Li Shiji
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Li Shiji (594 – December 31, 669), né Xu Shiji (徐世勣), later known in the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang
as Li Ji (李勣), courtesy name Maogong (懋功), formally Duke Zhenwu of Ying (英貞武公), was one of the most celebrated generals early in the Chinese
Tang Dynasty
. He was initially a follower of Li Mi, one of the rebel rulers rebelling against the preceding Sui Dynasty
, and he submitted to Tang after Li Mi did so, upon which Emperor Gaozu
, impressed with his loyalty to Li Mi, bestowed on him the imperial clan name of Li. He later participated in destroying Xu Yuanlang
and Fu Gongshi
, two of Tang's competitors on Tang's campaign to reunify China. During the reign of Emperor Gaozu's son Emperor Taizong
, he participated in the successful campaigns destroying Eastern Tujue and Xueyantuo
, allowing Tang to become the dominant power in eastern Asia, and also served as a chancellor. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, he served as chancellor and the commander of the army against Goguryeo
, destroying Goguryeo in 668. He died the next year. He and Li Jing
were considered the two most prominent early Tang generals.
, Shandong
), but late in Sui Dynasty
moved to Hua Province (滑州, roughly modern Anyang
, Henan
). Xu Shiji's father Xu Gai (徐蓋) was a member of the landed gentry, and both he and Xu Shiji were said to be generous, using the food yields of their land to help others regardless of whether those were related to them.
Around 616, Zhai Rang
gathered a group of men to resist the rule of Emperor Yang
. Xu Shiji joined Zhai, and suggested him that instead of pillaging the people of the region, which Zhai had done to maintain himself and his own men, it was inappropriate to be robbing people of their homeland. Rather, he suggested that, as there were plenty of travellers on the Grand Canal
, that they should rob travellers instead. Zhai agreed, and their pillaging raids instead targeted travellers and official messengers. Many people joined Zhai, and when the key Sui general Zhang Xutuo (張須陀), who had defeated many agrarian rebels, attacked, Xu killed Zhang in battle late in 616, allowing Zhai to become even more acclaimed. Around this time, he also became close friends with another general under Zhai, Shan Xiongxin (單雄信), swearing to be brothers and to die on the same day.
Meanwhile, Li Mi, the strategist for the Sui general Yang Xuangan
, who unsuccessfully rebelled against Emperor Yang in 613, was visiting rebel generals in the region, seeking to sell his grand strategy to destroy Sui. As Li Mi was of noble birth, and there had been prophecies that the next emperor would be named Li, there began to be thoughts among the rebels that Li might be destined to be the next emperor. Xu Shiji and another close associate of Zhai's, Wang Bodang (王伯當), thus persuaded Zhai to support Li Mi as leader. Zhai agreed, and after the victory over Zhang, the rebels approached the eastern capital Luoyang
and declared Li Mi their leader, with the title of Duke of Wei. Xu was given a major general title, while Zhai served as prime minister. After Xu achieved a victory over the Sui general Wang Shichong
, whom Emperor Yang had sent to reinforce Luoyang, Li Mi created Xu the Duke of Donghai. At Xu's suggestion, Li Mi captured a major food storage -- Liyang Storage (黎陽倉, in modern Hebi
, Henan
) -- and after doing so, opened up the storage to allow people in the region suffering from famines to take food. As a result, more than 200,000 men joined Li Mi within about 10 days, and a number of commanderies submitted to him, including the major rebel generals Dou Jiande
and Zhu Can
.
In winter 617, with a conflict between Li Mi and Zhai intensifying, Li Mi set an ambush for Zhai at a feast held for him, killing him, his brother Zhai Hong (翟弘), his nephew Zhai Mohou (翟摩侯), and his strategist Wang Ruxin (王儒信). During the ambush, Xu was injured in his neck and nearly died. Li Mi, declared, however, that his intention was only to execute Zhai Rang, and no one other than the Zhai clan was to worry. He personally attended to Xu's injuries, and had Xu, Dan, and Wang Bodang take over Zhai's troops.
In spring 618, Emperor Yang was killed at Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou
, Jiangsu
) in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji
. Yuwen soon abandoned Jiangdu and headed back north, toward Luoyang, with the elite Xiaoguo Army (驍果), leading to comprehension both at Luoyang (where Sui officials had declared Emperor Yang's grandson Yang Tong
the Prince of Yue emperor) and at Li Mi's headquarters. The enemies made peace, with Li Mi nominally submitting to Yang Tong, as both sides prepared for a joint confrontation with Yuwen. As part of this arrangement, Xu also received a major Sui general title. Li Mi, who had become somewhat alienated with Xu due to Xu's criticism that he was not sufficiently rewarding the soldiers, put Xu in charge of defending Liyang Storage, and Yuwen subsequently put Liyang under siege, but Xu was not only able to withstand the siege but further fought Yuwen outside, defeating him.
Later in 618, Wang Shichong, who had opposed the peace agreement with Li Mi, killed the other key officials Lu Chu (盧楚) and Yuan Wendu (元文都), who had advocated peace with Li Mi. Another official who supported the peace, Huangfu Wuyi (皇甫無逸), fled to Chang'an
and surrendered to the newly established Tang Dynasty
. Wang seized power as regent
. Hearing what had happened, Li Mi broke off peaceful relations with Yang Tong's regime. However, he did not pay close attention to Wang, and Wang soon defeated him in a surprise attack, seizing most of his troops. Initially, after the defeat, Li Mi considered fleeing to Xu, at Liyang, but was warned by some that Xu had nearly died when he killed Zhai and thus could not be trusted. Instead, Li Mi fled to Chang'an and surrendered to Tang.
Xu, upon hearing that Li Mi had fled to Chang'an, took effective control of Li Mi's former territory, and as Li Mi had surrendered to Tang, he decided to submit to Tang as well, but stated to his secretary Guo Xiaoke (郭孝恪):
He therefore sent Guo to Chang'an to report to Li Mi. Emperor Gaozu of Tang
heard that Xu had sent messengers, but with no petitions to submit to Tang, only reports for Li Mi, and was surprised. He summoned Guo and questioned him, and Guo relayed what Xu's intents were. Emperor Gaozu was impressed and stated, "Xu Shiji remembers his lord and surrenders his accomplishments, and is really a pure-hearted subject." He thus bestowed the imperial clan name of Li (which he shared with Li Mi) on Xu, who thereafter would be known as Li Shiji. He also created Li Shiji the Duke of Cao and his father Xu Gai (thereafter known as Li Gai as well) the Prince of Jiyin, although Li Gai declined the honor and was subsequently created the Duke of Shu. Li Shiji remained in charge of the Liyang region to resist against Wang and Dou Jiande.
In fall 619, Dou Jiande, then with the title of Prince of Xia, launched a major offensive, set to affirm his control of the territory north of the Yellow River
, as a number of cities there had submitted to Tang. After a number of Xia victories, Li Shentong (李神通) the Prince of Huai'an, Emperor Gaozu's cousin who was in charge of Tang operations north of the Yellow River, withdrew to Liyang and joined forces with Li Shiji. When Dou then was on the way to attack Tang's Wei Prefecture (衛州, roughly modern Weihui
, Henan
), Li Shiji tried to ambush him, and his officer Qiu Xiaogang (丘孝剛) nearly killed Dou before Dou's guards killed him. In anger, Dou turned his attack around and attacked Liyang instead, capturing it and seizing Li Shentong, Li Gai, Wei Zheng
, and Emperor Gaozu's sister Princess Tong'an. Li Shiji was able to fight his way out, but several days later, because his father Li Gai had been captured, surrendered to Dou. Dou made Li Shiji a general and still kept him in charge of Liyang, but took Li Gai back to the Xia capital Ming Prefecture (洺州, in modern Handan
, Hebei
) to serve as a hostage. He also put Li Shentong under house arrest, as an honored guest.
Li Shiji soon considered how he could again submit to Tang, but worried that Dou would kill his father Li Gai. Guo Xiaoke suggested to him that he needed to first gain Dou's trust by accomplishing things for Xia. Li Shiji agreed, and in winter 619, he attacked the city of Huojia (獲嘉, in modern Xinxiang
, Henan
), held by Wang Shichong (who had by that point had Yang Tong yield the throne to him, ending Sui and establishing a new state of Zheng) and captured much goods and persons to present to Dou, including Dou's childhood friend Liu Heita
. Dou began to trust him. Li Shiji then suggested to Dou that he should attack the agrarian leader Meng Haigong (孟海公), who was then nominally submitting to Zheng, arguing that if Xia could first capture Meng's holdings, it could then next have designs on Zheng. Dou agreed, and he sent his brother-in-law Cao Dan (曹旦) south across the Yellow River, joining forces with Li Shiji. Dou himself would follow, and Li Shiji planned that, as soon as Dou himself arrived, he would ambush Dou's camp and kill him, and then try to find and save his father Li Gai. However, at this time, Dou was awaiting his wife Empress Cao
's giving birth and did not arrive for a while. Meanwhile, Cao Dan was insulting and pillaging the other rebel leaders south of the Yellow River who had submitted to Xia, and the rebel leaders were all resentful. One of them, Li Shanghu (李商胡), and Li Shanghu's mother Lady Huo, urged Li Shiji to carry out his plan as soon as possible, and when Li Shiji hesitated, Li Shanghu and Lady Huo acted on their own, ambushing Cao Dan, but while they killed many of Cao's generals, Cao himself was not harmed and soon prepared to counterattack. Li Shanghu notified Li Shiji and asked him to attack Cao, but Li Shiji, saw that Cao had already taken precautions, fled to Tang territory with Guo. Cao soon defeated and killed Li Shanghu, but when Dou's officials suggested that Li Gai be executed, Dou remarked, "Li Shiji was a Tang subject. He was captured by us, but still remembered his former lord and was faithful. What sin did his father have?" Dou then spared Li Gai.
