In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty (643 AD), Li Shimin erected a portrait of "Twenty-four Heroes" in Lingyange, making Lingyange a well-known place in the world. Among the many Tang Dynasty heroes, the names of Changsun Wuji, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruyi and others are almost household names, but the second person in the Lingyange is often overlooked, this person is Li Shimin's brother Li Xiaogong.
Li Xiaogong and Li Shimin are not the same father, after all, Li Shimin only has one eldest brother Li Jiancheng, who competes with him for the throne. The relationship between the two can be summed up in one sentence: Li Xiaogong's grandfather (Li Wei) and Li Shimin's grandfather (Li Xun) are brothers. As a descendant of the Li family, Li Xiaogong was highly valued, mainly because Li Xiaogong was skilled in bow and horse and skilled in martial arts.
Therefore, after Li Yuan raised an army in Taiyuan, Li Xiaogong became a major force. If Li Shimin laid the foundation for Datang in the north, then Li Xiaogong let Datang harvest the south. I have to say that the Li family can sit in the jiangshan and the ancestors can not be separated, the ancestor of the Li family Li Hu is a heavy nobleman of northern Zhou, there are many descendants, so in the process of Li Yuan's struggle for the world, there are many powerful helpers of the family.
Li Xiaogong is a very special figure, first of all, he made countless merits, pacified more than thirty states in Bashu, defeated Zhu Cang, Xiao Milling, and served Lingnan, and the Jiangnan area let Li Xiaogong pack up and obey. His military exploits fully reached the level of "Meritorious And High Shock Lord", but although Li Xiaogong was briefly dismissed as an official, he soon made a comeback and became the governor of Liangzhou and the assassin of Jinzhou.
He was not Li Yuan's own son, just a nephew, and it was inevitable that he would be jealous, not to mention that among the Li family's clan princes, in addition to Li Yuan's sons, Li Xiaogong was the most outstanding. It is worth noting that Li Shimin weighed various factors when ranking the "Twenty-Four Meritorious Heroes", and Li Xiaogong, as a person who did not support Li Shimin in the "Xuanwumen Change", actually ranked second.
This is, of course, because of Li Xiaogong's status as an imperial prince. Also (most likely) Qin Qiong, who did not support Li Shimin and remained neutral, was ranked last. Others have their own reasons for remaining neutral, and for Li Xiaogong, whether Li Jiancheng is emperor or Li Shimin is emperor, he is a close relative of Li Tang, and if he insists on mixing a foot, the risk is too high.
This is where Li Xiaogong is the smartest, and although for this reason he is no longer valued by Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong still treats him very courteously and makes him the king of Hejian County, allowing him to enjoy the rest of his life in peace. Li Xiaogong was a military general, with a bold personality, but he was very humble and cautious in dealing with people and things, so Li Yuan and Li Shimin treated him preferentially; and more importantly, Li Xiaogong was "sexually extravagant and re-visiting the banquet".
That is to say, although he laid half of the country for the Tang Dynasty, Li Xiaogong did not fight for fame and fortune, did not be self-conscious, and wholeheartedly threw himself into the great cause of pleasure, according to the historical records, Li Xiaogong had hundreds of singers and dancers in his family, and after he retired from the battlefield, he lived a peaceful life of eating and drinking, listening to people singing, and watching people dance every day.
It was Li Xiaogong's wisdom in dealing with the world that made him safe and rich for a lifetime. Judging from all the traces, Li Xiaogong is not like a person who covets pleasure, because he has also sighed privately, saying that his family's house is too big, if he can sell and buy a smaller one to live, otherwise after his death, these little rabbit cubs (his sons) will not be able to keep it, but it will be cheap for others in vain. It can be seen that Li Xiaogong could not have seen the world's conditions more clearly.