The so-called "times create heroes", in the chaotic times of the late Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan and his son seized the opportunity and stood out among the heroes at the end of the Sui Dynasty. Opportunities are often reserved for those who are prepared, and Li Yuan and his son are just such people. They not only have such strength and ability, but also have rare luck.

From Jinyang, the Li family father and son swept through Guanzhong with 30,000 righteous troops, entered Chang'an, and went to the west to resist Xue Ju, and 100,000 Tang troops marched east to Luoyang to stabilize the situation in Chang'an. With their extraordinary courage, outstanding ability, and strong strength, the Li family father and son sprung up in the troubled times and gradually became an important force to change the general trend of the world.

It can be said that it was history that chose Li Yuan and the Li family father and son. They are destined to shoulder the responsibility of pacifying the world and ending the troubled times, and are destined to create a great empire that has no one before and no one after them. A new and powerful empire is about to stand proudly in the east of China.

In the process of Li Yuan establishing the Tang Dynasty and officially replacing the rule of the Sui Dynasty, what intriguing stories did he experience? Among them, what kind of turmoil happened? Why was the Tang Dynasty able to finally stand out from the crowd, like a rising sun?

Li Yuan said that the founding of the emperor was already a matter of the general trend, and the fall of the Sui Dynasty was already a historical inevitability. If you want to understand the history of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, you must first understand the general trend of the world after the Jiangdu Mutiny, as well as the national political pattern in the turbulent times at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

In March of the second year of Yining (618), Jiangdu mutinied, and Yang Guang, the Yang Emperor of Sui, was killed by the rebel leader Yu Wenhua and killed in Yangzhou. With the death of Emperor Yang of Sui, the general trend of the world immediately underwent a sudden change, breaking the original pattern of separation.

When Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was alive, although there was smoke everywhere, many of them were called kings, for example, Li Mi called himself "Duke of Wei", and Li Yuan ascended to the throne of Tang. However, from beginning to end, few people are called emperors, and military strength like Xue Ju's father and son is just an isolated phenomenon.

The reason for this is that because Emperor Yang of Sui is still alive, the Sui Dynasty has not officially perished. Even though everyone knew that the Sui Dynasty had gone by this time and existed in name only, no one dared to break this deadlock first. After all, Emperor Yang of Sui was still nominally orthodox in the world. If anyone openly kills Emperor Yang of Sui, it will be a complete subversion of the rule of the Sui Dynasty and will become the public enemy of the world's heroes.

However, as soon as Emperor Yang of Sui died, the situation immediately changed. At this time, the world can be described in four words: the dragons have no leader. When Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was alive, these heroes in troubled times had some scruples; However, now that Emperor Yang of Sui is dead, this scruple no longer exists. Therefore, after the death of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, the heroes from all over the country called themselves kings and emperors, and this number, like the Yellow River bursting its banks, continued to grow in a blowout.

So, who were the people at that time who successively established themselves as emperors after the death of Emperor Yang of Sui? In April of the second year of Yining (618), only one month after the killing of Emperor Yang of Sui, the descendants of the Western Liang royal family, the Liang King Xiao Mill, who was in the south of the Yangtze River, was the emperor, set up a hundred officials, and soon moved the capital to Jiangling to revive the Xiao Liang regime.

Not only did the Quartet call themselves kings and emperors, but at that time, there were three emperors under the banner of the Sui Dynasty alone. These three emperors were Yang Hao, the king of Qin, who was established as the emperor by the traitor Yu Wenhua, Yang Yu, the acting king who was established as the puppet emperor by Li Yuan, and Yang Tong, the king of Yue, who was established as the emperor by Wang Shichong.

Yang Hao, the king of Qin, was the nephew of Emperor Yang of Sui, and he was the eldest son of Yang Jun, the third brother of Emperor Yang of Sui. After the Jiangdu mutiny and the death of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, Yu Wenhua and the clans and important ministers of the Sui Dynasty were killed, and basically, all the clans of the Sui Dynasty were slaughtered. Only Yang Hao, the king of Qin, survived, and according to the record of "Zizhi Tongjian", "only Qin Wang Hao had contacts with wisdom and wisdom, and he had all the calculations." Because the relationship between Yang Hao, the king of Qin, and Yuwen Zhiji was good, so when Yu Wenhua and the Sui Dynasty clan were killed, Yang Hao saved his life.

After the Jiangdu mutiny, Yu Wenhua and then supported Yang Hao, the king of Qin, as the emperor, proclaimed himself the prime minister, the commander-in-chief, and controlled the power of the court. In fact, Emperor Yang Hao is the puppet of Yu Culture and manipulation. And Yu Wenhua, Yu Wenzhi and his brothers monopolized the government and completely overthrew Emperor Yang Hao.