In spring 620, Li Shiji served under Emperor Gaozu's son Li Shimin
the Prince of Qin in resisting a major offensive by Liu Wuzhou
the Dingyang Khan, and in an engagement against Liu's general Song Jin'gang (宋金剛), Li Shiji was unsuccessful, but was saved by Li Shimin. (Li Shimin eventually defeated Liu, forcing Liu to flee to Eastern Tujue.)
In winter 620, with Li Shimin having launched a major offensive against Wang's Zheng state, the Zheng general Yang Qing (楊慶, a Sui imperial prince) surrendered Guan Prefecture (管州, in modern Zhengzhou
, Henan
), and Li Shimin sent Li Shiji to take over Guan Prefecture. When Wang Shichong's son and crown prince
, Wang Xuanying (王玄應), heard of this, he headed to Guan from Hulao, but Li Shiji repelled him, and then had Guo write a letter to Wei Lu (魏陸), Zheng's prefect of Ying Prefecture (滎州, also in modern Zhengzhou), to persuade Wei to surrender. Wei did so, and this eventually led to a chain reaction where Zheng's holdings in modern eastern Henan surrendered one by one. Wang Xuanying, in fear, fled back to the Zheng capital Luoyang. Further, in spring 621, Wang Shichong's officer Shen Yue (沈悅) surrendered to Li Shiji, allowing Li Shiji's subordinate general Wang Junkuo (王君廓) to capture Hulao and capture Wang Shichong's nephew, Wang Xingben (王行本) the Prince of Jing.
Soon, however, with Zheng in desperate straits, Wang sought aid from Dou. Dou, believing that if Tang destroyed Zheng that his own Xia state would be cornered, agreed, and he sent his forward troops first while proceeding with his main troops later. In the engagement with Dou's forward troops, Li Shimin had Li Shiji, Chen Zhijie (程知節), and Qin Shubao
lead the troops, and they were able to defeat Dou's forward troops. Li Shimin then wrote Dou to persuade him to stop aiding Zheng, but Dou did not relent. In summer 621, Li Shimin engaged Dou at the Battle of Hulao
, defeating and capturing him. Wang, believing further resistance to be futile, surrendered. Li Shimin spared Wang, but put a number of Zheng officials that he considered treacherous to death. Li Shiji's sworn brother Dan Xiongxin, whom Li Shimin considered treacherous because Dan had turned against Li Mi, was set to be executed as well. Li Shiji begged Li Shimin to spare Dan, arguing that Dan was a capable general who could be useful to Tang and offering to surrender all of his own honors to save Dan from death. Li Shimin refused. When Dan invoked the pledge they made to die on the same day, however, Li Shiji stated to him that he had already offered his body to the service of the state and that the body was no longer his -- and that, if he died as well, no one would be around to take care of Dan's wife and children -- therefore refused to die as well, but cut off a piece of his leg muscle, cooked it, and had Dan eat it, stating, "Let my flesh turn to dust along with you, my brother. By this, I can at least fulfill part of the pledge." Later that year, when Li Shimin returned to Chang'an, and Emperor Gaozu let his troops march in succession in great honor, Li Shiji was one of the 25 generals honored, permitted to wear the same golden armor that Li Shimin was clad in and to offer the captives at Tang's imperial ancestral temple. He was also united with his father Li Gai, who managed to survive the collapse of the Xia regime and return to Tang territory.
Xia territory was temporarily taken over by Tang, but in fall 621, Liu Heita rose against Tang, declaring that he was avenging Dou (whom Emperor Gaozu had executed). Liu quickly captured most of former Xia territory, and when Liu approached the former Xia capital Ming Prefecture, Li Shiji, who was then at nearby Zongcheng (宗城), abandoned Zongcheng and entered Ming to assist its defense, but despite that, Liu defeated him and captured Ming, seizing it as his capital and forcing Li Shiji to flee. Li Shiji subsequently served under Li Shimin in attacking Liu, who had by now declared himself the Prince of Handong, in spring 622, and in a battle, Li Shiji's officer Pan Mao (潘毛) killed Liu's major general Gao Yaxian (高雅賢), who had persuaded Liu to rise against Tang in the first place. Subsequently, when Liu attacked Li Shiji, Li Shimin tried to come to Li Shiji's aid but was surrounded and nearly captured, being saved only by the heroics of Yuchi Jingde
. Li Shimin subsequently defeated Liu by flooding Liu's troops with water from the Ming River (flowing through Ming Prefecture), and Liu fled to Eastern Tujue. (Liu would return later that year and again take over former Xia territory, before being decisively defeated by Li Shimin's older brother Li Jiancheng
the Crown Prince.) Li Shiji subsequently followed Li Shimin in attacking Liu's ally Xu Yuanlang
the Prince of Lu, who controlled the modern central and western Shandong
), and after Li Shimin was recalled to Chang'an, he continued the campaign against Xu Yuanlang with Li Shentong and Ren Gui (任瓌). By spring 623, Xu was desperate and abandoned his capital Yan Prefecture (兗州, in modern Jining
, Shandong
), and he was killed in flight. Li Shiji took his head and sent it to Emperor Gaozu.
Later in 623, the general Fu Gongshi
rebelled against Tang at Danyang (丹楊, in modern Nanjing
, Jiangsu
) and declared himself the Emperor of Song. Li Shiji participated in the campaign against Fu, commanded by Emperor Gaozu's distant nephew Li Xiaogong
the Prince of Zhao Commandery. After Tang forces converged on Danyang and defeated Song forces at Mount Bowang (博望山, in modern Ma'anshan
, Anhui
), Fu fled, and Li Shiji chased him down and, after he was captured by the gentlemen in the country, delivered him to Danyang, where Li Xiaogong executed him.
By 626, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were locked in an intense rivalry, and Li Shimin, fearing that Li Jiancheng might be intending to kill him, solicited advice from Li Shiji and another major general, Li Jing
, and both refused to speak on the matter, drawing respect from Emperor Taizong for their unwillingness to be involved in an internecine struggle. In summer 626, Li Shimin ambushed Li Jiancheng and another brother, Li Yuanji
the Prince of Qi, who supported Li Jiancheng, at Xuanwu Gate
and killed them. He then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to first create him crown prince and then yield the throne to him (as Emperor Taizong).
, Shanxi
). In 629, when Emperor Taizong launched a major attack against Eastern Tujue's Jiali Khan Ashina Duobi, commanded by Li Jing
, Li Shiji was one of the major generals under Li Jing's command and was in charge of one of the four prongs of attack. In spring 630, after Li Shiji defeated Eastern Tujue forces at Baidao (白道, in modern Hohhot
, Inner Mongolia
) and after Li Jing defeated Ashina Duobi's main forces and forced Ashina Duobi to flee, he met with Li Jing and decided to, despite the fact that Ashina Duobi claimed to then seek peace, attack Ashina Duobi, defeating him again and capturing most of Ashina Duobi's remaining forces. (Ashina Duobi himself fled further and was later captured by forces under the command of Emperor Taizong's cousin Li Daozong
the Prince of Rencheng.)
Meanwhile, as Emperor Taizong's son Li Zhi
the Prince of Jin was made the nominal commandant of Bing Precture (but did not actually report to Bing), Li Shiji's title became the secretary general of Bing, but he continued to effectively serve as commandant. In 637, as part of Emperor Taizong's scheme to bestow prefectures on his relatives and great generals and officials as their permanent domains, Li Shiji's title was changed to Duke of Ying, and he was given the post of prefect of Qi Prefecture (蘄州, roughly modern Huanggang
, Hubei
), to be inherited by his heirs, but Li Shiji remained at Bing and did not actually report to Qi. Soon, however, with many objections to the system, the strongest of which came from Zhangsun Wuji
, Emperor Taizong cancelled the scheme, although Li Shiji's title remained Duke of Ying. In 641, when discussing about Li Shiji, whom historical accounts indicated that the people obeyed without complaints, Emperor Taizong made the comment:
in winter 641, Emperor Taizong promoted him to the post of minister of defense. Soon, however, even before Li Shiji could leave for Chang'an, Xueyantuo
's Zhenzhu Khan
Yi'nan, believing that Emperor Taizong was about to carry out a major sacrifice to the gods of Mount Tai
and therefore would not have time for military action, launched a major attack against Tang's vassal, the Qilibi Khan
Ashina Simo, whom Emperor Taizong had created the khan of a reestablished Eastern Tujue in 639. Ashina Simo could not resist, and withdrew within the Great Wall to Shuo Prefecture (朔州, roughly modern Shuozhou
, Shanxi
). Emperor Taizong launched armies, commanded by five generals, including Li Shiji, to aid Eastern Tujue. Around the new year 641, Li Shiji engaged Xueyantuo forces, under the command of Yi'nan's son Dadu (大度), at Nuozhen River (諾真水, flowing through modern Baotou
, Inner Mongolia
), defeating Xueyantuo forces and forcing them to flee. (Based on comments that Li Shiji made in 644 while advocating a campaign against Goguryeo
, it appeared that Li Shiji wanted to advance further to try to destroy Xueyantuo, but Emperor Taizong, at the urging of Wei Zheng
, ordered him to stop.) Li Shiji subsequently returned to Chang'an to serve as minister of defense.
In 643, when Emperor Taizong commissioned the Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion
to commemorate the 24 great contributors to Tang rule, Li Shiji's was one of the portraits commissioned. In spring of that year, when Emperor Taizong's son Li You (李祐) the Prince of Qi, angry at his secretary general Quan Wanji (權萬紀), killed Quan and then declared a rebellion, Emperor Taizong sent Li Shiji to attack Li You, although even before Li Shiji's forces arrived, Li You's subordinates captured him. Subsequently, in summer 643, when Li Chengqian the Crown Prince, was revealed to have plotted to overthrow Emperor Taizong, as he was fearful that Emperor Taizong would replace him with his brother Li Tai the Prince of Wei, Emperor Taizong had Li Shiji, along with other key officials Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling
, Xiao Yu
, as well as officials in charge of the supreme court, the legislative bureau, and the examination bureau, investigate. They confirmed Li Chengqian's guilt. Emperor Taizong thus deposed Li Chengqian and, believing that Li Tai's machinations were responsible for Li Chengqian's downfall, also demoted Li Tai and exiled them both, creating Li Zhi crown prince instead. Li Shiji was given the additional title as the new crown prince's head of household, and was also given a newly created title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品) -- a new title designating him as a chancellor de facto.
