The change of Xuanwumen shocked the world. The crown prince Li Jiancheng and the king of Qi Li Yuanji were brutally killed, and Li Shimin removed the biggest obstacle and ascended the throne as emperor. However, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji are not alone, and they also have a group of loyal die-hard supporters. Knowing that the general trend had gone, these three die-hard loyalists were still indomitable and stood up to fight Li Shimin's army to the death. They not only attacked the palace of the king of Qin, but also beheaded two generals Li Shimin, which had a great impact on the founding of the new dynasty. In the face of such stubborn resistance, how will Li Shimin deal with these three die-hard loyalists? What will be their final fate?
1. The background of the three die-hard loyalists and their relationship with the master
Xie Shufang, whose name is Zixuan, was born in the Xie clan in Longxi. His ancestors used to be important ministers of the Western Liang Kingdom, and later took refuge in the Northern Zhou Dynasty and became officials for generations. Xie Shufang was taught to be loyal to the country and serve the court since he was a child. and long, he really went all the way up, and was soon appointed as the Taishou of Hedong.
At that time, the Hedong region was still in frequent wars, and Xie Shufang guarded the important land, repeatedly performed miraculous feats, and won the favor of the current dynasty. In the last years of the Sui Dynasty, the peasant uprisings continued, and Xie Shufang was ordered to quell the rebellion, and the results were blazing. During a crusade, he happened to meet a young general, Li Yuanji, and the two hit it off at first sight.
It turned out that Li Yuanji was also from a famous family, and his father Li Yuan was an important minister of the Sui Dynasty and had been appointed as the governor of Liangzhou at that time. Li Yuanji grew up in the military camp with his father since he was a child, and learned the art of war and strategy since he was a child, practicing martial arts day and night. He was gifted and intelligent, coupled with his diligence and studiousness, and soon became a generation of martial arts masters.
Li Yuanji and Xie Shufang hit it off, and the two fought side by side on the battlefield and established a deep revolutionary friendship. Later, Li Yuan was exiled by the Sui Dynasty, and Li Yuanji was also demoted to civilian nationality. After Xie Shufang learned of the news, he immediately wrote to intercede for Li Yuanji, but unfortunately returned in vain.
At this time, the decadent rule of the Sui Dynasty had already caused the people of the whole country to complain. Li Yuan could not stand the incompetence of the imperial court and decided to launch an uprising to overthrow the Sui dynasty. Without saying a word, Xie Shufang joined Li Yuan's army and followed Li Yuanji to start a long career.
In the next few years, Xie Shufang has been Li Yuanji's most effective assistant, and the two have fought side by side and have repeatedly achieved miraculous feats. It was not until 618 AD that Li Yuan finally proclaimed himself emperor in Chang'an and established the Tang Dynasty. Because of his outstanding military achievements, Xie Shufang was named the founding father of the country and was awarded a heavy knighthood.
At the same time, Li Yuanji was also canonized as the king of Qi by Li Yuan, and was in charge of the heavy troops of the Tang Dynasty. As Li Yuanji's confidants, Feng Li and Li Anyan's life experiences are simpler.
Feng Li is Li Jiancheng's confidant and important minister, and has always served the crown prince Li Jiancheng. He was born in a poor family, and he has lived by doing miscellaneous work since he was a child, and later was taken in by the prince's mansion with his outstanding martial arts, and he did it step by step.
Li Anyan is the commander of the Praetorian Guard of Li Jiancheng's East Palace, in charge of the defense of the Prince's Mansion. He is one of Li Jiancheng's most trusted cronies and has always been the most hardcore supporter of the crown prince.
Although the three of them have different backgrounds, they are all the most loyal loyalists of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. After the Xuanwumen Incident, they naturally chose to be loyal to their master, bravely entered Li Shimin's Qin Palace, and launched a desperate resistance.
2. After the Xuanwumen Change, the reasons and processes for the three diehards to come forward
On the night of the outbreak of the Xuanwumen Rebellion, the crown prince Li Jiancheng and the king of Qi Li Yuanji were brutally killed in an ambush by Li Shimin, and the news soon spread throughout Chang'an City. Xie Shufang, Feng Li and Li Anyan were extremely sad when they learned the bad news.
