Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

[General of Heavenly Strategy, Prince Qin, Li Shimin]

"It really is me!!"

Li Shimin looked as if he had already guessed it.

Moreover, the sky above refers to General Tian Ce, Prince Qin, Li Shimin.

No problem. The one who charged into battle was General Li Shimin, and the one who governed the country effectively was Emperor Li Shimin, a figure of great historical significance. Very precise.

At seventeen, she saved Emperor Yang of Sui at Yanmen Pass, achieving instant fame.

At the age of eighteen, he strongly urged his father, Li Yuan, to raise an army against the Sui Dynasty.

At the age of twenty, he joined his father in a rebellion against the Sui Dynasty, and destroyed the Sui Dynasty in just one year, after which he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Qin.

At the age of twenty-two, he commanded 30,000 troops to quell Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang, and recovered Shanxi.

At the age of twenty-four, in the Battle of Hulao Pass, he personally led three thousand Xuanjia soldiers to defeat Dou Jiande's army of one hundred thousand, captured Dou Jiande alive, forced Wang Shichong to surrender, and pacified the Central Plains.

At the age of twenty-five, he decisively defeated Liu Heita and pacified the north.

His achievements were unprecedented, and Li Yuan specially appointed him as "General of Heavenly Strategy" and allowed him to establish the Heavenly Strategy Palace.

After ascending the throne, he destroyed the Turks, Tuyuhun, Gaochang, Goguryeo, and Xueyantuo.

[Single-handedly conquered most of the Tang Dynasty]

The situation is somewhat better in the timeline following Emperor Taizong of Tang. After all, Emperor Taizong's meteoric rise to power and his renowned governance and military prowess are well-known to later generations. Therefore, one can simply marvel once again at Emperor Taizong's military prowess.

However, among the emperors before the Tang Dynasty, especially Liu Che, the psychological imbalance was even greater.

"Why is Li Shimin so highly praised by later generations? In terms of governing the country, I am no worse than him. In terms of military campaigns, although I did not personally participate in the army, my generals achieved the feat of sealing the wolf's lair. Did he have that?"

Liu Che became increasingly resentful, and out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of his crown prince, Liu Ju.

That was a treasure he had waited thirteen years for, a gift from heaven, a perfect combination of the bloodlines of the Liu and Wei families, as well as their political and military prowess.

Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) cherished his crown prince immensely.

"My son, come here, come to your father."

Liu Che looked at his eldest son, on whom he had placed great hopes, and who was also the crown prince of the Han Dynasty, with a face full of joy.

"Li Shimin, although you are skilled in both literature and martial arts, I do not believe that you can have a son like my Ju'er."

...

Sui Dynasty, Daye 12th year

"Li Yuan, Li Shimin!!!"

Emperor Yang of Sui roared, appearing as if he had gone mad.

"So, they're really rebelling against me!!!"

At this time, peasant uprisings were constantly taking place in various parts of the Sui Dynasty, especially the rebellion of Yang Xuangan a few years earlier. This meant that not only the common people, but even the nobles who should have been on the same side as the emperor could no longer tolerate Emperor Yang of Sui's brutal rule and began to rebel.

However, to Yang Guang, Li Yuan was not an outsider, but his cousin. Moreover, Li Shimin had recently joined the army to rescue him and lift the siege of Yanmen.

Yang Guang was indeed very suspicious of Li Yuan, not only because of the prophecy, but also because of Li Yuan's abilities.

Now, everything Tianmu said is exactly as he predicted; Li Yuan has indeed rebelled!

Before Yang Guang could even order the arrest of Li Yuan's entire family, a soldier burst into the palace, shouting, "An urgent message from 800 li away!!"

"Li Yuan has raised the banner of rebellion against the Sui Dynasty in Taiyuan, and the entire Shanxi province has responded in response."

Yang Guang suddenly felt a wave of dizziness; it was all over.

Urgent letters arrived like snowflakes. It wasn't just Li Yuan; other ambitious individuals, seeing the omen of the Sui dynasty's demise revealed in the heavens, rose in rebellion, vying for control of the Central Plains.

They still harbored resentment.

I don't believe that Li Shimin was that good at fighting. It's probably just later generations exaggerating. Even a teenager like him could be a match for me.

