Chapter 8 Li Shimin who walks on thin ice

Li Yuan's long-awaited cool summer was so dull, he returned to Chang'an at the end of July. In order to improve the increasingly tense relationship between father and son and brothers, Li Yuan specially held a hunting event in the south of the city, and let the three sons compete in riding and shooting. Li Yuan never expected that something went wrong again in this competition aimed at enhancing the relationship, which made the already extremely tense relationship between father and son and brother even worse. The problem stems from a humming horse. This horse belongs to Li Jiancheng.

At the beginning of the race, Li Jiancheng led the fat and strong horse with a smile on his face, handed over the reins to Li Shimin, and said sincerely: "This is a rare horse, which can cross a gully several feet wide. My second brother is good at riding, so I can control it." Li Shimin took the reins, jumped on the horse without thinking, and then swung the whip, and Huma immediately rushed out like an arrow off the string. At that moment, Li Yuan must have been very pleased.It's not easy, the pair of brothers who were fighting every day finally shook hands and made peace. But Li Yuan didn't know that this was a trap.

What the crown prince handed over to King Qin was a fierce horse that had not yet been tamed.This wild and untamed horse usually has one characteristic - a rider who loves to play with it.Often in the process of running at high speed, the fierce horse will suddenly perform some thrilling moves, and even if the rider is not killed by the fall, he will be crippled. Li Shimin was running wildly, desperately chasing an elk in front of him. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji followed closely behind, smiling at each other unconsciously.Soon, the scene they were expecting happened: Hu Ma, who was galloping under King Qin's crotch, suddenly collapsed, kneeling on the ground with two front legs, and Li Shimin immediately flew out from the horse's back...

The crown prince and King Qi immediately burst into joy, and once again exchanged smug eyes. However, when they turned their heads again, they were stunned by the scene in front of them—King Qin was standing firmly beside Hu Ma, with a calm expression and no damage. Immediately afterwards, the prince and King Qi saw King Qin sneer at them from a distance, and jumped on the horseback again.Hu Ma kept repeating the old tricks, but King Qin was safe and sound every time.In the end, the fierce horse gave in and let the King of Qin gallop freely without any temper. On the way back, Li Shimin smiled and said to Yuwen Shiji who was beside him: "Someone wants to kill me with this horse! How can he kill me!"

Someone immediately reported this sentence to the prince, and then through the mouth of the prince, it fell into the ears of the concubines in the harem. After Li Yuan returned to the palace, the concubines immediately told the emperor what King Qin had said.But in the end, this sentence became like this: "King Qin said to himself, I have a destiny, and I will be the lord of the world. How can I die in waves!" Li Yuan was furious, and immediately summoned all three sons in, in front of the prince and Qi. The face of the king angrily reprimanded the king of Qin: "The son of heaven has his own destiny, and he can't ask for intelligence. Why are you so anxious to ask for it?" (Volume 191)

Obviously, Gao Zu's reprimand to King Qin carried a lot of weight, because it nakedly exposed Li Shimin's ambition to usurp the throne. In fact, rather than saying that this was an unfounded accusation made by Li Yuan after listening to the slander, it would be better to say that this was his taking the opportunity to vent his long-standing dissatisfaction with Li Shimin. We can recall that as early as July of the fourth year of Wude, when Li Shimin wiped out the two separatist regimes of Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande in one fell swoop, and deliberately staged that sharp martial arts show, Li Yuan must have felt the power of the king of Qin. threatened.What's more, in the process of fighting in the South and the North in these years, King Qin logically recruited heroes from all over the world and celebrities from all over the world, and established a powerful political and military group under Gaozu's eyes.How could Li Yuan turn a blind eye to all this?If King Qin was not his own son, but any hero with a different surname, Li Yuan would have killed him long ago.

The death of founding father Liu Wenjing is proof of that.Therefore, Li Yuan's various dissatisfaction with Li Shimin has actually been buried in his heart for a long time, but he has never made it clear.And the reason why Li Yuan no longer tolerated it this time was undoubtedly stimulated by the Yang Wengan incident. If Li Yuan could be roughly sure that King Qin was the manipulator behind this matter, he would definitely feel a great deal of panic—since King Qin already has the power to control the officials and ministers of the Eastern Palace, what else can he not do? Li Yuan has every reason to believe that the actual influence of King Qin has far exceeded his imagination, and it has greatly exceeded the range he can tolerate.

