Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 61 Unifying the Frontier (2)
"No." Wei Zheng replied: "Your Majesty already has the above six virtues. However, since the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty until now, the household registration in the middle school has not been restored. Although there is surplus food in the warehouse, it is not very abundant. At this time, the driver Touring the east, riding thousands of thousands of rides, will cost a lot, and the people along the way may not be able to bear it. What's more, if your majesty enshrines Zen, all nations will inevitably gather together, and the rulers of distant barbarians will also follow. Now the Central Plains area is sparsely populated and overgrown with bushes. Envoys from all nations and The ruler of Yuanyi came all the way. Seeing this, he must think that China is weak and feel contemptuous? If the rewards are not enough, the desires of these people from far away will not be satisfied; the exemption of taxes and servitude will be far from being able to repay the expenses of the people. So I think it's better for Your Majesty not to do things that are harmed by the real world for the sake of fame?"

After hearing this, Li Shimin took his words seriously, so he resolutely canceled the trip to Fengchan.

16
The winter in Chang'an is cold.Palm-sized snowflakes fell on the ground one after another.Mountains and rivers, a vast expanse of whiteness.Li Shimin, who came to the imperial garden on foot, was blushing with excitement at this time, looking at the chirping magpies on the icy branches in the garden enthusiastically.I saw him striding back and forth in the snow like a fierce tiger in the mountains.

Early this morning, Hou Junji, Minister of the Ministry of War, brought good news: Some Turkic tribes, Huihe and Xue Yantuo of the Tiele tribe have all rebelled against Jieli one after another.What pleased Li Shimin the most was that Jieli's nephew, Tuli, also betrayed his uncle, and secretly sent people to meet with the Tang Dynasty to attack Jieli.

Three years, exactly three years!You, Xieli, have finally betrayed everyone.However, the Tang Dynasty under my rule has unprecedented unity, strong soldiers and strong horses, and abundant granaries.Li Shimin thought so in his heart, and couldn't help blurting out:

"It's time! Exterminate you, Xieli, who has always made me 'uneasy to sit, and unwilling to eat'! Just today! But, who will you send? Li Jing, the right servant, Hou Junji, the minister of the Ministry of war, Li Ji, the governor of Bingzhou, Chai Shao, governor of Huazhou, Xue Wanche, governor of Lingzhou..." Li Shimin counted the names of his generals one by one in his heart.

Especially this Li Jing, he is the nephew of Han Qinhu in the Sui Dynasty, in the past Han Qinhu always talked about war with him, and he was not disrespectful.After Li Yuan raised troops in Taiyuan, he has been under my command, following Li Shimin in the north and south, and made a lot of contributions.After Li Shimin destroyed Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, Li Yuan sent Li Jing to destroy Xiao Mian in order to level the last power of Liang Xiao Mian.After careful consideration, Li Jing proposed the "Ten Strategies to Eliminate Millennials", which was highly praised by Li Yuan. He promoted Li Jing to be the commander of the army, concurrently served as the commander of Xiaogong's army, and appointed Li Jing as the commander-in-chief of the three armies.

Li Jing lived up to Li Yuan's high expectations, commanded the [-] generals, divided into four armies and marched towards Jiangling.It was raining continuously in autumn, the river was soaring, roaring and running wildly, and the road was dangerous and difficult.Xiao Mi thought that the turbulent river would prevent the Tang army from going east, so he took no precautions and raised his troops with peace of mind.The generals around Li Jing were also afraid, and proposed to retreat and advance.Li Jing said:
"Soldiers are very fast, and the opportunity must not be missed. The soldiers will start to gather today, and the future is unknown. If they take advantage of the rising tide and suddenly arrive at the city, the so-called lightning can't cover their ears. This is the best strategy for soldiers. Even if the enemy knows me, he will recruit troops hastily. To meet the enemy, this will surely be captured."

