Chapter 23 2. The prince finally became the emperor
On June 15th of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756), after Yang Guifei was hanged to death, Xuanzong was about to set off from Mawei Station.At this time, only Wei Jiansu was the only minister accompanying him, and the rest were missing.Xuanzong was very sad, so he appointed Wei Er, the son of Wei Jiansu, as Yushi Zhongcheng and concurrently as Zhidun envoy.However, the accompanying personnel disagreed about where to go.Most of the soldiers said: "Yang Guozhong was killed for rebellion, and his subordinates and cronies are all in Shu, so they cannot take refuge there." Some suggested going to Taiyuan, some suggested going to Longyou, some suggested going to Shuofang, and some asked to go back. capital.The public says that the public is right, and the mother-in-law says that the mother-in-law is right, and there are conflicts between left and right.
Xuanzong wanted to go to Shuzhong, but he was afraid of going against the will of the people, so he kept silent.Wei Er said: "If you want to return to the capital, you must have enough troops to resist the rebels. Now that the troops are weak, don't go back easily. It is better to go to Fufeng County temporarily, and then slowly consider where to go." Xuanzong asked for everyone's opinions, and everyone Agree to go to Fufeng.
Only Gao Lishi knew Xuanzong's mind best. He analyzed to everyone: "Sichuan is small, but it has a large population, rich products, interdependent mountains and rivers, and internal and external dangers. I think it is the best policy to go to Sichuan." Xuanzong expressed his approval.So, I decided to take a break in Fufeng and continue southward to Sichuan.
When it was time to set off, the local folks were worried that the emperor would never return and would throw them to the rebels, so they blocked the road collectively and asked Xuanzong to stay.And said earnestly: "The palace, your majesty's home, the mausoleum, your majesty's tomb, what do you want to do without this?" ("Zizhi Tongjian Volume 218") means: the majestic and magnificent palace Your Majesty's family, the cemetery of those ancestors are the burial places of His Majesty's ancestors, and now they are all abandoned, where do you want to go?
These words were quite tragic. Although Xuanzong rode on the horse without saying a word, he stayed in place for a long time.From this, it can be seen that his heart was strongly shocked.After a long time, Xuanzong ordered Prince Li Heng to stay behind to comfort these fathers and villagers.Seeing that Xuanzong insisted on going west, the people kowtowed to Prince Li Heng and wept: "Since the emperor does not want to stay, we are willing to lead our children to follow His Highness to fight against the rebels eastward and regain Chang'an. If His Highness and the Emperor both flee to the middle of Shu, then Who will be the master for the people of the Central Plains?" After hearing the news, thousands of people rushed to the prince, and they begged the prince Li Heng to stay.
After experiencing the Mawei Incident, Prince Li Heng's mind has undergone great changes.He saw that the situation in front of him was extremely favorable to him: Xuanzong had lost the hearts of the people because of his insistence on going his own way.If he is willing to stay, as long as he raises his arms and shouts, the world will surely gather.At that time, his position will be quite stable, and no one can shake his position.
The crown prince Li Heng was moved, but he was worried that not accompanying him would bring him an unfilial reputation, so he still hesitated, so he deliberately said: "The sage is going to take risks, and I can't bear to be away day and night. Besides, I haven't resigned from my father, I am now Go and tell the emperor and listen to your orders." Li Fuguo, the eunuch of the East Palace, is a close friend of the prince and knows the prince Li Heng's thoughts best, so he remonstrated: "An Lushan rebelled and invaded Chang'an, causing the world to boil and the country to split. , How can we revive the Great Tang Dynasty! Now His Royal Highness follows the emperor to take refuge in Shu, if the rebels burn and cut off the plank road leading to Shu, then the Central Plains will be handed over to the rebels. Now that the hearts of the people have been separated, it is difficult to Gathering, if you want to make a difference by then, I am afraid it will be impossible. It is better to gather the town soldiers in the northwest frontier now, plus the troops of Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi in the Hebei area, and join forces with them to fight against the rebels in the east and recover them. The two capitals, calm the world, save the country from danger, and continue the foundation of the Tang Dynasty, and then clean the palace and welcome the emperor back to the capital. Isn't this the best act of filial piety! Love it!"
