Is there such a powerful event in history? Use a Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle) to scare off the invaders. It’s really terrible, and it feels fake. So let’s see if this is true, and why there are such rumors? Indeed, the Tang Dynasty was a dynasty with a popular mythological style, and there are quite a few stories of this kind.
There is a story spread on the Internet that Li Shimin used Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle) to scare off the 100000 troops of Turks. Many people doubted that the story was true?
This is just a legend, taken from the history of the Wei River Alliance. This legend has been interpreted very vividly. The historical background of this event is that Li Shimin ascended to the throne through the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and before he could sit still, the Turkic Khan Jieli heard that there was a coup in the Tang Dynasty. He sent a large army south and walked all the way to the banks of the Wei River, approaching Chang’an City.
Although Khan Jieli made great strides forward, he did not have a guarantee of victory in the war. After all, Li Shimin was well-known, so he sent Zhisi Li to Chang’an to deliver a challenge letter to explore the reality of Chang’an city. Li Shimin took the challenge letter and immediately saw through Khan Jieli’s conspiracy. He calmly said, ‘Go back and tell your master to welcome our decisive battle.’.
Upon hearing that Emperor Taizong of Tang was so calm, Khan Jieli became suspicious. The next day, Li Shimin led six people on horseback to the Wei River Bridge. Upon hearing this, Khan Jieli immediately left the camp, and Li Shimin shouted loudly at him, “Khan Jieli, hurry back. You are advancing alone. Otherwise, as soon as the snow and rain arrive, you will have no way forward or retreat, and your entire army will be annihilated with no place to die
After saying that, he took out a Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle) and ate it. The entourage nearby advised Li Shimin to stop when he felt better. Emperor Taizong, while eating Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle), replied: “Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle) is so delicious. I ate Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle) here, and then I ate 100 thousand iron cavalries of Jieli Khan. This is the Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle) of the Turks, which is a must for celebrating birthday. It means harmony, auspiciousness, and reunion. Therefore, I eat Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle) to let the enemy see things and think about things and homesickness. They shake their minds and lose their fighting power, and they will defeat themselves!
As expected, Jieli Khan withdrew his troops the next day. This is the story about Li Shimin who used Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle) to withdraw 100000 Turkic soldiers. In history, Li Shimin did scare off the Jieli Khan and avoid the downfall of the Tang Dynasty regime with a suspicious tactic, but not with Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle).
In real history, the Khan Jieli heard that Li Shimin launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident and ascended to the throne. He took advantage of Li Shimin’s unstable accession to the throne and launched an invasion of the Tang Dynasty. Of course, Li Shimin did not sit idly by and sent brave general Yuchi Jingde as the commander-in-chief of the Jingzhou Road march to Jingyang to defend against the Turks. After arriving at the front line, Yuchi Jingde immediately organized a counterattack and fought a fierce battle with the Turkic army in Jingyang. Yuchi Jingde was unstoppable and captured the enemy general Ashidwu without hesitation, and killed more than a thousand Turkic cavalry.
However, this was only a small victory, as the troops of the Khan Jieli still charged towards the banks of the Wei River, approaching the city of Chang’an. At that time, Chang’an’s military forces were empty, but Li Shimin did not panic. Instead, he led six people alone to confront the Khan of Jieli on the banks of the Wei River. According to the “Old Book of Tang”, he personally left Xuanwu Gate, rode six horses on the Wei River, and spoke with Jieli across the river, fulfilling his promise. As the armies continued to arrive, Jieli saw that the army was both prosperous and mentally restrained, causing great fear. Therefore, he requested peace and issued a decree.
Li Shimin arranged it very carefully. First, he went alone to show that he was not worried or afraid. Then he questioned why the Khan Jieli had broken his promise and occupied the righteous cause. Later, his elite troops arrived, indicating that his military strength was not weak. Some heard that his flank troops had been defeated and thought that Li Shimin’s military strength was strong. The Khan Jieli was very afraid, so he sought peace,
Li Shimin and Jieli Khan formed an alliance by killing Bai Ma, which finally resolved the dangerous situation in the Tang Dynasty. By the time Li Shimin recovered, two years later, the Turks had split, and the Tang Dynasty launched an attack on the Turks, capturing the Khan Jieli and annihilating the Eastern Turks. This is a true reflection of the noble man’s revenge for ten years.