Historical accounts indicated that at one point, when Li Shiji was suddenly ill, medical books indicated that ashes from beards could benefit him, and therefore Emperor Taizong cut off his own beard and burned it to mix it with the medicine. After Li Shiji grew better, he bowed to thank Emperor Taizong -- so greatly that he bled from his forehead by pounding on the floor -- and Emperor Taizong responded, "I did so for the empire, not for you. You do not need to thank me." Further, on one occasion, when Li Shiji was attending an imperial feast, Emperor Taizong stated: "I am selecting, among the great achievers, one that I can entrust an orphan [(i.e., the Crown Prince)] to, and no one is more suitable than you are. You did not turn your back on Li Mi, and I know that you will not turn your back on me." Li shiji was so thankful that he wept and bit his finger so hard that he bled. Also at that feast, when Li Shiji became drunk and fell asleep, Emperor Taizong took off his own imperial robe to cover Li Shiji.
In spring 644, when the Tang emissary to Goguryeo, Xiangli Xuanjiang (相里玄獎), returned from Goguryeo, indicating that the Yeon Gaesomun
, the Goguryeo general who then controlled the political scene there, was unwilling to stop his attacks against Silla
, then a Tang vassal, Li Shiji advocated an attack against Goguryeo, and Emperor Taizong agreed, despite opposition by other officials, including Chu Suiliang
. Emperor Taizong, after several months of preparations, launched a two-pronged attack against Goguryeo in winter 644, with Li Shiji in charge of the land army containing 60,000 soldiers, heading toward Liaodong Peninsula, and with Zhang Liang
in charge of the navy numbering 40,000 soldiers, heading directly toward the Goguryeo capital Pyongyang
. Emperor Taizong himself trailed them.
In spring 645, Li Shiji reached You Prefecture (幽州, roughly modern Beijing
), and then headed into Goguryeo territory. Together with Li Daozong, he captured Gaemo (蓋牟, in modern Fushun
, Liaoning
), and then put the important city of Liaodong/Yodong (遼東, in modern Liaoyang
, Liaoning
) under siege. After Emperor Taizong himself arrived, Liaodong fell. Tang forces then continued heading southeast, toward Yalu River
, putting Ansi (安市, in modern Anshan, Liaoning
) under siege. When a major Goguryeo army, commanded by the generals Go Yeonsu (高延壽) and Go Hyezin (高惠真) arrived, Emperor Taizong had Li Shiji command 15,000 men to serve as decoy, and when Goguryeo forces attacked Li Shiji, Zhangsun Wuji attacked them from behind with 11,000 men, and Li Shiji and Zhangsun, as well as Emperor Taizong himself, defeated Goguryeo forces, forcing their surrender. He then considered directly attacking Pyongyang
itself, but Li Shiji believed that if Ansi was not captured first, the general in command of Ansi (a capable general known in Korean popular legends as Yang Manchun
, although whether that was his real name is unknown), might attack Tang forces from the rear. Emperor Taizong agreed, and therefore put Ansi under siege again.
However, the commander at Ansi was a capable defender, and the resolve of the defenders was strengthened when Li Shiji, in anger, declared that after the fall of the city all residents would be slaughtered. In fall 645, unable to capture Ansi, with food supplies running low, Emperor Taizong ordered a withdrawal, with Li Shiji and Li Daozong serving as rear guard.
In 646, with Xueyantuo in internal turmoil due to the cruelty of the Duomi Khan
Bazhuo (Yi'nan's son), Emperor Taizong sent Li Daozong to launch a major attack on Xueyantuo, defeating Xueyantuo forces. Bazhuo fled, but was then attacked and killed by Huige, which took over Xueyantuo territory. Xueyantuo's remaining forces supported Yi'nan's nephew Duomozhi as Yitewushi Khan
. Duomozhi offered to submit, but Emperor Taizong, fearful that Xueyantuo might recover and create more trouble later on, sent Li Shiji with an army toward Duomozhi's location. Duomozhi surrendered, and Li attacked the remaining forces unwilling to submit, defeating and capturing them. He delivered Duomozhi to Chang'an, where Emperor Taizong made Duomozhi a general.
In 647, Emperor Taizong began yearly raids against Goguryeo, intended to weaken Goguryeo's border regions, in preparation for another future major offensive. For the 647 raids, Li Shiji was in charge of the land prong, while Niu Jinda (牛進達) was in charge of the sea prong.
In summer 649, Emperor Taizong was gravely ill (probably from consuming pills given him by alchemist
s), and he, not fully trusting Li Shiji, stated to Li Zhi:
He then demoted Li Shiji to the post of the commandant of Die Prefecture (疊州, roughly modern Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
, Gansu
). Li Shiji, after receiving the order, departed without hesitation. (The modern historian Bo Yang
, commenting on this incident, opined that this showed that, down inside, neither Li Shiji nor Emperor Taizong actually trusted each other, as Li Shiji was too capable for Emperor Taizong's liking. Another explanation is that the Gaozong was playing an age-old trick to test Li Shiji's loyalty. While he's alive, he was able to handle Li Shiji; he was afraid that his son would not be able to do so after his death. He intentionally demoted Li Shiji to test his response. If Li Shiji showed any hesitation or unhappiness, he would have been executed and the new emperor would not have to deal with him. If Li Shiji didn't show any emotion about the demotion, the new emperor can promote him to show he liked him so Li Shiji would be loyal to him. This turned out to be a bad move. Years later when Gaozong tried to make Wu Zetian (武则天) his empress against the opposition of most high officials, Li Shiji decisively put the issue in Wu Zetian's favor by saying that's an internal issue of Gaozong. ) Nine days later, Emperor Taizong died and was succeeded by Li Zhi (as Emperor Gaozong).
was to be observed as to the characters shi and min (Emperor Taizong, as his name had two common characters, previously only ordered that naming taboo was to be observed against the use of shimin consecutively), thereafter, Li Shiji became known as Li Ji.) Almost as immediately, Emperor Gaozong repromoted him back to the post of chancellor de facto. He then further made him Puye (Executive State Secretary).
In winter 650, Li Ji requested to be relieved of the post of Puye. Emperor Gaozong agreed, but had him remain as chancellor de facto.
In 653, Emperor Gaozong bestowed the highly honorific title of Sikong (司空, Minister of Works) on Li Ji, who continued to be chancellor de facto.
In 655, with Emperor Gaozong having lost favor in his wife Empress Wang
and greatly favoring his concubine Consort Wu
, he wanted to depose Empress Wang and create Consort Wu empress. Almost all high level officials opposed -- on the account that Consort Wu had previously been a concubine of Emperor Taizong and therefore having her as a wife would be considered incest
, and on the account that Empress Wang was from an honored clan while Consort Wu, while herself from a noble family, was not as highly born -- with the conspicuous exceptions of Li Ji, Zhangsun Wuji, and Yu Zhining
, each of whom was silent, although Zhangsun and Yu showed their disapproval. The opposition from Chu Shuiliang was particularly fervent. However, when Emperor Gaozong summoned Li Ji to ask his opinion, Li Ji responded, "This is your family matter, Your Imperial Majesty. Why ask anyone else?" Emperor Gaozong therefore deposed Empress Wang and her ally Consort Xiao
to commoner rank and created Consort Wu empress instead, having Li Ji serve as the ceremonial emissary. (Later, at Empress Wu's request, Emperor Gaozong further executed the former Empress Wang and Consort Xiao cruelly.) Empress Wu soon became dominant at court, installing officials who favored her ascension in chancellor posts and carrying out a near complete purge of the officials who opposed her or showed disapproval, even including Zhangsun (who, as Emperor Gaozong's uncle, was a major advocate for his having been made crown prince), but Li Ji, not having opposed her, escaped such actions. (Li Ji was nominally put in charge of the investigation during false accusations against Zhangsun for treason (brought by Empress Wu's associate Xu Jingzong
), but it does not appear that he was actually responsible for Zhangsun's demise.) In 663, Li Ji was in charge of the corruption probe against another associate of Empress Wu's, the chancellor Li Yifu
, leading to Li Yifu's removal, although, again, Li Ji's own involvement was not clear.
Around new year 667, after Yeon Gaesomun's death and infighting between Yeon's sons Yeon Namsaeng
and Yeon Namgeon
, leading to Yeon Namsaeng's fleeing to Tang, Emperor Gaozong launched an army, commanded by Li Ji, with Yeon Namsaeng (by this point renamed Cheon Heonseong/Quan Nansheng, as Yeon (淵) was the same character as Emperor Gaozu's name and therefore unusable per naming taboo) serving as his guide. In fall 667, Li Ji first captured Sinseong (新城, in modern Fushun), and then advanced further. Meanwhile, the generals serving under him, Pang Tongshan (龐同善), Gao Kan (高侃), and Xue Rengui
, also defeated Yeon Namgeon's forces. However, the fleet commanded by Guo Daifeng (郭待封, Guo Xiaoke's son) ran into problems with food supplies, and wanted to seek aid from Li Ji, but was fearful that if his request fell into Goguryeo hands that his weakness would be revealed, so he wrote the request in code, written as a poem, and sent it to Li Ji. Li Ji, initially not understanding that it was code, was angry that Guo was writing poems on the frontline, but his secretary Yuan Wanqing (元萬頃) was able to decode the poem, showing Li Ji the request, so Li Ji sent food supplies to Guo. (Yuan was later, however, exiled when he wrote a declaration against Goguryeo that stated, "You do not even know to defend Yalu River!" after which Yeon Namgeon responded by stating, "I accept your suggestion!" and defended Yalu River, not allowing Li Ji to cross.) Only in fall 668 was Li Ji able to cross Yalu River and advance to Pyongyang and put the city under siege. The King Bojang
, Yeon Namgeon's younger brother Yeon Namsan
, and a number of officials surrendered, but Yeon Namgeon continued fighting. A few days later, though, his general, the Buddhist monk Shin Seong (信誠), opened the city gates and surrendered. Yeon Namgeon tried to commit suicide, but was captured and saved by Tang forces. This was the end of Goguryeo. Later that year, after Li Ji returned to Chang'an, a great procession was held in his honor, and around the new year 669, when Emperor Gaozong offered sacrifices to Heaven, he had Li Ji sacrifice after he did -- an extraordinary honor.
