At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Di had no choice. There was chaos in the world and peasant uprisings broke out one after another. In particular, the Wagang peasant uprising led by Shimi was the greatest force. In the 13th year of the Great Cause, Cheng Yuanbao of Wuyang County rose up in response to Shi Biao and put Wei Zhi in charge of documents. Every time Shi Mi receives a letter from Yuanbao, he always praises his writing. Later, when he heard that it was written by Wei Zhi, he called him immediately. Wei Zhi has been actively involved in planning since he took part in the Wagang peasant uprising. He wrote to Shi Mi and put forward the idea of "taking Wei County (now Linzhang, Hebei Province) in the west and Liyangcang (now southwest of Xunxian County, Henan Province) in the south". According to his suggestion, Wagangjun quickly seized Liyang Cang, and together with the three granaries of Luokou Cang, Huiluo Cang and Sui in the Central Plains that were previously seized, they have all been controlled by Wagangjun. In this way, Sui Jun fell into the predicament of food shortage, which naturally solved the problem of food supply for the insurgents. In addition, they also opened warehouses for relief, which expanded the influence of Wagang Army and strengthened the uprising team. Most of the insurgents in Henan joined the Wagang Army. Shi Biao admired Wei Zhi very much, so he called him to join the army as a literary officer in Marshal's Office, in charge of military literature.
When Wang, a general of the Sui Dynasty, led his troops to Luoyang to fight against the insurgents, he was very aware of the problems existing in the insurgents. He took the initiative to remonstrate and said: Although the rebels won a great victory, they suffered heavy casualties, and the military expenditure was also very tight, and the rewards and punishments were uneven. We should not fight hard with Sui Jun. We must wait for the enemy to run out of food and retreat before pursuing, and we will surely win. But Shi Biao didn't listen to the correct opinion and was caught off guard by Wang's gunfire. As a result, the wagang army was completely annihilated. Later, Shi Biao surrendered to Tang Gaozu, and Wei Zhi followed suit.
Wei Zhi went down to the Tang Dynasty with Shi Biao and volunteered to appease the Shandong area. He was promoted to secretary cheng. Wei Zhi thought that Li Tang had a bright future, so he volunteered to recruit Shi Biao's aides.
At that time, Li Xun, a general of Shi Biao, was still protecting Li Yang for Shi Biao. Wei Zhi wrote to him and said, "At the beginning, Gong Wei rose up and rebelled, shouting loudly and responding from all directions. There are hundreds of thousands of people under his command, and his influence is half the size of China. However, once he failed, he could never get up again, and finally joined the Tang Dynasty, so he knew that his fate belonged to him. Now, you are in a battleground for military strategists. If you don't make plans early, that big event will be irreparable! " Li remembered this letter, and finally decided to join the Tang Dynasty, and gave food to the army of King Huai 'an of Tang Dynasty. At the same time, Wei Zhi also persuaded Yuan Bao to submit to the Tang Dynasty, which contributed to the unification of the Tang Dynasty.
Later, Shi Biao rebelled and wanted to call the old staff to come again, but he was quickly defeated and killed. Wei Zhi, with the consent of Tang Gaozu, buried Shi Biao with the gift of the monarch, and wrote Shi Biao as Xiang Yu in the inscription, not afraid of Tang Gaozu's investigation. Li Mi's description is also realistic. His spirit was praised by contemporary and later generations. Therefore, he was not accused of surrendering to Li Tang.
6 19 10. Before Wei Zhi returned to Chang 'an, Dou Jiande, Hebei Province captured Liyang, captured Wei Zhi and made him a living shed. Wei Zhi did a good job.
In the fourth year of Wude, Dou Jiande was defeated by Li Shimin in Wulongguan, and Wei Zhi and Pei Juxi withdrew. Tang Taizi Li recognized his talents and made him a prince. He washed horses in the East Palace and was in charge of the scriptures.
