Comrade | Guevara
Like The Wei Wu Emperor Cao Cao, Tang Taizong Li Shimin was also an emperor who was wide on the outside and jealous on the inside, although on the surface he was close to the heroes and like a family, but in his heart he was always on guard against them, and liked to use power to play with the courtiers in the palm of his hands. As far as his imperial career is concerned, Tang Taizong's most feared hero before his death is none other than the British Duke Li Ji. So, who is Li Ji? Why was he suspected by Tang Taizong? What is the final outcome?
01 Lee Ji Qiren
Li Ji (李勣), whose real name was Xu Shixun (徐世勣), was a native of Caozhou (曹州離狐人), who later changed his name to Li Ji (李勣) because he accepted the Tang Dynasty's surname and avoided Li Shimin's secrets. Li Ji was originally a rich man in the area of Cao Prefecture and Hua Prefecture, and in the last years of the Sui Dynasty, he joined the Wagang Army led by Li Mi and Zhai Rang, and because of his outstanding merits, he was promoted to the rank of General of the Right Wu Dynasty. After the Wagang army was defeated by Emperor Shichong of Zheng, Li Ji followed Li Mi to surrender to the Tang Dynasty (Note: Zhai Rang had previously been killed by Li Mi), initially stationed in Shandong and Henan, and then followed Li Shimin in his conquests.
Li Ji stills
After Li Ji became a subordinate of Li Shimin, he followed him on his southern expedition to the north, successively pacifying warlords such as Emperor Zheng Shichong and Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia, and made outstanding achievements in the unification war. After Emperor Taizong of Tang ascended the throne, Li Ji attacked Xue Yantuo twice, breaking the Eastern Turks, Goguryeo and other states, and making a miraculous contribution to the empire's cause of expanding territory and expanding the territory. Because of Li Ji's meritorious service and wisdom and courage, he was deeply valued by Emperor Taizong of Tang, and for many years in the Zhenguan Dynasty, he was enfeoffed as a British duke and listed among the "Twenty-four Heroes of Ling Yan Pavilion".
02 Life hangs in the balance
In the later years of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the highly valued heroes such as Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Li Jing and others died one after another, while Li Xiaogong, Wei Chigong, Li Daozong and others withdrew from the center and indulged in pleasure, and only the eldest son Wuji and Li Ji were left to be reused. Changsun Wuji was both the emperor's brother-in-law and close friend for many years, and he also held the position of prime minister, and Tang Taizong had no doubts about him, but he always had doubts about Li Ji, who had surrendered halfway and seemed to be loyal.
Tang Taizong was deeply jealous of Li Ji
Before Tang Taizong died, out of the consideration of maintaining the stability of the empire, it was decided that the eldest son Wuji and Li Ji would jointly assist the crown prince Li Zhi. However, Tang Taizong knew very well that Li Ji was already an extremely popular subject at this time, and if Li Zhi could no longer exert favors on him, then he would probably not fight for the new king, and even with his superior wisdom, he would make more trouble. Considering this, Emperor Taizong of Tang demoted Li Ji to the rank of Assassin of Diezhou and ordered him to take office immediately. Li Zhi did not know it, so he asked his father why he deposed Li Ji.
When Tang Taizong saw that his son did not understand his painstaking heart, he could not help but sigh secretly, and then told him: "Li Ji's intelligence is far superior to others, and he can be of great use, but you have no favor for him, I am afraid it will be difficult to make him truly loyal." Now that I have deposed Li Ji to a foreign country, if he leaves Beijing immediately, it proves that he has no ill will, then when I die, you can appoint him as a servant (prime minister); if Li Ji lingers and watches, then kill him. After Li Zhi listened, he suddenly realized.
Emperor Gaozong of Tang relied heavily on Li Ji
Li Ji saw the emperor's thoughts clearly, so after receiving the edict, he rushed to Diezhou without even entering his home, and did not dare to stay for a moment, and Tang Taizong was very satisfied after hearing the news. Soon after, Emperor Taizong of Tang died, and the crown prince Li Zhi ascended the throne as emperor for Emperor Gaozong of Tang in May of the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649). Emperor Gaozong of Tang obeyed his father's will, and as soon as he succeeded to the throne, he summoned Li Ji back to Chang'an and worshipped him as Shangshu Zuo's servant. After that, Emperor Gaozong of Tang attached great importance to Li Ji, and the latter also devoted himself to assisting the government, and the kings and subjects were very compatible.
03 Secretly counterattack
However, although Li Ji was ostensibly loyal to Emperor Gaozong of Tang, he hated Tang Taizong's father and son who played him like a monkey in his heart, and because of this, Li Ji secretly sought out the "saboteurs" of the Tang Dynasty, preparing to teach Li Tang a painful lesson to vent his resentment. Kung Fu paid off, and Li Ji finally saw hope in Zhaoyi Wu Meiniang (Wu Zetian), so he took advantage of Tang Gaozong's resentment of Empress Wang and successfully persuaded the emperor to make Wu Meiniang empress in the sixth year of Yonghui (655).
Stills of Wu Zetian played by Liu Xiaoqing
Li Ji did not look away, and after Wu Meiniang was in the middle of the palace, she immediately launched a fierce revenge on the ministers who obstructed Emperor Gaozong of Tang from appointing her as the queen, and even the eldest son Wuji ended up with a ruined family. After that, Empress Wu gradually overthrew Emperor Gaozong of Tang and became the uncrowned emperor of the Tang Dynasty. After Emperor Gaozong's death, Empress Wu intensified her persecution of the Li Tang imperial family and increased its power, and within a few years she usurped the throne of the Tang Dynasty. In the process of Wu Zetian's rise, Li Ji undoubtedly played an extremely critical auxiliary role.
04 Glory and death
Out of gratitude, Wu Zetian repeatedly persuaded Emperor Gaozong of Tang to add officials to Li Ji and treat his descendants kindly. It was under the care of Wu Zetian that Li Ji served as chancellor in the Gaozong Dynasty for 14 years, and was awarded the title of Crown Prince Taishi, an official and a well-known courtier, and many brothers and nephews entered the dynasty as officials. In December of the second year of the general chapter (669), Li Ji died of illness at home at the age of 76, and after his death, he was given the title of Taiwei (太尉), the governor of Yangzhou, and the tomb of Emperor Taizong of Tang, which was truly a great honor.
Wu Zetian dug Li Ji's grave and cut off the coffin
However, Li Jiwan did not expect that after his death, he would be humiliated by his ally Wu Zetian. Originally, in the year that Emperor Zhongzong of Tang was deposed by Wu Zetian (684), Li Ji's grandson Li Jingye launched a rebellion in the name of Kuangfu Zhongzong, but was eventually defeated and killed. After Li Jingye was killed, Wu Zetian, in order to punish Li Jingye's family, ordered the pursuit of Li Ji's official title, the excavation of his tomb and the cutting of his coffin, and the restoration of his original surname Xu ("Pursue Li Jingye's ancestral examination official, fazuka coffin, and restore the surname Xu."). See Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 203).
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Song Qi and Ouyang Xiu (Northern Song): Old Book of Tang, Zhonghua Bookstore, 1975.
Ouyang Xiu (Northern Song Dynasty): New Book of Tang, Zhonghua Bookstore, 1975.
Sima Guang (Northern Song Dynasty): Zizhi Tongjian, Zhonghua Bookstore, 2015.