The truth of the change of Xuanwu Gate: it is not the brothers who oppose each other, but the fight between Li Yuan and Li Shimin
When it comes to the history of the Tang Dynasty, it is impossible to avoid the Xuanwumen War, if there is no brotherhood this time, the future Tang Dynasty may continue to be in a situation of emperor and prince competition, and even the whole country is once again in war. Fortunately, Xuanwumen narrowed the incident to a minimum and successfully completed the transfer of power. However, the two sides behind Xuanwu Gate who were really wrestling were not the prince and the king of Qin, but the confrontation between Li Shimin and Li Yuan.
Why Li Yuan did not establish Li Shimin, whose military merits were more prominent, has always been the focus of discussion for future generations, and some people even believe that if Li Shimin is allowed to ascend to the throne, there will be no subsequent bloody coup, in fact, the following three reasons determine that Li Yuan will not establish Li Shimin, and it is precisely the difference between Standing and Not Standing that leads to contradictions and fights between father and son.
A lesson left by the Sui Dynasty
It is well known that at the end of each dynasty, the successor emperor must reflect on the reasons for the destruction of the previous dynasty and avoid it himself, so as not to repeat it. Looking back at Chinese history, this cycle of learning lessons and making new mistakes is something that every dynasty repeats. After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. Li Yuan had to reflect on the mistakes of the previous dynasty. In the eyes of many people, the reason for the demise of the Sui Dynasty was the abolition of Chang Li, and if it were not for Li Guang's wrong son, there would be no subsequent chaos. Therefore, Li Yuan had to carefully avoid the minefield in this regard, even if Li Shimin's merits were prominent, he could not break the rules. If you don't, presumably the upward argument will be even louder. Even the ministers reconsidered and took Sui as a mirror. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a very similar situation occurred when Cao Cao Lizi was established, and Jia Xu's answer directly denied Cao Cheng Xiang's intention to establish a plant. "Jun did not see Liu Jingsheng, Yuan Benchu father and son"
Li Shimin is powerful and ambitious
Perhaps some people think that this is a good thing, after all, the emperor's ambitions are big, naturally there is no problem, but the problem is that Li Yuan is not old enough to retire at this time. We might as well look at Li Yuan's treatment after the Xuanwu Gate incident. The Old Book of Tang records that at that time, there was a continuous fight outside the palace, and Li Yuan asked the nearby in panic, "I don't want to see this matter today, so why should I do it?" The two people next to him were Li Shimin's spies, and naturally suggested that the emperor pass on the king of Qin with rhythm. Seeing the pressure of the ministers, Li Yuan had no choice but to abdicate. After this, Li Shimin was obviously filial and obedient, and arranged his father and emperor in the Da'an Palace, but in fact it was just another kind of house arrest. If Li Yuan had not established the benevolent Li Jiancheng, it is likely that within a few years, Li Shimin would have taken control of the forces of his courtiers, brought these courtiers to meet Li Yuan, and then forced him to pass the throne to himself early so that he could enjoy the blessings of Qingfu as soon as possible.
Li Jiancheng himself is qualified
Of course, Li Shimin's meritorious deeds are outstanding, this does not mean that Li Jiancheng is weak and incompetent, there is no point in doing anything, when the King of Qin is fighting on the front line, what supports his unscrupulous battle, it is not Li Jiancheng's rear stability has gained strength, these two brothers who are more suitable to be a military general, who is suitable for the world, the answer is obvious. And Li Jiancheng himself was the eldest son of a concubine, and he was a benevolent person, with his own team of civil and military ministers, and in Li Yuan's eyes, this prince was qualified. It was precisely for this reason that after the world was settled, Li Yuan found that Li Shimin was still dissatisfied with the people and horses, and even thought that he was no longer his good son. It was precisely under the impetus of these three reasons that Li Yuan and the King of Qin went to the opposite side, the two were originally father and son, but under the temptation of power, they were ultimately opposed. Perhaps the reason why Li Yuan, who was imprisoned in the palace, did not want to see his son all his life was because the dissatisfaction in his heart was difficult to dispel.
References: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Old Book of Tang