Li Jing and Hou Junji were both famous marshals of the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, both of whom were on the list of heroes of Lingyange, and both of them had the merit of destroying the country in the foreign wars of the Zhenguan period.
Coincidentally, after they made the contribution to the destruction of the country, they both encountered political attacks for the same reason, but the two had different attitudes towards the tribulation, which led to the different fates of the two.
In the fourth year of Emperor Taizong's reign, Li Jing personally led his troops to raid Yinshan and defeat the Eastern Turks, forcing the Eastern Turk Khan Jieli to flee and was captured by the Tang army, and the Eastern Turks perished.
The Tang War against the Eastern Turks was the first foreign war launched by Tang Taizong Li Shimin after he ascended the throne, which not only eliminated the Great Plague of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in one fell swoop, but also sent Li Shimin to the throne of the "Heavenly Khan".
And Li Jing, who commanded this war, was undoubtedly a hero of the Tang Dynasty.
However, in the ancient dynasties, there has always been a custom of guarding against the great generals from making meritorious contributions to the lord, and Li Jing naturally could not escape this practice.
After the war, Li Jing was impeached on the grounds that he had condoned soldiers to rob their wealth.
This matter is recorded in both the New Book of Tang and the Old Book of Tang, and although the impeachers recorded are different, it is correct that Li Jing was impeached.
The New Book of Tang and the Biography of Li Jing records:
Imperial Master Xiao Yu impeached Jing for holding the army in disarray, plundering the soldiers and scattering the treasure.
The Old Book of Tang and the Biography of Li Jing records:
The Imperial Master Wen Yanbo harmed his merits, and the Jing Army had no discipline, causing the Qibao to be captured and scattered in the hands of the rebels.
That is to say, after Li Jing returned to the dynasty after making the contribution of destroying the country, he was immediately hit in the head and forced to ask Li Shimin for impeachment.
Although not long after that, Li Shimin still gave Li Jing the treatment of a general and let Li Jing enter the dynasty as a right servant of Shangshu, but Li Jing probably understood what was going on, and he was highly praised.
Li Jing was impeached, obviously after making a contribution to the destruction of the country, so Li Shimin was not at ease, so he acquiesced to the imperial historians to impeach Li Jing to strike at his prestige, and then give forgiveness, a big stick plus red dates, and the imperial heart technique.
If Li Jing complains or is dissatisfied, his future life will not be good.
Fortunately, Li Jing was also a scheming man, not only to bear his own impeachment, but also to give in after becoming prime minister, and whenever he discussed the government and politics, he "seemed to be unable to speak out."
Such an attitude allowed him to avoid further political attacks.
A similar political attack was encountered again by Li Jing during the ten years of Zhenguan, when Li Jing led the Tang army to destroy Tuguhun and regain the merit of destroying the country.
Subsequently, Li Jing was framed by his subordinates for plotting rebellion, and after the investigation of the matter was clear, Li Jing immediately took the initiative to go home to recuperate and no longer asked about the military and political affairs of the DPRK and China, which is recorded in the Old Book of Tang and the Biography of Li Jing:
It is to keep the door closed and prevent guests, although relatives are not allowed to enter.
Li Jing's constant compromise and good attitude of not distinguishing between and not arguing have bought himself li shimin's kindness, and even if the eldest son was implicated in the conspiracy of crown prince Li Chengqian, he was also spared by Li Shimin, and finally won a good death.
Hou Junji, another famous marshal of Li Jing's contemporaries, after encountering the same political attacks, obtained different endings because of different attitudes.
In the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, Hou Junji led the Tang army to also make a contribution to the destruction of the country, and he destroyed the State of Gaochang.
After Hou Junji's return to the dynasty, he was also impeached on the grounds that he had taken Gaochang's property privately and allowed soldiers to rob the wealth.
This reason is almost exactly the same as the reason for Li Jing's impeachment after the destruction of the Eastern Turks, which is recorded in the Old Book of Tang and the Collected Biography of Hou Jun:
Junji first broke Gaochang, did not play the invitation, did not have a sinner, and took the treasure privately. The generals knew about it, and they also competed to steal it, and Junji was afraid to do it and did not dare to control it. and Kyoshi, there is a division to push him for his crime, and he is sentenced to prison.
After Hou Junji encountered such a political attack, his attitude was completely different from Li Jing's attitude of compromise and forbearance, and he was quite dissatisfied, as recorded in the Old Book of Tang Hou Junji:
Junji thought that he had contributed to the Western Regions, but was imprisoned for his greed, and he was very proud.
This attitude led Hou Junji to begin to be dissatisfied with Li Shimin, and three years later, in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, he took the initiative to seduce the crown prince Li Chengqian to rebel, and after the defeat, Hou Junji was killed by Li Shimin.
Both Li Jing and Hou Junji were impeached for robbing property by soldiers after making meritorious contributions to the destruction of the country.
Soldier plundering was something that could not be avoided in ancient warfare, and Li Shimin and Manchu Wenwu actually knew it.
The impeachment of Li Jing and Hou Junji, who had the merit of destroying the country, for the same reason was a tacit understanding between the emperor and his confidants.
The purpose was to suppress the prestige of Li Jing and Hou Junji, to prevent them from having arrogance after making meritorious deeds, and it would not be easy to restrain them in the future, and if they could honestly accept it, they would be good courtiers.
In the political environment at that time, this was an inevitable political process encountered by the leading generals who were likely to be highly successful, and the key was to see whether the leading generals could understand this tacit understanding.
Li Jing understood Li Shimin's thoughts, so he had a corresponding response that satisfied Li Shimin, and also exchanged for a good ending, Hou Junji did not understand, and therefore had resentment, and the result was naturally not so good.
Hou Junji may be comparable to Li Jing in terms of leadership ability, but he is far behind in political consciousness.
Li Shimin is one of the emperors who treated the heroes relatively well in history, but the premise is that the heroes can cooperate with his imperial heart technique, otherwise, Li Shimin can also raise the butcher knife against the heroes.
References: Old Book of Tang, New Book of Tang