Later in 669, Li Ji grew ill. Emperor Gaozong summoned all of Li Ji's brothers and sons who were serving outside the capital back to Chang'an to attend to him. Li Ji took only medications given him by Emperor Gaozong and Li Hong
the Crown Prince, but otherwise refused medical treatment, stating:
One day, Li Ji summoned his younger brother Li Bi (李弼) and told Li Bi that he was feeling better that day, and should summon all of his relatives to hold a feast. At the end of the feast, he stated to Li Bi:
He spoke no further, and not long after, around the new year 670, he died. He was buried with extraordinary honors, and by Emperor Gaozong's orders, his tomb was made into the shape of several great mountains within Eastern Tujue and Xueyantuo territory, to commemorate his victories over them.
The Song Dynasty
historian Sima Guang
, in his Zizhi Tongjian
, stated:
Li Ji's oldest son Li Zhen (李震) predeceased him, so the title of Duke of Ying was inherited by Li Zhen's son Li Jingye
. In 684, after Emperor Gaozong's death and after Empress Dowager Wu deposed her third son with Emperor Gaozong, Emperor Zhongzong
, replacing him with her fourth son Emperor Ruizong
but was posturing toward taking the throne herself, Li Jingye rose in rebellion. In reprisal, Empress Dowager Wu destroyed Li Ji's tomb, posthumously stripped him of his titles, and slaughtered most, but not all, of his descendants. In 705, after Emperor Zhongzong was restored following a coup against his mother (who was then ruling as "Emperor" of her state of Zhou), Li Ji's tomb and titles were restored.
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
as Li Ji (李勣), courtesy name Maogong (懋功), formally Duke Zhenwu of Ying (英貞武公), was one of the most celebrated generals early in the Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
. He was initially a follower of Li Mi, one of the rebel rulers rebelling against the preceding Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
, and he submitted to Tang after Li Mi did so, upon which Emperor Gaozu
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
, impressed with his loyalty to Li Mi, bestowed on him the imperial clan name of Li. He later participated in destroying Xu Yuanlang
Xu Yuanlang
Xu Yuanlang was an agrarian rebel leader who rose against the rule of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty late in the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui. After doing so, he did not initially claim any royal title, instead successively submitting nominally to Li Mi the Duke of Wei, Emperor Yang's grandson...
and Fu Gongshi
Fu Gongshi
Fu Gongshi was an agrarian rebel leader who served as Du Fuwei's lieutenant during the disintegration of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty, who later followed Du in submitting to Tang Dynasty...
, two of Tang's competitors on Tang's campaign to reunify China. During the reign of Emperor Gaozu's son Emperor Taizong
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
, he participated in the successful campaigns destroying Eastern Tujue and Xueyantuo
Xueyantuo
The Xueyantuo ' or Syr-Tardush were an ancient Tiele people and khanate in central/northern Asia who were at one point vassals of the Gokturks, later aligning with China's Tang Dynasty against the Eastern Gokturks....
, allowing Tang to become the dominant power in eastern Asia, and also served as a chancellor. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, he served as chancellor and the commander of the army against Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
, destroying Goguryeo in 668. He died the next year. He and Li Jing
Li Jing
Li Jing , né Yaoshi , formally Duke Jingwu of Wei , was a general and one time chancellor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
were considered the two most prominent early Tang generals.
Background and service under Zhai Rang and Li Mi
Xu Shiji was probably born in 594. His clan was originally from Cao Province (曹州, roughly modern HezeHeze
Heze is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong, it borders Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively. The old name of Heze was Caozhou and now a part...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
), but late in Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
moved to Hua Province (滑州, roughly modern Anyang
Anyang
Anyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, People's Republic of China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
). Xu Shiji's father Xu Gai (徐蓋) was a member of the landed gentry, and both he and Xu Shiji were said to be generous, using the food yields of their land to help others regardless of whether those were related to them.
Around 616, Zhai Rang
Zhai Rang
Zhai Rang was a key agrarian rebel leader near the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. Believing prophecies that appeared to indicate that Li Mi would be emperor, he supported Li as leader and offered to serve under Li, but soon they began to have conflicts over distribution of spoils...
gathered a group of men to resist the rule of Emperor Yang
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
. Xu Shiji joined Zhai, and suggested him that instead of pillaging the people of the region, which Zhai had done to maintain himself and his own men, it was inappropriate to be robbing people of their homeland. Rather, he suggested that, as there were plenty of travellers on the Grand Canal
Grand Canal
Grand Canal can refer to multiple waterways:* Grand Canal in eastern China* Grand Canal in Venice, Italy* Grand Canal , between the river Shannon and Dublin in Ireland* Grand Canal d'Alsace in eastern France...
, that they should rob travellers instead. Zhai agreed, and their pillaging raids instead targeted travellers and official messengers. Many people joined Zhai, and when the key Sui general Zhang Xutuo (張須陀), who had defeated many agrarian rebels, attacked, Xu killed Zhang in battle late in 616, allowing Zhai to become even more acclaimed. Around this time, he also became close friends with another general under Zhai, Shan Xiongxin (單雄信), swearing to be brothers and to die on the same day.
Meanwhile, Li Mi, the strategist for the Sui general Yang Xuangan
Yang Xuangan
Yang Xuangan was an official of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He was the son of the powerful official Yang Su, and, as he knew that Emperor Yang was apprehensive of his father, was never quite secure. In 613, when Emperor Yang was attacking Goguryeo, he rebelled near the eastern capital...
, who unsuccessfully rebelled against Emperor Yang in 613, was visiting rebel generals in the region, seeking to sell his grand strategy to destroy Sui. As Li Mi was of noble birth, and there had been prophecies that the next emperor would be named Li, there began to be thoughts among the rebels that Li might be destined to be the next emperor. Xu Shiji and another close associate of Zhai's, Wang Bodang (王伯當), thus persuaded Zhai to support Li Mi as leader. Zhai agreed, and after the victory over Zhang, the rebels approached the eastern capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
and declared Li Mi their leader, with the title of Duke of Wei. Xu was given a major general title, while Zhai served as prime minister. After Xu achieved a victory over the Sui general Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong , courtesy name Xingman , was a general of the Chinese Sui Dynasty who deposed Sui's last emperor Yang Tong and briefly ruled as the emperor of a succeeding state of Zheng...
, whom Emperor Yang had sent to reinforce Luoyang, Li Mi created Xu the Duke of Donghai. At Xu's suggestion, Li Mi captured a major food storage -- Liyang Storage (黎陽倉, in modern Hebi
Hebi
Hebi is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Situated in mountainous terrain at the edge of the Shanxi plateau, Hebi is about 25 miles south of Anyang, 40 miles northeast of Xinxiang and 65 miles north of Kaifeng....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) -- and after doing so, opened up the storage to allow people in the region suffering from famines to take food. As a result, more than 200,000 men joined Li Mi within about 10 days, and a number of commanderies submitted to him, including the major rebel generals Dou Jiande
Dou Jiande
Dou Jiande was a leader of the agrarian rebels who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui near the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty...
and Zhu Can
Zhu Can
Zhu Can was an agrarian rebel leader during the disintegration of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He was particularly noted for his cruelty and his penchant for favoring cannibalism, and he, while not having a set base of operation, generally roved with his army in the modern southern Henan...
.
In winter 617, with a conflict between Li Mi and Zhai intensifying, Li Mi set an ambush for Zhai at a feast held for him, killing him, his brother Zhai Hong (翟弘), his nephew Zhai Mohou (翟摩侯), and his strategist Wang Ruxin (王儒信). During the ambush, Xu was injured in his neck and nearly died. Li Mi, declared, however, that his intention was only to execute Zhai Rang, and no one other than the Zhai clan was to worry. He personally attended to Xu's injuries, and had Xu, Dan, and Wang Bodang take over Zhai's troops.
In spring 618, Emperor Yang was killed at Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
) in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji was a general of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty who, in 618, led a coup against Emperor Yang of Sui, killing him. He subsequently declared Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao led Emperor Yang's elite Xiaoguo Army north, but was then repeatedly defeated by Li Mi, Li Shentong , and...
. Yuwen soon abandoned Jiangdu and headed back north, toward Luoyang, with the elite Xiaoguo Army (驍果), leading to comprehension both at Luoyang (where Sui officials had declared Emperor Yang's grandson Yang Tong
Yang Tong
Yang Tong , known in traditional histories by his princely title of Prince of Yue or by his era name as Lord Huangtai , posthumous name Emperor Gong , courtesy name Renjin , was an emperor of the Chinese Sui Dynasty...
the Prince of Yue emperor) and at Li Mi's headquarters. The enemies made peace, with Li Mi nominally submitting to Yang Tong, as both sides prepared for a joint confrontation with Yuwen. As part of this arrangement, Xu also received a major Sui general title. Li Mi, who had become somewhat alienated with Xu due to Xu's criticism that he was not sufficiently rewarding the soldiers, put Xu in charge of defending Liyang Storage, and Yuwen subsequently put Liyang under siege, but Xu was not only able to withstand the siege but further fought Yuwen outside, defeating him.