Wude five years, Hebei Liu Heikuo set out again. 10, Li Yuanji sent troops to Hebei and was defeated by Liu Jun. 1 1 month, Prince Li asked to pacify Hebei. He adopted Wei Zhi's suggestion, using people's peace of mind to release prisoners, moving people with emotion and convincing people with reason. It didn't take much effort to pacify Hebei and stabilize Tang's rule in Hebei and Shandong. In his trip to Hebei with Li, he showed superhuman talents and attracted the attention of the rulers, and at this time he began to pay attention.
Kevin·Z saw that Li Shimin, the king of Qin, was very successful. He secretly persuaded the prince to take countermeasures as early as possible, but Li couldn't make up his mind.
On June 4th, the ninth year of Wude, Li Shimin, king of Qin, pre-emptively launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident, killing Prince Li and Li Yuanji, king of Qi. Later, the king of Qin asked Wei Zhi, "Why did you let our brothers kill each other?" Wei Zhi was not nervous and said calmly, "If the prince had listened to Wei Zhi, he would not have died in today's disaster." Li Shimin attached importance to Wei Zhi's outspokenness and didn't resent him. After Li Shimin acceded to the throne, he worshipped Wei Zhi as an admonition doctor and made Julu County Duke.
At this time, the people who followed Wang in Hebei felt unsafe and often hid in groups to make trouble. Wei Zhi said to Emperor Taizong: "If you don't show the world that the son of heaven is selfless, the disaster can't be lifted." Taizong said, "You should appease and enlighten the people of Hebei." On the way to Hebei, Wei Zhi met Li Zhi An, prince of Niu Qian, and Li Sixing, a bodyguard sent to the capital by Yuanji House of Qi King. He said: "It happened that there was an imperial decree, and the old people in the former East Palace and Qi were exempted from punishment. Now they want to send Zhi 'an and others away. Who doesn't doubt? Although we go to convey the will of the son of heaven, people will not believe us. He immediately pardoned Zhi 'an and others, and then reported to the emperor. Emperor Taizong was very happy when he came back from the mission. He became increasingly close to Wei Zhi, worshipped him as a passer-by, and stayed with Taizong to "participate in politics" and became one of the most important officials of Taizong. In the seventh year of Zhenguan, Wei Zhi implored Emperor Taizong to be relieved of his post as assistant minister, on the grounds that he was loyal, studious and often overworked. However, Tang Taizong repeatedly retained him, but he insisted on resigning and was appointed as Tejin. He still participated in the affairs of the provincial government and became an official consultant until his death.
Wei Zhi is not only valued for his advice, but also has some opinions and suggestions on politics and the strategy of governing the country.
Politically, he advocated appeasement rather than repression. In the general plan of governing the country, it advocates light taxation. In the overall strategy of governing the country, especially after the chaos, it is advocated that it should be fast rather than slow. In law enforcement, Wei Zhi advocates leniency and transparency. Oppose ruthless laws. He also advocated winning the trust of the people.
Therefore, Li Shimin admires Wei Zhi very much and promotes him as a consultant doctor, which is exactly what he has. Often introduced into the palace to ask about political gains and losses. Kevin·Z likes to be the master of every intimate friend, helping him wholeheartedly, knowing everything and talking about everything. Coupled with his honest and frank personality, he often argued and never compromised. On one occasion, Emperor Taizong once asked Wei Zhi, "What kind of emperor is a wise king and what kind of emperor is a bad king?" Wei Zhi replied, "If the emperor is a wise king, then he can listen to everything. If he is a bad king, he will only listen to the flattery of some treacherous court officials. In the past, Qin Ershi lived in the palace, but he didn't see the minister. He just trusted eunuch Zhao Gao and was kept in the dark until after the chaos. Emperor Yang Di believed in Historical Records, and many counties and counties in the world fell. I don't know. " Taizong deeply agreed with this statement.