As for the acting king Yang Yu, there is no need to say more. Before Emperor Yang of Sui went to Jiangdu three times, he ordered two grandsons, Yang Yu, the king of Yue and Yang Tong, to stay in Chang'an and Luoyang respectively. In November of the thirteenth year of the Great Cause (617), Li Yuan conquered Chang'an. In the same month, Yang Yu, the acting king who stayed in Chang'an, was supported by Li Yuan as the emperor and became the puppet emperor controlled by Li Yuan. Therefore, when Emperor Yang of Sui was alive, he was already made emperor.

Let's take a look at the third emperor under the banner of the Sui Dynasty after the death of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty - Yang Tong, the king of Yue. Yang Tong, the king of Yue, and Yang Yu, the acting king, as well as Yang Qi, the king of Yan, who was killed by Yu Wenhua in the Jiangdu Mutiny, are the eldest son of Emperor Yang of Sui who died early, and the son of Yang Zhao, the prince of Yuande.

Before Emperor Yang of Sui went to the Jiangdu three times, he let Yang Tong, the king of Yue, stay in the eastern capital Luoyang. During Yang Tong's stay in Luoyang, he mainly fought against Li Mi, the leader of the Wagang Army who besieged Luoyang. In fact, Yang Tong fought against Li Mi, mainly relying on the actual controller of the Luoyang army - Wang Shichong.

After the Jiangdu mutiny, the news of the death of Emperor Yang of Sui spread from Jiangdu to the Central Plains. In May, the news of the death of Emperor Yang of Sui reached the eastern capital of Luoyang, and in the same month, Yang Tong, the king of Yue, was supported by Wang Shichong and others, and was the emperor in Luoyang, amnesty to the world, and changed to Yuan Huangtai. Therefore, Yang Tong is also known as the "Emperor Taizhu".

After the emperor Yang Tong ascended the throne, he posthumously honored his grandfather Yang Guang of Sui Yang as the Ming Emperor, and the temple name was the ancestor; Respect his father Yang Zhao, the prince of Yuande, as the emperor, the temple name Sejong, and respect his biological mother Liu Liangdi as the queen mother. It is recorded in the "Zizhi Tongjian" that Yang Dong, the lord of Huangtai, has been gifted since he was a child:

The emperor's eyebrows are picturesque, gentle and benevolent, and his style is like.

After Yang Tong was established as the emperor, he successively divided seven civil and military ministers. Yang Tong, the lord of the emperor, appointed Wang Shichong as a person to accept the words and confer the title of Zheng Guogong; Duan Dawei accepted the words and sealed Chen Guogong; Yuan Wendu is the internal history order, and the Duke of Lu is sealed; Huangfu Wuyi is the secretary of the military department, and he is the prince of the country; With Lu Chu as the internal history order; Guo Wenyi is the waiter of the internal history; Zhao Changwen is the waiter of the Yellow Gate. These seven civil and military ministers jointly ruled the government and were known as the "Seven Nobles". Among the "seven nobles", especially the prince of Zheng Guo has the heaviest authority. It was also this Wang Shichong who eventually became the terminator of Yang Tong, the emperor of Tai, and became the gravedigger of the Sui Dynasty.

At this moment, there were three emperors under the banner of the Sui Dynasty. Three emperors in one play, the real excitement began. The death of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, for all forces in the world, was like the alarm lifted, and they began to call themselves kings and emperors, officially opposing the Sui Dynasty. Not only was it like this, but even the ruling group of the Sui Dynasty began to be agitated. The Sui Dynasty is really exhausted, and its demise is only a matter of time.

After receiving the news of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty's death, the practice of all the heroes was basically the same, that is, they successively claimed that the emperor was self-reliant and openly broke with the Sui Dynasty. So, in the face of the news of Emperor Yang of Sui's death in Yangzhou, what will be the attitude of Li Yuan, who has occupied Chang'an and has monopolized power?

Emperor Yang of Sui was killed in the Jiangdu mutiny, in March of the second year of Yining (618), at this time, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were leading 100,000 Tang troops on the way to Luoyang in the east. A month later, in April, the Tang army's eastward expedition to Luoyang ended, and the squad returned to Guanzhong. Not long after Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin led the Tang army back to their division, the news of the killing of Emperor Yang of Sui soon spread to Chang'an.