Li Fuguo's words were reasonable, Prince Li Heng finally made up his mind and sent his eldest son Guangping Wang Li Chu to report to Xuanzong.Xuanzong had been waiting for the prince, but he hadn't seen him for a long time, so he sent someone to see him, and then he found out the inside story.Knowing a son is better than a father, Xuanzong saw Prince Li Heng's thoughts, but at this time, he could barely come, and sighed: "The human heart is like this, it is God's will." So he decreed to leave Prince Li Heng in the Guanlong area. Boost the morale of soldiers and civilians who resist the rebels.Xuanzong asked Gao Lishi to give the crown princess Zhang Liangdi to Li Heng, and passed on the edict: "I hope you will do it yourself."
On June 17, Xuanzong and his party arrived at Qishan (now Qishan, Shaanxi).At this time, the entourage was greatly reduced, people were panicked, and rumors arose everywhere. Some people rumored that the vanguard of the rebel army would arrive immediately.After Xuanzong heard it, he didn't dare to stay in the slightest, so he went on and stayed in Fufeng County (now Fengxiang, Shaanxi) at night.The accompanying sergeants were plotting a way out, and even blatantly insulted Xuanzong.Chen Xuanli, the general of Longwu, was also unable to control it, and Xuanzong deeply felt that it was a problem.
At this time, more than 100,000 bolts of spring woven silk that Chengdu had donated to the imperial court were transported to Fufeng. Xuanzong ordered the silk to be displayed in the court, summoned his entourage and soldiers, and said loudly to them: "Because I am old and fatuous, I have appointed non-sensei... People, caused a rebellion against the Hu, and the fall of the two capitals, so we must stay away from them. I know that you all ran away with me in a hurry, and it was too late to say goodbye to your parents and wives. The county is small, and we have a large number of people, so it is difficult to provide for us. Now you are allowed to go back home. I will only go to Shu with my descendants and middle officials to seek refuge. Now I will bid farewell to you, and I will distribute these spring flowers to you as a preparation for food. You go back When I see my parents and the elders in Chang’an, please pay my respects, and love each other!" The people were devastated, and the emperor was dusted, these words were indeed from the heart of Xuanzong, and he was already in tears when he said it.
After listening to Xuanzong's words, the soldiers were greatly moved, and they all cried and said: "I will wait for life and death, and I am willing to follow your majesty forever. I dare not have two hearts!" Distributed the silk to the sergeants.The sergeants naturally competed to serve.Since then, the morale of the army has stabilized.
Some people in later generations believed that this was Xuanzong's trick.Regardless of whether it is an imperial power or not, this incident fully shows that Datang has not lost the hearts of the people.It is impossible for any of the people at that time to forget the glory of Kaiyuan's prosperous age, and naturally they will not forget the credit of Xuanzong.People all over the world do complain about Xuanzong, and resentment turns to resentment. However, Xuanzong still enjoys great prestige among the people.This can also fully explain why after returning to Chang'an, Suzong Li Heng, who had been on the throne for two years, was still afraid of Xuanzong's restoration.
After Xuanzong arrived in Pu'an County, Fang Guan, the Minister of the Ministry of Constitution, escaped from Chang'an, and chased him all the way to meet him.When Xuanzong set off from Chang'an, most of the ministers did not know.When he was in Xianyang, Xuanzong had a discussion with Gao Lishi: "Which of the courtiers do you think will come and who will not?" The kindness is the deepest, and Zhang Yi is still a son-in-law, and is married to His Majesty, so the Zhang brothers will definitely come first. Everyone thinks that Fang Guan should worship the prime minister, but His Majesty does not pay more attention to it. An Lushan once recommended Fang Guan to His Majesty , which means that he is very important, so he probably won't come." Xuanzong only said at that time: "Things are unpredictable."
After Fang Guan arrived, Xuanzong asked about the situation of Zhang Jun and Zhang Jian brothers, Fang Guan replied: "I asked them to follow your majesty, but they hesitated, judging from their intentions, it seems that there is something hard to say. "Xuanzong looked at Gao Lishi and said meaningfully: "I knew they would not come." In fact, on the day Chang'an fell, brothers Zhang Jun and Zhang Yi had already surrendered to Anlu Mountain, and Zhang Yi was also killed. An Lushan was named prime minister.On the same day, Xuanzong appointed Fang Guan as the minister of the Ministry of culture and Tongping Zhangshi.