Later in 618, Wang Shichong, who had opposed the peace agreement with Li Mi, killed the other key officials Lu Chu (盧楚) and Yuan Wendu (元文都), who had advocated peace with Li Mi. Another official who supported the peace, Huangfu Wuyi (皇甫無逸), fled to Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
and surrendered to the newly established Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
. Wang seized power as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. Hearing what had happened, Li Mi broke off peaceful relations with Yang Tong's regime. However, he did not pay close attention to Wang, and Wang soon defeated him in a surprise attack, seizing most of his troops. Initially, after the defeat, Li Mi considered fleeing to Xu, at Liyang, but was warned by some that Xu had nearly died when he killed Zhai and thus could not be trusted. Instead, Li Mi fled to Chang'an and surrendered to Tang.
Xu, upon hearing that Li Mi had fled to Chang'an, took effective control of Li Mi's former territory, and as Li Mi had surrendered to Tang, he decided to submit to Tang as well, but stated to his secretary Guo Xiaoke (郭孝恪):
He therefore sent Guo to Chang'an to report to Li Mi. Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
heard that Xu had sent messengers, but with no petitions to submit to Tang, only reports for Li Mi, and was surprised. He summoned Guo and questioned him, and Guo relayed what Xu's intents were. Emperor Gaozu was impressed and stated, "Xu Shiji remembers his lord and surrenders his accomplishments, and is really a pure-hearted subject." He thus bestowed the imperial clan name of Li (which he shared with Li Mi) on Xu, who thereafter would be known as Li Shiji. He also created Li Shiji the Duke of Cao and his father Xu Gai (thereafter known as Li Gai as well) the Prince of Jiyin, although Li Gai declined the honor and was subsequently created the Duke of Shu. Li Shiji remained in charge of the Liyang region to resist against Wang and Dou Jiande.
During Emperor Gaozu's reign
Around the new year 619, Li Mi, wanting to revive his independence, rebelled against Tang but was soon killed by the Tang general Sheng Yanshi (盛彥師). Emperor Gaozu sent messengers to Li Shiji explaining why Li Mi was killed. Li Shiji mourned Li Mi and requested that he be allowed to bury Li Mi with honor. Emperor Gaozu agreed and sent Li Mi's body to Li Shiji. Li Shiji, still using ceremonies due a ruler, buried Li Mi in a grand funeral south of Liyang.In fall 619, Dou Jiande, then with the title of Prince of Xia, launched a major offensive, set to affirm his control of the territory north of the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
, as a number of cities there had submitted to Tang. After a number of Xia victories, Li Shentong (李神通) the Prince of Huai'an, Emperor Gaozu's cousin who was in charge of Tang operations north of the Yellow River, withdrew to Liyang and joined forces with Li Shiji. When Dou then was on the way to attack Tang's Wei Prefecture (衛州, roughly modern Weihui
Weihui
Weihui is a county-level city in Henan, People's Republic of China. It belongs to Xinxiang. The city has an area of 882 km² and a population of 480,000....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), Li Shiji tried to ambush him, and his officer Qiu Xiaogang (丘孝剛) nearly killed Dou before Dou's guards killed him. In anger, Dou turned his attack around and attacked Liyang instead, capturing it and seizing Li Shentong, Li Gai, Wei Zheng
Wei Zheng
Wei Zheng , courtesy name Xuancheng , formally Duke Wenzhen of Zheng , was a Chinese politician and the lead editor of the Book of Sui, composed in 636...
, and Emperor Gaozu's sister Princess Tong'an. Li Shiji was able to fight his way out, but several days later, because his father Li Gai had been captured, surrendered to Dou. Dou made Li Shiji a general and still kept him in charge of Liyang, but took Li Gai back to the Xia capital Ming Prefecture (洺州, in modern Handan
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) to serve as a hostage. He also put Li Shentong under house arrest, as an honored guest.
Li Shiji soon considered how he could again submit to Tang, but worried that Dou would kill his father Li Gai. Guo Xiaoke suggested to him that he needed to first gain Dou's trust by accomplishing things for Xia. Li Shiji agreed, and in winter 619, he attacked the city of Huojia (獲嘉, in modern Xinxiang
Xinxiang
Xinxiang is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to its southwest, Kaifeng to its southeast, Hebi and Anyang to its north, Jiaozuo to its west, and the provinces of Shanxi and Shandong to its northwest and...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), held by Wang Shichong (who had by that point had Yang Tong yield the throne to him, ending Sui and establishing a new state of Zheng) and captured much goods and persons to present to Dou, including Dou's childhood friend Liu Heita
Liu Heita
Liu Heita was an agrarian rebel leader during China's transition period from Sui Dynasty to Tang Dynasty, who initially successively served under Hao Xiaode , Li Mi, and Wang Shichong. He eventually followed Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia...
. Dou began to trust him. Li Shiji then suggested to Dou that he should attack the agrarian leader Meng Haigong (孟海公), who was then nominally submitting to Zheng, arguing that if Xia could first capture Meng's holdings, it could then next have designs on Zheng. Dou agreed, and he sent his brother-in-law Cao Dan (曹旦) south across the Yellow River, joining forces with Li Shiji. Dou himself would follow, and Li Shiji planned that, as soon as Dou himself arrived, he would ambush Dou's camp and kill him, and then try to find and save his father Li Gai. However, at this time, Dou was awaiting his wife Empress Cao
Empress Cao (Dou Jiande)
Empress Cao was the wife of Dou Jiande, an agrarian rebel leader who claimed the title of Prince of Xia at the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty.Nothing is known about her personal background...
's giving birth and did not arrive for a while. Meanwhile, Cao Dan was insulting and pillaging the other rebel leaders south of the Yellow River who had submitted to Xia, and the rebel leaders were all resentful. One of them, Li Shanghu (李商胡), and Li Shanghu's mother Lady Huo, urged Li Shiji to carry out his plan as soon as possible, and when Li Shiji hesitated, Li Shanghu and Lady Huo acted on their own, ambushing Cao Dan, but while they killed many of Cao's generals, Cao himself was not harmed and soon prepared to counterattack. Li Shanghu notified Li Shiji and asked him to attack Cao, but Li Shiji, saw that Cao had already taken precautions, fled to Tang territory with Guo. Cao soon defeated and killed Li Shanghu, but when Dou's officials suggested that Li Gai be executed, Dou remarked, "Li Shiji was a Tang subject. He was captured by us, but still remembered his former lord and was faithful. What sin did his father have?" Dou then spared Li Gai.
In spring 620, Li Shiji served under Emperor Gaozu's son Li Shimin
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
the Prince of Qin in resisting a major offensive by Liu Wuzhou
Liu Wuzhou
Liu Wuzhou was a rebel leader who rose against the rule of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty late in the dynasty's history, and he took imperial style -- although it was not completely clear whether the title he took was khan or tianzi...
the Dingyang Khan, and in an engagement against Liu's general Song Jin'gang (宋金剛), Li Shiji was unsuccessful, but was saved by Li Shimin. (Li Shimin eventually defeated Liu, forcing Liu to flee to Eastern Tujue.)
In winter 620, with Li Shimin having launched a major offensive against Wang's Zheng state, the Zheng general Yang Qing (楊慶, a Sui imperial prince) surrendered Guan Prefecture (管州, in modern Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), and Li Shimin sent Li Shiji to take over Guan Prefecture. When Wang Shichong's son and crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
, Wang Xuanying (王玄應), heard of this, he headed to Guan from Hulao, but Li Shiji repelled him, and then had Guo write a letter to Wei Lu (魏陸), Zheng's prefect of Ying Prefecture (滎州, also in modern Zhengzhou), to persuade Wei to surrender. Wei did so, and this eventually led to a chain reaction where Zheng's holdings in modern eastern Henan surrendered one by one. Wang Xuanying, in fear, fled back to the Zheng capital Luoyang. Further, in spring 621, Wang Shichong's officer Shen Yue (沈悅) surrendered to Li Shiji, allowing Li Shiji's subordinate general Wang Junkuo (王君廓) to capture Hulao and capture Wang Shichong's nephew, Wang Xingben (王行本) the Prince of Jing.
Soon, however, with Zheng in desperate straits, Wang sought aid from Dou. Dou, believing that if Tang destroyed Zheng that his own Xia state would be cornered, agreed, and he sent his forward troops first while proceeding with his main troops later. In the engagement with Dou's forward troops, Li Shimin had Li Shiji, Chen Zhijie (程知節), and Qin Shubao
Qin Shubao
Qin Shubao , formal name Qin Qiong but went by the courtesy name of Shubao, formally Duke Zhuang of Hu , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty whose bravery later caused him to be incorporated into Chinese folk religion as a door god, along with Yuchi Jingde.-During Sui Dynasty:It is...
lead the troops, and they were able to defeat Dou's forward troops. Li Shimin then wrote Dou to persuade him to stop aiding Zheng, but Dou did not relent. In summer 621, Li Shimin engaged Dou at the Battle of Hulao
Battle of Hulao
The Battle of Hulao of 28 May 621, located just east of Luoyang, was a decisive victory for Li Shimin, through which he was able to subdue two warlords, Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong. Li Shimin led a siege on the city of Luoyang, head of the self-declared emperor Wang Shichong, who solicited help...
