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Second place: The Great Wall of the Tang Dynasty - Li Ji

Li Ji's original name was Xu Shiji. He was given the surname Li because of his merits and changed his name to Li Shiji. Later, in order to avoid the taboo of Li Shimin, he changed his name to Li Ji. His three names corresponded to the three stages of his life.

Li Ji was born in a wealthy family and was the prototype of Xu Maogong in the Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties. In his early years, he defected to Wagang and killed Zhang Xutuo, a famous general of the Sui Dynasty, by luring the enemy deep into his territory, which made him famous.

Later, he followed Li Mi to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. He experienced three dynasties of Tang Gaozu, Tang Taizong and Tang Gaozong in his lifetime, and was deeply trusted by the court.

He successively pacified Xueyantuo, DTZ, etc., and made outstanding contributions. He was regarded as a pillar of support by the court and was called together with Li Jing, Duke of Wei. After his death, he was listed as one of the twenty-four meritorious officials in Lingyan Pavilion and became one of the ten sages in the Temple of Martial Arts.

Third place: Zhang Liang

Zhang Liang was born in a poor family and made a living by farming. Later, he went to Wagang and was not valued at first. Later, because of his merit in informing on others, he was appointed General of Cavalry and served under Li Ji, becoming Li Ji's younger brother. Later, he followed Li Ji to surrender to the Tang Dynasty and was appreciated by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, which was considered a "heartless" act.

It is undeniable that luck is also a part of strength. Although Zhang Liang did not have any major achievements in his life, and even fled from the battlefield many times, he relied on the two "attribute bonuses" of informing and luck, plus his excellent intelligence work ability, to thrive in the Tang Dynasty. In his later years, because of feudal superstition and adopting 500 adopted sons, he was reported for treason and was eventually beheaded in Xishi.

In the final ranking of meritorious officials, Zhang Liang's position was not only higher than his old boss Li Ji, but even surpassed Hou Junji, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao and other powerful generals, ranking 16th in the Lingyan Pavilion.

Fourth place: Gate God Qin Qiong

Qin Qiong, courtesy name Shubao, was called "Little Mengchang" in "The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties". In the official history, Qin Qiong was good at using horse lance and was extremely brave and could be called a fierce general at that time. In his early years, he served under Bai Huer, Zhang Xutuo, and Pei Renji, and later followed Pei Renji to surrender to Wagang.

After Li Mi was defeated, Qin Qiong defected to Wang Shichong and was appointed General Longxiang. However, because he was dissatisfied with Wang Shichong's suspicion, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty when the two armies faced off.

Afterwards, Qin Qiong followed Li Shimin in his campaigns. In the Battle of Meiliangchuan, he staged a "door god duel" and defeated another fierce general, Yuchi Jingde.

According to historical records, whenever there was a general challenging the enemy, Li Shimin would send Qin Qiong to fight, and he would often single-handedly kill the enemy generals among the crowd. After his death, Qin Qiong was listed among the 24 heroes in Lingyan Pavilion, and was revered as a "door god" together with Yuchi Jingde by later generations.

Fifth place: Hu general Cheng Yaojin

Cheng Yaojin, whose original name was Cheng Zhijie and later changed his name to Cheng Zhijie, is the prototype of the character called "the devil of the world" in "The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties". He was extremely brave and good at using horse lance. After joining Wagang, he became one of the "Four Hussars" under Li Mi and led 8000 cavalrymen. Li Mi once praised these 8000 people as being equal to a million troops.

In the Battle of Beimang Mountain, Cheng Yaojin rushed to the rescue and saved Pei Renji from the army. After Li Mi was defeated, Cheng Yaojin was suspected by Wang Shichong and turned to the light to serve the Tang Dynasty.

After that, he followed Li Shimin in the expedition and defeated Song Jingang, Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong successively. Whenever he went on an expedition, he often took the lead and was listed as one of the 24 heroes in Lingyan Pavilion after his death.

