Li Shimin was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty and one of the most famous Ming monarchs in Chinese history.
During his reign, he ushered in the reign of Zhenguan, making the Tang Dynasty the strongest, most prosperous, and most open country in the world at that time.
However, before Li Shimin ascended the throne, he experienced an earth-shattering change, that is, the change of Xuanwu Gate.
In this transformation, Li Shimin personally killed his two brothers, the crown prince Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji the king of Qi, and seized the throne.
This incident caused countless speculations and controversies in later generations, why did Li Shimin kill his brother? Is he for power or for justice? Is he a hero or a sinner?
Stills Li Shimin character
To answer this question, we must start with the historical background and the character of the characters.
Li Shimin was born in the chaotic era of the late Sui Dynasty, and his father Li Yuan was a general of the Sui Dynasty, who had followed the Sui Emperor in the southern and northern wars and made outstanding achievements.
However, the Sui Emperor was tyrannical, the people were miserable, and the world was in chaos.
Li Yuan took the opportunity to rebel against Sui, established the Tang Dynasty, and proclaimed himself emperor.
Li Yuan had four sons, namely Li Jiancheng the Prince of Qin, Li Shimin the King of Qin, Li Yuanji the King of Qi, and Li Yuanba the King of Jin.
Among them, Li Jiancheng is the eldest son and concubine, and according to the traditional inheritance system, he should inherit the throne.
However, Li Jiancheng was not a talented and graceful person, he was weak, suspicious, jealous, and incompetent, and did not establish any merit and prestige in the process of pacifying the world.
Instead, his younger brothers were brave, talented, popular generals and politicians.
The most prominent of these was Li Shimin, King of Qin.
Portrait of Li Shimin
From an early age, he was intelligent, well-read, and proficient in literature and martial arts.
He was only sixteen years old when he followed his father in the army against Sui, and he showed extraordinary military talent and political wisdom.
He successively quelled rebellions in Hebei, Henan, Jianghuai and other regions, and defeated foreign enemies such as Eastern Turk and Goguryeo.
His military achievements earned him the title of "Admiral of Heavenly Strategy", and his political contributions earned him the title of "Bachelor of Wensi Temple".
He also recruited talents, reused famous ministers such as Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling, and formed a life-and-death friendship with loyal ministers such as Changsun Wuji and Wei Chigong.
He had widespread popularity and influence throughout the country.
In this way, Prince Li Jiancheng felt great pressure and crisis.
He feared that he would be deposed by his father or usurped by his younger brother.
Therefore, he formed an alliance with Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, and co-opted some of his cronies and officials to plot against Li Shimin.
They constantly denigrated Li Shimin in front of his father, accusing him of being ambitious, disobeying the rules of the dynasty, using troops without authorization, and making friends with dissidents.
They also secretly sent people to assassinate Li Shimin in an attempt to get rid of this henchman.
Although Li Shimin knew that his situation was dangerous, he did not take the initiative to fight back, but endured humiliation and burden, dutifully fulfilled his duties, hoping to get along with his brothers and assist his father together.
He even wrote to his father, asking to share the prince's worries and serve the country.
Li Shimin wrote stills to his father
However, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji did not converge because of this, but became more and more rampant.
They think that Li Shimin is pretending, but in fact he is brewing something big.
They decided to take action before their father died and get rid of Li Shimin in one fell swoop.
On the third day of June in the ninth year of Wude (626), Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji united some of their henchmen and troops to prepare to ambush Li Shimin outside the Xuanwu Gate the next morning.
Xuanwu Gate is the north gate of the palace and the only way to the Taiji Hall.
The Taiji Hall was the place where the emperor discussed and received his courtiers.
The current Taiji Hall
According to the custom, every morning, the emperor would summon the kings and officials in the Taiji Hall to listen to political reports.
Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji planned to take advantage of this opportunity to suddenly launch an attack outside the Xuanwu Gate and kill Li Shimin under the horse.
However, their conspiracy was not successfully carried out.
Because in the early morning of the fourth day of June, Li Shimin's confidant Wei Chigong got reliable news and told Li Shimin's brothers' plans.
Wei Chigong persuaded Li Shimin to flee immediately or fight back, otherwise his life would be in danger.
After some thought, Li Shimin decided to adopt the latter.
He believed that if he fled, he would be seen as a sign of weakness and guilt, and that the best opportunity would be lost.
He decided to take advantage of the fact that his brother was not ready, preemptively and seize the initiative.
So, he gathered his cronies and troops and prepared for battle.
Li Shimin's combat effectiveness exploded
But due to their slow movements, they did not arrive at the intended position in time.
When they saw Li Shimin's troops rushing over, they were immediately panicked and overwhelmed.
Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were also not able to make a command in time, but just stood on the horse dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.
Seeing this, Li Shimin immediately ordered an attack.
He shouted loudly: "The prince and the king of Qi are plotting rebellion, all of you quickly join me in suppressing the rebellion!" ”
He took the lead and rushed straight towards Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji.
His troops followed, like wolves, and launched a fierce charge on the enemy.
Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji's troops were completely unprepared, and they were immediately disrupted and fled in all directions. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were also killed by Li Shimin's cronies, and their bodies were beheaded and hung on the Xuanwu Gate for public display.
In this way, an earth-shattering coup d'état ended in just half an hour.
Li Shimin succeeded in eliminating his two brothers and seizing the throne.
He immediately entered the palace and reported the incident to his father Li Yuan, and asked him to make himself crown prince.
At this time, Li Yuan was already frightened, and he could only reluctantly agree to Li Shimin's request and give up the throne to him. Since then, the Tang Dynasty has entered a new era.
This is the whole process of the change of Xuanwu Gate.
The change of Xuanwu Gate
From this, we can see that the real reason why Li Shimin killed his brother was not simply for power or justice, but because he was in an extremely dangerous and difficult situation.
He had to resort to the most drastic and decisive measures for the safety and interests of himself and his family.
He may not want to be an enemy of his brother, but his brother wants to kill him.
He probably didn't want to hurt his father's heart, but he couldn't give him a fair and clear answer.
In such a situation, he can only choose to save himself and fight back, otherwise he will be eliminated.
Of course, this is not to say that Li Shimin is unambitious or guilty.
As a talented and ambitious person, he naturally also had the ideas and conditions for ascending the throne.
As a person with means and wisdom, he naturally also has the ability to create opportunities and excuses.
As a bloody and emotional person, he naturally also has guilt and remorse for his brother and father.
But in that troubled world, between that life and death, under that power, on that history, he made what he thought was the most appropriate and necessary choice.
This choice changed his own destiny, as well as the history of the Tang Dynasty and China.