The generals followed his advice and attacked Xiao Mian.As a result, Xiao Xian was beaten to the ground, nearly ten thousand were killed and drowned, and Yiling was captured in the first battle.Without stopping, Li Jing personally led five thousand cavalry to conquer the outer city of Jiangling, and then occupied the water city, and captured a large number of boats, but let Xiaogong abandon all of them in the river and drift down the river.All the generals were puzzled by this approach.Li Jing said:
"In the land of Xiaoxiao, the south is out of the mountain, and the east is far away from the Dongting. I hang the army deep. If the attack is not taken, the reinforcements will be gathered four times. I will be attacked by the enemy inside and outside. I will not be able to advance or retreat. Although there are boats, will I use them safely? Abandoned now. Boats and ships are sent down the river, and when the reinforcements see them, they must say that Jiangling has been broken, and they dare not advance lightly.

Li Jing's strategy really worked, Xiao Xian's reinforcements saw abandoned boats scattered everywhere in the river, thought that Jiangling was broken, and they all hesitated to move forward.Li Jing besieged Jiangling tightly, and Xiao Mian, who had no way out, had to open the door and surrender.In this battle, Li Yuan met Li Jing in person, and praised Li Jing, "The famous generals of the left, Han, Bai, Wei, and Huo, can't match it!" Li Jing is a military genius who is good at catching fighters and winning by surprise... Thinking of this, Li Shimin turned around and said:

"Let Li Jing, Hou Junji, Li Ji, Chai Shao, Xue Wanche come to see me!"

After a while, all five of them arrived.In the viewing pavilion of the Royal Garden, a row of children stood in front of Li Shimin. "Sit down!" Li Shimin waved his hand, greeted them with a smile, and asked gently: "Is it not cold?"

"Not cold." The five answered in unison.

"Okay! Hou Junji, I'm familiar with the situation of the Turks, so let me tell you what are the favorable opportunities to attack the Turks now."

"Jieli indulges his desires and fierceness, and the master is unconscious at the top, so he can take one; the subordinates of Biebu, Luo, Pugu, Huihe, and Yantuo are all independent rulers, and the people are rebellious, so they can take two; Tuli is suspected, Desire Valley loses the army, there is no place to stand, the soldiers will be defeated, you can take three things. In the north, frost is early, and the granaries are exhausted, you can take four things; , Guaranteeing the dangers of the mountains, and the king's master coming out, whoever responds, you can take the six."

"Okay, good analysis and summary!" Li Shimin looked at Hou Junji and said happily, then turned to the four and asked, "What do you think? Tell me."

"Turkic was originally a loose military united country, among which Xueyantuo, Huihe, Khitan, Tuyuhun, Gaochang and other countries were conquered, but they were obedient to Xieli's threat of force, unconvinced and full of resentment. Now internal rifts , more like a plate of loose sand, it is a good time to eliminate him." Li Ji said first.

"I think: Jieli has never stopped using troops abroad, and has abused severe punishments in the internal affairs of the Netherlands, making herdsmen unbearable. In addition, in recent years, there have been frequent heavy snowfalls, many animals have froze to death, and the livelihood of herdsmen is difficult. Jieli not only Gather up the tsunami, and fight back to collect all the ministries, so that the subordinates are miserable, and there are many rebellions inside and outside." Chai Shao said.

"The last general also thinks so." Xue Wanche said with a smile.Li Shimin knew that he had a quiet personality, so he smiled at him and turned his gaze to Li Jing.

"I think that now the Turkic people are divided at the top and rebellious at the bottom. There are confidants inside and enemies outside. The strength is greatly reduced. This is the best time to eliminate him." After Li Jing finished speaking, he turned around and bowed, saying: Please lead the troops to destroy the Turks, and use their blood to invade and plunder for many years.”

"I am willing to lead the army to destroy the Turks, and to be ashamed of the long-term invasion and plunder with blood." Hou Junji, Li Ji, Chai Shao, and Xue Wanche also knelt down and said in unison.

"Okay, okay! Aiqing invites you, and I will obey you, and each will lead [-] troops, and attack in separate ways to destroy the Turks, blood shame!"