6th place: Flying General Shan Xiongxin

Shan Xiongxin is known as "Little Guan Yu of Loyalty" in "The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties". In official history, Shan Xiongxin was extremely brave, good at using horse lance, and a famous flying general.

He was a good friend of Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin and others, and they regarded each other as life and death, and they went to Wagang together. After Li Mi was defeated, Shan Xiongxin went to Wang Shichong and was named a general.

When attacking Luoyang, Shan Xiongxin rode his horse and held his spear, almost capturing and killing Li Shimin, but was stopped by Li Jing and retreated. Later, Shan Xiongxin was defeated and captured, Li Shimin refused his plea, and Shan Xiongxin then died bravely.

Seventh place: Pei Xingyan, the enemy of ten thousand people

Pei Xingyan, born in the Hedong Pei family, a prominent family in the late Sui Dynasty, is the prototype of Pei Yuanqing in "The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties". He is brave and good at fighting, and is known as "a match for ten thousand men". Although there are many fierce generals in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, only a few can truly be called "a match for ten thousand men".

In his early years, Pei Xingyan served under the command of Zhang Xutuo, a famous general of the Sui Dynasty. Later, he joined the Wagang and then Wang Shichong. Because of Wang Shichong's suspicion, he plotted a coup and was executed along with his entire clan. Pei Xingyan escaped by chance and later became a famous general of the Tang Dynasty.

Eighth place: Young warrior Luo Shixin

Luo Shixin is the prototype of "Cold-faced and Cold-gunned Luo Cheng" in "The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties". In the official history, Luo Shixin and Qin Qiong were fellow villagers. He once fought under Zhang Xutuo and was extremely brave and famous for fighting tough battles.

After Zhang Xutuo was killed, Luo Shixin followed Pei Renji to surrender to Wagang. After Li Mi was defeated, Luo Shixin was injured and captured while trying to break out. He led his troops to return to Tang because he was ashamed of Wang Shichong.

After that, Luo Shixin performed well in the campaigns against Wang Shichong and Liu Heita. In the Battle of Mingshui, Luo Shixin was outnumbered and died in the city. He was only 23 years old. Li Shimin was very sad and paid a large sum of money to redeem his body and buried it in Beimang Mountain.

Ninth place: Low-key and brave general Niu Jinda

Niu Jinda is the prototype of You Junda in "The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties". In the official history, Niu Jinda participated in the Wagang Uprising in his early years, and later became a subordinate of Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin. After Li Mi was defeated, Niu Jinda, Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin surrendered to Wang Shichong, and then surrendered to Li Tang.

Niu Jinda became Li Shimin's trusted general in the Qin Palace together with Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong and others. He made great achievements in the campaigns of conquering Tubo, pacifying Gaochang, resisting the Turks, conquering Goguryeo, etc. After his death, he was posthumously awarded the title of General of the Left Guard and Governor of Youzhou, and his status was even higher than Xue Rengui.

10th place: Rebel general Wang Junkuo

Wang Junkuo is called "Big Knife Wang Junke" in "The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties", and is the character with the biggest contrast between the interpretation and the official history. In "The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties", he is portrayed as a character similar to Guan Yu, but in the official history, he is the most despicable and shameless villain.

Wang Junkuo gathered a group of people to become a bandit in his early years. Later, he went to Wagang but was not valued. After he joined the Tang Dynasty, he followed Li Shimin to fight everywhere, pacified Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong, and defeated the Turks, making many military achievements. Li Yuan once praised him for "defeating ten thousand bandits with thirteen people, which has never happened since ancient times that a few can defeat a large number."

After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Wang Junkuo instigated Lujiang Prince Li Yuan to rebel, and then killed him, becoming a "hero who suppressed the rebellion." However, he later became arrogant and lawless, and fled to the Turks out of fear of punishment, where he was killed on the way.

[The most powerful prime minister in the Tang Dynasty who can be compared with Zhang Liang, the first counselor in the middle Tang Dynasty, historical trivia, Tang Dynasty]

He was the most powerful prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, comparable to Zhang Liang. He assisted four generations of emperors throughout his life and saved the Tang Dynasty from danger many times. He devoted himself to his work and was indifferent to fame and fortune, becoming the first person with the best character after Zhuge Kongming.

