Chapter 21 1. Stand up for justice: Rescue Hou Junji under the knife

In the turbulent times at the end of the Sui Dynasty, there were many people who could raise their arms and echoed. As the founders of the country, Li Yuan and Li Shimin's emphasis on talents and people's hearts played a very important role.It is precisely because they value the people around them and are able to use various methods to win over people's hearts and move people with affection, so there are batches of heroes from all over the world who come to join them, and there are also a group of warriors who are willing to die for them. Li Yuan himself is a person who is very difficult to trust others, because the era he lives in is extremely turbulent, and when he was a monarch and minister with Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, he was deeply suspected by Yang Guang, and there were many eyes and ears around him, which led to his suspicious personality.Therefore, he is more willing to believe in his four sons. Mrs. Dou's four sons have indeed given great help to Li Yuan's founding of the country, but Li Tang's flag was finally able to fly over Chang'an, and most of them were The merits of the capable men and sages around him.

When Li Yuan was not yet in power, Li Shimin was a person who liked to make friends with heroes.He deeply understands the truth of "one hero has three gangs", so whenever he hears that there are any heroes and righteous men, he must pay a visit.The young Li Shimin naturally doesn't talk about mysteries with others, but he likes to discuss the art of war with others and argue about the safety of the country. Make friends with it.Li Shimin makes friends not only by temporary feelings, but he pays more attention to a person's character. When Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was blocked by the Turkic Shibi Khan at Yanmen Pass during his northern tour, Li Shimin showed extraordinary military talent and retreated from Shibi Khan's army without a single soldier.After returning to Chang'an, Emperor Sui Yang invited the generals of King Qin to a banquet in the name of rewarding meritorious deeds, and Li Shimin naturally went with him.

On the way into the palace, Li Shimin followed behind his general Yun Dingxing, but seeing Yun Dingxing's lazy appearance, he seemed not very happy.The young Li Shimin stepped forward and asked, "General Yun, this time you are entering the palace to receive a reward, why are you unhappy?" Yun Dingxing looked at the young man beside him and said, "Mr. Li, how old are you this year?" Li Shimin said doubtfully, "I'm sixteen." Yun Dingxing smiled and said, "You're still so young, no wonder you don't understand these things." Li Shimin hurriedly saluted and said: "Please tell the general clearly."

Yun Dingxing nodded and said: "I see that although you are young, you have outstanding strategies, and you will definitely do something in the future. But in my court, if you want to stand out in the court, you don't necessarily need to be brave on the battlefield. Therefore, there are some I might as well tell you the truth." After speaking, Yun Dingxing looked around, seeing that no one had noticed him talking to Li Shimin, and said in a low voice: "The current emperor is generous to the soldiers in front of us. But We only hear about this kind of generosity, but we rarely feel it. Every time we make military exploits, he praises us a lot and promises to reward us, but every time he breaks his promise."

Li Shimin looked at the splendid Chang'an Palace, not far away was the tallest Tai Chi Hall, with gold bricks and green tiles, giving it an imperial atmosphere.He asked puzzledly: "Now that our country is strong, it is said that the emperor should be able to reward the soldiers for their military exploits?" Yun Dingxing said: "You don't know that. People say that 'accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger'. To be an official in the court, you must first know what kind of person your master is. The emperor is actually unwilling to reward the soldiers because he He has to save money to build palaces, canals, and many other extravagant enjoyments of his own. If he rewards more, wouldn’t he want to reduce his own enjoyment?”

The young Li Shimin frowned, and he said with some disbelief: "You can't keep your promises? If this continues, won't the soldiers be dissatisfied? What can we do if the morale of the army is slackened?" Yun Dingxing sighed, and said: "The emperor only cares about his own happiness, when will we care whether our soldiers are satisfied?" Li Shimin asked again: "Is there no one to explain to the emperor?" Seeing his innocent appearance, Yun Dingxing couldn't help laughing and said: "You are really young! Everyone will only complain about this kind of thing, who dares to tell the emperor? It doesn't mean that you are blaming the emperor Is it? So, everyone can only swallow their anger and silence it."

The two talked while walking, and soon came to the outside of the hall, where Li Yuan was already waiting.Li Shimin stepped forward to meet his father, and wanted to tell his father about his doubts just now, Yang Guang's imperial driver had already arrived. In the joyous atmosphere in the court hall, Yang Guang gave an order, and a sumptuous banquet was served on the tables of the generals. Everyone ate and drank, and there were songs and dances to add to the fun, and laughter came from time to time.But because of Yun Dingxing's words when he came, Li Shimin carefully observed the generals in the main hall. Although they were talking and laughing, some people would stop from time to time, discussing something in a low voice, from wrinkled Li Shimin guessed: Maybe they are complaining and there is no reward.

Seeing this, Li Shimin suddenly thought: How important it is for a king to keep his word.If the order is not delivered once, everyone will complain; if it is broken again, it will lose everyone's trust; when this kind of thing happens again and again, who else will charge forward for the emperor?As for the generals, although they were full of dissatisfaction, none of them dared to speak out. On the one hand, the emperor was alienated from morality, and on the other hand, these people did not dare to speak out, so that the emperor could not reflect on himself.The superficial singing and dancing can't cover up the undercurrent. It seems that being an official in this imperial court really has a lot of knowledge.