16
After sending off Li Jing, Hou Junji and others, Li Shimin thought of Du Ruhui.Leaving the Royal Garden, he took Long Yu to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he promoted Du Ruhui to be Minister of the Ministry of War and named Cai Guogong.In the second year, he was made to inspect the school as an official, and to be the Minister of the Ministry of Officials. He was still in charge of the military affairs of the East Palace.Soon after, he was promoted to Shangshu Youpushe, who was in charge of military and horse affairs in the country.In the past few years when he and Fang Xuanling were in charge of the government, whether it was the formulation of laws and regulations, the selection of officials, or the use of foreign troops, they were all well received.Du Ruhui also came up with many good strategies for successfully separating Turkic Jieli and Tuli's uncle and nephew.Now that his great achievements are about to be completed, he can't afford to be ill.

Although Du Ruhui's mansion had a signboard with three big characters "Prime Minister's Mansion", the yard was not bigger than the yards of ordinary merchants in the capital, and even less luxurious than the merchants.Li Shimin had been to the homes of many of his important and honored ministers, and they seemed to be very simple, which made him feel a little uncomfortable, but he was more happy and proud.Walking through the simple gate, Du Ruhui's son Du Gou and his wife Liu Shi came out to welcome them.It seems that Du Ruhui is seriously ill!Li Shimin thought so, and after saying "flat body", he hurried into Du Ruhui's bedroom.

Du Ruhui, who was always smiling and energetic in the past, now has a sallow complexion, haggard and emaciated.He tried his best to open his tired eyes and looked at his emperor:

"I'm afraid I can't share the emperor's worries."

Hearing his mournful voice, Li Shimin's heart moved unconsciously. He reached out and grabbed his hand like firewood, and said affectionately: "You take good care of yourself. I will send the best imperial doctor to come and heal your illness."

"I really don't want to go." Du Ruhui struggled and said, "I want to continue to follow the emperor and build our Great Tang into the most powerful empire in the world. It's a pity..."

"You have done a good job and tried your best. I will never forget you." Li Shimin held his hand and asked, "If you have any request, tell me."

"I only hope that you will definitely build the Tang Dynasty into the most powerful empire in the world."

"I will, don't worry, I will!" Li Shimin stood up and said to himself, as if he was reassuring Du Ruhui, or swearing to the sky.He looked at Du Gou, who was kneeling at the foot of Du Ruhui's bed, and suddenly lowered himself down and said to Du Ruhui, "I have promoted Du Gou to the rank of Shangshe Fengyu, so that he can continue to contribute to the Great Tang."

After Du Ruhui heard this, he could no longer speak, and tears welled up from the corners of his eyes.Although Li Shimin personally selected the best imperial doctor in the palace to treat Du Ruhui, Du Ruhui couldn't resist the torment of the disease in the end, and died three days later at the age of 46.

Li Shimin wept sadly, presented Du Ruhui Sikong as a gift, made him the Duke of Lai, and wrote an inscription for him himself.Later, whenever Li Shimin thought of Du Ruhui, he would cry sadly.Once while eating cantaloupe, he suddenly thought of Du Ruhui, and immediately sent someone to send the best melon he had just picked to Du Ruhui's spirit tablet as a memorial.On the anniversary of Du Ruhui's death every year, Li Shimin would send people to his home to condolences to his wife and son, and kept his position as a bureaucrat in the government. talk.

When Li Shimin went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to visit Du Ruhui's illness, Li Jing, Hou Junji and others split into four groups, facing the bitter cold wind and cold, and quietly rushed towards the Turks.

Li Jing led [-] elite soldiers without stopping, and the lone army went deep into Eyangling in the Northern Desert.Jieli heard that Li Jing's soldiers had arrived, but before the battle, he was startled for several days, and said to his subordinates:

"The Tang army came all over the country, and the Turks are in danger!"

When the subordinates heard this, the soldiers and generals looked at each other, all of them paled in shock, and some bold people asked why.Jieli said: "If the Tang army doesn't come here, Li Jing'an dares to go deep? He is the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty who uses troops."

Jieli bluffed himself, and before starting a fight, he was very timid. When Li Jing attacked in the dark, Jieli fled to Qikou in a hurry.Li Jing captured Dingxiang, and Li Shimin was very happy. He said to the minister: "In the past, Li Ling used [-] soldiers to conquer the desert, and then he surrendered to the Xiongnu. Dingxiang, there is no generation in ancient times who is ashamed to bathe in our Wei River!"