, defeating and capturing him. Wang, believing further resistance to be futile, surrendered. Li Shimin spared Wang, but put a number of Zheng officials that he considered treacherous to death. Li Shiji's sworn brother Dan Xiongxin, whom Li Shimin considered treacherous because Dan had turned against Li Mi, was set to be executed as well. Li Shiji begged Li Shimin to spare Dan, arguing that Dan was a capable general who could be useful to Tang and offering to surrender all of his own honors to save Dan from death. Li Shimin refused. When Dan invoked the pledge they made to die on the same day, however, Li Shiji stated to him that he had already offered his body to the service of the state and that the body was no longer his -- and that, if he died as well, no one would be around to take care of Dan's wife and children -- therefore refused to die as well, but cut off a piece of his leg muscle, cooked it, and had Dan eat it, stating, "Let my flesh turn to dust along with you, my brother. By this, I can at least fulfill part of the pledge." Later that year, when Li Shimin returned to Chang'an, and Emperor Gaozu let his troops march in succession in great honor, Li Shiji was one of the 25 generals honored, permitted to wear the same golden armor that Li Shimin was clad in and to offer the captives at Tang's imperial ancestral temple. He was also united with his father Li Gai, who managed to survive the collapse of the Xia regime and return to Tang territory.
Xia territory was temporarily taken over by Tang, but in fall 621, Liu Heita rose against Tang, declaring that he was avenging Dou (whom Emperor Gaozu had executed). Liu quickly captured most of former Xia territory, and when Liu approached the former Xia capital Ming Prefecture, Li Shiji, who was then at nearby Zongcheng (宗城), abandoned Zongcheng and entered Ming to assist its defense, but despite that, Liu defeated him and captured Ming, seizing it as his capital and forcing Li Shiji to flee. Li Shiji subsequently served under Li Shimin in attacking Liu, who had by now declared himself the Prince of Handong, in spring 622, and in a battle, Li Shiji's officer Pan Mao (潘毛) killed Liu's major general Gao Yaxian (高雅賢), who had persuaded Liu to rise against Tang in the first place. Subsequently, when Liu attacked Li Shiji, Li Shimin tried to come to Li Shiji's aid but was surrounded and nearly captured, being saved only by the heroics of Yuchi Jingde
Yuchi Jingde
Yuchi Jingde , formal name Yuchi Gong but went by the courtesy name of Jingde, formally Duke Zhongwu of E , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty whose bravery later caused him to be incorporated into Chinese folk religion as a door god, along with Qin Shubao.-During Sui Dynasty:Yuchi...
. Li Shimin subsequently defeated Liu by flooding Liu's troops with water from the Ming River (flowing through Ming Prefecture), and Liu fled to Eastern Tujue. (Liu would return later that year and again take over former Xia territory, before being decisively defeated by Li Shimin's older brother Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng , formally Crown Prince Yin , nickname Pishamen , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of the founding emperor Emperor Gaozu and therefore was designated crown prince after the founding of the dynasty in 618...
the Crown Prince.) Li Shiji subsequently followed Li Shimin in attacking Liu's ally Xu Yuanlang
Xu Yuanlang
Xu Yuanlang was an agrarian rebel leader who rose against the rule of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty late in the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui. After doing so, he did not initially claim any royal title, instead successively submitting nominally to Li Mi the Duke of Wei, Emperor Yang's grandson...
the Prince of Lu, who controlled the modern central and western Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
), and after Li Shimin was recalled to Chang'an, he continued the campaign against Xu Yuanlang with Li Shentong and Ren Gui (任瓌). By spring 623, Xu was desperate and abandoned his capital Yan Prefecture (兗州, in modern Jining
Jining, Shandong
Jining is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the northwest and south respectively...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
), and he was killed in flight. Li Shiji took his head and sent it to Emperor Gaozu.
Later in 623, the general Fu Gongshi
Fu Gongshi
Fu Gongshi was an agrarian rebel leader who served as Du Fuwei's lieutenant during the disintegration of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty, who later followed Du in submitting to Tang Dynasty...
rebelled against Tang at Danyang (丹楊, in modern Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
) and declared himself the Emperor of Song. Li Shiji participated in the campaign against Fu, commanded by Emperor Gaozu's distant nephew Li Xiaogong
Li Xiaogong
Li Xiaogong , formally Prince Yuan of Hejian , often referred to by his earlier title as Prince of Zhao Commandery , was an imperial prince and general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
the Prince of Zhao Commandery. After Tang forces converged on Danyang and defeated Song forces at Mount Bowang (博望山, in modern Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan , also written as Maanshan, is a prefecture-level city in the east of Anhui province in Eastern China. An industrial city stretching across the Yangtze River, Ma'anshan borders Hefei to the west, Wuhu to the southwest, and Nanjing to the east...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
), Fu fled, and Li Shiji chased him down and, after he was captured by the gentlemen in the country, delivered him to Danyang, where Li Xiaogong executed him.
By 626, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were locked in an intense rivalry, and Li Shimin, fearing that Li Jiancheng might be intending to kill him, solicited advice from Li Shiji and another major general, Li Jing
Li Jing
Li Jing , né Yaoshi , formally Duke Jingwu of Wei , was a general and one time chancellor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
, and both refused to speak on the matter, drawing respect from Emperor Taizong for their unwillingness to be involved in an internecine struggle. In summer 626, Li Shimin ambushed Li Jiancheng and another brother, Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji , formally Prince La of Chao , more commonly known by the title of Prince of Qi , nickname Sanhu , was an imperial prince of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
the Prince of Qi, who supported Li Jiancheng, at Xuanwu Gate
Incident at Xuanwu Gate
The Incident at Xuanwu Gate refers to an incident on July 2, 626, when Li Shimin the Prince of Qin, a son of Emperor Gaozu of Tang , in an intense rivalry with his older brother Li Jiancheng the Crown Prince and fearing that Li Jiancheng was about to kill him, set an ambush at Xuanwu Gate, the...
and killed them. He then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to first create him crown prince and then yield the throne to him (as Emperor Taizong).
During Emperor Taizong's reign
After Emperor Taizong took the throne, he made Li Shiji the commandant at Bing Prefecture (并州, roughly modern TaiyuanTaiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
). In 629, when Emperor Taizong launched a major attack against Eastern Tujue's Jiali Khan Ashina Duobi, commanded by Li Jing
Li Jing
Li Jing , né Yaoshi , formally Duke Jingwu of Wei , was a general and one time chancellor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
, Li Shiji was one of the major generals under Li Jing's command and was in charge of one of the four prongs of attack. In spring 630, after Li Shiji defeated Eastern Tujue forces at Baidao (白道, in modern Hohhot
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
) and after Li Jing defeated Ashina Duobi's main forces and forced Ashina Duobi to flee, he met with Li Jing and decided to, despite the fact that Ashina Duobi claimed to then seek peace, attack Ashina Duobi, defeating him again and capturing most of Ashina Duobi's remaining forces. (Ashina Duobi himself fled further and was later captured by forces under the command of Emperor Taizong's cousin Li Daozong
Li Daozong
Li Daozong , courtesy name Chengfan , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was a cousin of Emperor Taizong, and in Emperor Taizong's reign commanded forces in campaigns against Eastern Tujue, Tuyuhun, Goguryeo, and Xueyantuo...
the Prince of Rencheng.)
Meanwhile, as Emperor Taizong's son Li Zhi
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
the Prince of Jin was made the nominal commandant of Bing Precture (but did not actually report to Bing), Li Shiji's title became the secretary general of Bing, but he continued to effectively serve as commandant. In 637, as part of Emperor Taizong's scheme to bestow prefectures on his relatives and great generals and officials as their permanent domains, Li Shiji's title was changed to Duke of Ying, and he was given the post of prefect of Qi Prefecture (蘄州, roughly modern Huanggang
Huanggang
Huanggang is a city in Hubei, China.Huanggang may also refer to:* Huanggang, Shenzhen, area in Shenzhen, China* Huanggang, Funan County, town in Anhui, China...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
), to be inherited by his heirs, but Li Shiji remained at Bing and did not actually report to Qi. Soon, however, with many objections to the system, the strongest of which came from Zhangsun Wuji
Zhangsun Wuji
Zhangsun Wuji , courtesy name Fuji , formally Duke of Zhao , was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty during the reigns of his brother-in-law Emperor Taizong and nephew Emperor Gaozong...
, Emperor Taizong cancelled the scheme, although Li Shiji's title remained Duke of Ying. In 641, when discussing about Li Shiji, whom historical accounts indicated that the people obeyed without complaints, Emperor Taizong made the comment:
in winter 641, Emperor Taizong promoted him to the post of minister of defense. Soon, however, even before Li Shiji could leave for Chang'an, Xueyantuo
Xueyantuo
The Xueyantuo ' or Syr-Tardush were an ancient Tiele people and khanate in central/northern Asia who were at one point vassals of the Gokturks, later aligning with China's Tang Dynasty against the Eastern Gokturks....
's Zhenzhu Khan
Zhenzhu Khan
Zhenzhu Khan , personal name Yi'nan , full regal title Zhenzhupiqie Khan , was a khan of Xueyantuo, under whom Xueyantuo rose from being a vassal of Eastern Tujue to a mighty khanate ruling over northern/central Asia...
Yi'nan, believing that Emperor Taizong was about to carry out a major sacrifice to the gods of Mount Tai
Mount Tai
Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak , which is commonly reported as tall, but is described by the PRC government as .Mount Tai is one of the...
and therefore would not have time for military action, launched a major attack against Tang's vassal, the Qilibi Khan
Qilibi Khan
Qilibi Khan , personal name Ashina Simo , Qilibi Khan (Chinese: 俟力苾可汗, (Pinyin): qílìbié kěhàn, (Wade-Giles): ch'i-li-pi k'o-han, Middle Chinese: (Guangyun) , d. 645?), personal name Ashina Simo (阿史那思摩), Qilibi Khan (Chinese: 俟力苾可汗, (Pinyin): qílìbié kěhàn, (Wade-Giles): ch'i-li-pi k'o-han, Middle...