In the first year of Zhenguan, Wei Zhi was promoted to Zuo Cheng as prime minister. At this time, someone told him to promote his relatives to be officials privately. Emperor Taizong immediately sent an ancient imperial doctor, Wen Yanbo, to investigate the matter. As a result, there was no evidence, which was a false accusation. However, Emperor Taizong sent someone to tell Wei Zhi: "Stay away from suspicion in the future and don't create such incidents again." Wei Zhi retorted to his face: "The monarch and his subjects should help each other, and we should become one. If you can't do things impartially, but you are afraid of others gossiping, then the prosperity or demise of the country is really impossible. "
At this time, Wei Zhi famously said that Emperor Taizong should be a good minister rather than a loyal minister. Emperor Taizong asked what was the difference between a loyal minister and a good minister. Wei Zhi replied: "Make yourself justified, make the monarch a wise king, and your descendants have no boundaries, so you are a good minister;" Killing yourself, turning the monarch into a tyrant, losing his home and country, is a loyal minister in name only. In this respect, the two are far from each other. " Emperor Taizong was deeply moved after hearing this.
In 628, Wei Zhi was appointed as the secretariat, in charge of state affairs. Soon, I heard that an official surnamed Zheng had a daughter, who was only 16 or 17 years old, and was unique in Beijing. He told Emperor Taizong to take him into the palace as a concubine. Emperor Taizong made a letter to accept this daughter as his concubine. Wei Zhi heard that this woman had been betrothed to the Lujia, and immediately went to the palace to remonstrate: "Your Majesty is a parent and cares about the people, so you should worry about their worries and enjoy them. Living in a palace, we should think that all people have the safety of their houses; Eating delicacies, we should think that the people are free from hunger and cold; When concubines are in the courtyard, you should think that they are happy with their families. Now Zheng Min's daughter has been betrothed to Lujia. Your majesty took her into the palace without asking in detail. If the rumor gets out, is it for the parents of the people? " Emperor Taizong was taken aback. He immediately said he didn't know and apologized to Wei Zhi. Decided to get it back. However, Fang and others believe that the promise of the Zheng family is false and insist on the validity of the imperial edict. Lujia also sent someone to hand in the form, indicating that although there were wealth exchanges before, they were not engaged. At this time, emperor Taizong with a grain of salt, and called Wei Zhi to ask. He said bluntly, "The Lu family refused to admit it because they were afraid that your majesty would use it to harm him in the future. The reason is clear. Not surprising. " Emperor Taizong suddenly realized this and resolutely withdrew the imperial edict.
Because Wei Zhi was able to protest face to face, even if Emperor Taizong was furious, he dared to argue face to face and never gave in. Therefore, Emperor Taizong sometimes felt awe of him. On one occasion, Emperor Taizong wanted to go hunting in Qinling for fun, and all his luggage was ready, but he couldn't make it. Later, when Kevin·Z asked about this matter, Taizong replied with a smile: "I did have this idea at the beginning, but I was afraid that you would say it again, so I soon gave up this idea." On another occasion, Emperor Taizong got a good kite and carried it on his shoulder. He was very proud. But when he saw Wei Zhi coming towards him from a distance, he quickly hid the bird in his arms. Wei Zhi deliberately played for a long time, causing the kite to suffocate in his arms.
In the sixth year of Zhenguan, the ministers invited Taizong to meditate on Mount Tai. In order to show off achievements and national prosperity, only Wei Zhi objected. Emperor Taizong was surprised, so he asked Wei Zhi, "You don't advocate meditation. Do you think that my contribution is not high, my virtue is disrespectful, China is uneasy, my four foreigners are not convinced, my harvest is not abundant, and my good luck has not yet arrived? " Wei Zhi replied: "Your Majesty has the above-mentioned Liu De, but since the chaos in the world at the end of Sui Dynasty, the registered permanent residence has not been restored until now, and the warehouse is still empty. Driving here and there and riding thousands of miles is expensive, which is unbearable for the people along the way. Besides, your meditation is bound to be a gathering of all nations, and Yuanjun will also be a squire. Nowadays, the Central Plains is vast and sparsely populated, and there are many shrubs. When ambassadors of all countries and commanders in Yuan Yi see that China is so weak, won't they feel contempt? If the reward is not good, it will not satisfy the desires of these distant people; Exempting and taxing taxes is far from rewarding people's expenses. Why does your majesty want to do such a thing that only seeks fame and really hurts people? " Soon, when floods broke out in several States in the Central Plains, the matter of Guan Chan stopped.