Some people, who had a clear understanding of their own abilities and felt inadequate, went directly to Taiyuan to join Li Shimin, or even to Li Yuan.

Just kidding. When it comes to meritorious service in supporting the emperor, who else but Li Yuan could compare to Li Shimin?

What I admire most about Emperor Taizong is not only his achievements, but also his magnanimity. He and Liu Xiu are the only two founding emperors who did not kill their meritorious officials (doge).

Follow-up comment: Just kidding, who could have contributed more than him?

Follow-up comment: When Li Shimin became emperor, he not only had greater achievements than them, but he was also younger than them.

Follow-up comment: A question for the day: Who was the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty?

Follow-up comment: It seems that Zhao Kuangyin didn't actually kill them; he simply used the "banquet to release military power" as an excuse.

In his youth, he was comparable to Zhao Zilong, possessing boundless courage. When being chased, he told his subordinates to run while he and Yuchi Gong covered their retreat.

Follow-up comment: I hold the bow, Yuchi Jingde holds the spear, what is there to fear from a million enemy soldiers!

Throughout history, no one has been more capable of leading a military campaign than Li Shimin; Zhu Yuanzhang is second only to him.

Follow-up comment: Both of them were military geniuses, skilled in both warfare and governance. However, Li Shimin was too valiant, and Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly inferior in terms of personal martial prowess.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement, then pulled Zhu Biao aside and earnestly instructed him:

"We acknowledge Li Shimin's achievements. Throughout history, Li Shimin's military talent has indeed surpassed that of your father. However, there is one point you must remember."

"Those in positions of power should never personally go to the battlefield unless absolutely necessary."

"Look at Li Shimin, he personally braved arrows in his early years, but after becoming emperor, he almost never personally led troops into battle."

"Since we bear the heavy responsibility of the nation, how can we disregard the well-being of the country? The generals will naturally take the lead in the battle."

So it's no wonder Li Jiancheng was afraid; wouldn't you be afraid if you were in his shoes?

Follow-up comment: Li Jiancheng was actually not bad, but he was far inferior to Li Shimin in both military and political affairs. In other dynasties, he would have been a ruler who maintained the status quo.

Follow-up comment: Shimin, the Crown Prince is often ill; you should encourage him.

Li Yuan looked puzzled. "When did I say that?"

He looked down at Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin and felt a headache coming on. His two sons, especially the second son, were too capable. If he were the eldest son, he wouldn't have to worry about so many things.

Li Jiancheng looked aggrieved and spoke up angrily:

"Father, did you really say those words to my second brother?!"

Li Shimin stroked his chin, pondering to himself whether he had actually said those words. "That's plausible!"

Li Yuan remained silent. He dared not directly say that he had not said those words, for Erlang was still alive.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly awkward, Li Jiancheng spoke up again:

"Since Father Emperor won't say, then I'll assume it is true."

"Please give the order, Father, I am willing to relinquish the position of Crown Prince to my second brother."

These words shocked everyone in the room.

Li Jiancheng had figured it out. Since he was inferior to his second brother in every way, if he kept fighting for it, not only would he lose all brotherly affection, but his life would also be in danger in the future. It would be better to give up the position of crown prince directly. With the character of his second brother as Tianmu had said, could he not guarantee his wealth and honor?

"Brother, are you serious?"

Li Yuan remained incredulous and asked in bewilderment.

"Of course it's true. My second brother will be known as the greatest emperor of all time, with only the stain of his throne's origins. Now is the perfect time to remove that stain, and he might even build an even more magnificent legacy than the one on the heavens."

Li Jiancheng confirmed again, his tone sincere.

In this timeline, the crown prince is no longer Li Jiancheng, but his younger brother, Li Shimin.

...

"Father, didn't you say those words to me?" Zhu Gaoxu leaned close to Zhu Di and asked in a low voice.

"Could it be that you've read history books and are implying something to me?"

"You bastard!!" Zhu Di roared in fury, slapping him across the face.

"Did the emperor say that?"

Zhu Gaochi was initially stunned, then anger surged within him. He had clearly said this before the war…

Now that he's the emperor, he's denying everything, but he doesn't dare vent his anger on his father directly.

He could only reply loudly, seething with resentment, "The Emperor didn't say that!!"