Among the founding heroes of the Tang Dynasty, Du Ruyi was a rather interesting figure.
When it comes to the name Du Ruyi, many people's first reaction is definitely the idiom of 'Fang Mou Du Duan'. As one of the most prestigious prime ministers in the early Tang Dynasty, du Ruyi's name, many people must have heard of it. But what specific contributions did Du Ruhan make to the Tang Dynasty? What has been done? What ingenuity did you offer? Many people may not be able to say it clearly.
What is even more interesting is that it is such a person who knows his name but does not know his contribution, and the official positioning of him in the Tang Dynasty is also extremely high! When Li Shimin founded the Literature Museum, Du Ruyi ranked first in the Literature Museum! After Li Shimin ascended the throne, Du Ruyi also received a first-class reward. Later, when Li Shimin evaluated the list of heroes of Lingyange, Du Ruyi ranked third, second only to Changsun Wuji and Li Xiaogong. You know, the famous Second Master Qin Shubao, so many legendary stories in his life, and finally in the list of Ling Yange heroes, in fact, only ranked twenty-fourth.
So, what did Du Ruyi do? Will Li Shimin have such a high evaluation of him?
Du Ruqian , also spelled Keming , was born in the Jingzhao Du clan , which is now a native of Xi'an. The Jingzhao Du family is one of the core families of the Guanlong Group, and the famous people with the surname Du in the Tang Dynasty are basically from this family. In addition to Du Ruyi, such as Du Fu, Du Mu and others, they are all from this family.
And this branch of Du Ruyi's family has been powerful since the Northern Wei Dynasty. Du Ruyi's ancestor Gaozu served as a general of the Northern Wei Auxiliary State, his great-grandfather served as the Northern Zhou Kaifu Yi Tongsan Division, his grandfather served as the governor of Huai Prefecture in the Sui Dynasty, and his father was the governor of Changzhou in the Sui Dynasty. In addition to its power, this family is also known for its profound family knowledge. According to historical records, Du Ruyi was proficient in history and literature from his youth, and was deeply influenced by family learning.
But it is interesting that during the entire Sui Dynasty, Du Ruyi did not become an official.
Du Ruhan was born in 585 AD, the fourth year after the establishment of the Sui Dynasty. Because of his family lineage, Du Ruyi was recruited as a reserve official after Yang Guang ascended the throne. After that, Du Ruyi was favored by the official attendant Gao Xiaoji and was appointed as a lieutenant of Fuyang County. However, shortly thereafter, Du Ruyi resigned from his official post and abandoned his post and returned home.
Why did Du Ruhan resign at that time? The answer to this question is not complicated. Because at that time, Du Ruyi was a young man with lofty ambitions, who was not willing to join forces with the powerful people of the current dynasty and was unwilling to form a party and take sides. In the dark official environment of the late Sui Dynasty, even if Du Ruyi had great talent, it was difficult to exert his ambitions, and it was better to go home and study heirlooms.
And Du Ruqian's situation is actually not an isolated case. In the history of the late Sui and early Tang dynasties, there were actually many very talented people who did not achieve much high position in the Sui Dynasty, but after the Tang Dynasty, they all established meritorious deeds. Among them, Li Jing, the famous general of the early Tang Dynasty, is the most representative. When Li Jing was in the Sui Dynasty, he worked for more than twenty years, and there was no improvement, not even the army. However, after arriving in the Tang Dynasty, he was able to quickly lead troops to sweep the world and become a generation of gods of war.
I have to say that for talents, the environment is really very important.
In addition, here is another sentence, the Sui Dynasty official waiter who promoted Du Ruyi, in the exploration of talents, is really quite a set. During his presidency of the selection of officials, in addition to discovering Du Ruyi, he also discovered another extremely talented young man. This person was the later Fang Xuanling. During the Sui Dynasty, the two great talents of Fang Du had actually been discovered, but those in power abandoned them. If such a Sui Dynasty did not die, it would be a strange thing!
Later, in the thirteenth year of Daye, with Li Yuan starting from Taiyuan, and then attacking Chang'an all the way, he entered Guanzhong. Du Ruyi's life has finally reached a turning point. This year, Du Ruyi was already 33 years old. A 33-year-old man, who doesn't even have a stable job at this time, can only live in the family farm. If Du Ruyi lived in modern times, it is estimated that he would not want to marry his daughter-in-law.
However, after Li Yuan entered Chang'an, Du Ruyi encountered one of the most important opportunities in his life. When Li Shimin led his troops to the outside of Chang'an City, Fang Xuanling, who was then serving as a minor official in the Sui Dynasty, took the initiative to meet Li Shimin, and then defected to Li Shimin and became Li Shimin's confidant. After Fang Xuanling entered Li Shimin's command, he immediately recommended Du Ruyi to Li Shimin.
