Xu Shiji

Biography

Family Background and Early Life

Li Ji came from the Shangfang branch of the Xu clan of the Northern Ancestors of Gaoping and was originally a native of Lihu, Caozhou, now Dongming County, Heze, Shandong. In the final years of the Sui dynasty the family moved to Weinan County, Huazhou, in present-day southeastern Xun County, Henan. The Xu household had originally been wealthy; historical sources record that it “had many servants and accumulated several thousand zhong of grain.” Xu Shiji and his father Xu Gai were both charitable and assisted the poor regardless of whether they were close to the family.

By the Daye era of the Sui, the realm was already in disorder. In 611, at age seventeen, Xu saw the turmoil and joined Zhai Rang’s Wagang Army near his home. He advised Zhai: “The surrounding area is your native place and mine; our fellow villagers should not be harmed. Songzhou and Zhengzhou lie near the imperial canal and have many traveling merchants. It is very convenient to seize public and private wealth there.” Zhai approved. The Wagang forces then plundered public and private goods along the canal. With funds available, followers quickly gathered, and before long the force numbered more than 10,000.

Years with the Wagang Army

In 616 the Sui sent the famous general Zhang Xutuo with more than 20,000 troops against the Wagang Army. Zhai Rang was frightened and wanted to flee, but Xu Shiji stopped him. The Wagang forces lured the enemy forward and struck from ambush, destroying the Sui army and killing Zhang Xutuo. Xu Shiji joined Li Mi and Wang Bodang in encircling the Sui troops and earned merit in the battle.

At the time, Li Mi, Duke of Pushan, had participated in Yang Xuangan’s rebellion and fled after its defeat. Xu Shiji and Wang Bodang of Junyi regarded Li Mi as a great hero of the age and jointly urged Zhai Rang to acknowledge him as leader in order to attract support and expand the movement. In 617 Li Mi assumed the title Duke of Wei and distributed offices and ranks widely. Xu was appointed General-in-Chief of the Right Military Guard and placed in command of his own troops.

That same year, the Sui ordered Wang Shichong, acting governor of Jiangdu, and others to campaign against Li Mi. Xu used unusual stratagems and repeatedly defeated Wang on both banks of the Luo River, for which Li Mi enfeoffed him as Duke of Donghai Commandery. Henan and Shandong were then suffering severe flooding and famine, and Sui relief was inadequate; tens of thousands were said to starve each day. Xu advised Li Mi: “The realm is in disorder fundamentally because of hunger. If we capture the state granary at Liyang, our great undertaking can succeed.” Li Mi accepted the proposal and sent Xu with 5,000 men across the Yellow River from Yuanwu to surprise the Sui defenders of the Liyang granary. Xu took it that same day and opened the stores to the people. Within ten days more than 200,000 men had joined his forces.

Internal conflict then erupted in the Wagang Army. Li Mi killed Zhai Rang at a banquet. In the chaos, Xu Shiji was slashed by a soldier and seriously wounded; Wang Bodang quickly intervened and saved him. To stabilize the army, Li Mi personally treated Xu’s wound and sent Shan Xiongxin to pacify Zhai Rang’s former followers, assigning them respectively to Xu Shiji, Shan Xiongxin, and Wang Bodang.

In the third lunar month of 618, Right Garrison General Yuwen Huaji killed Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Guang, at Jiangdu. In the fifth lunar month Li Mi sent Xu against the rebel Wang Deren to avenge the killing of Fang Yanzao. Xu defeated Wang Deren and forced him to submit to Tang ruler Li Yuan. Xu then defended the Liyang granary. Yuwen Huaji surrounded the city from all directions, creating a severe crisis. Li Mi personally brought 500 cavalry to reinforce it, while Xu had a tunnel dug outward from inside the city and suddenly emerged outside the walls. The two forces attacked from inside and out, decisively defeating Yuwen Huaji and forcing him to lift the siege.

Submission to the Tang and Bestowal of the Imperial Surname

In the tenth lunar month of 618, Li Mi was defeated by Wang Shichong and led his remaining followers to surrender to the Tang. The territories Li Mi had previously controlled were administered by Xu Shiji, extending east to the sea, south to the Yangtze, west to Ruzhou, and north to Wei Commandery.

In 619 Xu told his chief secretary Guo Xiaoke: “The Duke of Wei has already submitted to the Great Tang. The people and lands here belonged to him. If I submit a memorial offering them, I would be profiting from my lord’s defeat, claiming merit for myself, and seeking wealth and rank through it. I regard that as shameful. We should instead record in full the names and numbers of the prefectures and counties and the registered military and civilian households, report everything to the Duke of Wei, and let him present them to the court himself. Then the merit will be his.” Xu therefore sent a messenger with a letter to Li Mi. When the messenger first reached court, Li Yuan was surprised that Xu had sent no memorial and had written only to Li Mi. After learning Xu’s intention, Li Yuan was delighted and said: “Xu Shiji remembers his lord’s kindness and yields the merit; he is truly a pure minister.” Li Yuan appointed him Area Commander of Liyang and Supreme Pillar of State, initially enfeoffed him as Duke of Lai, then additionally appointed him General-in-Chief of the Right Military Guard, changed his title to Duke of Cao, and bestowed the surname Li. He was entered into the imperial clan register and granted fifty qing of good farmland and one first-class residence. From then on Xu Shiji became Li Shiji.