As Li Yuanji's confidant general, Xie Shufang immediately gathered all the troops that were still loyal to the King of Qi and prepared to launch a counterattack. "King Qi suffered this accident, we should avenge it!" Uncle Xie opened his eyes angrily and shouted to his soldiers.
At the same time, Feng Li and Li Anyan also gathered all the Praetorian Guards and cronies who were still loyal to Li Jiancheng within the Prince's Mansion, preparing to follow Xie Shufang's example. "The crown prince has been killed, how can we sit idly by! Let us enter the Qin Palace's mansion tonight and avenge the crown prince!"
Soon, the two armies will be at the north gate of Chang'an City, ready to launch a general attack. Xie Shufang personally commanded the army, and Feng Li and Li Anyan led the Praetorian Guards and cronies of the Prince's Mansion respectively.
"Tonight, we must kill the killer and completely destroy the rebellious King of Qin!" "Xie Shufang took the lead, raised his heavy sword, and led the army to charge towards the Qin Palace.
The soldiers guarding the Qin Palace's palace were simply unable to resist such a fierce attack, and they were soon defeated one after another. Xie Shufang personally rushed to the front line, raised his sword and fell, and killed all the enemies who stood in front of him.
"Get out of my way, don't get in my way!" Feng Li and Li Anyan also launched a fierce attack in the other direction, and the two of them were skilled and invincible.
Soon, the three-way army entered the center of the Qin Palace, and launched a decisive battle with Li Shimin's cronies. The soldiers on both sides went back and forth, fighting fiercely, and the blood soon stained the entire mansion.
At this juncture, Li Shimin's two generals, Jing Junhong and Lu Shiheng, finally arrived and stepped forward to try to stop the attack of the three diehards.
"You traitors, don't you catch it quickly!" Jing Junhong glared angrily, raised his steel knife, and rushed straight at Uncle Xie.
"Hmph, just a minion, you dare to be presumptuous in front of me!" Uncle Xie slashed Jing Junhong's steel knife into two pieces with a sword, and then stabbed him in the chest with a sword, killing him without leaving a piece of armor.
At the same time, Lu Shiheng was also defeated and retreated under the joint attack of Feng Li and Li Anyan, and was finally pierced by Li Anyan's sword and fell in a pool of blood.
Seeing that his two henchmen and generals were beheaded one after another, Li Shimin's military spirit began to waver. At this time, Wei Chi Jingde finally arrived, he held a sharp sword in his hand, raised Li Yuanji's head high, and roared at Xie Shufang: "You traitors, King Qi is dead, don't you quickly disarm and surrender!"
As soon as Xie Shufang saw Li Yuanji's head, he immediately cried loudly, and tears rained down. He knew that his master had left forever and would never return. Therefore, he ordered the attack to be stopped and led the remnants of the army to withdraw from the Qin Palace.
Seeing this, Feng Li and Li Anyan could only do it. They led the Praetorian Guards and cronies of the Prince's Mansion and wandered around Chang'an City, at a loss.
In this way, although the counterattack of the three diehards was successful in the first battle, it ended in failure. However, their heroic struggle also brought great impact and turmoil to Li Shimin's new dynasty.
3. The reasons and methods for Li Shimin's disposal of the three die-hard loyalists
After the Xuanwumen Change, Li Shimin soon ascended the throne as emperor and created the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. However, he also knew that in order to truly dominate the world, he must first get rid of the remnants of die-hard scars who are still resisting.
At that time, although Xie Shufang, Feng Li and Li Anyan had been forced to withdraw from the Qin Palace, they still had a large armed force lurking in Chang'an City. If it is not cured, it is likely to become a scourge for the new dynasty.
More importantly, these three people are all confidants of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, and their existence will undoubtedly become a major hidden danger to the legitimacy of Li Shimin's new dynasty. After all, Li Shimin seized the throne by killing his brother and killing his brother, and if he didn't even get rid of these diehard loyalists, then his dominance would be questioned and shaken.
Therefore, at the beginning of his succession to the throne, Li Shimin made up his mind to completely eliminate these remnants of opposition forces. However, he also knew that these three people were Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji's henchmen after all, and they all had a group of loyal and brave soldiers under them, and if they were not handled properly, they were likely to cause greater turmoil.
