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Li Ji was born into a wealthy family in Lihu, Caozhou. His father was kind and generous and often helped others.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Xu Shiji moved with his family to Weinan, Huazhou, and lived in Weinan.

Floods, droughts and plagues continued in Shandong, Henan and other places, and the people could only eat tree bark or soil.

Emperor Yang of Sui still recruited troops to attack Goguryeo, which caused dissatisfaction both inside and outside the court, and peasant uprisings broke out frequently in various places.

In the same year, Zhai Rang, a law officer from Jiyin, Caozhou who was good at using spears, committed a capital crime for a minor offense. He fled to Wagang and set up Wagang Camp to rebel against the Sui Dynasty.

The seventeen-year-old Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin also went to join the uprising with the Wagang Army.

Xu Shiji was good at strategy and once suggested to Zhai Rang that the people near Wagang were all neighbors and should not be invaded, while Song Liangzhou was far away from his hometown and close to the Yu River, so they could plunder the passing ships on the Yongji Canal to maintain the army.

After Zhai Rang adopted his suggestion, the Wagang Army grew to more than 10,000 people in more than a year and became the main force of the Central Plains uprising army.

"In the ninth year of Daye, Yang Xuangan, a noble general of the Sui Dynasty, gathered Li Mi and others to rebel while Emperor Yang of Sui was on an expedition to Goguryeo. The rebellion was quickly suppressed, Yang Xuangan was killed, and Li Mi and his subordinates fled everywhere but were blocked."

"In the 12th year of Daye, Li Mi led his troops to the Wagang Camp and suggested that the Wagang Army first take Xingyang, seize the granary, and then advance to Chang'an and the other two capitals."

"Under his command, the Wagang Army captured Jinti Pass and most of the counties in Xingyang County and approached Xingyang City."

"Zhang Xutuo, a Sui general stationed in Xingyang, was ordered to lead more than 20,000 elite troops to attack Wagangzhai."

"Zhai Rang was greatly frightened, and only agreed to fight after being persuaded by Li Mi and Xu Shiji."

"In the end, Li Mi led his army to defeat the Sui army, and Zhang Xutuo died in the battle. Li Mi's prestige in the Wagang army grew day by day."

"In the 13th year of Daye, Xu Shiji and Wang Bodang persuaded Zhai Rang to give up his throne to Li Mi because they believed in Li Mi's talent. Li Mi then proclaimed himself Duke of Wei, appointed Zhai Rang as Minister of Education, and appointed Xu Shiji as General You Wuhou."

"In the same year, the imperial court ordered Wang Shichong to lead an army to attack the Wagang Army. Xu Shiji used tactics to defeat Wang Shichong several times on both sides of the Luo River. The Wagang Army eventually won, and Xu Shiji was sealed by Li Feng as the Duke of Donghai County."

"Afterwards, Xu Shiji suggested to Li Mi and led his troops to capture the warehouse city of Liyang, opened the warehouses to release grain, and helped the hungry people. As a result, he recruited more than 200,000 troops in more than ten days."

"After the Wagang Army grew stronger, there was a power struggle within it. In November of the 13th year of Daye, Li Mi designed to remove Zhai Rang, who first established the Wagang Camp. Zhai Rang's former subordinates fought with him. In the chaos, Xu Shiji was chopped in the neck and was seriously injured. Li Mi gained the absolute leadership of the Wagang Camp."

"In order to appease his people, Li Mi ordered the former Wagang generals Xu Shiji, Shan Xiongxin, and Wang Bodang to lead Zhai Rang's former troops. However, some people, such as Shan Xiongxin, were still dissatisfied with Li Mi's leadership, and there were signs of division within Wagang."

"In the first year of the Tang Wude reign, the Sui general Yu Wenhuaji strangled Emperor Yang of Sui in Jiangdu, proclaimed himself emperor, and led his army north to capture the eastern capital Luoyang."

"In February of the same year, Wang Deren, the leader of the Linlushan uprising army, surrendered to Li Mi and then killed Fang Yanzao, Li Mi's trusted confidant and left chief secretary."

"In May, Li Mi sent Xu Shiji to attack Wang Deren. After Wang Deren was defeated, he defected to Tang Wang Li Yuan, and Yu Wenzhi also began to besiege Liyang Warehouse."

"Xu Shiji, who was stationed here, dug a tunnel in the city and secretly moved his troops outside the city. Together with the reinforcements led by Li Mi, they defeated Yu Wenzhi and forced him to retreat."

"At the same time, the news of Emperor Yang of Sui's murder reached the capital. Wang Shichong and other Sui generals stationed in Gongbei supported King Yang Tong of Yue to succeed the Sui emperor and intended to surrender the Wagang Army."