On the other hand, Prince Li Heng, who was left behind by the people, didn't know where to go at this time.Because Prince Li Hengyao had led Shuofang Jiedushi, someone proposed to go to Shuofang.Prince Li Heng agreed, so a group of people went to Shuofang, and happened to meet soldiers of the Tang army who had retreated after the defeat of Tongguan by the Weihe River.After the prince and his party escaped from Chang'an, there was turmoil all the way. They were already frightened, and even mistook the defeated soldiers of the Tang army for the rebels, and the two sides fought a battle.It was not until many people were killed and injured that it was discovered that the wrong target was made.So they collected scattered soldiers, chose a place with shallow water, and crossed the Wei River on horseback.Those without horses had to return in tears.Find another way out by yourself.
Prince Li Heng and his entourage traveled northward from Fengtian (now Qianxian County, Shaanxi Province), traveled 300 miles overnight, and stopped when they arrived at Xinping (now Binxian County, Shaanxi Province).Counting the soldiers and weapons and equipment, most of them have been lost, and the remaining soldiers are only a few hundred.Xinping prefect Xue Yu was just about to abandon the county and escape, but was killed by Prince Li Heng.On the same day, when I arrived in Anding County (now Pingliang, Qingyang, Gansu, and Guyuan, Ningxia), the prefect of Anding, Xu Jue, was also about to escape, but was also killed by Prince Li Heng.
When Prince Li Heng arrived at Wushi (now northwest of Pingliang, Gansu), Li Zun, the prefect of Pengyuan (now Ningxian, Gansu), came out to greet him and offered clothes and dry food.Later, he arrived in Pingliang County (now Guyuan, Ningxia), where there were tens of thousands of horses raised by the supervisor and herdsmen, all of which were obtained by Prince Li Heng.More than 500 soldiers were recruited on the spot, and the army was slightly strengthened.
A few days after Prince Li Heng arrived in Pingliang, Du Hongjian, the empress of Shuofang, Wei Shaoyou, the water and land transport envoy of the Six Cities, Cui Yi, the judge of Jiedu, Lu Jianjin, the judge of Zhidu, and Li Han, the judge of Yanchi, all got the news and thought that the prince should be welcomed to Pingliang. Shuofang.Among these people, the purpose is different.Maybe some people are sincerely for the country, hoping to use the name of the prince to order the world, send troops to the south, and pacify the Central Plains; maybe some people are for their own self-interest, if they assist the prince to ascend the throne, they will inevitably become ministers.After urgent consultations, Yanchi magistrate Li Han, on behalf of the judge, went to Pingliang to meet the prince with a note, and dedicated the accounts of soldiers, horses, weapons, grain, cloth and other military supplies in Shuofang Town to the prince, and welcomed the prince to Ling Wu.
Prince Li Heng was very happy when he heard about it.At this time Sima Pei Mian of Hexi entered the court as Yushi Zhongcheng, and he passed by Pingliang to see the prince. He also thought that the Lingwu soldiers were strong and had enough food, so he advised the prince to go to Shuofang.The prince agreed on the spot.
Before the crown prince arrived at Lingwu, Wei Shaoyou, the envoy of water and land transportation from the six cities, vigorously repaired the palace. Even the tents used tried to imitate the appearance of the palace, and the food, water and land were all prepared.
On the ninth day of July in the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756), Prince Li Heng and his party arrived at Lingwu in the bleak autumn wind.Seeing the luxury of the palace, Li Heng immediately ordered to remove all the luxury items.
As soon as the prince Li Heng arrived in Lingwu, Pei Mian, Du Hongjian and others immediately submitted a letter to the prince, asking him to be the emperor.Prince Li Heng did not immediately agree.Of course, this is only a superficial disagreement.Therefore, Pei Mian and others said to the prince: "The soldiers led by Your Highness are all from Guanzhong, and they miss their hometown day and night. The reason why they followed His Highness to trek beyond the Great Wall is to hope to make military exploits. If they are separated, it is difficult to reunite. I hope His Highness can conform to the people's hearts and think about the country!" After five consecutive notes, Prince Li Heng finally agreed with half-push.His career as a prince who was facing an abyss, walking on thin ice, trembling and cautious, finally came to an end.It's really a joy to be king of the world!
