Throughout the ages, those who have achieved great things have been informal. Therefore, adhering to this idea, many people will not hesitate to pay the same price for the sake of power and great position. Even if it is to kill relatives, it is not spared. Such as the following one, it can be said that the most ruthless man in history, killed all the brothers and men, abducted all the female dependents, but has been praised so far. So, who is this cruel man?
This person is Li Shimin, who was called "the first emperor of the ages" by posterity. As for his vicious deeds, I think everyone has heard about it. Not only did he kill his brother, but he eventually forced his father to abdicate. So, which brother did Li Shimin do such a cruel thing to? This person is Li Yuanji, Li Yuan's fourth son.
The history books record that Li Yuanji was a clumsy disciple, and he often suffered defeats. However, one thing that may be overlooked is that history books are often written by the victors. Who would dare to smear Li Shimin in front of him or boast about others? Li Yuanji, the founding hero of the Tang Dynasty, was even better than Li Shimin in terms of martial arts. Moreover, he is good at using horse mallets. Rushing to kill the enemy line and taking the first rank of general can be said to be not much different from Lü Bu. Only in the end, because of carelessness, he lost to Wei Chigong.
And Li Yuanji, throughout his life, followed Li Yuan in battle, although he was Li Shimin's deputy, but only because he was the fourth oldest. Later, he crusaded against Wang Shichong, and by relying on absolute strength, he became famous in one fell swoop. Therefore, after returning, he was also rewarded by Li Yuan. After that, he put down the rebellion twice, and made an immortal contribution to the Tang Dynasty, compared to Li Shimin, he did not give up much, and even covered him. It was only because Li Yuanji did not know how to be flexible, his popularity was not as good as Li Shimin's, and his heart was not as fierce as his, which was tragically killed by Li Shimin's poisonous hands afterwards.
After the Xuanwumen Mutiny, Li Jiancheng was killed. Li Yuanji escaped in a hurry, but was shot and killed by Wei Chigong on the way. Originally, this matter could be stopped, but Li Shimin directly came to cut the grass and remove the roots, and never had any trouble. Kill all the men in Li Yuanji's family, even the unarmed old man and child, and they did not let it go. The only one who was spared was the female relatives of Li Yuanji's family, all of whom were taken under Li Shimin's command and joined his harem.
This kind of unethical thing, Li Shimin did. However, because he has basically secured the throne, no one dares to say anything. Among this group of female relatives, the most favored one is the Yang family. The 14th son of Li Shimin, Li Ming the Prince of Cao, was born to Yang. Previously, Yang Was Li Shimin's fourth sister-in-law.
Such a fierce character, but it has been praised so far, it is too one-sided. It is undeniable that under his rule, the Tang Dynasty was unprecedentedly prosperous. However, as far as upholding human nature is concerned, this title of emperor for thousands of years, Li Shimin is really unworthy.