However, he admired Laozi and Zhuangzi all his life, and was despised and belittled by later Confucianists. He was Li Mi, the "immortal prime minister" of the Tang Dynasty.

Speaking of Li Mi, he is the prototype of Li Bi, the protagonist played by Yi Yang Qianxi in the hit drama "The Longest Day in Chang'an". In the drama, Li Bi left a deep impression on the audience with his meticulous and decisive image.

However, compared with the characters in the play, the historical Li Mi is a legend through the ages. If Guo Ziyi rebuilt the Tang Dynasty, then Li Mi continued the life of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Mi was born into a prominent family, a descendant of the Guanlong family, and was related to Li Jing, a famous general in the late Sui Dynasty. Their ancestors all belonged to the top aristocratic circle in the Guanlong area. His superior family background gave him the opportunity to communicate with top people from an early age.

When Li Mi was young, he was known as a child prodigy. When Emperor Xuanzong heard about this, he was very curious and summoned him to examine him in person. The examiner was the famous prime minister Zhang Shuo, who asked questions based on a chess game: "Square like a chessboard, round like chess pieces, moving like life, still like death."

The young prodigy Li Mi was asked to explain the philosophy. Li Mi answered casually: "Be square to practice righteousness, be round to use wisdom, be active to make a living, and be quiet to keep safe." He understood the mysteries of life at such a young age. After hearing this, Emperor Xuanzong praised him highly, rewarded him and asked his family to raise him well.

From then on, Li Mi's name as a child prodigy spread throughout the Tang Dynasty, and many celebrities took the initiative to "compliment" him. For example, Zhang Jiuling often called him "little friend", and He Zhizhang predicted that he would become a famous person in the future.

As an adult, Li Mi read widely and admired Taoism, especially Laozi. He often traveled to famous mountains and rivers, looking for immortals and Taoism, hoping to find a way to become an immortal. From then on, cultivating to become an immortal became his life pursuit.

It was not until the Tianbao period that Li Mi wrote a letter discussing political affairs in Songshan Mountain. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang remembered this smart child and made him the prince's companion. However, because Li Mi hated evil and wrote poems to ridicule Yang Guozhong and others, he was demoted to Qichun.

Soon, in order to avoid Yang Guozhong's revenge, he lived in seclusion in a famous mountain and concentrated on studying the way to become an immortal. As the saying goes, "A blessing in disguise", the Anshi Rebellion broke out soon, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled Chang'an to Sichuan in a hurry.

On the way, a military mutiny broke out at Mawei Slope. Crown Prince Li Heng set up a new government and ascended the throne in Lingwu, Gansu. He forced Emperor Xuanzong to retire early and became the emperor emeritus, known in history as Emperor Suzong of Tang.

At this time, Tang Suzong was just a makeshift team with no money, no soldiers, and no talents. He needed more people. So he remembered his childhood study partner Li Mi and sent someone to summon him back to the court.

As a descendant of a famous family, Li Mi naturally had a strong sense of family and country. Seeing the emperor of the Central Plains flee, he was filled with grief and indignation. Even though he had retired to the mountains, this was not his life ambition.

As he wrote in a poem before he went out of the mountains for the first time: "Please look at the events of a hundred years, and there is still the heart of Fan Li in a small boat." What he pursued was to retire after achieving success like Fan Li and Zhang Liang.

After Li Mi returned to Lingwu, Emperor Suzong of Tang personally stepped down to greet him, giving him enough face. Before Li Mi made his remonstrance, Emperor Suzong of Tang was in a low mood because of the heavy losses he suffered in his haste to quell the rebellion.

From then on, the ministers discovered that the emperor had a wise counselor who was used to wearing white clothes by his side, and the emperor's spirit was also refreshed.

After the two met, Li Mi systematically analyzed the world situation and the key to the revival of the Tang Dynasty for Emperor Suzong of Tang, and formulated a strategy to ensure that the Anshi rebels would die without a burial place.