Originally, after Li Yuan conquered Chang'an, he supported Yang Yu, the acting king, as the emperor, and respected Emperor Yang of Sui, who was far away in Jiangdu, as the emperor. It stands to reason that Emperor Yang of Sui is no longer an emperor at this time. However, after all, this was Li Yuan's private behavior, and Emperor Yang of Sui was still the nominal emperor. What was Li Yuan's reaction to the murder of Emperor Yang of Sui? According to the record of "Zizhi Tongjian", "the king of Tang cried and mourned", Li Yuan cried on the spot, and said while crying:

I am a person in the north, I can't be saved if I lose my way, and I dare to forget my sorrow!

What Li Yuan meant by this was that I, as a courtier, faced north to assist the king, and the lord had no way, but I could not correct it. Now, the first emperor is in Jiangdu, how can I not grieve? This was said sincerely, as if he was a loyal minister of the Sui family. The question is, is it true or not? Of course not. Clear-eyed people can understand at a glance that Li Yuan's words are purely for show.

If Li Yuan was really loyal to the Sui family, then why did he raise troops in Taiyuan in the first place, and it was the rebellion of their Li family. Li Yuan actually had the ambition to change the dynasty and turn his family into a country, but Emperor Yang of Sui was still there at that time. But now, Emperor Yang of Sui is dead, and his worries are gone. Therefore, after learning of the death of Emperor Yang of Sui, Li Yuan stepped up the pace of replacing the Sui family and claiming the emperor to build the country.

The situation has developed to this point, and the conditions are ripe for Li Yuan to become emperor. Moreover, Li Yuan's strength at that time was fully qualified to be called the emperor and the founding of the country. After a series of major military actions such as the Jinyang Army, the entry into Guanzhong, the Western Resistance against Xue Ju, and the Eastern Expedition to Luoyang, Li Yuan already had hundreds of thousands of troops at this time, and because he took many measures to stabilize the interior, the Li Group was quite popular with the people. In the historical books, Li Yuan's forces are recorded as follows:

The king of Tang both conquered Chang'an, and wrote to the counties and counties, so the east from Shangluo, the south to Ba, Shu, the county magistrate and the thief Qu Shuai, the chief of Diqiang, fought to send his children into the meeting to ask for surrender, there is a reply to the book, hundreds of days. (Information Governance Guide)

The approximate meaning of this text is that after Li Yuan conquered Chang'an and ascended to the throne of Tang, he sent a message to the counties around Gyeonggi and other regions of Chang'an, telling the local separatist forces that he had occupied Chang'an. As a result, from Shangluo in the east to Bashu in the south, the administrators of various counties and counties, the leaders of the rebel army, including the chiefs of ethnic minorities, all sent their sons and subordinates one after another to ask Li Yuan to surrender. There are departments that have to reply to hundreds of letters and letters every day.

Therefore, Li Yuan already has the strong strength to change the dynasty and build the country. Since it was decided to replace the Sui Dynasty, the next step was to start implementing its own founding plan. At this time, Li Yuan thought of a bloodless way: to accept Zen and force the puppet emperor Yang Yu to take the initiative to give up the throne.

Why did you think of receiving Zen? Because, from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, the change of regime was done in this way. For example, Cao Wei accepted the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Western Jin Dynasty accepted Cao Wei, Liu Song accepted the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the Sui Dynasty also accepted the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Now, Li Yuan's idea is that he will also accept the Sui Dynasty's Zen concessions.

How can we make Sui Zen give way? What Li Yuan had to do next was to enhance his political influence and gain a symbol of the change of dynasty.

Some people may have doubts that Li Yuan's current identity is a fake Huang Yue, an envoy, a military governor inside and outside the capital, Shang Shuling, a prime minister, and a Tang king. Isn't this position of power enough? In Li Yuan's view, it is not enough.

To obtain the symbol of the change of dynasty, Li Yuan had actually begun to prepare intensively before the Jiangdu Mutiny. For example, in the first month of the second year of Yining (618), the little emperor Yang Yu issued an edict and granted Li Yuan three privileges: to go to the palace with a sword, to enter the court, and to praise and worship without a name. At the same time, according to the record of the "New Tang Dynasty Book, Gaozu Benji", it also "added the front and back feathers and preached". In fact, the little emperor Yang Yu is a puppet, and he can't help himself.

These three privileges are all privileges that only the powerful ministers of all dynasties are eligible for. Who were the people in ancient China who received these three privileges, Xiao He, Wang Mang, Cao Cao, and Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Sui. Li Yuan obtained three political privileges: going to the palace with a sword, not entering the court, and praising and worshipping the unknown, which undoubtedly took a step forward towards the trend of changing the dynasty.

That's not enough, though.

In March of the second year of Yining (618), the same month as the Jiangdu Mutiny. Under the coercion of Li Yuan, the little emperor Yang Yu issued an edict again, crowned Li Yuan as the Xiangguo, enriched the Tang State with ten counties, led a hundred officials, added nine tin special gifts, changed the Prime Minister's Mansion to the Xiangguo Mansion, and set up four temples. In addition, the Tang State was also allowed to freely set up all official positions below the prime minister's level. Li Yuan's Tang State seemed to have become a state within a state independent of the Sui Dynasty.