Soon afterward Li Yuan ordered Li Shiji to command forces in Henan and Shandong against Wang Shichong. In the ninth lunar month, the Hebei warlord Dou Jiande attacked Xiangzhou. Li Shentong, Prince of Huaiyang and Pacification Commissioner of the Shandong circuit, retreated to Liyang. In the eleventh lunar month Dou captured Liyang. Li Gai, formerly Xu Gai and now also bearing the Li surname, was captured together with Li Shentong, Wei Zheng, Princess Tong’an, and others. Li Shiji withdrew across the river with several hundred cavalry, but because his father was a captive he had no choice but to return and surrender. Dou held Li Gai as a hostage and left Li Shiji in command of Liyang.

Li wanted to return to the Tang but feared that doing so would endanger his father. After secretly consulting Guo Xiaoke, he decided first to render service to Dou and gain his trust. Soon afterward he attacked Wang Shichong’s forces at Huojia, defeating them and taking many heads and captives, which brought him close to Dou. Once he had gained Dou’s confidence, Li persuaded him to campaign personally in Henan, intending to kill him when the opportunity arose. Dou delayed departure because his wife gave birth. Unable to attack Dou, and after a separate plan to kill Dou’s commander Cao Dan was exposed, Li and Guo Xiaoke fled to the Tang with several dozen cavalrymen.

Pacification Campaigns under Emperor Taizong

After returning to the Tang, Li Shiji followed the Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, in campaigns against Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, Liu Heita, Xu Yuanlang, and other regional powers, repeatedly earning distinction. In 623 he followed Li Xiaogong, Prince of Zhao Commandery, and Li Jing in the campaign against Fu Gongshi.

In 625, the eighth year of Wude, Turkic forces invaded and Li Shiji campaigned against them. In 629 he and Li Jing advanced on separate routes and crushed the Eastern Turks, returning with 50,000 captives. He then guarded Bingzhou for sixteen years and became a formidable presence on the northern frontier. In 641 he decisively defeated Xueyantuo at Nuozhen Water, in present-day Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia. In 644 he accompanied Emperor Taizong on the imperial campaign against Goguryeo.

Reign of Emperor Gaozong and Final Years

Late in his reign, Emperor Taizong once told Crown Prince Li Zhi: “Li Ji values gratitude and righteousness. You have shown him no favor, and I fear he may not devote himself fully to assisting you in the future. I shall first send him out of the capital. After I die and you succeed to the throne, summon him back and appoint him vice director. In this way you will have bestowed favor on him, and he will swear loyalty to you unto death.” To secure Li Ji’s loyalty to Li Zhi, Emperor Taizong demoted him to governor of Diezhou, in present-day Diebu, Gansu. After Emperor Gaozong succeeded to the throne, he followed Taizong’s final instructions, restored Li Ji, and successively appointed him Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Minister of Works.

In 655, the sixth year of Yonghui, Emperor Gaozong asked Li Ji: “I wish to make Lady Wu, the Zhaoyi, empress. What do you think?” Li replied: “This is Your Majesty’s family affair; why ask outsiders?” This answer removed the final obstacle to Gaozong’s installation of Wu Zetian as empress.

In 666, at age seventy-two, Li Ji was appointed commander-in-chief of the Liaodong expeditionary army and again campaigned against Goguryeo. In 668 he led his army to the Yalu River and joined Xue Rengui at Pyongyang. They captured the city, returned in victory, and destroyed Goguryeo. On the wushen day, the third day of the twelfth lunar month of 669, Li Ji died aged seventy-six. Emperor Gaozong suspended court for seven days, posthumously granted him Defender-in-chief and Area Commander-in-Chief of Yangzhou, gave him the posthumous name Zhenwu, and buried him as an attendant tomb at Zhaoling.

Major Activities

Military Campaigns

Li Ji spent nearly sixty years in military service and accumulated outstanding achievements. In his youth he joined the Wagang Army and helped Li Mi capture the Liyang granary, attracting more than 200,000 troops within ten days. After joining the Tang, he followed Li Shimin in suppressing Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, Liu Heita, Xu Yuanlang, and other regional powers. During the Zhenguan era he and Li Jing crushed the Eastern Turks on separate routes and returned with 50,000 captives; he defeated Xueyantuo at Nuozhen Water and accompanied Emperor Taizong against Goguryeo. During Emperor Gaozong’s reign, already in his seventies, he again commanded against Goguryeo, captured Pyongyang, and destroyed the kingdom, making exceptional contributions to Tang territorial expansion.