"Fearing a pincer attack from Yu Wenzhi and Wang Shichong, the Wagang Army surrendered to the Sui Dynasty. Xu Shiji was reappointed as the Right General of Wuhou and was ordered to fight against Yu Wenzhi."

"In the end, Yu Wenzhi was defeated, but the Wagang Army also suffered losses."

"In September of the first year of the Tang Wude era, Wang Shichong took advantage of the fact that the Wagang Army was weakened and sent troops to attack."

"Generals Cheng Zhijie and Qin Shubao were captured by Wang Shichong one after another. Shan Xiongxin surrendered to Wang Shichong. The Wagang Uprising Army collapsed. Li Mi surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. The territory he previously governed was taken over by Xu Shiji."

"In the second year of Wude, Xu Shiji completed the land and household statistics of his jurisdiction and handed it over to Li Mi to present to Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan."

"Because he refused to seek credit for himself by offering land to Li Mi, Emperor Gaozu of Tang praised him as a loyal minister, gave him the surname Li, appointed him as the governor of Lizhou, and conferred him the titles of Duke of Lai and Shangzhuguo."

"His father Xu Gai also changed his surname to Li and was named King of Jiyin, and later changed his title to Duke of Shu."

Su Shi: Wang Shichong deposed Yang Tong and proclaimed himself emperor, establishing the State of Zheng. Xu Shiji was ordered to lead the troops in Henan and Shandong to resist Wang Shichong.

In November of the second year of Wude, Hebei warlord Dou Jiande captured Liyang and captured Li Shiji's father Li Gai, King of Huaiyang Li Shentong, Wei Zheng, Princess Tongan and others. Li Shiji, who had already evacuated, had to return to Liyang and surrender to Dou Jiande in order to save the hostages.

Afterwards, Dou Jiande took Li Gai as a hostage and ordered Li Shiji to garrison Liyang.

After Li Shiji helped Dou Jiande defeat Wang Shichong's troops, he gained Dou Jiande's trust.

Li Shiji then suggested that Dou Jiande personally lead an expedition to Henan, hoping to take the opportunity to kill him.

In the third year of Wude, Li Shiji became sworn brothers with Li Wenxiang of Weijun. When he was paying homage to Li Wenxiang's mother, Huo, he heard Huo complaining about the tyranny of Dou Jiande and the invasion of Henan by her brother-in-law Cao Dan. He comforted her and said that he would kill Dou Jiande and Cao Dan in a month, and then lead Huo and others to submit to the Tang Dynasty.

Because of the misfortune of his wife giving birth, Dou Jiande delayed his journey to Henan, and Li Shiji's plan to kill him could not be implemented.

Huo was good at riding and shooting, and fearing that things would turn sour over time, he ordered his son Li Wenxiang to set up an ambush during the banquet and kill 23 of Cao Dan's subordinates, and then raise his army to start a rebellion.

However, Li Shiji's plan was leaked and he was unable to fight against Cao Dan, so he and his old subordinate Guo Xiaoke led dozens of cavalrymen to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

In the third year of Wude, the Jinyang warlord Liu Wuzhou threatened Guanzhong and confronted the Tang Dynasty. Song Jingang, a general under Liu Wuzhou, was defeated by the Tang army when he attacked Haozhou and fled north.

Under the leadership of Qin Wang Li Shimin, Li Shiji pursued Song Jingang in Queshu Valley, won eight battles in one day, and killed tens of thousands of enemy troops.

In the same year, Li Shiji followed Li Shimin to approach Luoyang and attack Wang Shichong of Zheng. He was ordered to take over Guanzhou, and later defeated Wang Xuanying, the crown prince of Zheng, and persuaded Wei Lu, the governor of Xingzhou of Zheng, to surrender.

In the fourth year of Wude, Li Shiji secretly coordinated and accepted the surrender of Zhengzhou Sibing Shen Yue, occupied Hulao Pass, and captured Wang Xingben, the King of Jing of Zheng.

Dou Jiande responded to Wang Shichong's request to reinforce Zheng's army. However, he underestimated the enemy and was defeated at Hulao Pass. Dou Jiande was captured and Wang Shichong was killed afterwards.

In December of the fourth year of Wude, Liu Heita, a former subordinate of Dou Jiande, joined forces with the Eastern Turks to rise up again, and Li Shiji followed Li Shimin to fight against them.

When Liu Heita approached Zongcheng, Li Shiji, who was stationed there, suffered a crushing defeat and fled to Mingzhou alone.