In order to show his modesty, Li Yuan deliberately made a show and said something like this to his subordinates and subordinates around him:

At this time, the young emperor can be said to be established by my family. This is the sheji, reported to Gaozu, and hoped to end the Sui family, without losing people. ...... An has the supreme Yuyi, the gift of the Son of Heaven, the fake ministers, what is the country, the lonely general government, this matter has to be known. The government comes out of itself, and it also advances from tin. Greedy for the merits of the sky, think of your own strength, don't deceive others, dare to deceive the sky! ("Datang Entrepreneurship Notes")

As soon as the subordinates heard it, they understood that Tang Wang was deliberately making a show. So, all the subordinates began to push the boat down the river, and said to Li Yuan one after another: "Xiao He is Xiangguo, Lu Gong uses Wang Li, and the former sages don't let it, please think it's not doubtful." Hearing the words of his subordinates, Li Yuan was overjoyed and said:

Yao, Shun, Tang, Wu, each because of its time, take and different ways, all push its sincerity to respond to the Tianshun people, unheard of Xia, the end of Shang will follow Tang, Yu Zen also. If the young emperor is known, he will not do it; If he is ignorant and self-respecting, he will not do anything in his life. (Information Governance Guide)

In this way, Li Yuan finally accepted the order of the Sui family and entered the Xiangguo. It can be seen that Li Yuan now has less and less to hide his ambitions. He is walking towards the supreme imperial power step by step, and Li Yuan is only one step away from the emperor's position.

Entering the Xiangguo, consuling hundreds of officials, and adding nine tin special gifts, it marks that Li Yuan has become a unique uncrowned king, not an emperor of emperors. As long as Li Yuan wanted to replace the Sui Dynasty, he could do so at any time. Finally, the news of Emperor Yang of Sui's death came, allowing him to unload his last burden. The news of Emperor Yang of Sui's death made Li Yuan have no worries at all. Next, he has to make the final impact on the change of dynasty.

On May 1 of the second year of Yining (618), the puppet emperor Yang Yu gave Li Yuan, the twelve crowns that only the Son of Heaven can have, established the banner of the Son of Heaven, and sent the police into the army, "the number of the queen and the princess, one obeys the old code". Obviously, this is a signal that Li Yuan wants to replace the Sui Dynasty and become the emperor. Sure enough, on May 14, the little emperor Yang Yu took the initiative to issue a Zen edict, retiring from the palace to the palace of the acting king before his accession to the throne:

The natural disaster of the Sui State, the emperor of Daxing Taishang was robbed of the Jiangdu, which was very cool and wanted, and provoked the north of Shenli. …… The Tang King of Xiangguo, who died in the future, helped the danger and saved the drowning, from the north to the south, and the east and the west. To the nine princes, a hundred is better than a thousand miles. Rectify the rate of Yixia, shelter the gangsters, protect the bow, and the king is Lai. …… To the king of this generation, and to the generation, the heavens are abolished, how can it be so! Relying on the saints of the ancients, in order to punish the four murderers; Fortunately, the grace of the Restoration, pre-filled three ke. …… Today, according to the story, inferior to the old mansion, the officials are opened, and the Tang Dynasty is changed. It is advisable to follow the previous canon, tend to the honorific number, if relieved, feel both Thai and nostalgic. Fake hands are real people, so as to eliminate ugliness and rebellion, help many people, and know what I mean. There is still a division, and all performances are not allowed to be heard. (Old Tang Dynasty Book: Gaozu Benji)

After taking the initiative to promulgate the edict of Chan Rang, the little emperor Yang Yu ordered Xiao Zao, the prince of Liangjun, and Pei Zhiyin, the son of Sinong Shaoqing, who held the festival and served as the Taibao, the secretary of the criminal department, and the doctor of Guanglu, to hold the emperor's seal and present it to Li Yuan, asking Li Yuan to accept the emperor's seal and be the emperor.

Facing the throne that is already close at hand and within reach, has Li Yuan accepted it? Isn't this exactly what Li Yuan dreamed of? Li Yuan did not accept it immediately, but followed the practice of the ancients of "three concessions and then acceptance", and resolutely rejected the emperor's seal and edict.