The banquet lasted until noon, and Yang Guang was tired, so he ordered everyone to thank him and leave.Li Shimin followed Li Yuan's plan to return, just as they left the palace gate, they heard a commotion, looked up, and saw a group of soldiers pushing and shoving a bound young general in the distance, as if they were going to escort him somewhere, But the teenager yelled loudly: "What's wrong with me!" and started arguing with everyone. Li Shimin saw that Yun Dingxing had rode his horse past, so he followed.Yun Dingxing asked: "Who is this person, why was he tied up?"

When the soldiers saw General Yun, they hurriedly reported: "This is the commander of the army, his name is Hou Junji. Today he scolded the emperor loudly in the camp, so the younger ones tied him up and wanted to send him to the general for processing. " Yun Dingxing asked: "What did he say?" The soldier said: "He said that the emperor is not trustworthy, he is a foolish emperor. He also said that next time he will ask the king to rescue him, no one will give his life, and then the emperor will have to save himself." Yun Dingxing was furious when he heard this, if such outrageous words were spread, not only would the emperor have to question him, but he would also be implicated at that time.He scolded Hou Junji who was tied up: "You bastard, you actually said such a thing, push me out and kill you!"

Although Hou Junji was tied up, he was tall and strong, and several people couldn't hold him back.Seeing him shake hard, he shook off the soldiers who were holding him, and said loudly to Yun Dingxing: "General, when we were at Yanmen Pass, everyone heard that the emperor wanted to reward you. But now they just give a few pots of wine and want to Appease the brothers, did I say something wrong? I am complaining for everyone!" Seeing him yelling, Yun Dingxing was afraid that other officials who had retired from the court would hear him and say that he had no way to lead the army in front of the emperor, so he said to him: "As a subject, you are supposed to share the emperor's worries, but now you are asking for a reward. You are a big treason. If you don’t kill you today, as a warning to others, there will be chaos in the Japanese army.” Then he ordered the soldiers to tie Hou Junji to the execution ground. Seeing this situation, Li Shimin hurriedly stepped forward and said to Yun Dingxing: "General Yun, calm down! I think this young general must have drunk the wine given by the emperor, so he is talking nonsense. Please give him to the general." I'll deal with it!" In fact, Yun Dingxing didn't really want to kill Hou Junji, he was just afraid that Hou Junji's nonsense in the army would disturb the morale of the army, and he was also afraid that his words would reach the ears of the emperor, and he would be punished for it.Seeing Li Shimin come to intercede now, he also wanted to find a step quickly, so he said: "Talking nonsense in the army and disturbing the morale of the army are punishable crimes. You don't need to intercede with him." Li Shimin smiled apologetically and said, "Don't blame the general for talking nonsense after drinking. Shimin is willing to plead for him with this military achievement. Please let the general let him go." It turned out that Li Shimin was the one who led the troops and gave advice this time when the enemy retreated from Yanmen Pass, but Yun Dingxing put all the credit on himself in the memorial.Li Shimin just pretended not to know about these things, and Yun Dingxing felt a little embarrassed when he hinted at these things now, so he pushed the boat along: "Since you are pleading for him, then I will let him go temporarily. If you dare to talk nonsense in the future , I will definitely not spare him!" Then he rode his horse back to the camp. Li Shimin got off his horse and untied Hou Junji, and said with a smile, "It's not worth it for you to lose your life for a single sentence!" Hou Junji still stubbornly said, "What I'm telling is the truth!" Li Shimin asked: "Why don't everyone say it, but you want to shout so loudly?" Hou Junji stared, and said: "These people are all cowardly bastards! They are full of complaints behind their backs, but in the end they have no backbone at all. They still have to thank the emperor for their greatness! I just don't like it." Willing to be this kind of person!" Looking at the bold man in front of him, Li Shimin thought of those generals who were whispering in the court hall. Aren't they the rats that Hou Junji said?It seems that they can't even compare with such a young general! After Hou Junji was released from the rope, "Plop" knelt on the ground and said, "General Li saved me today, and Hou Junji will remember it in his heart. I will never thank you for your kindness. I will definitely repay you in the future!" "He knocked his head a few times. Li Shimin hurriedly helped him up and said: "I think you are a bold and outspoken person, so I saved you, not for you to repay me. Now, I think you should disarm and return to the fields as soon as possible, go home and farm!" Upon hearing this, Hou Junji knelt down and said to Li Shimin: "The general saved me, how can I just leave? I am willing to follow the general, and I will do whatever I want!" Just as Li Shimin was about to decline, Li Yuan, who was watching all this from a distance, walked over and said with a smile: "A thousand gold is easy to get, but a warrior is hard to find. I think this man is a rare warrior, so you can keep him." Hou Junji thanked Li Yuan and Li Shimin, and has been by Li Shimin's side ever since. He is not only Li Shimin's good friend, but also a fierce general in the army, and has contributed to the development of Li Tang's army.In the Xuanwumen Incident, he even played an important role, helping Li Shimin ascend the throne of emperor smoothly. From the process of getting acquainted with Hou Junji, it can be seen that Li Shimin has a sincere admiration for those who dare to speak out. He admires such people, which is why he reaches out to help.In the selection of friends, he not only looks at the ability and status of the other party, but also pays more attention to the level of character.Because when the whole world is in a coma, having someone who can stay awake by his side will definitely help his thinking greatly, allowing him to see the world clearly.