He proposed: "A king's army must be fully prepared, so that there will be no future troubles and there will be no invaders within two years." Li Mi pointed out that the rebels liked to plunder and had no ambitions, and had no motivation to continue fighting.

He believed that it would take about two years to quell the rebellion, and the key was not to rush. Tactically, Li Mi formulated the "Three-place Near Four-Strong Strategy", which was to lock down the four powerful generals of the rebels in Fanyang, Chang'an, and Changshan.

His strategy was to trade time for space, gradually shrink the rebels' sphere of influence, and make the rebels run around on the long front from Fan Yang to Chang'an.

As the saying goes, "cripple their edge and resolve their conflicts", the Tang army quickly gained the upper hand relying on this strategy, which also made Emperor Suzong of Tang want to recover the two capitals as soon as possible.

However, Li Mi believed that if the Tang army focused its main energy on recovering the two capitals, the rebels left behind in Hebei would have enough time and space to recuperate, and even the exhausted Tang army would find it difficult to cope with them.

Unfortunately, Emperor Suzong of Tang was eager for quick success and did not follow Li Mi's advice, which led to the failure to completely clear up Hebei and laid the groundwork for the disaster of the feudal lords in the Tang Dynasty. Whenever later generations see this, they can't help but sigh.

After the two capitals were recovered, Li Mi took the initiative to retire to the mountains and forests when he saw that the rebellion had been put down. Buddhism says that attachment is like an abyss. Once you are involved in fame and fortune, how many people can remain indifferent? Li Mi, like Zhang Liang of the Han Dynasty, retired at the height of his career and hid his achievements and fame.

With the deaths of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Emperor Suzong of Tang, the newly enthroned Emperor Daizong of Tang, Li Yu, had a deep friendship with Li Mi. In addition, the country was in a turbulent period, so he summoned Li Mi to the court.

The two had a good relationship when they were suppressing the Anshi Rebellion. Emperor Daizong of Tang had high expectations for Li Mi and hoped that he could assist him in reviving the Tang Dynasty.

However, the court at that time was full of factions, and most of the important officials in the court were corrupt. Ministers represented by Prime Minister Yuan Zai repeatedly excluded Li Mi.

During the reign of Emperor Daizong of Tang, Li Mi was expelled from the capital twice and was unable to exert his influence in the court. Emperor Daizong was not unaware of this, but he had no choice but to let Li Mi temporarily leave the central government. This absence lasted for 17 years during the reign of Emperor Daizong of Tang.

In the 779th year of the Dali Period (), Emperor Daizong of Tang died and the crown prince Li Shi ascended the throne as Emperor Dezong of Tang. Emperor Dezong of Tang was an emperor who wanted to make a difference. In the early days of his reign, he devoted himself to public service and appointed talented people, which led to signs of revival.

However, his stubbornness and impatience led to the Jingyuan Rebellion. Emperor Dezong fled in a hurry. In the face of the critical situation, he remembered Li Mi, who had helped his grandfather to support the country, and quickly sent someone to summon him to meet him.

Although Li Mi was over 60 years old at this time, his strategy was still as strong as before.

Li Mi was in charge of government affairs during the reign of Emperor Dezong for only a short period of one and a half years, but he did many things of great significance. He resisted the powerful vassal states externally and worked hard to improve the military and political affairs internally.

He single-handedly resolved the Shanzhou rebellion without a single soldier, saved the meritorious generals Li Sheng and Ma Sui, and stabilized the people's hearts. He also formulated the Beishou Nangong strategy to unite the Huihe, Yunnan, Dashi, and Tianzhu.

As the saying goes, "He who does not plan for eternity is not qualified to plan for the moment; he who does not plan for the overall situation is not qualified to plan for a region." It was Li Mi's foresight that made the Tibetans, a major threat to the Tang Dynasty, increasingly weak in Hebei many years later.

With the external pressure reduced, the Tang Dynasty quickly embarked on the road to rejuvenation. However, few people knew at that time that all this was due to a plan set up in advance by a strange man.