At the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and the heroes rose together. In such troubled times, Wang Shichong can be described as a generation of heroes. With his extraordinary military talent and exquisite wisdom in all sides, he quickly became the confidant of Emperor Yang of Sui, and was sent to Luoyang to assist Yang Tong, the king of Yue, to resist the attack of Li Miwagang's army.

After Emperor Yang of Sui was killed, Wang Shichong supported Yang Tong, the king of Yue, as the emperor, and gradually monopolized the power of the court and became the actual controller of the Luoyang regime. In particular, after defeating the Wagang Army, Wang Shichong's power and ambition are also spreading and expanding step by step. At this time, Wang Shichong was no longer satisfied with being a powerful minister under one person and above ten thousand people, and his ultimate goal was to become the emperor and pull down the throne of Yang Tong, the emperor who had been reduced to a puppet.

Jiangdu mutinied, Emperor Yang of Sui was killed, and the world immediately fell into a state of chaos without a leader. All over the country divided the heroes, and they called the king and the emperor. Among them, there are only three emperors under the banner of the Sui Dynasty: Yang Hao, King of Qin, Yang Yu, Acting King, and Yang Tong, the Lord of Huangtai.

But then, things changed. In May of the first year of Wude (618), Li Yuan accepted the envoy of the little emperor Yang Yu Chan and established the country as emperor. A year later, the deposed emperor Yang Yu died mysteriously. In the second year of Wude (619), Yu Wenhua defeated Wei County, poisoned the puppet emperor Yang Hao, and usurped the throne as emperor. In this way, two of the three emperors under the banner of the Sui Dynasty died one after another. Today, only Yang Tong, the emperor of Luoyang, is still struggling to support the Sui Dynasty.

In fact, from May of the first year of Wude (618), Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor in Chang'an and established the Tang Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty had officially declared its demise. The Luoyang regime of Yang Tong, the emperor of Taitai, is just an empty court that is still surviving under the banner of the Sui Dynasty. At this time, the Sui Dynasty seemed to be gone, and the glory of the past had long been a thing of the past. And the emperor is just a puppet emperor controlled by Wang Shichong, and his life, death, honor and disgrace are all in Wang Shichong's thoughts.

Having said that, after all, the Emperor Taizhu is still the orthodox emperor of the Sui Dynasty, and as long as he is still sitting on the throne, the Sui Dynasty will not really fall. Therefore, Luoyang became the last hope of the Sui Dynasty. However, even this last hope has finally come to naught. What's going on? Wang Shichong deposed the emperor and publicly proclaimed himself emperor.

All of this has to start with Wang Shichong's defeat of the Wagang Army.

In September of the first year of Wude (618), in the Battle of Beibi Mountain in Luoyang, Wang Shichong defeated Li Mi's 100,000 Wagang army with 20,000 Jianghuai strong troops. In the end, Li Mi led the remnants of the army to the west into Guanzhong, and was defeated and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, until he died in Bear's Ears Mountain and was completely destroyed. After defeating the Wagang army, Wang Shichong took advantage of the victory to attack, and with lightning speed, he annexed all of Li Mi's territory in Henan, surrendered a large number of Wagang army troops, and captured many civil and military officers of the Wagang army.

At this time, Wang Shichong is no longer the Wuxia Ameng of the past, full of ambition and spring breeze. Previously, in the process of fighting against the Wagang Army, Wang Shichong was always at a disadvantage, either being beaten by Li Mi and unable to find the north, or being pressed on the ground by Li Mi and rubbed. Fortunately, Wang Shichong made a desperate bet and defeated the Wagang army. The victory in the Battle of Beibi Mountain not only achieved a brilliant military record, but also made him a dominant position in the DPRK, and no one can shake it.

Proud, Wang Shichong especially wanted to show off and show everyone his strength. After thinking about it, an idea flashed in Wang Shichong's mind: Xianjie. In Wang Shichong's view, at this time, the higher the profile, the better, and the more publicity, the better.