In March of the fifth year of Wude, Li Shiji encountered Gao Yaxian, a general under Liu Heita, at Mingshui. Li Shiji led his troops to attack the camp. Gao Yaxian, drunk, pursued Li Shiji alone and was stabbed to death by Li Shiji's generals.

In July of the same year, Li Shimin returned to the court after the situation was initially settled, while Li Shiji was left behind to continue the campaign against Xu Yuanlang, the Prince of Lu, who had joined forces with Liu Heita to cause rebellion. In the end, Li Shiji captured and killed Xu Yuanlang and pacified Yanzhou.

In the seventh year of Wude, Li Shiji was ordered to follow Zhaojun Prince Li Xiaogong and General Li Jing to fight against the Fugongju uprising army in Jianghuai.

During this period, he led 10,000 infantry and cavalry across the Huai River, captured the enemy's Shouyang City, reached Xishi, and successively defeated the enemy's land forces stationed on the west bank of the Yangtze River and the 30,000 sailors who locked the ships with iron chains. When Fu Gongju fled eastward after hearing the news, he took advantage of the victory to pursue him and pacified the south of the Yangtze River.

"After the fall of the Sui Dynasty, Princess Yicheng, who had married the Eastern Turks, remained as the Khan's khagedun. After Jie Li Khan ascended the throne, he was encouraged by the Sui Dynasty to march south to attack the Tang Dynasty many times."

"After Liu Heita, the anti-Tang force he supported, was eliminated by the Tang Dynasty, Jie Li Khan personally led a large army to invade again in the eighth year of Wude, and attacked all the way to Bingzhou, but was defeated by the Tang court's four-pronged attack."

"During this battle, Li Shiji was the commander-in-chief of the army, and the army he led also repelled the Turkic invasion in Taigu."

"In the ninth year of Wude, Li Shimin ascended the throne and Li Shiji was appointed as the governor of Bingzhou. In order to avoid the taboo of Li Shimin, he changed his name to Li Ji."

"In the same year, the Eastern Turks attacked Jingyang, which was only 40 miles away from Chang'an. However, Chang'an had only tens of thousands of troops at that time. Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, set up a strategy of deceiving the enemy and made the Weishui Alliance with the Eastern Turks. The two sides made temporary peace."

"After that, the Eastern Turkic Khanate suffered drought, snowstorms and frost disasters one after another, causing an unprecedented famine and weakening the country's national strength."

"In the third year of Zhenguan, due to a rift with Jie Li Khan, Tuli Khan broke away from the Eastern Turkic Khanate and joined the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin also decided to launch an attack on the Eastern Turkic Khanate."

"Li Ji was appointed as the general commander of the Tongmo Road Army, and accepted Li Jing's command. Together with other generals, they attacked the Eastern Turkic Army in different directions."

"In the fourth year of Zhenguan, Li Ji encountered the army of Jieli Khan of the Eastern Turks in Yunzhong and won after a fierce battle."

"Because Jie Li Khan was unable to defeat the Tang army, he asked for peace with the Tang court."

"Li Ji considered that the Eastern Turks still had power and were fickle, so he proposed to send troops to follow Tang Jian and other Tang envoys who were going to negotiate peace, and to take advantage of the Eastern Turks' relaxation of vigilance to wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"Li Jing agreed with his proposal and led his army to quietly arrive at the East Turkic encampment."

"When Jie Li Khan tried to escape, he was blocked by Li Ji and was captured by the Tang army. The Turkic chieftain also led more than 50,000 troops to surrender to Li Ji."

"After this battle, the Tang Dynasty eliminated the most serious threat from the north, and the four barbarians came to pay tribute, and Emperor Taizong of Tang was honored as the Heavenly Khan."

"In the seventh year of Zhenguan, the six-year-old Prince of Jin, Li Zhi, was appointed as the Grand Commander of Bingzhou. Li Ji was granted the title of Jinzi Guanglu Dafu and the Chief Clerk of the Bingzhou Grand Commander's Office, acting as the agent for Bingzhou affairs."

"Afterwards, Li Ji was in mourning for his father's death, but he was reinstated soon after."

"During his tenure in Bingzhou, Li Ji performed his duties diligently and was praised by Emperor Taizong of Tang."

"In the 11th year of Zhenguan, Li Ji was renamed Duke of Ying and inherited the post of Governor of Qizhou. He served as Chief Clerk of the Bingzhou Military Governor's Office and commanded the Left Guard of the Crown Prince."

"In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, Li Ji entered the court and was appointed Minister of War."

"On the way to Beijing, Xueyantuo Khan Zhenzhu sent his son, the younger Khan Dadushe, to lead 80,000 cavalrymen to join forces with the Pugu, Tongluo, Huihe and other tribes, totaling 200,000 people, to invade the Eastern Turkic Li Simo's tribe from the south."