That's why Li Yuan unceremoniously issued a stern warning to King Qin. The purpose was to prevent him from going further and further on the road of conspiracy to seize the heir. However, in the face of Gaozu's reprimand, the King of Qin "without the crown and bowed his head" neither humble nor overbearing, and asked the emperor to "examine the case under the judicial department", that is, he took the initiative to ask the judicial department to file a case for review, showing a magnanimous appearance. This behavior of King Qin meant that he did not accept the emperor's warning.Because "bumping the crown and bowing the head" is just a normal etiquette for ministers when they face the reprimand of the monarch, and it does not mean yielding. What makes Li Yuan even more angry is that Li Shimin even offered to "examine the case under the law", which is almost like talking to him. It's up to you.

As we all know, no matter what accusations Li Yuan made against Li Shimin, the nature of it was still that the father was teaching his sons and ministers; no matter how serious Li Yuan and the crown prince's dissatisfaction and fear of the King of Qin had reached, all these belonged to the internal contradictions of the royal family.And once the "judicial case is verified", the contradiction is made public, and the nature is much more serious. It is equivalent to expanding and escalating the suspicion between father and son and brother discord in the royal family of Li and Tang into a political case known to both the government and the public. —And it is a major case that seriously affects the stability of the country.Leaving aside the fact that the father, son and brothers of the Li family are right and wrong, just bringing this matter to court itself is already a great shame to the Li Tang royal family.

Li Shimin knew very well that Li Yuan would never do this anyway. Knowing that the emperor would not accept it, he still wanted to bring it up. Isn't this arguing? Faced with Li Yuan's beatings and warnings, Li Shimin's attitude was not only unyielding, but also full of confrontation and coercion. Li Yuan really couldn't bear it anymore. It seems that the complaint I made to my confidant Pei Ji not long ago is not wrong at all-"This son has been a soldier for a long time, he is a dictator outside, and he was taught by a scholar. It is not my old days!" Don't give this kid a little color Look, he really wants to raise his tail to the sky.