In October of the first year of Wude (618), not long after Wang Shichong defeated the Wagang army, he returned to the eastern capital Luoyang with a rich booty to present his victory to the emperor. After Wang Shichong returned to Luoyang, he displayed the treasures and property seized from the battlefield, Li Mi's concubines and beauties, and more than 100,000 Wagang soldiers.

The name of the emperor is the Son of Heaven, and he is actually Wang Shichong's puppet. Before the decisive battle of Beibi Mountain, Wang Shichong launched a bloody coup d'état, killed the prime minister Yuan Wendu and Lu Chu, and entered the left servant of Shangshu, the governor and the military inside and outside, monopolized the power of the court and government, and covered the sky with one hand.

Now, Wang Shichong defeated the Wagang Army and made great achievements, and his power is incomparable. The helpless emperor had no choice but to let it go, granted amnesty to the world, and named Wang Shichong as a lieutenant, Shang Shuling, and the governor of the military inside and outside. So far, the Luoyang Imperial Court has completely become Wang Shichong's family.

At the same time, Wang Shichong opened the Taiwei Mansion, where he could freely select officials and appoint henchmen. In the second year, in February of the second year of Wude (619), Wang Shichong began to expand the power of the Taiwei Mansion. Many of the former high-ranking officials and celebrities of the Sui Dynasty became subordinates of the Taiwei Mansion at this time. In addition, there were some Sui army generals who were in a wait-and-see state, and when they saw Wang Shichong occupying Luoyang, they also led their troops to Luoyang and took refuge in Wang Shichong.

After the Battle of Beibi Mountain, many high-ranking generals of the Wagang Army were either captured by Wang Shichong or voluntarily surrendered to Wang Shichong. Treat these tile gang generals, Wang Shichong will all take them for his own use. For example, Pei Renji and Pei Xingyan, father and son, are the best generals in the Wagang Army, and Wang Shichong treats the father and son with great courtesy.

At this point, Wang Shichong is in power and is good at the court. The major policies in the Luoyang court, no matter how big or small, were completely decided by Wang Shichong's Taiwei Mansion. For a time, the Taiwei Mansion became the highest administrative and decision-making organ in Luoyang, according to the record of "Zizhi Tongjian", "the Taiwan Provincial Supervision Bureau, all of which are unruly."

Having controlled the military and political power, Wang Shichong firmly held the eastern capital Luoyang in his own hands. At this time, Wang Shichong actually put on a posture of opening up his words and accepting all rivers. In order to absorb more talents for his own use, Wang Shichong specially set up three wooden signs in front of the Taiwei Mansion, which read:

One seeks literary talent and knowledge to help the times, one seeks martial courage and wisdom to destroy the enemy, and one seeks those who have injustices and stagnation and do not declare. (Information Governance Guide)

Not to mention, Wang Shichong's so-called "merit-seeking order" really played a role. Suddenly, in Luoyang City, it became a fashion to give advice on books and words. In front of Wang Shichong's Taiwei Mansion, there is a lot of court, and almost every day people come to Wang Shichong to give advice and write to admonish:

So there are hundreds of people who write and report things every day, and the world is full of introductions, bowing to self-examination, and attentive condolences, and everyone is happy, thinking that they obey their words, but in the end there is nothing to do. Down to the soldiers, the world is full of willing words, but there is no kindness. (Information Governance Guide)

Since Wang Shichong allowed the whole people to speak, hundreds of officials and people have written and spoken every day, and Wang Shichong has personally received them, and they will bow down to each other and give good words and comfort. On the surface, Wang Shichong seems to have achieved good and open up his words, but this is not the case; Wang Shichong is a typical villain, he is not like Tang Gaozu Li Yuan and Dou Jiande, who treat talents sincerely. His actions are just a face-saving project, and he deliberately puts on a posture. As a matter of fact, he did not pay lip service to the truth, and Wang Shichong did not accept all the opinions submitted and turned a deaf ear.