Li Yuan did not accept the emperor's seal, and the ministers and officials immediately understood Li Yuan's intentions. Li Yuan didn't want to take the initiative to accept the throne, but wanted to let the ministers persuade him to advance. So, under Li Yuan's instructions, 2,000 civil and military generals led by Pei Lin jointly sent a letter to persuade Li Yuan to comply with the will of heaven and inherit the unification:

The minister hears that the world is the most public, not the only one surname, the saint reaches the festival, and all things go by. …… Your Majesty, the qualifications are recorded and virtuous, the celebration is true, the only god is solid, and the knowledge is holy. …… In the middle of summer, the dragon leaps into the sun. At the beginning of Meng Dong, Feng Xiang was on the top. If the hedgehog is reached, the fog committee will come to court. The thief who touched the pillar and pulled out the mountain, galloped to make contributions. The children of the three Jin Dynasty will suffer from the risk and lose their debts. Xianqin Haojie, even Bashu responded. Yingsheng is in the west, Maode is in the east, the south is harmonious, and the north is a secluded capital. He did not bow to his clothes, and he did not carry a sword in his hand. The success of the machine is made by the hero, and the excellence is obtained by the talent. Weijia is all over the world, and he has made a lot of achievements, and he has won all kinds of battles. …… Stealing from His Majesty to inherit the family and start the country, accumulate virtue and accumulate merits, Shiji intends to be in Gaoyang, and Zhang Xu is prosperous in Zhou Wu. …… May the gentry be sad and allow the hope of billions of trillions. The land is reborn, and the spirit is very fortunate. ……

Just like this, two times in a row, three times in a row, Li Yuan felt that the heat was almost over. In the end, he accepted the persuasion of the ministers and hundreds of bureaucrats and prepared to ascend the throne and become emperor. At this time, the little emperor Yang Yu had moved back to the palace of the acting king. In order to prepare for the enthronement ceremony, Li Yuan renamed the original Daxing Hall as "Taiji Palace". After everything was ready, Li Yuan officially took a new step towards the emperor's throne on the Taiji Palace.

On May 20 of the second year of Yining (618), Li Yuan, the king of Tang, was officially called the emperor in the Taiji Hall of Chang'an, that is, the emperor's throne, and the country was named "Tang", and the year name was Wude. Li Yuan appointed Xiao Zao, the secretary of the Criminal Department, as the Tai Lieutenant, and went to the southern suburbs to hold a ceremony to worship heaven and earth, grant amnesty to the world, and change the second year of Sui Yining to the first year of Tang Wude. At this time, only thirty-seven years had passed since Emperor Wen of Sui Emperor Yang Jian established the Sui Dynasty.

A brand-new dynasty, like a high-rise building, rose from the ground,—— Tang Dynasty was officially born! And Li Yuan is the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty "Tang Gaozu". This year, Li Yuan was 52 years old. From this moment on, the Sui Dynasty officially declared its demise, and the history of the Tang Dynasty began a long prelude.

After Tang Gaozu Li Yuan became emperor, he announced the abolition of the Sui Dynasty's great cause law, promulgated the decree of the new dynasty, dismissed the county and placed the state, changed the Taishou to the history of the assassin, and pushed the five fortunes to Tude, and the clothes were still yellow. Moreover, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan also specially ordered that all the officials and people in the world should be given a knighthood. Wherever the rebels went, they were given three years.

Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor in Chang'an, proclaimed the name of the country as "Tang", established Yuan Wude, and promulgated a series of decrees of the Li and Tang dynasties. Next, Li Yuan had to determine the candidate for the crown prince, set the national capital, and how to divide his three sons: Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, and Li Yuanji.

In fact, as early as when Li Yuan ascended to the throne of Tang Dynasty, he had already established a candidate for the heir. Therefore, after Li Yuan became emperor, he appointed his eldest son Li Jiancheng as the crown prince; The second son, Li Shimin, was crowned the king of Qin, and was awarded the title of Yongzhou Mu by Shang Shuling and the right military general; The fourth son, Li Yuanji, was named the king of Qi and conferred the title of governor of the state.

Li Yuan and his wife Empress Dou's four sons, except for the third Li Xuanba, who died young, the other three sons, Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, and Li Yuanji, all followed their father Li Yuan to fight the world. Li Yuan Jinyang raised troops, the eldest son Li Jiancheng, the second son Li Shimin, and the fourth son Li Yuanji all played a very important and different role in this journey. Especially Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, because when Li Yuan raised his army, he ordered Li Yuanji to stay in Taiyuan to guard against Liu Wuzhou. Therefore, Li Yuanji did not participate in the battle to enter the main pass.

Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin can be said to be the right-hand men of his father Li Yuan. Li Shimin is the prince of Dunhuang County, the governor of the right leading army, the commander of the right army, and the commander of the right army. At this stage, the two brothers Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin have always been sincerely united, until they won Chang'an, the Li family's father and son, and brothers are definitely "fighting tiger brothers and going into battle father and son soldiers".

