History, although it is some past events that have happened, has long since disappeared with the wind, but it has a vital role and influence on every fresh individual life living today. Human beings did not descend from the sky out of thin air, but developed and evolved step by step from ancient times.It is no exaggeration to say that every major event and every important turning point in history, no matter how long ago, is more or less, more or less deep or shallow, more or less thick or weak, or implicit or obvious, in the development process of human society. A certain imprint was engraved on it.History is like a long river invisible to the naked eye, no matter whether we admit it or not, in short, from the moment we were born, we "involuntarily" fell into it, fell into it, and blended into it.

History "lives" in the reality we live in, and reality is the condensation and extension of history.The result of historical accumulation is culture, which endows human beings with language, customs, beliefs, tools and other aspects of behavior and life content.In other words, we are born out of history, and since the first long cry, there has been a pair of invisible "hands of God" that have regulated our lives to some extent.Therefore, every historical stage that has disappeared contains quite dense and rich information and connotations. The value and significance of these information and connotations to us today cannot be overstated.Mr. Lu Xun once said: "The soul of China is written in history, indicating the future destiny."

Although everything that has happened is irreversible, and despite the profound influence of history, it does not mean that we can only teeter and dance under the shadow and fate of history wearing heavy shackles, but that we can give full play to the subjective initiative and inner strength of human beings. Potential, take history as a mirror, and create a new history that surpasses the past.Therefore, a correct understanding of history is particularly important for us who live today. When people talk about history, they often make many hypotheses: If such and such a person did not appear, if such and such an event did not happen, if history took a slight turn in the other direction, then what would our reality be like today? ?

In fact, all these assumptions are historical contingencies.History happens to be manifested through certain spokesmen, and these spokesmen are the strong men of mankind, the wavers of history—great men, heroes and heroes. Through the complicated and accidental surface, there is a clear and visible thread running through the inside of history, a very meaningful law-this is the inevitability of history! The combination of chance and necessity makes history show its vast ocean and colorfulness. Based on the above knowledge, I started the conception and creation of a book. After combing through the voluminous ancient Chinese history, I selected eleven scholars who have played a decisive role in Chinese philosophy, thought, culture, politics, economy, military affairs, system, etc. from the perspective of "changing history". Typical figures with great influence and great influence: Zhou Wenwang, Lu Buwei, Qin Shihuang, Liu Bang, Dong Zhongshu, Cao Cao, Tuobahong, Li Shimin, Zhao Kuangyin, Zhu Yuanzhang, Wu Sangui.In my eyes, they are all "spokespersons" chosen by "God". It is through them that the loud and invisible God turns the wheel of history, which not only determines the destiny of the nation, but also changes the fate of the nation. Yesterday and today in history will continue to affect China's future and future.

I will restore the selected eleven historical figures to the complex and diverse historical stage at that time, and place them in the long history and vast historical space of the entire human being. Complicated mentality, personality strength, wisdom experience, merits and demerits, historical influence, etc. are observed, compared and studied through perspective. This is a job that seems simple but is actually quite arduous. It not only requires reading, studying, and mastering a large amount of historical materials, but also has rich knowledge in multiple disciplines and fields such as philosophy, politics, economics, culture, military affairs, and law; In addition to the vertical description, it is necessary to make a horizontal comparison between China and the West; and the most important thing is that most of these spokespersons are top figures in Chinese history, and their deeds are familiar to people today. Not only can I not repeat the words of my predecessors, but I must have a unique description and profound insights that surpass others.

I selected eleven ancient historical figures not simply to describe these prominent historical individuals, but to use them as a carrier to describe and reflect on all aspects of Chinese history. Based on King Wen of Zhou and his deduced "Book of Changes", I discuss the source of Chinese culture. It is a thin volume of "Book of Changes", which changed the development track of ancient culture and influenced our cultural matrix today; taking Qin Shihuang as a clue , focusing on his establishment and effect on China's feudal autocratic regime; starting with Liu Bang's victory, describing how his rogue behavior and soft policy rose to the mainstream discourse of the nation; Starting with discussing how cultural dictatorship colluded with political dictatorship, and cruelly strangled national passion, vitality, wisdom, and creation; taking the opportunity of Emperor Xiaowen Tuobahong's active acceptance of the advanced culture of the Central Plains, he discussed the exchange and integration between nations and the The awe-inspiring internal assimilation and cohesion, even the most distinctive and difficult to assimilate Gypsies and Jews in the world, can also make them integrate with Han farming culture like raindrops falling into the desert; through Tang Emperor Taizong's description of the "Government of Zhenguan", the pinnacle of the feudal rule of man, explores whether China's soil can spontaneously give birth to the rule of law in the modern sense, and whether the foreign seedlings of the rule of law can be transplanted and grow into towering trees; The overwhelmed burden of ascension to the throne unfolds his brushstrokes, seeking why the military in the Northern Song Dynasty made mistakes again and again, which led to the poverty and weakness of the Central Plains, and became a vast battlefield for ethnic minorities to compete for success; The agricultural method governs the country, curbs the seedlings of the commodity economy, and agriculturalizes the whole of China, making the ancient society more solidified and stagnant, in stark contrast to the West at the same time...

Occasionally plays a very important role in the historical process, but the historical inevitability determined by the environment, climate, race, and era is like a red thread, which always runs through the ancient and modern history so prominently, regardless of personal will. Moving forward in a spiral state.The Chinese civilization developed itself in a relatively closed environment, forming a unique Asian civilization system, which is completely different from the Western civilization with ancient Greece as its source.Its advantages and disadvantages are also displayed in front of readers in the vertical and horizontal comparison between ancient and modern times, China and the West.

In the specific creation, I try my best to refer to the Enlightenment Thoughts from the West, connect history and reality, open up the connection and channel between literature, history, and philosophy, use history and historical figures as the carrier, and use philosophical thinking to examine Reflection, depicting and reappearing in a literary way, melts the thickness of history, the agility of literature, and philosophical thinking into one furnace. It is not an academic treatise, but a series of cultural and historical essays, suitable for readers of different cultural levels.Readers with a lower level can learn about historical figures and stories, and gain a certain knowledge of ancient Chinese history; How the "hand of God" is the blade of history, thus determining the development and destiny of the Chinese nation and other major propositions, has gained a clearer understanding and inspiration.

"There are so many things that have risen and fallen through the ages, and the endless flow of the Yangtze River." Under the control of a pair of invisible "hands of God", the turntable of history is constantly turning and spinning through the "heroes" like a lantern, and it has been turned to today.The earth-shaking political events and all-powerful heroes have long been turned into clouds of smoke and disappeared into the depths of history, just like huge bleeding wounds, no matter how big they are, they can be stitched and healed by time.The great damage is gone, but the scars remain forever.These scars are the traditional culture accumulated and condensed from generation to generation. They form a kind of national subconsciousness and collective unconsciousness that continue to act on history and affect today. daily life and personal beliefs.

Looking back at history is to live a more sober life, studying history is to change a passive life into an active "attack", and reflecting on history is to create a better future.If one day, the law of historical development and objectiveness must be fully understood and grasped by human beings, so that the optimal time, the best person, the best path and other mobile and variable accidental factors can be selected according to the ideal model recognized by people. To change and create, what kind of light and splendor should the human society be at that time?