The founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty was Gaozu Li Yuan, but the most famous emperor of the Tang Dynasty was Taizong Li Shimin, whose fame was not only inferior to that of his son Li Shimin, but even his grandson Li Longji. As the founding prince of a powerful dynasty that had lasted for nearly three hundred years, why did Li Yuan mix so badly? All this is actually related to his second son Li Shimin.
The change of Xuanwumen lost two sons in a row, and the founding emperor Li Yuan was forced to "raise heavenly years"
In Chinese history, the founding emperor who served as emperor Taishang was strictly speaking, Li Yuan alone. In addition, the Southern Song Dynasty Emperor Gaozong Zhao Shuo may be counted as one, but the Southern Song Dynasty inherited from the Northern Song Dynasty, and Zhao Shuo was the son of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, so his name of "Founding Emperor" was originally very reluctant.
The reason why Li Yuan became emperor was related to a coup d'état in the early Tang Dynasty, that is, the "Xuanwumen Change" full of bloody smells.
On the fourth day of June in the ninth year of WuDe, Li Shimin, the King of Qin, led a crowd to sneak attack on the crown prince Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi at Xuanwu Gate, Li Shimin personally shot li Jiancheng, and Li Yuanji was shot and killed by Li Shimin's general Wei Chigong.
In just a few hours, Li Yuan lost his second son, of which Li Jiancheng was also his chosen successor and his eldest son. Although you are royal, the pain of losing your son must be extremely unbearable.
However, what Li Yuan had to bear was far from this. After killing his elder brother Li Jiancheng and younger brother Li Yuanji, Li Shimin immediately led people to the palace of his father Li Yuan and surrounded them. Then the wicked began to sue first, claiming that the prince and the king of Qi had "plotted rebellion" and that he had come to "save the car".
Li Yuan could not see such a posture, but even though he was not angry, he could not help his aggressive son Li Shimin in front of him. In the end, after half pushing and half down, Li Shimin was still appointed as the crown prince, and abdicated the throne three months later as the Emperor Taishang, and Li Shimin became the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
Fratricide is bloody, but it is an inevitable situation
Is the change of Xuanwumen an accident of history? If we refer only to this specific event, it can be said that it is true, but if we talk about substance, it can be said that it is a historical necessity. Because on the eve of the coup d'état, the contradiction between Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng was irreconcilable, and even to the point of "either you die or I die", even if there was no change in Xuanwumen, I am afraid that there would be a similar situation of "XX change".
Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin are compatriots of the same mother, and their feelings should be deep, so why did they end up fighting each other? The most fundamental reason is to lay down this piece of jiangshan, Li Shimin is the first to do the work, but the prince is Li Jiancheng, who will be psychologically unbalanced. However, Li Yuan's establishment of Li Jian as crown prince cannot be said to be wrong, because he is the eldest son of the concubine and the heir who is most in line with the patriarchal etiquette.
Therefore, the position of prince is an irreconcilable contradiction between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, and it is destined to develop step by step to the end of "you die and I die", but Li Shimin preemptively moved.
Li Shimin, who was unsealed before the coup, was not under the crown prince Li Jiancheng
The reason why Li Shimin dared to attack Li Jiancheng, in addition to this being his only way to protect himself, there was a more important reason that he had a great deal of certainty.
In terms of strength, Li Shimin, the King of Qin, was not under the crown prince Li Jiancheng, and even if the latter was combined with the support of Li Yuanji, the King of Qi, he would only be with Li Shimin at most. At that time, the political situation of the Tang Dynasty could be roughly divided into three major forces, namely a set of teams of Emperor Li Yuan, a set of teams of Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, and a set of shogunate teams of Li Shimin, the King of Qin.
There is no obvious difference in strength between these three major forces, and even Li Shimin's comprehensive strength has to be suppressed.
Why? Just by looking at his title, it is enough to understand that Li Shimin's most powerful title is called "General of Tiance", ranking above the three dukes, is the head of the military attaché, and can open the "Tiance Mansion" and establish a set of his own team.
This title, in the final Tang Dynasty, was only given to Li Shimin. With the addition of this title, Li Shimin was nominally the supreme commander of the Tang army, and since he had mastered the barrel of the gun, it was natural to seize power.
In fact, Li Shimin's being named "General of Heavenly Strategy" was also a helpless move by Li Yuan. Because before that, he already had official titles or titles such as "Taiwei Ling Situ Shangshu Ling Shaanxi Eastern Province Daxing Tai YiZhou Dao Xing Tai Shang Shu Ling Yongzhou Muliang Prefecture Governor Left and Right Wu Hou General Shangzhu Guo Qin Wang", any of which can be said to be high or powerful, but they add up, it is not enough to match Li Shimin's merits, so he broke the ground and gave him the title of "General of Heavenly Strategy".
For the Tang dynasty subjects at that time, the real speakers above the court were not only Li Yuan, the emperor, but his father and son, Li Yuan plus Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, of which Li Shimin firmly grasped the various forces from the upper court and the lower parts of the locality, almost all places had his manpower, and the entire Tang Empire could be said to have long been under his control.
With such a great power, if Li Shimin still sits and waits, how stupid would it be? Therefore, the storm of the "Change of Xuanwu Gate" will come sooner or later, and it is determined by the general climate of the early Tang Dynasty and the microclimate of the Li Tang imperial family itself. It's just that Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng may not have enough understanding of the sinister nature of people's hearts, they didn't expect that Li Shimin would really be so desperate, after all, these two brothers, but they are both father and mother, even Cao Pi in the Three Kingdoms period, did not start so fiercely!