The eldest son, Li Jiancheng, has always played the role of "housekeeper" in the entire Li family. When his father Li Yuan decided to raise troops in Taiyuan, he urgently recalled the children of the Li family who stayed in various places. Li Jiancheng took the family to Taiyuan to meet his father Li Yuan and raised troops with his father.

The second son, Li Shimin, fully demonstrated his military talent in the war in Guanzhong. At the age of eighteen, he followed his father all the way from Hedong to Guanzhong, brave and strategic, invincible. Whether it is Rick Huoyi, the big Song Laosheng; Or bypassed Hedong County, led the right army to advance into Guanzhong first, and passed through Guanzhong to clear the obstacles for his father Li Yuan to enter Guanzhong. In addition, after Li Yuan captured Guanzhong, Li Shimin also made outstanding contributions to two major military operations: the western resistance to Xue Ju and the eastern expedition to Luoyang.

In the first month of the second year of Yining (618), Li Yuan sent Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin to lead an army of 100,000 to conquer Luoyang, and the two brothers joined hands and fought side by side. In the eyes of outsiders, Li Yuan's two sons, one literary and one martial, complement each other. However, behind the seemingly harmonious situation, there is actually a hidden crisis.

Therefore, after Li Yuan became emperor in Chang'an, Li Jiancheng, as the eldest son, was naturally made the crown prince. Of course, in Li Yuan's opinion, the two sons, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, are very capable. However, taking a comparison of the abilities of the two, it seems that Li Shimin is much higher than Li Jiancheng. The problem is that there is only one crown prince, and Li Yuan followed the primogeniture inheritance system, and in the end, he set up his eldest son Li Jiancheng as the crown prince.

This move laid a hidden danger for Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin's brothers to kill each other in the future. In addition to appointing Li Jiancheng as the crown prince, Li Yuan also named Li Shimin as the king of Qin and put him in charge of the military; Named Li Yuanji the king of Qi and let him continue to guard Taiyuan, the foundation of the Li Tang Dynasty.

Li Yuan knew very well that although these three sons were compatriots of the same mother, they were invisibly divided into two factions, one faction was the crown prince Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, and the other was Li Shimin, the king of Qin. From the day the crown prince was established, the relationship between Li Yuan, Li Jiancheng, and Li Shimin, father and son, has undergone subtle changes, from the initial harmony to the current superficial harmony. Of course, these are all off-topic.

After establishing a good candidate for the crown prince and canonizing the two sons of Li Shimin and Li Yuanji, Wang Jue, soon, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan wanted to divide the ministers and hundreds of officials, especially the founding father of the Li Tang Dynasty. So, how did Li Yuan, who has become the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, divide his ministers?

After Li Yuan became emperor, he appointed Shi Pei Lian, the governor of Xiangguo, as the right servant and governor of the Xiangguo Mansion, Sima Liu Wenjing of the Xiangguo Mansion as the Nayan, and Silu Dou Wei and Xiao Yu, the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, as the internal history order; Li Gang is the secretary of the Ministry of Rites and participates in the election; Yin Kaishan is the servant of the Ministry of Officials, Zhao Cijing is the waiter of the Ministry of War, Wei Yijie is the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, Chen Shuda and Cui Mingan are the waiters of the Yellow Gate, Tang Jian is the waiter of the internal history, and Pei Xi, who joins the army, is the right of Shangshu; Dou Xuan, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, was the secretary of the Ministry of Households, Jiang Guogong Qu Tutong was the secretary of the Ministry of War, and Chang'an ordered Dugu Huaien to be the secretary of the Ministry of Industry.

It is not only the canonization of the crown prince, the title of the second prince, and the reward of the founding fathers. At the same time, after Tang Gaozu Li Yuan ascended the throne and became emperor, he was crowned the Li clan. Li Yuan understood that the reason why he was able to advance into Guanzhong and conquer Chang'an so smoothly was because these Li clan relatives made great efforts. When Li Yuan advanced into Guanzhong, the Li clansmen from all over Guanzhong responded one after another, and Li Yuan was able to occupy Guanzhong in one fell swoop.

As a result, Li Yuan sealed the Li clan. Li Xiaoji, Duke of Shu, is the king of Yong'an, Li Daoxuan of Zhuguo is the king of Huaiyang, Li Shuliang, Duke of Changping, is the king of Changping, Li Shentong, Duke of Zheng, is the king of Yongkang, Li Shenfu of Anji is the king of Xiangyi, Li Deliang of Zhuguo is the king of Xinxing, Li Bocha of Shangzhu is the king of Longxi, and Li Fengci of Shangzhu is the king of Bohai.

