During the critical period of the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin and Li Jing, two important generals, played an important role. They were all gifted, brave and warlike military strategists, and they had made great achievements on the battlefield. However, from a purely military point of view, Li Jing's combat methods were more aggressive and decisive, and his tactical use was also more outstanding, which made him stand out among the famous generals. In contrast, Li Shimin pays more attention to steady and steady progress, and his strategy is conservative. So, what is the reason for such a huge difference between the two? How much of Li Jing's invincible military wisdom surpasses Li Shimin? What kind of historical enlightenment will the answer to all this bring us? Let's find out.
Analysis of Li Shimin's heavy combat characteristics
In 615, when Li Shimin was 16 years old, Shibi Khan led 300,000 brave cavalry to the south and surrounded Li Shimin in Yanmen Pass. At this time, the Sui Dynasty building was about to collapse, the frontier was in an emergency, and the situation was extremely critical. For Li Shimin, this is a beacon bath and a major test.
"Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" exaggerated to the extreme, depicting Li Shimin's bluff and pretentiousness, and finally scared off hundreds of thousands of cavalry. In fact, the key to the lifting of the siege of Yanmen Pass lies in Princess Yicheng's "diplomatic skills" and the timely reinforcement of the main force of the Sui army, which has nothing to do with the young Li Shimin.
After that, Jieli Khan once again led an army of 200,000 brave south, arriving on the bank of the Weishui River, when Li Shimin was already the emperor who controlled the people. However, in the face of a strong enemy, he still chose to attack from afar, send heavy money and silver, delay the army, and avoid direct conflict. This cautious style of warfare was also common in the following campaigns.
Since the Jinyang army was raised in 617, in a series of battles such as the conquest of Guanzhong and the pacification of Hedong and Hebei, Li Shimin, as the commander-in-chief, relied on the overwhelming logistical superiority of the Tang army, often with the help of long-term wars of attrition, exhausted the enemy's reserves, and then defeated the opponent. Only in the battle of Guanzhong, the Tang army tried to play "hard", but the commander was a veteran Li Yuan, not Li Shimin at the helm.
In the Battle of Shallow Water Plains in 619, Li Shimin held the seal of command alone, and tried to fight a decisive battle with the main force of the strong enemy Xue Ju for the first time, but was severely damaged. There are various speculations about the cause of the defeat, but it is difficult to hide the obvious flaws in Li Shimin's flawed operational decision. In the following months, the two sides waited for an opportunity, still following the old path of attrition, until Xue Ju died, and Li Shimin had a chance to turn the situation around.
In the Battle of Hedong in 620, Li Shimin once again came to the battle to "pinch" accurately, always held the barracks conscientiously, divided his troops to cut off the enemy's grain and grass lines, so that the enemy had to take the initiative to start a war. Until the enemy's vitality was greatly damaged, Li Shimin waited for an opportunity to attack and completely annihilated the opponent.
The same was true of the Battle of Hebei in 621, where the Tang army held its position stubbornly, faltered, and coerced the enemy into a trap. Li Shimin knew very well that a bloody battle would inevitably be fought against a strong enemy, so he repeatedly adopted delaying tactics and waited for the time to be ripe and when the contrast between the enemy's and our forces widened before setting out to break the enemy.
The same was true of the Battle of Lishui in 622, when the-for-tat confrontation, Li Shimin stayed out of the matter, did not confront Liu Heimin, and was heavily damaged after transferring his position. In the face of a stubborn enemy, Li Shimin has never been able to embody the fearless spirit that a general should have, and he is too cautious and cautious, which will inevitably cause the war to spread and the casualties to increase.
The same was true of the expedition to Goguryeo in 645. A veteran of a hundred battles, but he still disobeyed the advice of his advisers and rested on his laurels under the city of Anshi, and his troops and materials gradually dried up. In the end, he had to retreat, return empty-handed, and carved the past of "rebuilding Wei Zheng's tombstone" for the misstep.
Interpretation of Li Jing's thunderous combat style
In contrast, Li Jing's combat style is like a thunderbolt, and the offensive is fierce, which makes people unguardable. Every time he goes out, he carefully arranges it, directly takes the opponent's vital points, quickly defeats the enemy, and never drags mud and water.
In 627, Li Jing took power and quelled the Xiao Milling Rebellion. Xiao Milling was an important minister of the Sui Dynasty, and took advantage of the turmoil of the Sui Dynasty to rebel and occupy the area of Longyou, and his prestige was shaking. In order to remove this sharp arrow, Li Jing personally took command of the expedition, fought a series of decisive battles, and finally captured Xiao Mo alive and revitalized the central power.