Ashina Simo, whom Emperor Taizong had created the khan of a reestablished Eastern Tujue in 639. Ashina Simo could not resist, and withdrew within the Great Wall to Shuo Prefecture (朔州, roughly modern Shuozhou
Shuozhou
Shuozhou is a city in the north of Shanxi Province in North China, located on the upper reaches of the Fen River. As of 2004, its population is approximately 1.25 million, and the city has an area of approximately 5,737 square kilometres. Administratively, Shuozhou is a prefecture-level city, with...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
). Emperor Taizong launched armies, commanded by five generals, including Li Shiji, to aid Eastern Tujue. Around the new year 641, Li Shiji engaged Xueyantuo forces, under the command of Yi'nan's son Dadu (大度), at Nuozhen River (諾真水, flowing through modern Baotou
Baotou
Baotou is a mid-sized industrial city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, its urban areas are home to a population of approximately 1.78 million, with a total population of over 2.65 million accounting for counties under...
, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
), defeating Xueyantuo forces and forcing them to flee. (Based on comments that Li Shiji made in 644 while advocating a campaign against Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
, it appeared that Li Shiji wanted to advance further to try to destroy Xueyantuo, but Emperor Taizong, at the urging of Wei Zheng
Wei Zheng
Wei Zheng , courtesy name Xuancheng , formally Duke Wenzhen of Zheng , was a Chinese politician and the lead editor of the Book of Sui, composed in 636...
, ordered him to stop.) Li Shiji subsequently returned to Chang'an to serve as minister of defense.
In 643, when Emperor Taizong commissioned the Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion
Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion
The Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion refer to the 24 portraits that Emperor Taizong of Tang commissioned the great painter Yan Liben to paint on Lingyan Pavilion in 643, within his palace, to commemorate the 24 great contributors to Tang rule. The commission order was issued on March 23, 643...
to commemorate the 24 great contributors to Tang rule, Li Shiji's was one of the portraits commissioned. In spring of that year, when Emperor Taizong's son Li You (李祐) the Prince of Qi, angry at his secretary general Quan Wanji (權萬紀), killed Quan and then declared a rebellion, Emperor Taizong sent Li Shiji to attack Li You, although even before Li Shiji's forces arrived, Li You's subordinates captured him. Subsequently, in summer 643, when Li Chengqian the Crown Prince, was revealed to have plotted to overthrow Emperor Taizong, as he was fearful that Emperor Taizong would replace him with his brother Li Tai the Prince of Wei, Emperor Taizong had Li Shiji, along with other key officials Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling
Fang Xuanling
Fang Xuanling , formal name Fang Qiao but went by the courtesy name of Xuanling, formally Duke Wenzhao of Liang , was the lead editor of the Book of Jin and one of the most celebrated chancellors of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, and he and his colleague Du Ruhui, both serving during the reign...
, Xiao Yu
Xiao Yu
Xiao Yu , courtesy name Shiwen , formally Duke Zhenbian of Song , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Liang Dynasty who later became an official for Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor at times during the reigns of Emperor Gaozu of Tang and Emperor Taizong of Tang.-...
, as well as officials in charge of the supreme court, the legislative bureau, and the examination bureau, investigate. They confirmed Li Chengqian's guilt. Emperor Taizong thus deposed Li Chengqian and, believing that Li Tai's machinations were responsible for Li Chengqian's downfall, also demoted Li Tai and exiled them both, creating Li Zhi crown prince instead. Li Shiji was given the additional title as the new crown prince's head of household, and was also given a newly created title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品) -- a new title designating him as a chancellor de facto.
Historical accounts indicated that at one point, when Li Shiji was suddenly ill, medical books indicated that ashes from beards could benefit him, and therefore Emperor Taizong cut off his own beard and burned it to mix it with the medicine. After Li Shiji grew better, he bowed to thank Emperor Taizong -- so greatly that he bled from his forehead by pounding on the floor -- and Emperor Taizong responded, "I did so for the empire, not for you. You do not need to thank me." Further, on one occasion, when Li Shiji was attending an imperial feast, Emperor Taizong stated: "I am selecting, among the great achievers, one that I can entrust an orphan [(i.e., the Crown Prince)] to, and no one is more suitable than you are. You did not turn your back on Li Mi, and I know that you will not turn your back on me." Li shiji was so thankful that he wept and bit his finger so hard that he bled. Also at that feast, when Li Shiji became drunk and fell asleep, Emperor Taizong took off his own imperial robe to cover Li Shiji.
In spring 644, when the Tang emissary to Goguryeo, Xiangli Xuanjiang (相里玄獎), returned from Goguryeo, indicating that the Yeon Gaesomun
Yeon Gaesomun
Yeon Gaesomun was a powerful and controversial military dictator and Generalissimo in the waning days of Goguryeo, which was one of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea. Yeon is also remembered for a number of successful resistance in military conflicts with Tang Dynasty under Emperor Li Shimin and...
, the Goguryeo general who then controlled the political scene there, was unwilling to stop his attacks against Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
, then a Tang vassal, Li Shiji advocated an attack against Goguryeo, and Emperor Taizong agreed, despite opposition by other officials, including Chu Suiliang
Chu Suiliang
Chu Suiliang , courtesy name Dengshan , formally Duke of Henan , was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, during the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Taizong's son Emperor Gaozong...
. Emperor Taizong, after several months of preparations, launched a two-pronged attack against Goguryeo in winter 644, with Li Shiji in charge of the land army containing 60,000 soldiers, heading toward Liaodong Peninsula, and with Zhang Liang
Zhang Liang (Tang Dynasty)
Zhang Liang was a general and official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, becoming chancellor late in the reign of Emperor Taizong. He was eventually accused of using witchcraft—a major taboo during China's imperial times—and executed in 646.- Background and service under Li Mi :It is not...
in charge of the navy numbering 40,000 soldiers, heading directly toward the Goguryeo capital Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
. Emperor Taizong himself trailed them.
In spring 645, Li Shiji reached You Prefecture (幽州, roughly modern Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
), and then headed into Goguryeo territory. Together with Li Daozong, he captured Gaemo (蓋牟, in modern Fushun
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
, Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
), and then put the important city of Liaodong/Yodong (遼東, in modern Liaoyang
Liaoyang
Liaoyang is a city in China, Liaoning province, located in the middle of the Liaodong Peninsula. The city is situated on the T'ai-tzu River and forms with Anshan a built up area of 2,057,200 inhabitants in 2010....
, Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
) under siege. After Emperor Taizong himself arrived, Liaodong fell. Tang forces then continued heading southeast, toward Yalu River
Yalu River
The Yalu River or the Amnok River is a river on the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China....
, putting Ansi (安市, in modern Anshan, Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
) under siege. When a major Goguryeo army, commanded by the generals Go Yeonsu (高延壽) and Go Hyezin (高惠真) arrived, Emperor Taizong had Li Shiji command 15,000 men to serve as decoy, and when Goguryeo forces attacked Li Shiji, Zhangsun Wuji attacked them from behind with 11,000 men, and Li Shiji and Zhangsun, as well as Emperor Taizong himself, defeated Goguryeo forces, forcing their surrender. He then considered directly attacking Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
itself, but Li Shiji believed that if Ansi was not captured first, the general in command of Ansi (a capable general known in Korean popular legends as Yang Manchun
Yang Manchun
Yang Manchun is the name given to the Goguryeo commander of Ansi fortress in the 640s.Ansi fortress was located on the Goguryeo-Chinese border, probably present-day Haicheng. Yang is sometimes credited with saving the kingdom by his refusal to surrender the fortress to invading Tang...
, although whether that was his real name is unknown), might attack Tang forces from the rear. Emperor Taizong agreed, and therefore put Ansi under siege again.
However, the commander at Ansi was a capable defender, and the resolve of the defenders was strengthened when Li Shiji, in anger, declared that after the fall of the city all residents would be slaughtered. In fall 645, unable to capture Ansi, with food supplies running low, Emperor Taizong ordered a withdrawal, with Li Shiji and Li Daozong serving as rear guard.
In 646, with Xueyantuo in internal turmoil due to the cruelty of the Duomi Khan
Duomi Khan
Duomi Khan , personal name Bazhuo , full regal name Jialijulixueshaduomi Khan , was a khan of the Xueyantuo...
Bazhuo (Yi'nan's son), Emperor Taizong sent Li Daozong to launch a major attack on Xueyantuo, defeating Xueyantuo forces. Bazhuo fled, but was then attacked and killed by Huige, which took over Xueyantuo territory. Xueyantuo's remaining forces supported Yi'nan's nephew Duomozhi as Yitewushi Khan
Yitewushi Khan
Yitewushi Khan , personal name Duomozhi , was the last khan of Xueyantuo.Little is known about Duomozhi's background, other than that he was a nephew of Xueyantuo's greatest khan, the Zhenzhu Khan Yi'nan...
. Duomozhi offered to submit, but Emperor Taizong, fearful that Xueyantuo might recover and create more trouble later on, sent Li Shiji with an army toward Duomozhi's location. Duomozhi surrendered, and Li attacked the remaining forces unwilling to submit, defeating and capturing them. He delivered Duomozhi to Chang'an, where Emperor Taizong made Duomozhi a general.
In 647, Emperor Taizong began yearly raids against Goguryeo, intended to weaken Goguryeo's border regions, in preparation for another future major offensive. For the 647 raids, Li Shiji was in charge of the land prong, while Niu Jinda (牛進達) was in charge of the sea prong.
In summer 649, Emperor Taizong was gravely ill (probably from consuming pills given him by alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
s), and he, not fully trusting Li Shiji, stated to Li Zhi:
He then demoted Li Shiji to the post of the commandant of Die Prefecture (疊州, roughly modern Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in southern Gansu Province, China. It includes Xiahe and the Labrang Monastery, Luqu, Maqu, and other mostly Tibetan towns and villages...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
). Li Shiji, after receiving the order, departed without hesitation. (The modern historian Bo Yang
Bo Yang
This article is about the Chinese writer. His name in Western languages is homonymic with Bó Yáng .Boyang , also sometimes called Baiyang, was a Chinese language writer based in Taiwan...
