At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, Li Mi was hereditary Duke of Pushan, and after leading Wagangzhai, he proclaimed himself "Duke of Wei", and was canonized as "Duke of Criminal State" after descending to the Tang Dynasty. As one of the main leaders of the uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Mi showed outstanding military talent in the Wagangzhai Uprising, but in the end he failed to divide with Li Yuan, and ruled the world and established the "Wei Dynasty" (Li Mi, the Duke of Wei, if the king of the world must be called Wei), it is a pity! When Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, there was a folk song "Tao Li Zhang" that said, "Peach and plum, the queen goes around Yangzhou, like a garden." Don't talk nonsense, quasi-Dao Yes! The meaning of the proverb is: "The Li family will replace the Yang family as the emperor." But is this "Li" Li Mi, or Li Yuan? At the time, it was not known.
Pushan Gong: Li Mi
Li Mi and Li Yuan are both after the Eight Pillars of the Guanlong Nobles since the Western Wei Dynasty, Li Mi's ancestors are Situ and Taishi Li Bi, one of the famous Guanlong Eight Pillars. Li Yuan's ancestor was Li Hu, one of the Eight Pillar Kingdoms. Both of them are the most qualified to compete for the world. The Western Wei Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and the Great Sui Dynasty all paid attention to their origins, and only the nobles of the Long Dynasty were qualified to be emperors. Just like in ancient Europe, only the Romans could be emperors. However, Li Yuan finally succeeded in establishing the Sheng Tang Dynasty and dominating the world, while Li Mi lost the battle with Wang Shichong for Luoyang, and was forced to defect to Li Tang, surrendered and rebelled, and was finally ambushed by the Tang general Sheng Yanshi in advance, and was killed by random arrows. To understand why Li Mi couldn't fight Li Yuan, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis from many aspects such as strategic layout, internal management, military talent, and political wisdom.
Tang Gaozu: Li Yuan
Differences in strategic layout
Li Mi and Li Yuan's choice of strategic layout directly affected their respective destinies. Li Yuan chose to raise troops in the Taiyuan area, and then quickly sent troops to take Chang'an. The Chang'an area is a natural strategic location due to its dangerous terrain, easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Guanzhong area was not only conducive to defense, but also a rich land with abundant resources, which provided Li Yuan with solid logistical support. On the other hand, Li Mi chose to use troops in the Central Plains region around Henan, where there were many hostile forces and it was easy to fall into the predicament of being attacked on all sides. In the end, Li Mi was unable to capture Luoyang City for a long time, and Li Mi failed to effectively consolidate and expand his base area, which eventually led to his strategic passivity.
Li Mi in the TV series "The Legend of Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties".
Internal management issues
Li Mi took refuge in the Wagang army Zhai Rang in the early days, and once conquered Xingluocang and opened a warehouse to release grain, but there were serious problems in the internal management of the Wagang army, especially his factional struggle and contradictions with the former leader Zhai Rang, which made the Wagang army lack unified leadership and cohesion, and weakened the combat effectiveness and overall strength of the army. Although, in the end, Li Mi assassinated Zhai Rang with a trick and unified the entire army, this internal friction made it difficult for the Wagang army to form a joint force in the face of external enemies.
In contrast, Li Yuan showed higher wisdom and means in the internal management of the Tang Army. He is good at attracting qualified personnel, coordinating internal contradictions, and maintaining a high degree of unity and cohesion in the army. In particular, his generals such as Li Shimin, the king of Qin, Li Jiancheng, and Li Yuanji were all handsome talents who could take charge of themselves and were rare, laying a solid foundation for their unification of the world. As for Li Mi's son, there is no clear record in the history books, either Li Mi has no children, or his son is very mediocre and not worth writing.
The Wagang army opened a warehouse to release grain
The gap in military talent
Although Li Mi showed great military talent, his performance in key battles was slightly inferior. In the confrontation between Luoyang City and Wang Shichong, Li Mi was too light on the enemy and camped without fortifications and outposts, giving Wang Shichong an opportunity to take advantage of, and finally suffered a big defeat. The failure of this battle greatly damaged the vitality of the Wagang army, and the fierce general Cheng Yanjin was also seriously injured and could not fight again, which dealt a fatal blow to Li Mi's military strength and directly affected his subsequent military operations and strategic layout. In the face of a strong enemy, Li Mi failed to show sufficient strategic vision and command ability, which led to his military defeat.
Li Yuan and his subordinate Li Shimin and other famous generals have performed well in military talents, especially Li Shimin has shown outstanding command skills and strategic vision in many key battles against Xue Rengao in the north. Through a series of military operations, Li Shimin gradually expanded the sphere of influence of the Tang army, and finally successfully defeated various anti-king forces, laying a solid foundation for the establishment and unification of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Mi's Wagang Village
The gap in political wisdom and means
In terms of political wisdom and means, there is a clear gap between Li Mi and Li Yuan. Li Yuan was good at using political means to unite and divide hostile forces, thus winning a favorable political environment for himself. Through a series of political maneuvers, he successfully recruited a large number of talents, and expanded his influence and supporters through marriages, alliances and other means.
Politically, Li Mi failed to show sufficient wisdom and means. In his interactions with other rebel armies and local powers, he failed to effectively use and integrate the forces of all parties, and instead clashed with other forces at certain times, resulting in his political passivity. Li Mi's failure to establish a solid political alliance and support system also limited the space and possibilities for his development to a certain extent.
The Wagang army is like a cloud
The combination of time, place and people
In the process of rising, Li Yuan made full use of the combination of time, place and people. In the last years of the Sui Dynasty, when the world was in turmoil and the people's resentment was boiling, Li Yuan seized this historical opportunity, quickly raised troops, and gradually expanded his sphere of influence through a series of ingenious military and political means.
Although Li Mi also rose in the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he failed to make full use of the combination of time, place, and people. The complicated situation in the Central Plains and the problems in internal management prevented Li Mi from quickly consolidating and expanding his sphere of influence after raising troops. And Li Mi's luck is slightly inferior to Li Yuan, when besieging Luoyang, he happened to meet Yu Wenhua's 100,000 Donggui "Xiaoguo", this army was the forbidden army of Emperor Yang of Sui, and its combat effectiveness was strong, but the two armies fought against each other, which led to a great loss of vitality of the Wagang army, and Li Mi lost the capital to fight for the world.
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the heroes were divided
epilogue
Li Mi has read poetry and books since he was a child, and was very appreciated by Yang Su, the prime minister of the Sui Dynasty, but in the end he failed to dominate the world, which can't help but make people sigh. In the process of his rise, Li Yuan made full use of the geographical advantages of the Guanzhong region, and through the superb military talent and political wisdom of his son Li Shimin and others, he successfully recruited talents from all walks of life, improved relations with the northern Turkic Khanate (and even declared himself a vassal to the Turks), established solid internal management and diplomatic relations, and finally succeeded in unifying the world. History has proved that becoming a generation of emperors requires not only excellent personal ability, but also the perfect combination of time, place, and people, as well as a little luck. It's the so-called time! Luck also! Fate! Only the true Son of Heaven can reign over the world.