It should be said that Wang Shichong's powerful position has reached an unparalleled peak. With the gradual expansion of Wang Shichong's power, his wolf ambition is also slowly expanding. At this time, deep in Wang Shichong's heart, an evil idea sprouted: usurpation. He wants to abolish the puppet of the emperor and replace him as the emperor himself. Therefore, Wang Shichong began to work intensively to implement his plan to usurp the throne.

Although, Wang Shichong was the actual controller of Luoyang at this time, integrating military and political power. However, there are still many people who disagree with Wang Shichong, but they are afraid of his obscenity. What's more, Yang Tong, the emperor of Taitai, is the grandson of Emperor Yang of Sui and the emperor jointly supported by the old ministers of the Sui Dynasty. If he rashly deposed the emperor, Wang Shichong would inevitably arouse the public anger of the old ministers of the Sui family, and the gains would outweigh the losses. Therefore, this matter has to be gradual.

On the one hand, Wang Shichong tried his best to curry favor with the emperor, behaved very respectfully, and was aggrieved with the emperor; On the other hand, Wang Shichong is always wary of the emperor, firmly controls him in the palm of his hand, and closely monitors the emperor's every move.

In order to stabilize the emperor, Wang Shichong specially invited the mother of the emperor, Empress Dowager Liu, to have a fake son. At the same time, Wang Shichong also gave Empress Dowager Liu the honorific title of "Holy Sense Empress Dowager". Since then, Wang Shichong has become more and more arrogant and unreasonable, and he is unsubordinate. However, Wang Shichong did not relax his vigilance against the Huangtai Lord, on the contrary, he has been on guard against the Huangtai Lord everywhere. Wang Shichong knew that the emperor hated him to the core, and as long as he had the opportunity, he would definitely kill the killer.

Once, Wang Shichong went to a banquet in the forbidden. When I got home, for some reason, I vomited non-stop. As a result, Wang Shichong suspected that it was the emperor who poisoned the wine and food and wanted to murder himself. Since this banquet, Wang Shichong has never entered the palace to meet the emperor.

Although the emperor is young, he is very intelligent. He knows very well that he is now in Wang Shichong's cage and is controlled by others. For the sake of today's plan, we can only compromise and seek perfection in order to build momentum in the future. Therefore, the emperor can only worship the Buddha every day, take out some belongings from the palace, and give them to the monks, so that they can go to the relief of the victims. The emperor did this, in addition to praying for himself, but also to win people's hearts.

However, the emperor underestimated Wang Shichong's power. Wang Shichong's eyeliner is all over the palace. The emperor mainly transported these belongings out of the palace, and they had to pass through the city gate. However, it is Wang Shichong's two minions who guard the two gates of Luoyang Zhangshan and Xianfu: Zhang Ji and Dong Jun. They strictly inspected the items entering and leaving, and the belongings that the emperor wanted to help the victims could not be transported out of the palace at all.

Controlling the Emperor is nothing. Next, Wang Shichong launched a public opinion offensive to occupy the ideological commanding heights in order to seek the usurpation of the throne. In all dynasties, before the powerful ministers usurped the throne and established themselves, they would always concoct one or two so-called "auspicious incidents" to prove their legitimacy. In order to be able to seize the throne, Wang Shichong is also wantonly concocting "auspicious rui", in this way, shaking the rule of the emperor.

In the first month of the second year of Wude (619), Wang Shichong instructed his henchmen to take the opportunity of offering seals and swords to Wang Shichong that the turbid water of the Yellow River suddenly became exceptionally clear. Everyone believes that this is an auspicious fortune from heaven, and the prince seems to be destined for heaven:

In the month, Shichong made people offer seals and swords. He also said that the river was clear, and he wanted to show off the crowd and be his own Fu Ruiyun. (Information Governance Guide)

Whether it was launching a coup d'état at the Luoyang court or fighting a decisive battle with the Li Miwa Gang army, Wang Shichong always adhered to one principle, that is, the army must be mastered. Wang Shichong has always believed that power comes out of the barrel of a gun. As long as the military power is in hand, it is equivalent to having a trump card, which is the greatest capital and strength to seize the throne.