It stands to reason that when a new dynasty is established, the royal family of the previous dynasty should be cut down and eradicated, and future troubles should be eliminated forever. For example, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Liu Yu, the founding emperor of the Liu Song regime in the Southern Dynasty, launched a bloody purge of the Sima royal family of the Eastern Jin Dynasty after the establishment of the Liu Song regime; After Yu Wenhua launched the "Jiangdu Mutiny" and killed Emperor Yang of Sui, except for Yang Hao, the king of Qin, almost all the members of the Sui Dynasty were killed by Yu Wenhua and beheaded.

So, after Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty, would he go on a killing spree against the former Sui royal family? How would he treat Yang Yu, the former little emperor of the Sui Dynasty who was already on the throne? For the royal family of the Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan did not kill them, on the contrary, he was quite lenient to them. Facing Yang Yu, who was already in the Zen position, Li Yuan named him the Duke of Xuguo and imprisoned him in Chang'an. One year after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, on May 12 of the second year of Wude (619), Yang Yu died mysteriously in Chang'an, only fifteen years old, the cause of death was unknown, and he was nicknamed "Emperor Gong" and was buried in Zhuangling. Therefore, Yang Yu is also known as "Emperor Gong of Sui".

As for the other royal families of the Sui Dynasty, in order to show the atmosphere of the new dynasty, Li Yuan specially issued an edict that as long as there are real talents and real learning in the Sui Dynasty clan, they can still serve as officials and serve in the Tang Dynasty:

In recent times, the times have changed, and the relatives of the previous generation have been punished. The effect of rise and fall, how can it be manpower! His descendants such as Sui Cai, Wang Zhiji, etc., and paid the division, and the quantity was selected. (Information Governance Guide)

The founding of the Tang Dynasty, the restoration of all things, and the birth of a new dynasty, opened a period of its glory. As the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan did show the bearing of a new monarch at the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty. For example, there is a story in "Zizhi Tongjian".

After Li Yuan became the emperor, he did not have a high stand at all, but looked approachable. How to be approachable? Every time Li Yuan met with the founding fathers who fought the world with him, he never called himself me, he still called himself by his name, and sometimes even pulled the ministers to sit with him. Seeing this, Liu Wenjing thought that this was not in line with the etiquette of the monarch and the minister, and admonished Li Yuan, citing the precedent of Wang Dao, the prime minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty:

The former king said: "If the sun is looking down on all things, how can the masses shine up!" "Today, the noble and the lowly are out of place, and it is a very long way. (Information Governance Guide)

However, Li Yuan did not agree with Liu Wenjing's admonition, but instead quoted the story of Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, and Yan Guang Yan Ziling, a hermit, to refute:

Guangwu of the former Han Dynasty slept with Yan Ziling, and Ziling was added to the emperor's abdomen. Today, all the princes are famous and old, relatives and friends in their lives, and the joy of the past, how can they forget. Don't be suspicious!

In addition, at the beginning of Li Yuan's proclamation as emperor, in order to show the goodness of the new Li and Tang dynasties, he opened up his views widely, allowing any official to put forward his opinions to the emperor. As a result, not long after Li Yuan became emperor, he received his first admonition since becoming emperor. This is a recital from Facao Sun Fujia of Wannian County:

Sui heard of his death in the world. His Majesty Long flew to Jinyang, responded from far and near, and ascended to the throne before the end of the year; I don't know how easy it is to gain, but I don't know how difficult it is to lose. The minister said that it is advisable to make mistakes and do his best. Mortal kings should not be careless in their words and actions. Seeing that His Majesty is enthroned today and there will be a harrier tomorrow is a matter for a young man, and it is not necessary for the Holy Lord! Again, a hundred dramas are scattered, and the country is dead. Recently, it is too common to borrow women's skirts more than 500 times to fill prostitute clothes, and it is planned to play the Xuanwumen game on May 5, which is not so for the descendants of the law. All such things should be abolished. The habits of good and evil are gradually dyed day and night, and it is easy to move people. The crown prince and the king's staff should choose their people carefully; He has a style that cannot be harmonious, he has no righteousness, he is extravagant, and he is not allowed to be close to those who are hunting with sound and sex. From ancient times to the present, the flesh and blood have been separated, and even the country has been ruined, and there has not been a discord between the left and the right. May Your Majesty be cautious. (Information Governance Guide)

Sun Fujia's performance was full of gunpowder, and his tone was very impulsive, and the spearhead was directed at Tang Gaozu Li Yuan. Sun Fujia criticized Li Yuan for pursuing "formalism," and departments at all levels did what he liked, which was in great danger of corrupting the atmosphere. Moreover, Sun Fujia's words are very straightforward and not tactful at all.