"After receiving Li Simo's request, the Tang court sent troops to help. Li Ji was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Shuozhou army, commanding 6,000 elite cavalry, and defeated the Xueyantuo army, beheading more than 3,000 people, capturing more than 50,000 people and more than 15,000 horses. He also gave his son the title of county lord because of his merits."

"In the 17th year of Zhenguan, Li Zhi was promoted to Crown Prince, and Li Ji had served as Bingzhou Prefecture's Chief Clerk for Li Zhi. Emperor Taizong of Tang had high hopes for him, so he transferred him to be the Crown Prince's Secretary and Left Guard Commander, and at the same time promoted him to be a special official, serving as a third-rank official in the Secretariat."

"In the same year, Emperor Taizong of Tang established the Lingyan Pavilion to house the portraits of 24 meritorious officials. Li Ji's portrait was among them."

"In the 18th year of Zhenguan, when Emperor Taizong of Tang planned to conquer Goguryeo, he was opposed by the counselor Chu Suiliang and others. However, Li Ji believed that Goguryeo should not be allowed to grow like the Xueyantuo and become a threat to the northern border, and should be pacified."

"In November of the same year, Li Ji was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Road, commanding 60,000 infantry and cavalry, as well as foreign surrendered soldiers from Lanzhou and Hezhou, and cooperating with the navy led by Zhang Liang, the commander-in-chief of Pyongyang Road and the Minister of Justice, to attack Goguryeo."

"In the 19th year of the Zhenguan reign, Emperor Taizong of Tang personally led an expedition against Goguryeo. Li Ji led his troops to Youzhou and joined forces with the Tang army."

"In April, Li Ji secretly sent troops northward and attacked the southwest of Xuantu, forcing its lord to surrender."

Xin Qiji: When besieging the city of Anshi, the Tang army encountered fierce resistance from local military and civilians.

Li Ji was furious and requested to kill all the men, women, old and young in the city after conquering the city. Unexpectedly, the people gave even more support to the soldiers defending the city, making it impossible for the Tang army to take the city for a long time.

At this time, the climate in Liaodong had turned cold and food and grass were about to run out, so the Tang army had no choice but to return to the capital.

Because of Li Ji's military achievements, the court conferred the title of Duke of a county on his son.

In the 20th year of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty and the Tiele tribes including the Uighurs defeated the Xueyantuo. Duomi Khan was killed while fleeing, and the newly appointed Khan Yitewushi asked for peace with the Tang court.

Emperor Taizong of Tang sent Li Ji and Minister of War Cui Dunli to Yu Dujun Mountain to negotiate peace with the Xueyantuo because the remnants of the Xueyantuo were wavering.

Li Ji sent troops to attack, beheaded more than 5,000 people, and captured more than 30,000 men and women. The Xueyantuo was destroyed. The Tang Dynasty prepared to gather troops in the 23rd year of Zhenguan to launch another large-scale attack on Goguryeo.

Li Ji was transferred to be the Minister of Rites, and still served as the third-rank official in the Secretariat, and was appointed as the Prince's Secretary.

The following year, Emperor Taizong of Tang fell ill, the planned attack on Goguryeo was shelved, and preparations began for the crown prince to ascend the throne.

Emperor Taizong of Tang demoted Li Ji to the post of governor of Diezhou, and instructed Li Zhi to promote him to the rank of Pushe after he ascended the throne so that Li Ji could be favored and used by him.

After Emperor Taizong of Tang passed away, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, ascended the throne. The next month, he summoned Li Ji to the court, appointed him as the Governor of Luozhou, and conferred him the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi.

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Ji was highly valued and was appointed as Sikong in the fourth year of Yonghui. Emperor Gaozong also issued an edict to allow Li Ji to ride a pony in and out of the three provinces.

Emperor Gaozong of Tang wanted to depose Queen Wang and enthrone Concubine Wu, but was opposed by ministers such as Zhangsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang. Li Ji believed that this was the emperor's family affair and others should not interfere. Therefore, Emperor Gaozong of Tang became determined to depose the queen.

After this, Li Ji gained more and more trust from Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu.

The Tang court officially implemented the two-capital system, and Li Ji followed Emperor Gaozong to move to the eastern capital Luoyang. He fell ill on the way, and Emperor Gaozong personally visited him to comfort him.

When Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty offered sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai, Li Ji was the ambassador for the ceremony.

Yeon Gaesomun, a powerful minister of Goguryeo, died of illness, and his son Quan Nansheng took over his position and continued to manage Goguryeo affairs. (End of this chapter)