In March of the second year of Wude (619), Wang Shichong gathered a large army and marched to Xin'an with his cronies and henchmen among the hundred officials in Luoyang who supported him as emperor. In this march, Wang Shichong announced that he was conquering Xin'an, but in fact, he was making preliminary preparations for usurping the throne.

In the army, Wang Shichong convened his ministers and generals to discuss secretly, but he was not discussing how to use troops, but plotting how to replace the emperor. Almost everyone agreed with Wang Shichong's abolition of the emperor's self-reliance, but a minister named Li Shiying resolutely opposed it, and he said to Wang Shichong:

The Quartet so Mercedes-Benz attached to the Eastern Capital, with public energy in the Sui room. In the land of Kyushu today, one of them has not been clarified, and the position is corrected, and people are afraid that everyone will want to rebel! (Information Governance Guide)

In the face of Li Shiying's opinion, Wang Shichong was of course very disgusted in his heart, but he couldn't show it. So, Wang Shichong had no choice but to appease Li Shiying and said: "The public is yes." However, Wang Shichong's two henchmen: Chang Shi Weijie and Yang Xu, knew Wang Shichong's thoughts, so they spared no effort to pry Wang Shichong and replace the Sui family: "The Sui family is poor, and it is obvious that it is reasonable." Husbands and women are not allowed to discuss matters with ordinary people. ”

Listening to the words of the two henchmen, Wang Shichong was overjoyed. Immediately afterwards, Taishi Ling Le Derong, who was responsible for observing the celestial phenomena, corroborated it with the theory of celestial phenomena, and made a statement to Wang Shichong, believing that the Sui room qi had been exhausted:

The long stars of the past are the signs of removing the old and the new; This year's stars are in the horns and hyper. Kang, Zheng Zhi is divided. If you don't follow the way of heaven, I am afraid that the king's spirit will fail. (Information Governance Guide)

Although most people are in collusion with Wang Shichong, there are still a small number of loyal people who openly oppose Wang Shichong. For example, the foreign soldier Cao joined the army and vigorously opposed Wang Shichong's usurpation, believing that this move was a complete rebellion and violated the rules of the monarch and ministers:

Monarchs and ministers are like fathers and sons, sharing weal and woe, and if the Ming Duke is loyal to the country, the family and the country will be safe. (Information Governance Guide)

treats Dai Guan's advances, Wang Shichong still treats Li Shiying like Li Shiying, one thing in front of him and another thing behind his back. On the surface, he seems to accept his advice, but in private, he is what to do. However, Dai Zhou didn't eat this set at all, and repeatedly spoke out outright. In the end, Wang Shichong was furious, released Dai Zhou as the governor of Zhengzhou, demoted Luoyang, and Wang Shichong's nephew Wang Xingben to guard the Tiger Prison together.

The plan to usurp the throne was set, and Wang Shichong began to officially implement it. First of all, Wang Shichong appointed Duan Da, a hardcore henchman, to meet the emperor and the emperor, persecute the emperor and add Wang Shichong nine tin special gifts. The emperor knew that this was a precursor to Wang Shichong's usurpation of power. As an emperor, how could he easily agree. However, Wang Shichong leaned towards the government and the opposition, and if he angered him, the consequences would be unimaginable. After thinking about it, the Emperor deliberately perfunctory Duan Da said:

Since then, there has been no special achievement, and it is not too late to discuss it until the world is a little calm. (Information Governance Guide)

Obviously, the emperor deliberately did not give Wang Shichong a clear answer. Duan Da, who was ordered to convey Wang Shichong's intentions, was not a vegetarian. His attitude was very tough, with a threatening tone, and he only said four words: "Taiwei wants." "It means that Wang Shichong wants it, do you dare not give it? As soon as these words came out, the emperor was shocked into a cold sweat, and he finally understood that he was now a fish on the board, to be slaughtered. Therefore, the emperor was familiar with Duan Da, and finally could only agree to Wang Shichong's unreasonable request: "Ren Gong." ”

With the permission of the emperor, Duan Da happily went back to restore his life. Soon, Duan Da took the edict of the emperor Tai and crowned Wang Shichong as the prime minister, fake Huang Yue, total Baikui, enter the king of Zheng, and add nine tin special gifts. Wang Shichong belongs to Zheng Guo, and he can set up all official positions below the prime minister. It can be said that Wang Shichong's Zheng State has become a country within a state of the Luoyang regime, completely out of the Sui family, got rid of the constraints of the Sui court, and controlled everything in Luoyang City.