, commenting on this incident, opined that this showed that, down inside, neither Li Shiji nor Emperor Taizong actually trusted each other, as Li Shiji was too capable for Emperor Taizong's liking. Another explanation is that the Gaozong was playing an age-old trick to test Li Shiji's loyalty. While he's alive, he was able to handle Li Shiji; he was afraid that his son would not be able to do so after his death. He intentionally demoted Li Shiji to test his response. If Li Shiji showed any hesitation or unhappiness, he would have been executed and the new emperor would not have to deal with him. If Li Shiji didn't show any emotion about the demotion, the new emperor can promote him to show he liked him so Li Shiji would be loyal to him. This turned out to be a bad move. Years later when Gaozong tried to make Wu Zetian (武则天) his empress against the opposition of most high officials, Li Shiji decisively put the issue in Wu Zetian's favor by saying that's an internal issue of Gaozong. ) Nine days later, Emperor Taizong died and was succeeded by Li Zhi (as Emperor Gaozong).
During Emperor Gaozong's reign
Almost immediately after taking the throne, Emperor Gaozong promoted Li Shiji to be the general in charge of Luoyang. (As Emperor Gaozong also, at the same time, declared naming tabooNaming taboo
Naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons in China and neighboring nations in the ancient Chinese cultural sphere.-Kinds of naming taboo:...
was to be observed as to the characters shi and min (Emperor Taizong, as his name had two common characters, previously only ordered that naming taboo was to be observed against the use of shimin consecutively), thereafter, Li Shiji became known as Li Ji.) Almost as immediately, Emperor Gaozong repromoted him back to the post of chancellor de facto. He then further made him Puye (Executive State Secretary).
In winter 650, Li Ji requested to be relieved of the post of Puye. Emperor Gaozong agreed, but had him remain as chancellor de facto.
In 653, Emperor Gaozong bestowed the highly honorific title of Sikong (司空, Minister of Works) on Li Ji, who continued to be chancellor de facto.
In 655, with Emperor Gaozong having lost favor in his wife Empress Wang
Empress Wang (Gaozong)
Empress Wang was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. She was the first wife and empress of Emperor Gaozong and became empress shortly after he became emperor in 649. She, however, did not bear any sons for him and was not favored...
and greatly favoring his concubine Consort Wu
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
, he wanted to depose Empress Wang and create Consort Wu empress. Almost all high level officials opposed -- on the account that Consort Wu had previously been a concubine of Emperor Taizong and therefore having her as a wife would be considered incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, and on the account that Empress Wang was from an honored clan while Consort Wu, while herself from a noble family, was not as highly born -- with the conspicuous exceptions of Li Ji, Zhangsun Wuji, and Yu Zhining
Yu Zhining
Yu Zhining , courtesy name Zhongmi , formally Duke Ding of Yan , was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, during the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong...
, each of whom was silent, although Zhangsun and Yu showed their disapproval. The opposition from Chu Shuiliang was particularly fervent. However, when Emperor Gaozong summoned Li Ji to ask his opinion, Li Ji responded, "This is your family matter, Your Imperial Majesty. Why ask anyone else?" Emperor Gaozong therefore deposed Empress Wang and her ally Consort Xiao
Consort Xiao (Gaozong)
Consort Xiao, imperial consort rank Shufei was a concubine of Emperor Gaozong of Tang...
to commoner rank and created Consort Wu empress instead, having Li Ji serve as the ceremonial emissary. (Later, at Empress Wu's request, Emperor Gaozong further executed the former Empress Wang and Consort Xiao cruelly.) Empress Wu soon became dominant at court, installing officials who favored her ascension in chancellor posts and carrying out a near complete purge of the officials who opposed her or showed disapproval, even including Zhangsun (who, as Emperor Gaozong's uncle, was a major advocate for his having been made crown prince), but Li Ji, not having opposed her, escaped such actions. (Li Ji was nominally put in charge of the investigation during false accusations against Zhangsun for treason (brought by Empress Wu's associate Xu Jingzong
Xu Jingzong
Xu Jingzong , courtesy name Yanzu , formally Duke Gong of Gaoyang , was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
), but it does not appear that he was actually responsible for Zhangsun's demise.) In 663, Li Ji was in charge of the corruption probe against another associate of Empress Wu's, the chancellor Li Yifu
Li Yifu
Li Yifu was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. He became particularly powerful because of his support for Emperor Gaozong's second wife Empress Wu when her ascension was opposed by then-chancellors, and he had a reputation for treachery...
, leading to Li Yifu's removal, although, again, Li Ji's own involvement was not clear.
Around new year 667, after Yeon Gaesomun's death and infighting between Yeon's sons Yeon Namsaeng
Yeon Namsaeng
Yeon Namsaeng was the eldest son of the Goguryeo Dae Mangniji Yeon Gaesomun . In 665, Yeon Namsaeng succeeded his father and became the 2nd Dae Magniji of Goguryeo.- Background :...
and Yeon Namgeon
Yeon Namgeon
Yeon Namgeon was the second son of the Goguryeo military leader and dictator Yeon Gaesomun , and third Dae Magniji of Goguryeo during the reign of Goguryeo's last ruler, King Bojang-The Fall of Goguryeo:...
, leading to Yeon Namsaeng's fleeing to Tang, Emperor Gaozong launched an army, commanded by Li Ji, with Yeon Namsaeng (by this point renamed Cheon Heonseong/Quan Nansheng, as Yeon (淵) was the same character as Emperor Gaozu's name and therefore unusable per naming taboo) serving as his guide. In fall 667, Li Ji first captured Sinseong (新城, in modern Fushun), and then advanced further. Meanwhile, the generals serving under him, Pang Tongshan (龐同善), Gao Kan (高侃), and Xue Rengui
Xue rengui
Xue Ren'gui , formal name Xue Li but went by the courtesy name of Rengui, was one of the most famous Chinese generals during the early Tang Dynasty, due to references to him in popular literature...
, also defeated Yeon Namgeon's forces. However, the fleet commanded by Guo Daifeng (郭待封, Guo Xiaoke's son) ran into problems with food supplies, and wanted to seek aid from Li Ji, but was fearful that if his request fell into Goguryeo hands that his weakness would be revealed, so he wrote the request in code, written as a poem, and sent it to Li Ji. Li Ji, initially not understanding that it was code, was angry that Guo was writing poems on the frontline, but his secretary Yuan Wanqing (元萬頃) was able to decode the poem, showing Li Ji the request, so Li Ji sent food supplies to Guo. (Yuan was later, however, exiled when he wrote a declaration against Goguryeo that stated, "You do not even know to defend Yalu River!" after which Yeon Namgeon responded by stating, "I accept your suggestion!" and defended Yalu River, not allowing Li Ji to cross.) Only in fall 668 was Li Ji able to cross Yalu River and advance to Pyongyang and put the city under siege. The King Bojang
Bojang of Goguryeo
Bojang of Goguryeo was the 28th and last king of Goguryeo the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was placed on the throne by the military leader Yeon Gaesomun...
, Yeon Namgeon's younger brother Yeon Namsan
Yeon Namsan
Yeon Namsan was the third son of the Goguryeo military leader and dictator Yeon Gaesomun .The course of his career shadowed closely that of his elder brother Yeon Namsaeng...
, and a number of officials surrendered, but Yeon Namgeon continued fighting. A few days later, though, his general, the Buddhist monk Shin Seong (信誠), opened the city gates and surrendered. Yeon Namgeon tried to commit suicide, but was captured and saved by Tang forces. This was the end of Goguryeo. Later that year, after Li Ji returned to Chang'an, a great procession was held in his honor, and around the new year 669, when Emperor Gaozong offered sacrifices to Heaven, he had Li Ji sacrifice after he did -- an extraordinary honor.
Later in 669, Li Ji grew ill. Emperor Gaozong summoned all of Li Ji's brothers and sons who were serving outside the capital back to Chang'an to attend to him. Li Ji took only medications given him by Emperor Gaozong and Li Hong
Li Hong
Li Hong , formally Emperor Xiaojing with the temple name of Yizong , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
the Crown Prince, but otherwise refused medical treatment, stating:
One day, Li Ji summoned his younger brother Li Bi (李弼) and told Li Bi that he was feeling better that day, and should summon all of his relatives to hold a feast. At the end of the feast, he stated to Li Bi:
He spoke no further, and not long after, around the new year 670, he died. He was buried with extraordinary honors, and by Emperor Gaozong's orders, his tomb was made into the shape of several great mountains within Eastern Tujue and Xueyantuo territory, to commemorate his victories over them.
The Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
historian Sima Guang
Sima Guang
Sīmǎ Guāng was a Chinese historian, scholar, and high chancellor of the Song Dynasty, jinshi 1038.-Life, profession, and works:...
, in his Zizhi Tongjian
Zizhi Tongjian
The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...
, stated:
Li Ji's oldest son Li Zhen (李震) predeceased him, so the title of Duke of Ying was inherited by Li Zhen's son Li Jingye
Li Jingye
Li Jingye , also known as Xu Jingye , was a grandson of the great Tang Dynasty general Li Shiji who, after Emperor Gaozong's wife Empress Wu had seized power after Emperor Gaozong's death, rose in rebellion against her, but who was quickly defeated and killed in flight.- Background :It is not...
. In 684, after Emperor Gaozong's death and after Empress Dowager Wu deposed her third son with Emperor Gaozong, Emperor Zhongzong
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Xiǎn , at times during his life Li Zhe and Wu Xian , was the fourth Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710.Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu...
, replacing him with her fourth son Emperor Ruizong
Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Emperor Ruizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Dàn , known at times during his life as Li Xulun , Li Lun , Wu Lun , and Wu Dan , was the fifth and ninth emperor of Tang Dynasty...
but was posturing toward taking the throne herself, Li Jingye rose in rebellion. In reprisal, Empress Dowager Wu destroyed Li Ji's tomb, posthumously stripped him of his titles, and slaughtered most, but not all, of his descendants. In 705, after Emperor Zhongzong was restored following a coup against his mother (who was then ruling as "Emperor" of her state of Zhou), Li Ji's tomb and titles were restored.