The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 535 Xuanwu Gate Succession System

The four men, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang, were deeply moved and their breathing became rapid; their hearts began to race with excitement.

Li Shimin achieved such a feat at the age of twenty; he was truly a reincarnation of Huo Qubing.

Guan Xing said, "When Li Shimin returned to the court in triumph after recovering Jinyang, his prestige instantly surpassed that of his father, Li Yuan. Li Yuan was unhappy and made a series of military adjustments while giving Li Shimin a promotion in name only, effectively demoting him and completely sidelining him."

The four of them started cursing as they listened. What kind of father would be so wary of his son? This father is a complete scoundrel.

Guan Xing continued, "Although Li Yuan very much wanted to sideline Li Shimin, the warlords of Guandong disagreed. Not long after, Wang Shichong, who had defeated Li Mi, the leader of Wagang, joined forces with Dou Jiande, the King of Xia, to attack. The military strength of the two warlords was too strong, so Li Yuan had no choice but to reluctantly hand over the reformed army to Li Shimin to lead the expedition again. It was as if he had worked hard for nothing but benefited Li Shimin."

"Li Shimin fought against the two warlords, Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, at Hulao Pass. After a fierce battle, he captured both Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. This victory made him a legendary figure."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang all felt their hearts stop simultaneously. They were so nervous that they forgot to breathe. After an unknown amount of time, Guan Yu was the first to react and asked in a trembling voice, "How did you manage to capture two kings in one battle?"

That's a king, not a general. That's like capturing Yuan Shao and Cao Cao in one battle. Is that even possible?

Are you kidding me?

Upon Guan Yu's shout, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang shuddered as if they were suddenly awakened from suffocation, staring intently at Guan Xing, awaiting further instructions.

If this were true, it would be incredibly valuable to learn from. Imagine being able to capture Cao Cao in a single battle…

Faced with the expectant eyes of the four, Guan Xing shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I don't know, I haven't studied it in detail. Anyway, the two most powerful warlords in Guandong were captured, the land of Hebei was easily recovered, and the Central Plains were unified again, but this time it was in chaos again not long after unification."

"Li Shimin's conquest of Hebei was too easy, which naturally led to instability. The people of Hebei were not convinced by the Li family. In addition, Li Yuan ignored Li Shimin's advice and insisted on killing Dou Jiande, who was known for his benevolence and had a very high prestige in Hebei. This forced Hebei into rebellion."

"After Dou Jiande's death, the Hebei gentry invited Liu Heita, a general under Dou Jiande who had already retired from the army, to join them. Liu Heita was a general who could be ranked among the top three in the world. Li Yuan sent countless famous generals to attack him, but Liu Heita captured them one by one. In just a few days, he turned Liu Heita into a general-collecting machine. You should know that the famous generals of the Tang Dynasty were also forged in the crucible of war, with rich experience and superb abilities, but they were no match for Liu Heita."

Liu Bei sighed, "Well, it's Li Shimin again."

Guan Xing nodded and said, "Yes, Li Shimin and Liu Heita were evenly matched and fought a very difficult battle. In the end, Li Shimin was the better one and defeated Liu Heita to pacify Hebei."

"The most important thing for the founding emperor is military merit. Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, and Emperor Wu of Wei, Cao Cao, both fought on the battlefield and lived and ate with their soldiers. Li Yuan was different. He never left the city after entering Chang'an. All the tough, fierce, and dangerous battles were won by his son."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "So it would be a miracle if Li Yuan could hold onto the throne. And what happened later? Didn't Li Shimin go to pacify the south again?"

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "After pacifying Hebei, Li Shimin never went on another expedition. The south was pacified by a general from the Li Tang imperial family, along with another famous general, Li Jing."

"This Li Jing was a super general comparable to Han Xin. He was revered as a god of war in later generations. This comparison to Han Xin is not a metaphor but a statement. He really could go toe-to-toe with Han Xin."

"How to describe Li Jing's military prowess? Don't even mention learning from him. Even after reviewing the battles, you still can't figure out how he won. He assisted his superior in pacifying Jiangnan and reunifying the country with almost no effort. His military books, such as 'The Mirror of the Six Armies' and 'The Art of War of Duke Wei,' are essential reading for famous generals in later generations. He only taught his disciples a little bit and said it was enough. As a result, his disciples easily led troops to achieve the feat of destroying a country in the Western Regions."

Zhuge Liang quickly asked, "How much of the 'Mirror of the Six Armies' and 'The Art of War of Duke Wei' have you read? Can you recite them from memory?"

