to ambush the enemy yourself?
This is too risky, just imagine if Li Shimin was captured by Shan Xiongxin, then China's history will be rewritten, huh.
Second distress: Escorted by Wei Chi Jingde
Soon after, Li Shimin was in distress again.
At that time, many of Liu Wuzhou's old subordinates defected to Wang Shichong's side, and the Tang army imprisoned Wei Chi Jingde, who was also Liu Wuzhou's old general, and wanted to kill him.
However, Li Shimin did not believe that Wei Chi Jingde would betray him, released him, and gave him gold and silver, wei Chi Jingde thanked Dade and swore to follow Li Shimin to the death.
In the interval between the wars, Li Shimin actually had itchy hands and actually wanted to go hunting.
On the day of pardoning Wei Chi Jingde, he brought several bodyguards to Yuyao to hunt, including Wei Chi Jingde, who actually ran into Wang Shichong leading tens of thousands of infantry cavalry.
Last time, li shimin was not captured, and Shan Xiong believed in evil or not, and once again led a large number of cavalry straight to Li Shimin. When Wei Chi Jingde saw the situation, he immediately took the long hammer and urged him to go forward, roared loudly, and single shot Shan Xiongxin off the horse, and the other cavalrymen saw that Wei Chi Jingde was so brave and fierce, and they were frightened and retreated.
Li Shimin took the opportunity to quickly escape. After returning to the camp, Li Shimin led a large number of cavalry to attack Wang Shichong, and Wang Shichong led his troops to escape.
Old Book of Tang, Liechuan 18: On this day, because of the hunting in Yuqiao, Wang Shichong led tens of thousands of soldiers to fight. Shi Chong Xiao led Shan Xiongxin to ride straight to Emperor Taizong, jingde prancing horse shouted, and stabbed Xiongxin to fall off his horse. The thieves were slightly absent, and The Jingde Yi Taizong was surrounded by thieves. He also led the cavalry to engage Shi Chong, and the number was combined, and his crowd collapsed, capturing the pseudo-general Chen Zhiluo, and receiving a platoon of 6,000 soldiers.
During the war, instead of honestly staying in the barracks, he went hunting.
Hunt and hunt in places where the enemy may be infested, this is too fat.
In addition, since you are hunting, you should lead more people, or send someone to scout first, to see if there are any enemy troops here.
As a result, Li Shimin did not do anything, and directly led a few people to go hunting, and as a result, he was in danger again.
Li Shimin was too light on the enemy, and if it were not for Wei Chi Jingde's rescue this time, Li Shimin would probably have hung up.
Afterwards, Li Shimin said to Wei Chi Jingde in fear: "The blessing of doing good has been verified, and the cause and effect reward is so rapid." "Give him a chest of gold and silver.
Old Book of Tang, Biography 18: Emperor Taizong said of Jingde: "More than the people who prove that the public will rebel, the heavens tempt me, the only one who protects the Mingzhi, the blessings and the good, and the speed of he xiang's retribution!" "A special gift of gold and silver, after which the grace will be long."
Third distress:
Li Shimin attacked Wang Shichong, and Dou Jiande felt that his lips were cold, so he personally led troops to the rescue.
While li shimin sent people to besiege Luoyang, he personally led the elite to meet the battle.
Li Shimin was an adventurous master, the last time he was besieged by Wang Shichong's elite and almost captured, he actually did not pay attention to it, this time attacking Dou Jiande, he actually personally went out to lure the enemy.
As a result, Dou Jiande sent thousands of cavalry to besiege Li Shimin, and Li Shimin fought and retreated, and finally ambushed and killed Dou Jiande's army.
Old Book of Tang, Chronicles XVIII: And Dou Jiande camped at Banzhu and Emperor Taizong would challenge Li Ji, Cheng Zhijie, Qin Shubao and other soldiers. Emperor Taizong held a bow and arrow, Honored Virtue held a hammer, and built a great call to the master under the Jiande Fortress. The thieves were greatly alarmed, and sent thousands of troops to ride, but Emperor Taizong patrolled and shot several people back and forth, and Jingde killed more than a dozen people, so he led the thieves into the ambush.