In this battle, Li Jing arranged well, divided his troops and looked at each other from afar, lured Xiao Mo to take the initiative to start the war, and then secretly joined reinforcements at the time of the siege, trapped Xiao's army in the heavily encircled place, and gave the final blow. Superb strategy, smooth flow, can be described as strategizing, surprisingly winning.
In 631, the Tuyuhun people took advantage of the situation to harass Biansai, and Li Jing was ordered to conquer. In order to avoid wasting troops, he personally led the elite to approach the opponent's base area, and after a fierce battle, the Tuyuhun chief Li Chongqian attached to Tang. While eliminating hidden dangers, Li Jing also captured a large number of prisoners alive to solve his worries.
In 638, Li Jing was stationed in Lingnan to pacify the army and civilians. At that time, Lingnan was in a state of division and turmoil, with rogue bandits rampant and warlords fighting each other. Li Jing used his wisdom to pacify the town of Beizhen in one fell swoop, laying the foundation for long-term peace and stability in Lingnan.
In the same year, Li Jing received news of the Khan's sneak attack on the border. In the face of the powerful Turkic cavalry army, he did not evade, but went straight to attack the opponent's camp, taking the enemy army by surprise. Seeing that the khan fled in embarrassment, Li Jing did not stop there, and continued to pursue the main Turkic force, completely destroying its sharp spirit.
Whether it is attacking a stubborn enemy or dealing with an unexpected situation, Li Jing can be calm and calm, win by surprise, never scatter people, and never give up halfway. He devised no stone unturned, and every battle was a clever arrangement that the enemy could not be guarded against.
It is precisely by virtue of this thunderous combat style that Li Jing has won successive battles, invincible and invincible. Even on the front line where the land is vast and sparsely populated and the environment is harsh, he can still attack with all his strength, and never delay consumption.
Comparative analysis of the personality traits of the two
Although Li Jing and Li Shimin are both famous generals of a generation, due to the difference in personality traits, the two have created very different combat styles.
Li Jing has been brilliant and courageous since he was a child. He is innovative, eclectic, and critical of authority, and is a tough guy with a lot of personality. This character of not fearing authority and being bold in making innovations doomed him to be bold and resolute in military command, strategize, and not be afraid of risks.
In 627, when Li Jing was crusading against Xiao Miao, he did not line up in a step-by-step formation, but carefully deployed, divided his troops to guard the key points, and lured Xiao Mi to take the initiative to fight. After Xiao Mo threw himself into the trap, Li Jing secretly increased his troops, surrounded him, and caught turtles in the urn, showing extraordinary resourcefulness.
In 638, in the face of the powerful Turkic cavalry, Li Jing also made a bold move, approached the opponent's camp, and caught it by surprise. Seeing that the enemy was about to flee, he did not be complacent, but continued to pursue the remnants, completely destroying the enemy's spirit, and only then did he return with his whip raised, and he would not tolerate giving up halfway.
In military decision-making, Li Jing dared to be the first, was not afraid of challenges, and often won by surprise and won victories. He never conformed to the rules, he never rested on his laurels, he was always innovating, and he crushed his enemies with an extraordinary offensive approach.
However, Li Shimin is often too cautious in doing things and lacks the courage of a general. In 622, in the battle of Zhushui, in the face of the strong enemy Liu Heimin, Li Shimin did not dare to compete and stayed out of the matter, resulting in the gradual expansion of the war, the increase of casualties, and finally the vitality was greatly damaged.
Even during the expedition to Goguryeo, Li Shimin, who had experienced a hundred battles, was still timid and resting on his laurels, leaving the Tang army in a predicament of manpower and material resources. In the end, he had to retreat from the battlefield and return empty-handed, wasting the years, which was suffocating.
It can be said that Li Jing is good at seizing the opportunity, seizing the opportunity, boldly winning by surprise, and never dragging his feet. However, Li Shimin was often overly cautious, timid, delayed the war, missed good opportunities, and found it difficult to achieve complete victory.
It is precisely because of this character that Li Jing is thunderous and invincible; And Li Shimin is doing it step by step, and it is inevitable that he will regret it. Although both of them have made outstanding military exploits, in terms of pure military command ability, Li Jing is proud of the others and unmatched.
Comparative analysis of the impact of environmental factors
In addition to the differences in personality traits, the environmental factors in which Li Shimin and Li Jing live have also created huge differences in their combat styles.