The military treatise left behind by this military genius, comparable to Han Xin, deserves careful study.

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "I've never read them. I'm lucky if I can even remember the names of these two military books. As for their contents, I've never even heard of them, let alone read them."

Zhuge Liang said regretfully, "That's such a pity. Why didn't you look at it? Was it because you couldn't find it in your time?"

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "These two military books were largely lost by the time they reached our era. The remaining parts are not hard to buy if you want to read them, but I'm not a soldier, so why would I read military books?"

Zhuge Liang was so angry he wanted to hit someone. "Listen to what you're saying! Is this even human language?"

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and scolded irritably, "And then what? How did Li Shimin become Emperor Taizong of Tang? You said earlier that Li Shimin was Li Yuan's second son, so what about his eldest son?"

Guan Xing replied, "The eldest son is named Li Jiancheng. He was made crown prince as soon as Li Yuan ascended the throne. Although Li Jiancheng's abilities were not as extraordinary as his younger brother Li Shimin's, he was not mediocre either. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, he began to participate in the government and formulate laws and policies. He had a very good reputation among the people and in the court. More importantly, he had the strong support of his father Li Yuan. Li Yuan was almost completely open to Li Jiancheng. No matter how much merit Li Shimin made, he never had the idea of ​​deposing Li Jiancheng from his position as crown prince."

"Therefore, after pacifying Liu Heita and returning to the capital, Li Yuan and his son Li Jiancheng launched an endless campaign of suppression against Li Shimin, showing no sign of stopping until Li Shimin was killed. But even a clay figure has some temper, let alone Prince Qin, Li Shimin."

"Li Shimin, having reached his limit of tolerance, decisively launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident. He ambushed and killed his elder brother Li Jiancheng and younger brother Li Yuanji, who were passing through the Xuanwu Gate, and sent troops to imprison Li Yuan to seize the throne."

"As mentioned earlier, Li Yuan stayed in Chang'an and had no prestige in the army. He was powerless against his second son, who had made unparalleled military achievements. He could only reluctantly appoint Li Shimin as the crown prince and pass the throne to Li Shimin three months later, becoming the retired emperor."

"After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he worked diligently to govern the country. In just three years, he sent Li Jing to destroy the arrogant Turks and brought the Turkic Khan to the capital to dance. He also destroyed the Tuyuhun and opened up the Silk Road, creating the Zhenguan era of prosperity. All nations came to pay tribute, the palace gates opened to the heavens, and people from all countries paid homage to the emperor. The strength of the Tang Dynasty was comparable to that of the Han Dynasty."

"Unfortunately, Li Shimin seized the throne through a coup, which led his descendants to follow suit. Throughout the Tang Dynasty, there were as many as four or five coups at Xuanwu Gate alone. Even Li Shimin's eldest son, the crown prince whom Li Shimin personally groomed, rebelled. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty adopted the Xuanwu Gate succession system. Whoever won the Xuanwu Gate coup became the crown prince."

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang all twitched at the corners of their mouths upon hearing this; this system of inheritance was truly unsettling.

Guan Xing said, "Li Shimin suffered from a hidden illness during his early years of fighting, and died at the age of fifty. After his death, his eldest son was demoted for rebelling, and his second son was unreliable, so he had no choice but to pass the throne to his third son, Li Zhi."

"Li Zhi was a master of feigning weakness to achieve his goal. Soon after ascending the throne, he took Consort Wu, one of his father Li Shimin's concubines, into his harem and gradually made her empress. He then used Empress Wu to eliminate all the ministers who opposed him, including his own uncle, thus seizing power. He also sent generals to conquer Goguryeo, which even his father had failed to conquer, achieving a feat that three generations of emperors, Yang Jian, Yang Guang, and Li Shimin, had not accomplished. He also pacified the Western Regions, expanding the Tang Dynasty's territory to its largest extent, reaching as far as the present-day Parthian Kingdom."

"Hiss..." Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang all gasped in shock.

They've conquered as far as Parthia; how vast must that territory be?

Guan Xing sighed, "It's a pity that Li Zhi was in poor health. In his later years, he was unable to preside over state affairs due to headaches and could only ask Empress Wu to help share the burden. Empress Wu thus gained great power."

"After Li Zhi died, his son succeeded him, and Empress Wu assisted in governing. However, Empress Wu was too ambitious and was not satisfied with ruling from behind the curtain. She deposed her son and ascended the throne herself."

Liu Bei screamed, "What?! What the hell? Empress Wu, a mere woman, has actually ascended the throne and become empress?"