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi were both discovered by the official waiter, so they were well aware of Du Ruyi's talents. In this way, under the recommendation of Fang Xuanling, the name Du Ruyi finally reached Li Shimin's ears. Later, after the Li family entered Chang'an, Li Shimin immediately issued a conscription order to Du Ruyi, who was idle at home. Du Ruyi did not refuse this, and gladly went to Li Shimin's command as a civilian official.
As Du Ruyi began to gradually devote himself to his work, Li Shimin soon found that he had found the right person.
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi are two people, as if they are a natural combination. One is responsible for giving advice and can provide several solutions at the same time; the other can weigh the pros and cons of several options and finally make a choice, which is the origin of the so-called 'house plan'. The combination of Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi is equivalent to Zhang Liangjia Xiao He, who was beside Liu Bang in the early Han Dynasty. Whether it's marching to fight a war or governing the internal affairs of the rear, both of them can give near-perfect advice.
With the assistance of these two people, Li Shimin began to take off.
If you say that Li Shimin before getting Fang Du and the two people, he is already a unique tyrant. Then after getting these two great talents, Li Shimin is even more powerful. As for these talents gathered under Li Shimin's command, Li Jiancheng, who was the crown prince at the time, was once very hot-eyed. After the Li family entered Chang'an, Li Jiancheng once suggested to Li Yuan to disperse these talents under Li Shimin and fill the key departments of the Tang Dynasty, and later Li Yuan also accepted this suggestion. However, after Li Shimin received the will, everyone else was happily released, only Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi, let old Li want people no matter what, Li Shimin was killed and did not give.
After Du Ruyi entered Li Shimin's command, Li Shimin began to conquer the world and became the strongest commander of the Tang Dynasty. In this process, Du Ruhan and Fang Xuanling have always accompanied the army. Several key wars in the north of the early Tang Dynasty were basically fought by Li Shimin. The planning and deduction of these key wars was basically completed by this small group with Fang Du and Du as the core.
This is also why Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhan are so famous, but if you go through the history books, it is difficult to find out what contributions they have made. Because all their plans were basically implemented in the name of Li Shimin in the end, and finally written into Li Shimin's biography.
For the next four years, Du Ruyi followed Li Shimin and defeated xue ju, Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande and other powerful enemies. Especially after defeating Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, Li Shimin laid the foundation for the unification of the Tang Dynasty in the First World War. But at the same time, after this battle, Li Yuan also realized that Li Shimin's military merit was too high, threatening Li Jiancheng's position as crown prince. Therefore, after returning to Chang'an, Li Yuan made Li Shimin a general of Tiance and allowed Li Shimin to establish Tiance Mansion on his own. But at the same time, Li Yuan also took almost all of Li Shimin's military power, making Li Shimin an idle prince for the time being.
At this time, Li Shimin also knew Li Yuan's thoughts, and he also knew that in the future, his struggle with Li Jiancheng was destined to be carried out in the court. So after returning to Chang'an, Li Shimin established an institution called the Museum of Literature. Nominally, Li Shimin felt that he had started fighting wars when he was very young and did not read much, so he wanted to invite some great Confucians to come and study culture with him. But in fact, Li Shimin established this literary museum in order to recruit some top civilian officials for himself and make up for his shortcomings.
After the establishment of the Literature Museum, Li Shimin found eighteen people and entered the Literature Museum. Among them, Du Ruyi was at the top of the eighteen bachelors, and Fang Xuanling was ranked second. These eighteen people, almost can be said to be the core team of Li Shimin's civilian officials, have made great contributions to Li Shimin.
However, shortly after the establishment of the Museum of Literature, Dou Jiande's general Liu Heimin gathered again to rebel. After that, Li Yuan had to send Li Shimin again to suppress Liu Heimin. Taking advantage of this opportunity to suppress Liu Heimin, Li Shimin was also able to install his own manpower in Shandong, Hebei, Henan and other places, laying the foundation for himself to later compete for the position of crown prince.
After defeating Liu Heimin, Li Shimin returned to Chang'an again and began to officially compete with Li Jiancheng for the position of crown prince. In the following years, Du Ruyi has been following Li Shimin around and advising Li Shimin. Among all of Li Shimin's subordinates, Li Jiancheng was most jealous of Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi. As for Wei Chigong, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin and others, Li Jiancheng did not care so much.
At the most critical time of the struggle between the two sides, Li Jiancheng, at a huge price, asked Li Yuan to order that Fang Du and Du be deposed and driven out of Tiance Province. But later, the two quietly returned to Tiance Mansion and continued to help Li Shimin with his advice.
After that, it was the Xuanwumen incident that changed.
The real Xuanwumen Incident in history, in simple terms, the process is like this: when the struggle between the two sides was at its most intense, just when the Turks were attacking, Li Yuan ordered the old third Li Yuanji to lead the army to resist. Then Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng conspired to kill Li Shimin on the spot when the army was on the battlefield. However, this matter was learned by Li Shimin in advance, so Li Shimin decided to preempt it. After Li Shimin entered the palace late at night and reported the two of them for defilement in the harem, Li Yuan immediately let the two enter the palace the next morning to confront each other. The next morning, Li Shimin took the opportunity to ambush at Xuanwu Gate and killed the two in one fell swoop, ending the struggle.
