Many people are not familiar with Li Daoxuan’s story. Let’s follow the editor of the History Encyclopedia to appreciate it together.
In the early Tang Dynasty, there was a famous general who was the younger brother of Li Shimin. He was skilled in warfare and possessed exceptional military strength from a young age. He was like a serial killer on the battlefield and died at the age of only 19.
Do you think I’m talking about Li Yuanba? In official history, there is no such figure as Li Yuanba. What I am referring to is Li Daoxuan, the cousin of Li Shimin. His death stemmed from falling into a pit dug by his comrades.
A young fierce general who is brave in battle and enthusiastic about charging into battle
In June 618 AD, after officially proclaiming himself emperor, Li Yuan extensively divided his clans. Among them, his cousin, Li Daoxuan, who was only 15 years old, was appointed as the Prince of Huaiyang.
In the following process of conquering the world, several famous generals emerged from the Li family. In addition to the military capable leader Li Shimin, there were also Li Shentong, Li Xiaogong, Li Daozong, and others. The latter three became the military pillars of the Li family.
But at that time, the young Li Daoxuan was no less impressive. He followed his cousin Li Shimin to battle everywhere, and was exceptionally brave, often leading the way without any airs of a noble prince.
In 621 AD, Li Shimin fought against Dou Jiande’s army of over 100000 at Hulao Pass. In this battle, Li Daoxuan, who was only 18 years old, shone brightly (Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 189):
Dou Kang led troops to attack, which was a small disadvantage in the battle. Shimin Shuai rode towards him, invincible. Huaiyang Wang Daoxuan was deeply trapped in Chen, and he went straight out, then suddenly returned to Chen, and then went out again. His flying arrows gathered his body like hedgehog hair, and his courage did not diminish. He shot people and fell in response to the string.
At that time, the Tang army, which was outnumbered, was in a disadvantageous situation. The situation was critical, and Li Shimin led his elite cavalry (presumably the “Xuanjia Army”) into battle, instantly changing the situation. Among them, Prince Li Daoxuan of Huaiyang showed particularly vigorous behavior:
He was at the forefront, charging back and forth in the enemy formation. After entering and exiting a few times, his armor was covered in enemy arrows, like a big hedgehog on horseback; But he showed no fear, charging forward while shooting arrows, and wherever he went, the enemy fell in response.
Seeing his cousin so fierce, Li Shimin couldn’t help but feel both happy and worried: at such a young age, he was naturally happy to be able to fight well; But being so concerned about the head and the tail, like a fool, one cannot guarantee that they will lose their life at any moment. So he gave his spare horse to Li Daoxuan to ride (his horse was relatively strong), and let him follow his rhythm to kill the enemy together.
Shortly thereafter, Li Daoxuan was appointed as the general manager of Luozhou and began to lead the army alone in combat. However, in the second year, he died on the battlefield due to the betrayal of his teammates.
Hacked by teammates, Li Daoxuan passed away at a young age
After Dou Jiande was defeated and killed, his generals Liu Heiti and others rose up again. In 622 AD, Li Shimin personally led his army to suppress the rebellion and successfully defeated the main force of Liu Heiti. But just as he was preparing to strike while the iron was hot and eradicate the root of the grass, Li Yuan issued an order to recall him to the court.
Not long after Li Shimin returned to Beijing, Liu Heiti made a comeback with the support of the Turkic people, and his momentum grew stronger and even succeeded in killing him
Dingzhou. Faced with this situation, Li Yuan appointed Li Daoxuan as the commander-in-chief of the Hebei Provincial Army to be responsible for the campaign.
In November, Li Daoxuan led 30000 troops to confront Liu Heiti’s main force in Xiabo. After the two armies formed their formation, Li Daoxuan arranged tactics for Vice General Shi Wanbao as follows: “I will first lead my light cavalry to attack the enemy’s formation, and when the enemy’s formation moves, you can lead your large army to suppress it.” The latter readily agreed.
But Shi Wanbao actually had ulterior motives: as a veteran, he now had to obey the command of a 19-year-old yellow haired boy. He had always been very dissatisfied and wanted to find an opportunity to defeat Li Daoxuan’s sharpness, and now was a good time.
So, when Li Daoxuan led a small number of cavalry to charge towards the enemy line, Shi Wanbao not only remained inactive, but also proudly said to his confidants, “The emperor gave me a warrant that the Prince of Huaiyang is a wet and inexperienced child, and that the actions of the army are decided by me. But now he is so self proclaimed and rashly attacking; if I attack with him, the entire army will be destroyed. It is better to use him as bait to lure the enemy to advance lightly; arrogant troops will be defeated, and at that time I will hold my ground and be sure to win
However, the ideals were full and the reality was fragile. As they watched Li Daoxuan and others being surrounded and killed on the spot, the soldiers of the Tang army had no fighting spirit and were instantly defeated.
The terrible news of the death of the fierce general Li Daoxuan and the great defeat of the Tang army has deeply shaken various regions. The governor of Mingzhou, Lujiang Wang Li Xiu, and the governor of Cangzhou, Cheng Damai, have abandoned the city and fled, and a large number of prefectures and counties have surrendered to Liu Heiti; Within just ten days, Liu Heiti recaptured his old territory; The Qi King Li Yuanji, who led the main force of the Tang army, was even too scared to advance.
After learning this news, Li Shimin couldn’t help but cry bitterly. He blamed himself and said:
Dao Xuan often conquers from me, seeing me delve deep into the enemy’s formation, and his heart yearns to follow suit, to the point where he is like this
If Li Daoxuan hadn’t died, perhaps he would have been another young famous general in the Li family after Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong. However, such a promising new star died in vain on the battlefield due to jealousy from his colleagues. Therefore, a friend described the death of Li Daoxuan as follows: When you charge forward, you must ensure that your comrades behind you are reliable.
The author even speculates that the image of Li Yuanba in the novel may have borrowed from the experience of Li Daoxuan, as their combat style and death age are surprisingly similar.