Just when Li Jing took Dingxiang, Hou Junji also arrived at Baidao from Yunzhong, where he waited for the defeated Jieli Khan.Jieli Khan had already lost his fighting spirit, and when he encountered such a deep Tang army during his defeat, he hardly dared to fight, so he was defeated.Hou Junji commanded the troops to take advantage of the victory to cover up the killing. Most of Jieli Khan was killed and injured, and he retreated to Tieshan. There were more than a hundred thousand people, only a few tens of thousands remained.The army of Li Ji, Chai Shao, and Xue Wanche is still coming.Xieli, who is at the end of his life, knows that if he does not surrender, he will only die.So the request was attached, and he expressed his willingness to enter the court.

As long as he can escape this catastrophe, Ben Khan will definitely make a comeback in the coming year when the grass is green and the horses are fat.Jieli was secretly dreaming of his big spring and autumn dream, but Li Jing had seen his thoughts clearly, and when he led his troops to Baidao, he said to Hou Junji:
"Even though Jieli is defeated, the crowd is still strong. If you go across Qibei and protect the nine surnames, the road is far away, and it will be difficult to catch up. Now the imperial emissary is there, and the captives will be lenient. If you choose [-] elite riders, you will be killed. Twenty days of rations attack him, and he can be captured without a fight."

The two discussed it properly, and each led the troops to set off at night.It was not discovered until it was seven miles away from Jieli Yazhang.Jieli Khan fled northward on horseback like a frightened bird, and the Turks scattered for their lives.Li Jing and Hou Jun assembled a large army, like chopping melons and vegetables, killed more than ten thousand enemies, captured tens of thousands of prisoners, and captured a lot of cattle and sheep.Jieli Khan fled to Datong Road, was captured by Li Daozong, the king of Rencheng, the marching chief of Datong Road, and sent to the capital.

Li Shimin was overjoyed, and made Li Jing the Duke of Dai, and gave him [-] pieces, famous horses, treasures and so on.The scourge of the northwest border of the Tang Dynasty was lifted from then on; the humiliation of condescending to the Turks in the past was also completely washed away.

16
Jieli Khan was captured alive, and Li Jing and others were enshrined in Jin Dynasty. Li Shimin heaved a long sigh of relief.Looking at Jieli Khan who was kneeling on the ground from a distance, thinking of the fear and humiliation he and his father had experienced towards him, Li Shimin said with emotion:

"I heard that the lord was worried about the humiliation of his ministers, and the lord humiliated his ministers to death. The country was created in the first place, the Turks strengthened the Liang, and the Supreme Emperor proclaimed his ministers to Jieli because of the people. I am heartbroken. I want to destroy the Huns. Partial teacher, always victorious, Shanyu Jiyi, shame on him!"

After speaking, Li Shimin asked Li Yuan to tell Li Yuan that there was going to be a banquet tonight to celebrate the victory over the Xiongnu, and he was invited to attend.

Since the abdication of the Supreme Emperor Li Yuan, he seldom participated in Li Shimin's activities. In the hot summer, Li Shimin invited him to go to escape the summer heat, but he also politely declined.Only this time, when he heard that his son had wiped out the Turks and captured Jieli Khan alive, he was overjoyed for a moment, and took Yin and Zhang, two noble concubines, to go happily.This time, Li Shimin not only invited the Supreme Emperor, but also ordered the important and honorable ministers of the court, all the kings, concubines, princesses, etc. to participate.Most of its important ministers and honorable ministers are among the 24 heroes in the founding of the country, including: Changsun Wuji, Li Xiaogong, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, Yuchi Jingde, Li Jing, Xiao Yu, Duan Zhixuan, Liu Hongji, Qu Tutong, Yin Kaishan, Chai Shao, Changsun Shunde, Zhang Liang, Hou Junji, Zhang Gongjin, Cheng Zhijie, Yu Shinan, Liu Zhenghui, Tang Jian, Li Ji, Qin Shubao.