As the founding emperor of the Li Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin had a clear advantage in terms of economic materials. Whether it was the allocation of soldiers, military salaries, grain and grass, or advanced weapons and equipment, the centralized power of the Tang Dynasty could better meet the needs of the army.
For example, in the Battle of Hebei in 621, the Tang army was arrayed in ironclad formation, well-armed, and had the upper hand in the head-to-head battle. Although Xue Wanche and other enemy troops were also good at fighting, they were unable to compete with the Tang army due to lack of materials and outdated equipment. In the end, he could only throw himself into a trap and was captured alive by Tang Junsheng.
Another example is the battle of Goguryeo in 645, although Li Shimin fell short due to his complacency and strategic mistakes, the Tang army was never overstretched in terms of troops and materials, and the reserve of salaries and horses was still sufficient, so it was able to retreat safely.
In contrast, Li Jing fought for many years, often fighting hard under the extreme lack of manpower and material resources. In particular, the garrison in Lingnan is vast and sparsely populated, warlords are fighting, public order is deteriorating, and bandits are rampant, which can be described as a harsh environment.
However, with his superb military command ability and extraordinary wisdom, Li Jing was still able to win decisive victories for thousands of miles and performed many miraculous feats. In 638, he not only quelled the rebellion in Lingnan, but also captured a large number of rogues alive, solved his worries, and laid the foundation for the long-term stability of Lingnan.
In the same year, a large army of Turkic cavalry harassed Biansai. In the face of a powerful enemy, Li Jing was undaunted, approached his camp, and caught him off guard. After that, he pursued and fought fiercely, completely destroying the enemy's spirit, and such a victory was not easy to come by.
It can be said that Li Shimin's fighting environment for many years was relatively comfortable and well-to-do, but he made repeated strategic mistakes and found it difficult to achieve complete victory. However, Li Jing was able to win with wisdom and scheming in a difficult and harsh environment, and repeatedly made military exploits, which is really commendable.
This huge difference between the two is undoubtedly closely related to the severity of the environment in which they live. One side has abundant resources, and it can be said that the soldiers have all the material resources; One side has been on the road for a long time, and it is difficult to deal with it. This made Li Jing more witty and courageous, while Li Shimin was more cautious in procrastinating.
Comparative summary of military wisdom
Looking at the combat history of Li Shimin and Li Jing, we can clearly see that Li Jing's military command ability is far higher than Li Shimin's, and his military wisdom is also beyond ordinary people.
As mentioned above, Li Jing dares to innovate, strategizes, and is good at winning by surprise. Whether it was the suppression of the Xiao Milling Rebellion in 627 or the crusade against the Turkic invasion in 638, he showed extraordinary wisdom and heroic courage.
In 627, in the crusade against Xiao Miao, Li Jing carefully deployed, divided his troops to guard the key points, and lured Xiao Mi to throw himself into a trap. When he took the initiative to start the war, Li Jing secretly increased his troops, surrounded the Xiao army, and caught turtles in the urn, showing outstanding resourcefulness.
In 638, a large army of Turkic cavalry harassed the border and threatened it. In the face of a powerful enemy, Li Jing was not afraid, and personally led the elite to his battalion, taking it by surprise. After that, he chased and fought fiercely, completely destroying the enemy's spirit, which can be described as both wisdom and bravery.
In terms of military command, Li Shimin is far inferior to Li Jing's fearless spirit. In 622, in the battle of Lishui, in the face of the strong enemy Liu Heimin, he did not dare to fight to the death against his opponent, and stayed out of the matter, resulting in the gradual expansion of the war and the increase in casualties.
The same was true of the expedition to Goguryeo in 645. Li Shimin, who had experienced a hundred battles, rested on his laurels in the city of Anshi, missed the opportunity, and put the Tang army in a predicament of manpower and material resources, and finally had to return empty-handed.
Even when economic materials are relatively abundant, Li Shimin has many omissions, and it is difficult to completely defeat his opponents. However, Li Jing was able to win in a difficult and harsh environment, and he repeatedly made military exploits by virtue of his outstanding military command ability, which is really rare.
It can be seen from this that in terms of pure military command ability, Li Jing is proud of his peers, while Li Shimin is far from being up to par. Li Jing spared no effort, strategized, was good at winning by surprise, and never tolerated the enemy; Li Shimin, on the other hand, is often overly cautious, timid, and delays the war, which is embarrassing.
This stark contrast undoubtedly reflects the huge gap between the two men in terms of military wisdom. In terms of the level of military command alone, Li Jing is undoubtedly a well-deserved leader, while Li Shimin is beyond his reach.