In 633, Kevin·Z replaced Wang Jue as an assistant. At the end of the same year, Huangfu Deshen, the county magistrate of Zhongmu, wrote to Emperor Taizong: "The people are very bitter in building Luoyang Palace; And the rent is too much; Women like to comb their hair in a high bun, which is changed by the palace. " Emperor Taizong was very angry after receiving the letter and said to the prime ministers, "Deccan wants the country not to serve one person and not to collect land rent. The rich have no money, which is exactly what he wants." And he wants to cure Huang Desheng of libel. Wei Zhi remonstrated, saying, "Since ancient times, the writing style has not been extreme, and it has not touched people's hearts. The so-called madman's words, saints choose good and follow. Please think about this truth. " Finally, he stressed: "Your Majesty doesn't like to hear the truth recently, but he is not as open-minded and natural as before." Emperor Taizong felt that Wei Zhi had a point, so he turned anger into joy. Instead of punishing Huang, he promoted him to supervise the empire.
In 636 AD, in the tenth year of Zhenguan, Wei Zhi was ordered to preside over the compilation of Sui Shu, Zhou Shu, Liang Shu, Shaanxi Shu and Shu Qi (known as the history of the Five Dynasties), which lasted for seven years. Among them, the prefaces of Sui Shu, Liang Shu, Chen Shu and Shu Qi were all written by Zheng Wei, and they were praised as "good history". In June of the same year, Wei Zhi, who suffered from eye diseases, asked to remove his assistant. Although Emperor Taizong appointed him full-time, he still put him in charge of provincial affairs, and his salary, rewards and other benefits were exactly the same as those of officials.
In the twelfth year of Zhenguan, Wei Zhi saw that Emperor Taizong was getting lazy, lazy in politics and pursuing extravagance, so he played the famous "Ten Gradually Can't Stop Diligence" and listed ten changes in his political attitude from the time he ascended the throne to the present. He also wrote ten thoughts to Emperor Taizong, that is, "When you see what you want, you will think of contentment, when you are happy, you will think of Zhi Zhi, when you are at high risk, you will think of humility, when you are profitable, you will think of future troubles, when you are prevented from embracing evil, you will think of yourself, when you are rewarded, you will think of shielding because of joy, and when you are punished, you will think of being abused because of anger."
In the sixteenth year of Zhenguan, Wei Zhi was ill in bed. Wei Zhi was thrifty all his life and had no family to stay overnight. Emperor Taizong immediately ordered that all materials for building a small hall for himself should be used to build a big house for Kevin·Z. Soon, Wei Zhi died at home. Taizong personally mourned, tears streaming down his face, and said, "My husband can dress himself with steel as a mirror; Taking history as a mirror, we can know the rise and fall; Take people as a mirror, you can know the gains and losses. I have kept these three mirrors in case I miss them. Today, Wei Zhi's sister died, so she died in the mirror. "
When we look at literature and history materials, we can't just see superficial things. Wei Zhi is a famous minister, and he holds a high position among ministers. However, we can also find a problem from the article, that is, it makes sense for Emperor Taizong to follow what Wei Zhi said, and if we change the angle and replace Emperor Taizong with another emperor, then Wei Zhi will not have so many opportunities to display his talents. The reason why Zheng Wei became a generation of remonstrators has a lot to do with the reputation of Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong. Behind Li Shimin's becoming a hero, we should see Wei Zheng and other loyal ministers. While lamenting Wei Zhi's outspokenness, we should also be glad that Wei Zhi met a generation of heroes.