The whole Xuanwumen incident, the process is actually not complicated. But if you look closely at the story behind it, that's too much. Many things that seem simple are actually much more complicated than we think.
In the Xuanwumen Incident, the influence of different roles on the Xuanwumen Incident was absolutely different. Li Shimin was the initiator, and the three men, Changsun Wujie, Wei Chigong, and Hou Junji, were to persuade Li Shimin to make up his mind. Fang Du and the two, plus the eldest grandson Wujie, planned the Xuanwumen Incident. Others, on the other hand, were involved in the Xuanwumen Incident.
The two words of planning are enough to prove Du Ruhan's contribution.
You know, planning a coup d'état is not as simple as simply taking hundreds of people and cutting two people to the Xuanwu Gate. Planning a successful coup requires not only considering the implications of all sides, considering the various possible contingencies, and even considering the retreat after the coup fails. All of these were jointly formulated by Fang Xuanling, Du Ruyi, the eldest grandson Wuji, and Li Shimin himself. This credit is actually far greater than going to Xuanwu Gate to kill a few people.
After the Xuanwumen Incident, Li Shimin ascended the throne as emperor. After that, it is time to discuss the merits and rewards. When discussing the reward for meritorious deeds, there was only one person who received the super first-class reward, and this person was called Pei Huan. The reason why he received this award was not because he participated in the Xuanwumen Incident, but because he was the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty at that time, representing the old courtiers of the former dynasty. Li Shimin needs to stabilize him and stabilize people's hearts.
After Pei Huan, a total of five people received first-class rewards, namely the eldest son Wuji, Wang Junkuo, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhan, and Wei Chigong.
Among these five people, the eldest grandson Wuji is Li Shimin's brother-in-law, who has always been Li Shimin's simplest supporter, and it is normal to receive a first-class reward. Wang Junkuo was a key figure in Youzhou at that time, and he also fought many battles with Li Shimin. The most crucial thing was that he had just killed Li Zhen, the prince of Youzhou who was preparing to rebel, and maintained the stability of the border area of Youzhou, and this contribution was also great.
After that, Wei Chigong not only followed Li Shimin all the time, but also took the lead in fighting. Moreover, he was also a key figure who persuaded Li Shimin to launch a coup d'état before, and even more at the critical moment of the Xuanwumen Incident, he saved Li Shimin's life, which naturally deserved a first-class reward.
In addition to these three people, the remaining two are Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi, the two planners.
For Li Shimin, Du Ruhan and Fang Xuanling were like his Wolong Phoenix Chicks, his most important think tanks and military masters. People who have seen the Three Kingdoms know that at any time, Zhuge Liang will always be more important than those military generals under Liu Bei, which is actually the truth.
After Li Shimin ascended the throne, Du Ruyi quickly changed his position to the official Shangshu and grasped the power of personnel. After that, Du Ruyi was reappointed as the right servant of Shangshu, and in addition to still being in charge of personnel, he also had to work with Fang Xuanling to formulate various national policies. The reason why the famous rule of Zhenguan in history can be so famous, in addition to Li Shimin's own wisdom and divine martial arts, is also inseparable from this series of policies formulated by Fang Du and Du.
Unfortunately, Du Ruyi himself did not have a long life. Four years after Zhenguan, Du Ruyi, who was only 46 years old, died of illness. After Du Ruyi's death, Li Shimin was very sad and cried unceasingly. Later, when Li Shimin evaluated the list of LingYange's meritorious heroes, Du Ruyi was ranked third, second only to The Eldest Sun Wuji and Li Xiaogong.
Among all the simple civilian officials, Du Ruyi was undoubtedly the highest ranked. This ranking, to some extent, also proves his position in Li Shimin's heart.
Looking back at Du Ruhan's story, it is not difficult for us to find that the most important turning point in Du Ruhan's life is that he met Li Shimin. Just as the so-called good birds choose trees to perch, good talents, if they can't meet good leaders, it is often difficult to exert their abilities. Both Fang Xuanling and Du Ruqian had already entered the sui dynasty as officials during the Sui Dynasty. However, the authorities at that time could not appoint them well, and could only leave them to the Later Tang Dynasty.
Du Ruyi's story also tells us a truth: to be a person, you must polish your eyes, and following the boss is often one of the most important things in life. Following a good leader can often make your life smoother. As a leader, learning how to better appoint talents is a key factor in success. For example, Li Shimin, it is precisely because he appointed such a great talent as Fang Du that he was able to successfully establish his own era. If Li Shimin had to do everything himself, he would do everything himself. It is estimated that even if Li Shimin has great talent, he can only die of exhaustion in the end.