On that day, Li Heng took the throne in the south tower of Lingwu City, and he was Emperor Suzong of Tang Dynasty.All the ministers knelt down and worshiped, and Suzong also burst into tears.Xuanzong was honored as the emperor of heaven, and the world was amnesty, and the fifteenth year of Tianbao was changed to the first year of Zhide.Suzong appointed Du Hongjian and Cui Yi as Zhongshu Sheren, and Pei Mian as Zhongshu's servant and Tongping Zhangshi.The interview envoy in the pass was changed to the Jiedu envoy, the government office was moved to Anhua County, and Lu Chongbe, the former defense envoy of Puguan, was appointed as the Jiedu envoy.He also appointed Xue Jingxian, magistrate of Chencang County, as the prefect of Fufeng and concurrently as the defense envoy; Guo Ying, the governor of Longyou, was also appointed as the prefect of Tianshui and also the defensive envoy.
Fan Zuyu, a historian of the Song Dynasty, commented that Suzong Lingwu proclaimed himself emperor as "the prince betrayed his father" and "unfilial piety".In other words, Suzong's accession to the throne is good at establishing.In all fairness, judging from the situation at the time, it was the general trend for Suzong to be the emperor, and Xuanzong had lost the hearts of the people by blindly running for his life.However, Suzong stayed at the right time, raised his arms, and indeed gave great encouragement to the soldiers and civilians in the Central Plains, and played a huge role in calming people's hearts.Within more than 10 days after Suzong took the throne, the soldiers and civilians of the Central Plains rushed to surrender, and soon organized an effective military force to fight against the rebels.
After Suzong came to the throne, he announced to the world and sent envoys to present Xuanzong.
It is worth mentioning that Xuanzong, who had taken refuge in Chengdu, did not know that Prince Li Heng had proclaimed himself emperor at this time. Three days before Prince Li Heng proclaimed himself emperor, he ordered Prince Li Heng to be the marshal of the world's soldiers and horses, but he only ruled Shuofang, Hedong, Hebei and Pinglu envoys were envoys in four festivals; Yong Wang Li Lin was also ordered to be the governor of Jiangling Mansion, and he was in charge of the soldiers and horses of the ambassadors of Jiedu on Shannan East Road, Qianzhong, and Jiangnan West Road; in addition, Sheng Wang Li Qi was in charge of Jiangnan East Road, Huainan , Henan and other places; Feng Wang Li Gong is in charge of the affairs of Hexi, Longyou, Anxi, Beiting and other places.All the princes were granted the title of governor, and each had his own territory.
People all over the world knew that Tongguan had fallen, but they didn't know where the emperor had gone.It wasn't until Xuanzong's book was promulgated that people knew that the emperor had fled to Sichuan.
Such a personnel arrangement was the result of Xuanzong's careful consideration, and it also fully demonstrated that Xuanzong would personally control the whole country after entering Shu.The admonishing doctor Gao Shi thought it was impossible, and tried his best to persuade him, but Xuanzong refused to listen.Inferred from this, Xuanzong had no intention of abdicating to Prince Li Heng.However, Prince Li Heng had already had a small plan in mind.Not long after Xuanzong's book was sent out, Suzong's performance arrived.In a blink of an eye, he, the emperor, became the titular overlord.
When Xuanzong heard the news of Suzong's accession to the throne, he felt complicated.He was melancholy for a long time, and then he pretended to be happy and said to Gao Lishi: "My son should obey the sky and change his name to 'Zhi De'. He has lived up to my teaching. What else can I worry about?" He knew his son After becoming the emperor, there must be nothing to do with Lao Tzu.Didn't he treat his father Ruizong like this back then?Even if he wanted to "worry", he probably didn't have the right to do so.
Gao Lishi, who had always understood the emperor's mind, did not really understand Xuanzong's meaning this time. He thought that Xuanzong believed that the world was settled and there was no need to worry any more. Flying, people are heartbroken over it. But His Majesty thinks that everything is all right, I really think I heard it wrong?"
Xuanzong was naturally inconvenient to say it clearly, he could only sigh a few times.The aged emperor had been exhausted by the death of Concubine Yang. Facing the fragmented mountains and rivers, the dark political situation, and the fact that his son had usurped the throne, he had no choice but to accept the title of "Supreme Emperor" and send Wei Jiansu, Fang Guan, and Cui Huan went to Lingwu to officially pass on the throne with the Jade Book of National Treasures.