Wang Shichong added Jiuxi, built Zhengguo, and sealed the king with a different surname, and had all the power that an emperor could have. Now, everything is ready, only the east wind is owed. It only takes a suitable opportunity for Wang Shichong to issue an ultimatum to force the emperor to give up the throne and sit on the throne of the emperor as a matter of course.

At that time, there was a Taoist priest named Huan Fasi in Luoyang, who presented a copy of "Confucius Closed Room" to Wang Shichong, and even said that Wang Shichong was about to reign in the world, and "Xiangguo's contemporary Sui is the Son of Heaven". Needless to say, Wang Shichong was naturally overjoyed and appointed Huan Fahei as the counselor. So, Wang Shichong made a lot of auspicious luck to prove that he was destined to return.

For example, Wang Shichong sent people to catch many birds from the people, and tied a book silk around the bird's neck, on which were written nonsense such as Wang Shichong was about to become the Son of Heaven. Then, Wang Shichong released all these birds and let them fly into the people. These birds fell into the folk and were caught by some people. They all thought that this was a divine bird descending from heaven, and King Zheng should be the Son of Heaven. Therefore, for a time, birds were offered from all over the country. Anyone who offered a bird to Wang Shichong was awarded an official title.

Public opinion is almost done, and Wang Shichong feels that the conditions for becoming emperor are ripe. So, under Wang Shichong's hint, Duan Da, in the name of the emperor, added Wang Shichong's special gift. Unexpectedly, Wang Shichong got cheap and behaved, pretended to excuse himself, and let everyone understand what was going on. After that, the hundred officials of Luoyang jointly persuaded Wang Shichong to inherit the unification, replace the Sui family, and set up in Duchang.

After everything was ready, Wang Shichong ordered Chang Shi Weijie, Yang Xu, and Dr. Taichang Kong Yingda to prepare for the Zen Ceremony and other matters. At the same time, Wang Shichong instructed more than a dozen cronies such as Duan Da and Yun Dingxing to join the emperor and force the little emperor Chan to let the emperor be located in King Zheng:

The mandate of heaven is not permanent, King Zheng's merits are very strong, may Your Majesty follow the traces of Tang and Yu. (Information Governance Guide)

In the face of Wang Shichong's obvious wolf ambitions and Wang Shichong's henchmen's public forced palace, the young emperor finally stopped being silent and showed the prestige that a generation of emperors should have. I saw that the emperor was on his knees and was furious, and reprimanded Duan Da and others who came to force the palace:

The world, the world of Gaozu, if Sui Zuo is not dead, this statement should not be repeated; The destiny of heaven has changed, why bother! The public or the ancestor of your old minister, or the high position of the Taiding, there is a word, what hope do I have! (Information Governance Guide)

The Son of Heaven was furious, and suddenly frightened Duan Da and the others into sweating. Although the emperor was so angry, it could not change the fact that Wang Shichong usurped the throne. Seeing that the emperor was so uncooperative, Wang Shichong decided to take the bow and directly seize the throne without waiting for the emperor's consent. However, Wang Shichong was afraid that it would be too obvious and was opposed by the old ministers of the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, Wang Shichong pretended to promise, saying that after the world was calmed down in the future, he would return to the Sui family:

Now that the sea is not resting, it is necessary to establish a long monarch, and the Quartet will be settled, and when the compound son is clear, he will be as he swore before.

Then, Wang Shichong was overbearing, pretending to be the order of the emperor and the lord, and Zen conceded to Zheng. Moreover, Wang Shichong let his brother Wang Shiyun confine the emperor in Hanliang Palace. Immediately, Wang Shichong ordered the generals to lead troops into the palace and control the palace ban. After controlling the overall situation, Wang Shichong officially held a ceremony to receive Zen.

