Preface
In the turbulent late Sui years, a once reckless man actually climbed to the peak of power step by step with extraordinary wisdom and courage. He is the protagonist of this article - Li Mi.
However, fate often plays tricks on people like this. Just when Li Mi seemed to have touched the pinnacle of power, everything came to naught in an instant. This former leader of the peasant uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty finally suffered such a tragic end.
So, what was Li Mi's life experience? How did he reach the peak step by step, and how did he finally collapse? Come with me into this magnificent history and explore the legendary life of this former hero in troubled times.
The rise of Li Mi
In the twelfth year of the Great Cause, the Sui Dynasty was already on the verge of being poor and unproductive. Just when the people were miserable, a group of remnants of the Sui Dynasty joined hands to oppose the Sui Dynasty's shouts. Among them, there is a man named Yang Xuangan.
Yang Xuangan was originally an important minister of the Sui Dynasty, and the official worship was in the middle of the matter. It's just that he has already seen through the decay and incompetence of the Sui Dynasty, so he secretly planned a large-scale uprising against the Sui Dynasty.
The news soon spread all over the country, and for a time gathered countless anti-Sui people. Among them, there is a young man named Li Mi. Li Mi was originally an inconspicuous official, but he had a fiery anti-Sui heart. When he learned of Yang Xuangan's uprising plan, he joined in without hesitation, and gave advice to Yang Xuangan, formulating three strategies.
Unfortunately, the good times were short-lived. Yang Xuangan's uprising was soon frantically suppressed by the Sui Dynasty, and Li Mi and other accomplices were also swept away and wanted. Faced with such a desperate situation, Li Mi made a quick decision, and with his extraordinary resourcefulness and courage, he finally let himself and several accomplices escape. Since then, he has started his legendary life.
Although Li Mi came from an ordinary background, he was not an ordinary person. He showed extraordinary wisdom and courage from an early age, and played a key role in Yang Xuangan's uprising. It can be said that it was Li Mi's strategy and determination that enabled Yang Xuangan's uprising to make progress for a time.
However, Yang Xuangan was an incompetent leader after all, and in the end he could not escape the fate of destruction. And Li Mi, as his important assistant, could not escape the fate of being wanted. However, he did not give up his ideals, but with extraordinary wisdom and courage, he successfully escaped the pursuit and started his legendary life.
Li Mi defected to the Wagang Army
finally got rid of Yang Xuangan's downfall, but Li Mi did not stop there. Instead, he decided to continue pursuing his ideals. Soon, Li Mi joined a new peasant rebel army, the Wagang Army. The leader of the Wagang Army at that time was a man named Zhai Rang, and his strength was not too strong.
However, Li Mi was well versed in power and strategy, and he soon won Zhai Rang's appreciation for his resourcefulness and talent. Li Mi even gave advice to Zhai Rang, and persuaded many small groups of rebels to defect to Wagang, making the strength of the Wagang army stronger and stronger. This ability undoubtedly made Zhai Rang look down on Li Mi.
In Zhai Rang's eyes, Li Mi is undoubtedly a rare talent. Not only does he have extraordinary resourcefulness, but he can also use his eloquence and means to attract more forces to join the Wagang army. Such a person is undoubtedly a valuable resource for a rising peasant rebel army.
As a result, Zhai Rang soon included Li Mi in his inner circle. He not only appreciated Li Mi's talent, but also entrusted some of his important plans to Li Mi. Under such trust, Li Mi's status has also improved, and his influence within the Wagang Army has also increased.
At this time, Li Mi's ambitions were also increasing day by day. He secretly felt that with his own ability, he could completely control the entire Wagang Army, instead of being Zhai Rang's subordinate. So, he began to plan step by step.
Lee conspired to usurp the throne
The time came to the end of the Sui Dynasty, and the strength of the Wagang Army was already strong enough to confront the Sui Dynasty head-on. Within the Wagang Army, the contradictions between Li Mi and Zhai Rang and others are also gradually escalating. Someone slandered Zhai Rangjin, saying that Li Mi had ill intentions and wanted to seize power. Zhai Rang's cronies directly asked Zhai Rang to take the position of "Otsuka Zai", so as to control the power of the entire Wagang Army.
In the face of such a crisis, Li Mi reacted quickly. He first turned the tide in a battle with Wang Shichong and won the support of the soldiers of the Wagang Army. Then, he got rid of Zhai Rang and other cronies at a banquet, and seized the supremacy of the Wagang Army in one fell swoop. From then on, Li Mi became the true master of this powerful peasant rebel army.
The key to Li Mi's ability to usurp the supreme power of the Wagang Army so quickly was his thirst for power and mastery of conspiracy. From the beginning, he did not position himself as Zhai Rang's subordinate, but has been planning how to replace Zhai Rang and become the supreme ruler of the Wagang Army.