Seeing such a needle-to-the-point admonition, how did Li Yuan react? The founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, instead of being angry, admired Sun Fujia very much, thinking that such a talent could succumb to the position of Gong Cao and die between stables. As a result, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan promoted Sun Fujia to serve the imperial history, gave 300 silk horses, and entrusted Sun Fujia with important tasks. In addition, the "Zizhi Tongjian" records, "The far and near are still issued." ”

In May of the first year of Wude (618), Li Yuan officially proclaimed himself emperor in Chang'an and established the Tang Dynasty. Li Yuan's proclamation as emperor marked the complete end of the Sui Dynasty's rule and opened a new page in Chinese history. The newly-born Tang Dynasty stands tall on the land of China with a heroic posture that stands out from the crowd and looks down on the world!

The Great Sui Dynasty, after a short period of 37 years of trials and hardships, was like a meteor, falling rapidly in an instant, quietly withdrawing from the stage of history, sliding into the vast historical starry sky, without a trace, and disappearing forever. Since then, there has been no Great Sui in the world. The Sui Dynasty, like a cloud of smoke, disappeared, leaving a moment of starlight in the long river of history.

However, just after that, the image endorsement representing the pinnacle of ancient China's prosperity, the Tang Dynasty, officially stepped onto the stage of history. Since then, in the long years of 289 years from the first year of Wude (618) to the fourth year of Tianyou (907), the Chinese nation, under the guidance of this magnificent dynasty, rode the long wind, broke the majestic waves, swept the clouds and saw the sun, and rushed step by step to the peak of the golden era of ancient China!

Under the leadership of this great dynasty, a new page was opened in Chinese history. The fireworks of the Tang Dynasty erupted in the long river of history, and Chinese history began its splendid rebirth! Datang, like a newborn sun, is rising, shining in the east of the world!

The establishment of the Tang Dynasty was just the beginning for the Li family father and son. The so-called "journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", their historical mission is still very important, and there is a long way to go. Whether it is the newly-born Li Tang Dynasty or the unparalleled Li family father and son, they (it) shoulder the great task of pacifying the four seas and dominating the world.

Although the Tang Dynasty was established, the Tang Dynasty at this time was not a unified dynasty, but only a local government that divided one side. At that time, the territory under the control of the Tang Dynasty was only limited to the areas of Guanzhong, Hedong and Bashu, and there were still several large and small local rebel armies and separatist forces in the country. It can be said that the Li Tang Dynasty, which was founded at the beginning, was only a local power in the late Sui Dynasty.

Moreover, the situation faced by the Tang Dynasty at this time was also quite grim. This grim situation, that is, the pattern of all parties is ready to move. Since Emperor Yang of Sui died in Yangzhou, heroes from all walks of life have successively proclaimed themselves kings and emperors, and have challenged the supreme power.

Therefore, the Li Tang Dynasty, which had just been founded, was faced with a situation of being attacked on all sides. The external situation of the Tang Dynasty, Liu Wuzhou in Shanxi in the north, attached to the Turks, was ambitious, and wanted to dominate the Central Plains; Wang Shichong, who occupies Henan, sits in the eastern capital of Luoyang, and is eyeing the Tang Dynasty; Hebei Dou Jiande is strong and strong, and his strength should not be underestimated; Xue Ju and Xue Rengao father and son in Longxi, divided one side and claimed to be the overlord of Western Qin; Emperor Xiao Milling of Liang is located in the south of the Yangtze River and has strong power, and the strength of Xiao Milling is recorded in the "Zizhi Tongjian" as follows:

From Jiujiang in the east, the Three Gorges in the west, Jiaozhi in the south, Hanchuan in the north, milling are all there, and more than 400,000 soldiers have been victorious.

At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the military environment faced was complicated. In order to be able to complete the grand cause of the Tang Dynasty to unify the world, Li Yuan, the ancestor of the Tang Dynasty, formulated a strategic plan to first consolidate Guanzhong, conquer the Central Plains in the east, and then level the south of the Yangtze River. In this way, the unification war in the early Tang Dynasty kicked off.

However, before Tang Gaozu began to implement his strategic plan to dominate the world, he received an unexpected "gift" not long after the founding of the country. It turned out that Li Mi, the leader of the Wagang Army, who was once powerful and powerful in the world, and was the leader of the anti-Sui Alliance, came to defect to Li Tang.

What's going on here? As the leader of the anti-Sui alliance in the world, how could Li Mi suddenly defect to the Tang Dynasty? Under the city of Luoyang, what kind of thrilling reversal happened? How will Li Yuan treat this overlord who once called for wind and rain, and the "allies" who have helped him a lot?