So, Li Shimin decided to convince people with reason first, and let the three of them put down the butcher's knife by themselves in the way of benevolence and morality. He sent an envoy and issued an ultimatum to Xie Shufang and others: "Now that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji have died, there is no point in you continuing to resist." It's better to be caught, I can open the net and save you from death. ＂
After Xie Shufang and the others learned the news, although they were extremely unwilling in their hearts, they also knew that the situation had been reversed, and it would only be in vain to continue fighting. So, they decided to lay down their arms for the time being and wait for the right moment.
Seeing this, Li Shimin did not strictly pursue them, but decided to "lock them up" first and wait for the time to be ripe before dealing with them. As a result, Xie Shufang was placed under house arrest in Hedong, while Feng Li and Li Anyan were exiled to remote areas such as Liangguang and Sichuan, respectively.
In the following years, Li Shimin has been closely monitoring the movements of these three people. On the one hand, he sent his cronies to keep a close watch on them, and on the other hand, he also extended olive branches to them from time to time, hoping to eventually embrace them under his command.
Sure enough, as time went on, the three gradually let go of their hatred. Especially after Li Shimin implemented the policy of "Zhenguan rule" and "meritocracy", they also began to identify with the rule of the new dynasty.
In the end, under the influence of Li Shimin, Xie Shufang, Feng Li and Li Anyan all decided to be loyal to the Tang Dynasty and contribute to the prosperity of the new dynasty.
4. The follow-up contributions and endings of the three die-hard loyalists in the Li Shimin Dynasty
After Li Shimin's unremitting efforts, Xie Shufang, Feng Li and Li Anyan finally put down the butcher's knife and re-embraced the Tang Dynasty. In the years that followed, they also made a lot of contributions to the prosperity of the new dynasty.
The first to be reused was Xie Shufang. As early as 628 AD, Li Shimin had already released him from house arrest and personally wrote an "edict of pardon" for him, pardoning him from his crimes.
Soon after, Xie Shufang was appointed as the assassin of Sanzhou, in charge of the military and political power in the Guanzhong area. In office, he enforced the law impartially, diligently and responsibly, and won the love of the people. It is said that the local farmers affectionately called him "Master Xie".
In 634 AD, the Turks took advantage of the fact that at the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the national strength had not yet been fully restored, so they led a large army to the south and rushed straight to Guanzhong. In the face of the Turkic attack, Xie Shufang was not afraid and personally commanded the Guanzhong army and fought to the death.
After months of hard fighting, Xie Shufang finally completely defeated the main force of the Turks in the decisive battle of Hangu Pass. This victory not only defended the security of Guanzhong, but also bought valuable time for the unification of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shimin praised Xie Shufang's achievement, personally wrote a "beautiful talk" for him, and promoted him to the right servant of Shangshu, ranking among the important ministers of the Tang Dynasty. Until his death, Xie Shufang was always one of Li Shimin's most trusted advisers.
At the same time, Feng Li and Li Anyan also made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty in their respective positions. After Feng Li was appointed governor of Guangzhou, he severely punished corruption and worked diligently for the people, so that the once chaotic Guangzhou soon regained its vitality.
What is even more commendable is that Feng Li also personally led the Guangzhou army to expedition to the South China Sea Islands, advancing the territory of the Tang Dynasty all the way to today's Philippine Islands. This achievement made him canonized by Li Shimin as the "Nanzhou Festival Envoy" and became the highest military and political governor of the Tang Dynasty in South China.
As for Li Anyan, he was sent to Sichuan to quell a peasant uprising. Under his heroic command, the uprising was quickly put down, and peace was restored in Sichuan. Since then, Li Anyan has been the highest military governor in Sichuan, and he severely punished lawlessness, making Sichuan one of the safest and most stable regions of the Tang Dynasty.
In this way, these three former "diehards" eventually became important advisers under Li Shimin. In their respective positions, they made indelible contributions to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.
Until his death, Li Shimin was grateful to the three of them. It is said that whenever someone mentions the Xuanwumen Incident, Li Shimin will sigh: "If it weren't for their stubborn resistance at the beginning, how could I have experienced the hardships of seizing the world?"