Seeing the emperor blowing his beard and staring, the crown prince and King Qi beside him couldn't help but beam with joy, not hiding their gloating. This time, King Qin definitely couldn't bear it and walked away. However, at this juncture, an urgent battle report from the border flew into the Tai Chi Palace in Chang'an. Li Yuan's anger was replaced by shock in an instant. The damn Turks are at it again. As early as a month ago, when Li Yuan was devastated by the Yang Wengan incident, the Turkic people had already launched an attack on the Tang Dynasty along the long border.At that time, Daizhou (now Daixian County, Shanxi), Shuozhou (now Shuozhou City, Shanxi), Yuanzhou (now Guyuan City, Ningxia), Longzhou (now Longxian County, Shaanxi), Yinpan (to the east of Pingliang City, Gansu), and Bingzhou (Today's Taiyuan City, Shanxi) and other important towns and strongholds were attacked, but the Turkic attack was not very strong this time. Basically, they still focused on harassment and looting, and had no intention of further southward invasion. Therefore, the Li and Tang courts He only ordered Xiao general Yuchi Jingde and the guards from all over the country to send troops to meet them, and the Turkic offensive was stopped. However, the battle report sent from the border now shows that this time the Great Turkic Khan Jieli went out in person, and joined forces with the young Khan Tuli (son of Shibi Khan, Jieli’s elder brother) to send troops from all over the country to the south. Bingfeng pointed directly at Yuanzhou, obviously intending to invade Guanzhong and advance to Chang'an. This large-scale invasion with obvious strategic intentions could not but arouse the shock of Li Yuan and the entire court. With the enemy at hand, can Li Yuan still punish Li Shimin? Of course not. Li Yuan had no choice but to put away his angry face, and once again performed his face-changing stunt that he was always good at. He asked King Qin to stand up and put on the crown belt, and gave him a lot of comfort. Then he went straight to the topic and discussed with him the strategy to deal with the Turks. At that moment, the crown prince and King Qi must have greeted the eighteen generations of Turkic ancestors in their hearts. Because the damn Turks did Li Shimin another big favor. But what can I do?Li Shimin's luck is so good. Whenever Gao Zu tried to suppress or refrigerate it, some unpredictable external force would suddenly come, saving the unique military trump card of the Li Tang Dynasty from the predicament, and giving him another chance to make contributions.Whether it was Liu Wuzhou's invasion of Hedong in the second year of Wude, Liu Heitai's brazen rebellion in the fourth year of Wude, or the current large-scale invasion of the Turks, they all undoubtedly proved this point objectively. On the same day, Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan held an imperial meeting and ordered his three sons to discuss the current situation of the Anti-Japanese War with the important officials of the court. It was at this meeting that someone proposed a motion to move the capital.The reason is that Chang'an is too close to the border, and there are many "children and treasures", so the Turks invaded repeatedly. It is better to burn Chang'an and move the capital to the interior, so the Turks will naturally not come.Obviously, this is a very negative, almost ridiculous proposal.Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for any wise emperor to adopt it. But unexpectedly, Li Yuan agreed.He immediately ordered that Yu Wenshi, the minister of the book, prepare to go to Fan and Deng (now Xiangfan, Hubei) to investigate the location of the capital.The crown prince, Qi Wang monk Shu Pu She Pei Ji and others also agreed. Why do so many people agree with such a ridiculous proposal? The reason is very simple. It's not that these people have no brains, but because they don't want King Qin to make military exploits again.Of course, even moving the capital to Fan and Deng could not completely prevent the Turkic invasion of the Tang Dynasty, but it could effectively prevent the Turkic threat to the political heart of the empire.Once the capital is far away from the front line, the Turks will at most carry out some small-scale raids on the border, and it will be difficult to launch a strategic attack on the imperial capital of the Tang Dynasty.That being the case, it is enough to entrust the defense of the border to some ordinary generals, and there is no need for King Qin to be in command at all, so that the goal of keeping this trump card in cold storage for a long time can be achieved. In addition, according to Mr. Chen Yinke’s textual research, when Li Yuan raised troops in Taiyuan, he “declared himself a vassal” to the Turks. Although Liu Wenjing was negotiating with him, the mastermind was Li Shimin. Therefore, Li Shimin has always been regarded by Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng as a person who coerces the Turks and takes pride in himself. ("The Complete Works of Chen Yinke", "On Tang Gaozu's Proclamation in Turkic Affairs").It can be seen that Gao Zu and others insisted on moving the capital on the surface to prevent and eliminate the threat of the Turks, but in fact it was a deliberate suppression of Li Shimin. For this unimaginable proposal to move the capital, Minister Xiao Yu and others did not take it seriously, because moving is a major event that shakes the foundation of the country, and it must not be done hastily.But since Gao Zu had spoken, they could only keep silent, and no one dared to speak out. In the end only one person made a lone cry of protest. This person is of course Li Shimin. He said: "Rong and Di have been troubled since ancient times. Your majesty is holy and heroic, like a giant dragon rising up the people, and conquering the Central Plains! There are millions of elite soldiers under his command, and they are invincible. How can we move our capital to escape because the Hu people harass the border? Wouldn't it be shameful for the whole world? For the sake of a hundred generations? Huo Qubing was no more than a general of the Han court back then, and he was still determined to destroy the Xiongnu. Besides, as an imperial vassal, please give me a few years, and I will tie Jieli by the neck and lead him to the palace gate. If not, It's not too late to move the capital!" The prince cast a disdainful glance at the King of Qin, and said: "Back then, Fan Kui of the Western Han Dynasty was not ashamed. He once said in the court that he would lead a hundred thousand troops to sweep the Huns, but he soon realized that he could not do it. What the King of Qin said today is so similar! and also." Li Shimin argued with reason: "The situation is different, the strategy is different. What is the meaning of Fan Kuai, a small man? If I don't live for ten years, I will definitely be in Mobei, and there is absolutely no lie!" (Later facts proved that Li Shimin really had no lie). Did King Qin's rhetoric move Li Yuan? We only know that the final result was that Li Yuan did give up the idea of ​​moving the capital, but various historical materials have different records about the process of changing his mind.According to "Tongjian", Li Yuan immediately shouted after listening: "Good!" and "Cefu Yuangui" even said that Li Yuan laughed, and praised King Qin as "my family's thousand-mile horse".This 180-degree turn is obviously not in line with common sense. Even if Li Yuan wants