General and Chief Minister

Li Ji served both as military commander and chief minister. His offices included Minister of War, a chief minister with the title “Third Rank with the Secretariat and Chancellery,” Minister of Works, and Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent, and he was ultimately enfeoffed as Duke of Ying. He guarded Bingzhou for sixteen years and inspired such awe on the northern frontier that the court relied on him as a defensive bulwark. Emperor Taizong praised him by saying, “Could Han Xin, Bai Qi, Wei Qing, or Huo Qubing of antiquity have surpassed Li Ji and Li Jing?”

Political Choices

Li Ji served three reigns and enjoyed profound imperial trust. Emperor Gaozu called him a “pure minister.” Emperor Taizong deliberately sent him out of the capital before his death to create an opportunity for Emperor Gaozong to recall him as an act of favor. When Gaozong asked about installing Empress Wu, Li replied, “This is Your Majesty’s family affair,” avoiding a direct political declaration while clearing the final obstacle to Wu Zetian’s elevation.

Personal Relations

Family

• Great-grandfather: Xu Que, governor of Puyang Commandery
• Grandfather: Xu Kang, governor of Qiao Commandery, posthumously appointed inspector of Jizhou
• Father: Xu Gai, courtesy name Guangji, posthumously honored as Duke Jie of Shu
• Wife: Lady Xue, First-Rank Grand Lady and Lady of the State of Ying
• Eldest son: Li Zhen, courtesy name Jingyang, rose to inspector of Zizhou
• Second son: Li Siwen, granted the surname Wu during Wu Zetian’s reign
• Grandson: Li Jingye, inherited the title Duke of Ying and raised a rebellion against Wu in 684; defeated and killed
• Younger brothers: Li Bi and Li Gan

Associates and Colleagues

• Guo Xiaoke: chief secretary and key adviser in the return to Tang and escape from Dou Jiande
• Li Jing: celebrated general of the same court, often paired with Li Ji in later accounts
• Xue Rengui: coordinated with Li Ji in the Goguryeo campaign
• Wei Zheng: was captured together with Li Ji’s family at Liyang by Dou Jiande

Rulers and Political Relations

• Zhai Rang: founder of the Wagang Army and Xu’s early lord
• Li Mi: leader of the Wagang Army, later surrendered to the Tang
• Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan: bestowed the Li surname and called him a “pure minister”
• Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin: Li Ji followed him in campaigns to pacify rival powers and was later included among the Lingyan Pavilion meritorious officials
• Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi: recalled and employed Li Ji according to Taizong’s final instruction and appointed him Minister of Works
• Dou Jiande: Hebei warlord who captured Li Ji’s father and forced Li Ji to surrender
• Wang Shichong: principal Wagang rival against whom Li Ji fought repeatedly
• Yuwen Huaji: killer of Emperor Yang of Sui, defeated by Li Ji at Liyang

Historical Assessment

Tang / Contemporary Assessments

• Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan: “Xu Shiji remembers his lord’s virtue and yields the merit; he is truly a pure minister.”
• Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin: “Li Ji and Li Jing—could Han Xin, Bai Qi, Wei Qing, or Huo Qubing of antiquity have surpassed them?”
• Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi: suspended court for seven days, posthumously granted Li Ji Defender-in-chief and Area Commander-in-Chief of Yangzhou, bestowed the posthumous name Zhenwu, and personally composed and wrote the stele inscription

Song and Yuan Periods

• The historian of the Old Book of Tang wrote: “Ji won battle after battle and thereby completed the work of conquest; he may indeed be called the claw and fang of an heroic ruler.”
• The New Book of Tang praised him: “Ji’s ability made him a tiger-like minister of his age.”
• Sima Guang’s Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance recorded his career in detail and repeatedly approved of his action in yielding merit when he submitted to the Tang

Ming and Qing Periods

• Wang Fuzhi, in Comments on the Comprehensive Mirror, assessed both the merits and faults of Li Ji’s life and criticized his attitude toward Emperor Gaozong’s plan to install Empress Wu
• Romance of the Sui and Tang and Complete Romance of the Tang transformed him into the Wagang strategist “Xu Maogong,” a near-supernatural figure in popular literature

Modern Assessments

• Modern historians generally affirm Li Ji’s military ability and political judgment and regard him as one of the most outstanding generals of the early Tang
• Scholars widely consider his statement “This is Your Majesty’s family affair” to have played a key role in Wu Zetian’s elevation as empress and to have affected the direction of Tang politics
• The discovery of his epitaph in 1971 provided valuable physical evidence for research on early Tang history