In the Sui and Tang Jia Dialects, it is recorded that Emperor Taizong's Imperial Dou Jiande was said to be Wei Chi Gong: "The widow holds a bow and arrow, and the public holds a spear, although millions of people are helpless." Nai and Jing De rushed to the enemy camp, knocked on the door of his army and shouted, "I am the King of Great Tang and Qin, and those who can fight will come and fight with Ru." "The thieves chased after many people, but did not dare to force it."
"Zizhi Tongjian": Shimin said Wei Chi Jingde: "I hold the bow and arrow, and the public executioner follows, although a million people are like me!" ”。 He also said: "The thief sees me and returns, and the best policy is also." Going to the Jiande camp three mile house, the Jiande rangers encountered it, thinking that it was also a scout. Shimin shouted, "I am the King of Qin."
Shoot it with a bow and kill one of them. The Jiande army was horrified, and five or six thousand horsemen were expelled; the followers were salty and discolored, and the people of the world knew: "Brother Ru is moving forward, and I am with myself and honoring virtue as the temple."
So he followed the line, and when the pursuit was approaching, he drew a bow and shot it, killing one person. The pursuer stops in fear, stops and returns, if it is repeated, there will be a killer every time, the people of the world will shoot and kill several people, and The pursuer will kill ten people, and the pursuers will not dare to repeat.
Shi Min patrolled a little, but he was tempted to enter the fu nei, and Shi Ji and others fought hard, broke it, beheaded more than three hundred people, and won the return of his generals Yin Qiu and Shi Wan.
Although it was another victory, Li Shimin used his status as supreme commander as bait to lure the enemy into battle, and the risk was too great. In case there is a mistake, but it will be a life, the knife and gun do not recognize your identity is not respected.
Li Shimin is a master of riding and shooting, and he once said:
Since the creation of righteousness, the hand has been cut and a thousand people
", quite conceited. But I don't know how dangerous it is!
The fourth time he was in distress, he was almost strangled to death.
This time it was the change of Xuanwu Gate, and this time it was the most dangerous, and Li Shimin was almost strangled to death.
On the day of the change of Xuanwu Gate, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanjiju realized that the momentum was not right, and immediately turned around and fled.
Li Shimin bent his bow and arrow to shoot Li Jiancheng, and Wei Chigong led seventy cavalrymen to shoot Li Yuanji, and Li Yuanji fell off his horse.
But at this moment, Li Shimin's horse was frightened, and he ran to the woods with Li Shimin, and Li Shimin was hung upside down by a branch and fell off his horse, unable to get up for half a day. Li Yuanji saw it and ran over to grab Li Shimin's bow and wanted to strangle it with the bow string.
Wei Chigong rode his horse in time to come and drink him loudly, and Li Yuanji fled in a hurry, only to be shot dead by Wei Chi Jingde.
The Old Book of Tang and the Biography of Wei Chi Jingde, the horse ridden by Emperor Taizong was in the forest again, and he was swept away and could not be revived. Yuan Ji came to grab the bow, and he wanted to strangle him, and Jingde Prancing Horse Lingzhi, so he walked away, wanting to return to the Wude Hall, and Jingde Ben shot it one by one.
"Zizhi Tongjian Volume 191 Tang Ji VII" Yuan Ji Suddenly arrived, grabbing the bow will strangle it, and respecting the depringing horse. Yuan Jibu wanted to fun the Wude Hall, Jingde chased and shot, and killed it.
This time there was an accident, mainly caused by Li Shimin's horse being frightened.
However, seeing Li Shimin's horse frightened into the woods, why did the cavalry guards around him not follow closely behind and protect li Shimin in time at the first time, but instead Li Yuanji seized the opportunity and almost strangled Li Shimin.
Imagine if Li Yuanji was carrying a saber or dagger? At once, Li Shimin will be the result, and then the history of the Tang Dynasty and even China will be rewritten...
This time it was extremely dangerous!
Li Shimin was in distress four times, three times he was self-inflicted, and once was an accident.
As the commander-in-chief of the whole army, he repeatedly risked his life and put himself in danger, although he turned the crisis into safety with his bravery and the struggle of his subordinates, but his practice was really amazing.
Imagine how much it would affect the morale of this army when one of the commanders of one side was captured or killed when the two armies fought? It even directly affects the outcome of the battle!
As a commander-in-chief, it is extremely unwise to risk your life!
However, after four great difficulties and not dying, it seems that Li Shimin has played the protagonist aura protector in the game of history, and he is really a true son.