When the crisis came, Li Mi made a decisive move, first winning the support of the soldiers through his military exploits, and then getting rid of Zhai Rang and his cronies at a critical moment. This kind of decisiveness and ruthlessness is the embodiment of Li Mi's scheming skills accumulated over the years.
With this success, Li Mi's power and status reached unprecedented heights. Not only did he become the supreme ruler of the Wagang Army, but he also had a powerful army of hundreds of thousands in his hands. Such strength is enough to confront the Sui Dynasty head-on.
Li Mi's short-lived brilliance
After taking control of the Wagang Army, Li Mi's power and status reached unprecedented heights. He had in his hands a powerful army of hundreds of thousands of men, enough to confront the Sui Dynasty head-on. So, Li Mi began his own Northern Expedition. He personally led a large army south to attack Luoyang and Chang'an, the important cities of the Sui Dynasty.
At one point, the rulers of the Sui Dynasty were intimidated by Li Mi's iron hooves and hurriedly recalled the elite army of Liaodong to resist. It was at this time that Li Mi's resourcefulness was revealed again. He skillfully avoided the main forces of the Sui Dynasty and instead swooped down on the undefended eastern capital. For a time, the rulers of the Sui Dynasty were at a loss and retreated.
With this victory, Li Mi's arrogance became even more arrogant. He began to vindicate that he would seize the entire Central Plains and establish a new dynasty. In the eyes of his subordinates, Li Mi is already an out-and-out leader of the new era.
The key to Li Mi's brilliant achievements lies in his outstanding military talent and excellent strategy. As a small official from an ordinary background, Li Mi has extraordinary wisdom and courage. Not only is he able to command on the battlefield, but he is also able to make the right decisions at critical moments.
Such an ability made Li Mi rise rapidly within the Wagang Army and became Zhai Rang's most trusted assistant. When he finally usurped the supreme power of the Wagang Army, he relied on his military talent and strategy to conquer the city all the way to the heart of the Sui Dynasty.
In these turbulent times, not many people have been able to achieve anything like this. The rise of Li Mi is also the most dazzling star of this era. Not only did he show his resourcefulness and courage, but he also succeeded in building a powerful military force that was strong enough to confront the Sui Dynasty head-on.
Such an achievement naturally made Li Mi's arrogance more and more arrogant. He began to vindicate that he would establish his own dynasty and become the new overlord of this era. In the eyes of his subordinates, Li Mi is already an out-and-out leader of the new era.
The fall of Li Mi
It's a pity that Li Mi's brilliance is only temporary. Just when his arrogance was at its most arrogant, a powerful opponent appeared - Wang Shichong.
Wang Shichong was originally an important minister of the Sui Dynasty, but in the tide of the fall of the Sui Dynasty, he chose to defect to the emerging Tang Dynasty. With his military talents, Wang Shichong soon became an important general of the Tang Dynasty. In the face of Li Mi's provocation, Wang Shichong made a decisive attack. The two sides fought a decisive battle in the area of Bishan.
In the end, with the elite Tang army and his own outstanding strategy, Wang Shichong completely defeated Li Mi's Wagang army. The defeat of this decisive battle was also the final blow to Li Mi's career. His men surrendered or scattered, and Li Mi himself had to flee west with the remnants of his army.
Eventually, Li Mi took refuge with Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty. However, Li Yuan had long been wary of Li Mi's ambitions, and soon killed him in an ambush. In this way, this former hero of troubled times suffered a tragic end.
The key to Li Mi's eventual demise was that his ambitions were too hot. After a series of victories, Li Mi's arrogance became more and more arrogant, and he even began to vindicate that he wanted to establish his own dynasty. Such ambitions have undoubtedly aroused the vigilance and precautions of other forces.
In the decisive battle with Wang Shichong, Li Mi's military strength was still inferior to the elite of the Tang Dynasty after all. Although he once won the victory, it was difficult to resist Wang Shichong's attack in the end. The defeat in this decisive battle completely dealt a blow to Li Mi's forces and forced him to defect to the Tang Dynasty.
However, even if he took refuge in the Tang Dynasty, Li Mi could not escape the fate of being killed. Li Yuan had long been wary of Li Mi's ambitions, and quickly eliminated him in an ambush. Such an ending is undoubtedly a footnote to the final demise of Li Mi, a hero in troubled times.
epilogue
Li Mi's life is undoubtedly the most vivid portrayal of that turbulent era. In those days, everyone had an ambition, everyone was chasing power and status. And Li Mi is such a typical example.
However, Li Mi's ending also serves as a warning to us that there is a price to be paid for being too reckless. His eventual demise was due to the fact that his ambition was so intense that he was finally guarded and eliminated.
So, no matter what the era, we should keep a humble heart. Only humility in our hearts can make our cause stable for a long time, on the contrary, if we act arrogantly and recklessly, we will eventually doom.