to change his mind, it will take a process, or a step down. It is unlikely that he will easily repent and slap himself in front of the ministers and sons. Relatively speaking, we found that the records in "Old Tang Book·Taizong Benji" are much more reasonable - just after King Qin's impassioned statement, "Gaozu was angry, and Taizong still sent more than 30 riders. Return the sun, solid The play must not be moved to the capital, so Gaozu stopped."That is to say, at the court meeting that day, instead of being moved by Li Shimin's rhetoric, Li Yuan deliberately ordered him to investigate the location of the new capital. When Li Shimin returned to the court, he still resolutely opposed it and raised some practical problems discovered during the field investigation. , Li Yuancai canceled the plan to move the capital. In fact, the reason why Li Yuan finally gave up moving the capital was probably not because he was persuaded by Li Shimin's repeated remonstrances, but because the proposal to move the capital was not a firm matter in the first place.In a sense, this incident is more like a stern warning to Li Shimin of "holding the Turk for self-respect": In order to curb your sharpness, I dared to do things like burn down Chang'an, what else would I not dare to risk? ? But now Li Yuan has already made enough gestures, no matter whether it is a threat or a warning, it is very understandable to take advantage of the situation and go downhill.What's more, the Turkic Khan's army has already driven southward, and will soon reach the gate of his house. Even though he still has the idea of ​​moving the capital in his heart, the distant water cannot save the nearby fire. Therefore, on the 21st of July, the seventh year of Wude, Li Yuan had no choice but to use this unique trump card again, ordering Li Shimin to lead the battle against the Turks.At the same time, Li Yuan specially arranged Qi Wang Li Yuanji to be the deputy commander. The intention was obviously to prevent Qin Wang from dominating alone. Qin Wang Li Shimin re-entered the battlefield at a time of crisis, and the image of the mainstay was once again erected in front of the world with incomparable heights. Prince Li Jiancheng naturally felt strongly disturbed.He encouraged his concubines to share with Emperor Gaozu, saying: "Although the Turks have repeatedly invaded the border, they actually retreated after receiving bribes. On the surface, the King of Qin was playing the banner of unifying the outside world and resisting foreign invaders. In fact, he didn't want to seize military power and complete his mission. A conspiracy to usurp the throne?" Although Li Jiancheng's remarks were based on selfish speculation, they also revealed part of the truth: in the middle and late stages of Wude, Li Shimin was at an extremely disadvantageous position in the court under the joint suppression of the prince, Qi Wang, Pei Ji, and concubines in the harem. situation.The only thing he can rely on is his military exploits.Only through war can he continue to maintain his prestige in the ruling and opposition parties and consolidate his position. Li Shimin set off again. Li Yuan held a farewell party for him and King Qi in Lanchi (now east of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province). The strong wind in the early autumn of this year swept from the north, rushing and roaring on the bleak Wuling Plain.Li Shimin heard the words of encouragement from his father Li Yuan, which seemed hollow and ethereal in the sobbing autumn wind.He raised his neck and drank the farewell wine in one gulp, an indescribable bitterness quickly flowed from his throat to his heart. Since when did this glass of farewell wine full of ambition and pride become so difficult to swallow? Since when did the agitation and excitement of going to the battlefield have been covered with an inexplicable heaviness and anxiety? Li Shimin didn't know. He only knew that for many days, he was like a person walking on the abyss, and he had to maintain the inertia of moving forward to maintain his body's balance.He could not stop for a moment, or he would immediately fall from the suspension rope.And the result of continuing to move forward is also facing great danger, because this is a suspension cable from low to high, and if you take one more step forward, the safety factor will decrease by one point.Although Li Shimin believed that this dangerous high-altitude cable would eventually lead to a beautiful mountain peak, at this moment, there was only a dense black mist in front of him.Other than that, there was only cold rain and wind blowing fiercely from all sides. How far do we need to go? No one told him. On this early autumn morning, what worried Li Shimin was not his difficult situation in the court, nor his uncertain and unpredictable political future, but the war against the Turks he was about to face. The reason why Li Shimin was worried was not because of the strength of his opponent, but because of the weakness of the army. Li Tang's army, once brave and good at fighting, is no longer what it used to be. When the soldiers of the Tang army who were ordered to go out assembled on the Wulingyuan outside the Lanchi Palace, after Li Shimin inspected for a while, an extremely serious problem was exposed to him-the soldiers were disorganized and their morale was low. Armor and weapons also looked dilapidated and old.Everyone can see that a strong sense of war weariness is spreading in the army that is about to go out. Li Shimin is very clear that since the early years of Wude, Li Tang's army has been fighting and fighting for many years, and the exhaustion of the soldiers has been growing secretly. The enfeoffments and rewards from others inspired their fighting spirit and supported their spirit.And when the war to unify the world came to an end, the barely supported morale inevitably withered, and the long-simmering war weariness broke out. Moreover, a direct consequence of frequent battles is the excessive depreciation and loss of various weapons and equipment.However, with the advent of the peaceful era, the Li and Tang courts shifted their ruling focus from military construction to political and economic construction, and the treatment of the army also decreased accordingly. As a result, various weapons and equipment could not be updated and supplemented in a timely manner. On the other hand, it led to the dissatisfaction of the soldiers and seriously weakened the combat effectiveness of the army. In addition to the fact that the current situation of the army is not optimistic, there is another thing that makes Li Shimin feel like a thorn in his back. It was the look of a person. Qi Wang Li Yuanji. From the moment the two walked out of the Jinguang Gate of Chang'an side by side, Li Shimin found that King Qi's gaze towards him was full of resentment and hostility, but there was no intention of sharing the same hatred and unanimity with the outside world.King Qi seemed to have enough energy to see King Qin's jokes and how he would win this war where the enemy is strong and we are weak. Li Shimin couldn't help laughing wryly, this is the deputy that his father, Li Yuan, arranged for him - a deputy commander who has nothing to do with himself and is ready to watch the coach's jokes. The army moved quickly to the front. Dark clouds billowed in the distant sky. On the Wuling Plain in the autumn of this year, Li Shimin's back on his way to the north is full of melancholy and desolation.