In April of the second year of Wude (619), Wang Shichong entered the palace, that is, the emperor's throne, and announced that the founding name of the country was "Zheng", and the amnesty was granted to the world, and the Yuan was changed to be enlightened. At this point, the Sui Dynasty, as a national power, completely withdrew from the stage of history. Since then, Chinese history has entered the early years of the Tang Dynasty, and the situation of division between the heroes and the masses has begun.

Wang Shichong was called the emperor, and Yang Tong, the lord of the emperor, was the Duke of Luguo. Then, Wang Shichong wantonly divided his cronies, henchmen, and Wang's children. For example, Wang Shichong canonized his son Wang Xuanying as the crown prince, Wang Xuanshu as the king of Han, and the rest of the nineteen brothers of the Wang clan were all named princes; In addition, Wang Shichong also rewarded the minions and henchmen who helped him become emperor. Su Weifeng, an old minister of the former Sui and Sui dynasties, was named Taishi, Duan Da was Situ, Yun Dingxing was Taiwei, Zhang Wei was Sikong, Yang Xu was Nayan, Wei Jie was the internal history, Wang Long was the left servant of Shangshu, Wei Ji was the right servant of Shangshu, Wang Shiyun of Qi was Shangshu Ling, Yang Wang was the secretary of the ministry, Du Yan was the young servant, and Zheng Ying was the imperial historian......

During the period when Wang Shichong had just ascended the throne, he did show some of the temperament that a Ming monarch possessed. Wang Shichong was proclaimed emperor and divided many of Wang's sons as kings. This group of Wang children, relying on the authority of Wang Shichong, spends all day drinking and doing nothing.

Once, Wang Shichong's nephew Wang Jundu, King of Yue, and his son Wang Xuanshu, King of Han, drank and gambled together with generals Qiu Huaiyi and Guo Shiheng, and even had fun with prostitutes, which was very unorthodox. This matter was learned by Zhang Yungu, the servant of the imperial history, and he wrote a letter to impeach this indecent behavior.

Wang Shichong had just ascended the throne at this time, and in order to show his mind, he actually dealt with it like this. Wang Shichong ordered that Wang Jundu and Wang Xuanshu's two sons and nephews be slapped dozens of times each, and then each of them was punished with dozens of rods. However, for the two generals Qiu Huaiyi and Guo Shiheng, Wang Shichong will not be held accountable. In addition, Wang Shichong also specially rewarded the imperial history Zhang Yun with a hundred pieces of ancient cloth and silk, and moved to the prince's house. In this way, Wang Shichong proved to the people of the world that he was as good as a stream and strictly restrained his children.

Not only that, Wang Shichong also set up a sitting under the palace and the Xuanwu Gate to facilitate the reception of officials and people. Sometimes, Wang Shichong rode through the streets on horseback, and did not clear the roads and close the streets, but just let the people avoid them. Wang Shichong rode on a horse, walked slowly according to the bridle, and said something like this:

In the past, the Son of Heaven lived in the ninth place, and there was no reason to hear about it. This world is not greedy for heaven, but if you want to save the times of danger, just like the history of a state assassin, personally read the affairs, when the government is commented on with the Shishu, there are still restrictions on the fear of the door, and now there is a sitting outside the door to listen to the court, and it is advisable to enjoy it. (Information Governance Guide)

It seems that Wang Shichong seems to be from the admonition and humble as a valley. However, the country is easy to change, and the nature is difficult to change. Wang Shichong is essentially a typical philistine politician, and he is not a person who accepts advice with an open mind at all. All he did was just a façade. Sure enough, not long after, Wang Shichong was revealed.

It turned out that Wang Shichong ordered to listen to the people's grievances in the west court and accept advice in the east court. Therefore, there are hundreds of copies of the recitals of the common people's books and words every day. After a long time, Wang Shichong felt that it was too boring and boring, and finally never received the people to read again.