The kings are: Crown Prince Li Chengqian, King Li Kuan of Chu, King Li Ke of Wu, King Li Tai of Wei, King Li You of Qi, King Li Yin of Shu, King Jiang Li Yun, King Yue Lizhen, King Jin Li Zhi, King Ji Li Shen, King Jiang Shang Li Xiao, King Dai Li Jian, King Zhao Wang Lifu, Cao Wang Liming, fourteen.

The princesses are: Xiangcheng, Runan, Nanping, Suian, Changle, Yuzhang, Bijing, Pu'an, Dongyang, Linchuan, Qinghe, Lanling, Jin'an, Ankang, Xinxing, Chengyang, Gaoyang, Hepu, Jinshan , Jinyang, Changshan, Xincheng and other 22 places.

There are mainly ten wives and concubines: Empress Changsun, Concubine Wei, Concubine Xu Xian, Concubine Yang (daughter of Emperor Yang), Concubine Yin, Concubine Yan, Concubine Yang, Wang Shi, Yang Shi (wife of Li Yuanji), and Wu Cairen.

Li Shimin was so happy to see his sons and daughters standing in front of him that they were all heroic, so he asked Li Ke and Li Tai to come and accompany him.During the banquet, Li Yuan listened to the battle report, and asked Xieli who was kneeling in front of him:
"Has the Khan surrendered?"

"Submit, have surrendered."

"Hahaha..." Li Yuan laughed so happily for the first time since he abdicated, tears streaming down his face.Then he ordered the pipa to be brought, plucked the strings lightly, and skillfully played an ancient piece of "Canglong Yin".The sound of the zither is like a distant dream, vaguely sad, but hidden in the majestic, long and long voice, spreading and whirling in the hall, warm and stubborn, seeping towards a farther place.

When Li Shimin listened to this familiar piece, he couldn't help feeling overwhelmed, his heart was infiltrated, and he remembered the joy of listening to his father playing the piano occasionally when he was a child.He looked at his father who was obsessed with it, stood up, and did not greet the eldest grandson queen, he came to the court, and danced lightly to the rhythm of the tune.For a moment, everyone was shocked, even the empress Changsun, who is a superb dancer, was also surprised by this.She has lived with Li Shimin for more than 20 years, but she has never known that her husband has such magical and superb dancing skills.

At the end of the song, Li Shimin, covered in sweat, came to the Supreme Emperor Li Yuan. The father and son looked at each other for a long time, and then reluctantly parted.Seeing that Li Yuan was very tired, Li Shimin took the qin from him, went back to Empress Changsun, played a Huqu, and ordered Jieli Khan loudly:
"dance!"

When Jieli heard this, his eyes lit up, and he danced happily to the tune.More than a dozen of his original subordinates and important officials followed behind him, dancing wildly. Feng Zhidai, the leader of the Nanman, couldn't help singing loudly, singing the ancient song of creation:

"A good man raised his ax to scare away the dark clouds, and arranged the sun, moon and stars, leaving only the sun and the moon, so that they can warm the world in shifts..."

The ancient singing evokes people's memories of the past and makes everyone intoxicated.Everyone has his own past, and he can't forget the possession and happiness that made him miss the most in the past.People's hearts were excited, and people's bodies moved accordingly.Emotions lead to Xing, and even Empress Changsun couldn't help dancing beside Li Shimin.The whole banquet boiled up.Li Yuan stood up under the support of Zhang and Yin, and said with emotion:
"The Hu Yue family has never existed since ancient times. The Tang Dynasty is prosperous!"

In this banquet, apart from Li Yuan, the only person who did not dance was Qin Shubao.At this time, Qin Shubao, who was once famous for his bravery and toughness, was already drowned by the torment of the disease. It was only because of this banquet that he had wanted for a long time that he struggled to attend.Hearing the words of emotion from the Supreme Emperor, I was so excited that I stood up and shouted loudly:
"The Tang Dynasty is prosperous! The Tang Dynasty is prosperous! The Tang Dynasty..." Before finishing the third sentence, he fell down and closed his eyes peacefully.

(End of this chapter)