On February 28, the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643), Emperor Taizong of Tang ordered the painting of twenty-four meritorious figures at Ling yan Pavilion. The person who can rank in the Ling Yan Pavilion is not the merit of founding the country and fixing the land, and it is Chai Shao who ranks the fourteenth place among the heroes of the Ling Yan Pavilion. In addition to the Lingyange hero, Chai Shao also had a prominent identity, he was Li Yuan's horse and the husband of Princess Pingyang Zhao.
As for why Chai Shao was able to rank in the Ling Yan Pavilion, it was not because of Chai Shao's relationship with Li Yuan, he relied on his own outstanding military achievements that were not inferior to Li Shimin.
Chai Shao looks ordinary, but he comes from a family of generals, and has the reputation of "being quick and courageous, in order to suppress the strong and help the weak". When Chai Shao was a teenager, the emperor appreciated him very much, and let him become the Qianniu bei of the Yuande Prince of the Sui Dynasty, accompanying the prince. It is foreseeable that if the Sui Dynasty does not die and Prince Yuan De succeeds to the throne, Chai Shao can also protect the glory and wealth of the first generation.
However, by this time, the Sui Dynasty was terminally ill, and the flames of the peasant rebel army had burned all over the country. Seeing that the demise of the Sui Dynasty was already the trend of the times, coupled with the continuous suppression of the Sui Emperor, Li Yuan, who was guarding Taiyuan, decided to raise an army against the Sui.
In April of the thirteenth year of Daye (617), Li Yuan raised an army at Jinyang, and at the same time, he secretly sent emissaries to infiltrate Chang'an, hoping to recall Chai Shao and his daughter Princess Pingyang Zhao. After discussion, Princess Pingyang Zhao decided to return to her hometown to form a rebel army, and Chai Shao decided to follow Li Yuan around. In this way, the husband and wife were temporarily separated.
Li Yuan knew that Chai Shao was a good soldier who led soldiers to fight, so he granted him the post of governor of the Capital Governor Shi of the Right Army, and also the commander of the Ma Army. After that, every time there was a hard battle, Chai Shao would be the first soldier, and the leader would first climb the city and break the line, and the army would all be impressed by him.
In May of the first year of Wu De (618), Li Yuan declared himself emperor in Chang'an and established the Tang Dynasty as Emperor Gaozu of Tang. After becoming emperor, Li Yuan ordered Li Shimin, the King of Qin, to pacify Dou Jiande, Wang Shichong, and others, and Chai Shao followed Li Shimin and made great military achievements. Ping Xueju father and son, Broken Song King Kong, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande and other great battles Chai Shao were involved in it and played a huge role. Li Yuan was overjoyed, and he was made the Duke of Huoguo, gave him 1,200 households, and was transformed into the Right Xiao Wei General.
In April of the sixth year of Wu De (623), Tuguhun invaded Fangzhou. Chai Shao led the army to the rescue, and the Tuguhun army fought in the valley. The Tuguhun army besieged the Tang army in the valley, and they were condescending to shoot at the Tang army. For a time, arrows rained down, and the Tang army suffered heavy losses, and the army's heart shook. Chai Shao saw the situation and was calm, he ordered someone to play the pipa and let the two beautiful women dance. The Tugu Hun soldiers did not know what was happening, and they all put down their bows and arrows and gathered to watch. Chai Shao saw that the Tuguhun army was not in order, seized the opportunity, and sent elite cavalry to sneak into the rear camp, and the Tuguhun army was defeated and retreated in a hurry. After this battle, Tuguhun was annexed to the Tang Dynasty.
After defeating Tuguhun, Chai Shao led an army to attack the Turks in the north. From the seventh year of Wude (624) to the ninth year of Wude (626), Chai Shao repeatedly defeated the Turks, beheading thousands, and the Turks who beat them were afraid and did not dare to commit another crime.
After defeating the Turks, Chai Shao took the opportunity to go to the table and attack the Liang state, which was in cahoots with the Turks. Chai Shao led his army to intercept the supporting Turks, broke the Turkic army, and took advantage of the victory to besiege shuofang city. The capital of liang had no choice but to surrender. Without the Liang state, the Turks were even weaker, and Chai Shao took advantage of the victory to pursue, and finally destroyed the Eastern Turks with Li Jing and others.
In order to commemorate Chai Shao's exploits, Li Shimin ranked him in Ling Yan Pavilion and ranked him in fourteenth place. Chai Shao also became a model for the horses of successive dynasties.