That's not all, what's even worse is that Wang Shichong doesn't have the temperament and talent that an emperor should have. For example, this can be seen in a small thing. Wang Shichong has a strange problem: he is talkative, chattering endlessly, and he can turn over and over again a thing and say it several times. Therefore, every time Wang Shichong went to the court to discuss politics, the ministers were in pain, feeling that this was simply torment, almost enough, and there was no end:

Every time Shichong listens to the court, he will be diligent in his teachings, repeating his words, and he will be tired of listening. (The Book of the Old Tang Dynasty: The Biography of Wang Shichong)

There is no humble mind, and there is no imperial prestige. Treating the former Sui orphans, Wang Shichong's disposal is also criticized. Taking Yang Tong, the emperor who has been on the throne, as an example, Wang Shichong adheres to a principle in treating him, that is, to cut the grass and eradicate the roots, and never suffer in the future.

Wang Shichong forcibly forced the throne of the Emperor Tai, and the Lord of the Emperor was demoted to the Duke of Luguo, and he was still imprisoned by Wang Shichong. Although, Wang Shichong successfully deposed the emperor and became the emperor. However, some old ministers of the Sui Dynasty did not submit to Wang Shichong. They conspired privately to overthrow Wang Shichong and support the restoration of the emperor. Of course, when the news leaked later, Wang Shichong made a decisive move and wiped out all those former Sui ministers.

After this incident, Wang Shichong also realized that as long as the emperor is alive, it is a potential hidden danger for himself. Therefore, the least costly solution at present is to get rid of the emperor. In the end, under the persuasion of his brother Wang Shiyun, the king of Qi, Wang Shichong decided to get rid of the emperor.

So, Wang Shichong sent his nephew Wang Renze and his slave Liang Bainian to bring poisoned wine and go to kill the emperor. In the face of death, the emperor was resolute and drank the poisoned wine. Before dying, the emperor left a last word sadly: "May the past be from now on, and the emperor's family will not be resurrected!" "Maybe it's because the poison of the wine is not poisonous enough, and the emperor has not died of poison for a long time. In the end, Wang Ren took matters into his own hands and strangled the emperor to death at the age of sixteen.

As the only bloodline of the royal family of the Sui Dynasty, the emperor was gifted and intelligent, and his instruments were extraordinary. If he was born in a peaceful and prosperous era, he may be a young man who works hard, works diligently and loves the people. It's a pity that he was born at the wrong time, in the turbulent and chaotic times at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and he can only end up bleak in this way. After the death of the emperor, Wang Shichong posthumously called him "Emperor Gong". Due to the death of the emperor, the history of the Sui Dynasty is truly over.

In the second year of Wude (619), Wang Shichong officially proclaimed himself emperor in Luoyang and established the state of Zheng. By this time, the three kingdoms of Tang, Zheng, and Xia were basically formed. In the Central Plains, the Li Tang Dynasty formed a military posture of long-term confrontation with the Zheng regime of Wang Shichong of Henan and the Xia regime of Dou Jiande of Hebei.

In particular, in April of the third year of Wude (620), the Tang Dynasty eliminated the regime of Liu Wuzhou in Shanxi, whose sphere of influence spanned northern China. It can be said that the current Li Tang Dynasty is already a veritable lord of Guanzhong. Therefore, the next military action of the Tang Dynasty was to point the sword at the Central Plains. Therefore, Li Tang's army went east out of Tongguan and attacked the Central Plains, obviously to the point where the arrow was ready to be sent and had to be launched. The battle of the Eastern Crusade has been put on the agenda.

So, before the official dispatch of troops to the Central Plains and the attack on Luoyang, what kind of thrilling contest took place between the Tang Dynasty and the regime of Wang Shichong of Luoyang? Under what circumstances did the Li Tang Dynasty, which had just won the Battle of Hedong and pacify Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang, launch a key battle in the Unification War - the Battle of Luoyang? How did the soldiers of the Tang Army embark on the long journey to Luoyang?