However, when Suzong ascended the throne, those who were related to the throne had heart problems.Needless to say Xuanzong's embarrassment, the most sad person is Yongwang Li Lin.Li Lin was Xuanzong's sixteenth son, born to Guo Shunyi, who lost his mother when he was young, and was raised by his elder brother Li Heng.Li Lin grew up in a deep palace and was ignorant of human affairs.His son Li Jue, king of Xiangcheng, is brave and powerful in martial arts.At that time, Li Lin's staff Xue Miao and others believed that: Anlu Mountain rebelled, the world was in chaos, and only the south was rich, and Li Lin had four soldiers in his hands, and the territory was sealed for thousands of miles. dynasty.Li Lin listened to the words of his staff and moved his heart to separate the regime. Therefore, after his elder brother Li Heng ascended the throne as Suzong, he continued to follow Xuanzong's intention to separate the imperial edicts, led the four divisions, Zhenjiangling, and managed the military administration in the Yangtze River Basin affairs.At that time, Jianghuai rents and taxes were all accumulated in Jiangling. Li Lin recruited tens of thousands of warriors and spent huge daily expenses. He quickly became a huge military force in the Yangtze River Basin.The new emperor Suzong certainly could not tolerate his younger brother Li Lin having such a strong military presence.He asked Li Lin to return to Chengdu to serve Xuanzong, but Li Lin refused.A war between brothers is inevitable, it's just a matter of time.
In the winter of the first year of Emperor Suzong's Zhide (756), Yong Wang Li Lin raised troops in Jiangling (now Jiangling County, Hubei Province) without authorization to pacify the chaos, and led his troops to the east.The great poet Li Bai applied to go to Lushan Mountain and joined the Yongwang Army as a Liaozuo.This is the so-called "East Tour of Yongwang" in history.The eastern tour can be interpreted as resisting the enemy, and it can also be regarded as expanding power, preparing to fight against Suzong.Suzong immediately issued an edict to crusade, but Li Lin was defeated and killed.For this reason, Li Bai was convicted and sent to Xunyang Prison, and then exiled to Yelang, and was pardoned on the way to Wushan.
The country has a new emperor, and a group of new political forces will naturally appear around the new emperor.Li Heng's concubine Zhang Liangdi stepped onto the stage of history from this time on.According to the Tang system, the internal officials of the Eastern Palace are divided into three levels: concubine, Liangdi, and Baolin. Liangdi is a concubine whose status is lower than that of the crown prince, and ranks as the third rank.Although Zhang is Liang Di, since Li Heng divorced the former Crown Princess Wei, there has been no Crown Princess, and Zhang Liang Di has become a real Crown Princess.She is well-behaved, smart, and good at pleasing people.Since he was in troubled times, there were not many guards around Li Heng.Just in case, Zhang Liangdi always pays attention to the movement in the bedroom before Li Heng goes to bed, in order to prevent people from plotting.When sleeping, Zhang Liangdi always sleeps in front of Li Heng.Li Heng said: "Resisting the enemy is not a woman's job." Zhang Liangdi said: "If I encounter danger, I can use my body to resist for a while so that Your Highness can escape calmly." Li Heng was very moved when he heard this.Later when Li Heng arrived in Lingwu, Zhang Liangdi gave birth to the prince, and before she had enough rest, she got up three days later to make clothes for the soldiers.Li Heng stopped it on the grounds that the mother was weak, but Zhang Liangdi insisted, and said: "Now is a critical moment, not the time for me to take care of my body." Therefore, Li Heng loved her even more.After Li Heng ascended the throne as Emperor Suzong of Tang Dynasty, in addition to respecting Xuanzong as the Supreme Emperor, he also conferred the title of Concubine Shu on Zhang Liangdi, his father Zhang Quyi as Zuo Pushe, and his mother Dou as the Lord of Yizhang County.In the first year of Qianyuan (758), concubine Shu Zhang was also named queen.
Just when Suzong established the imperial court in Lingwu and was about to regroup and recover the rivers and mountains, another earth-shattering event happened in Chang'an City.
Although the city of Chang'an was under the control of the rebels at this time, everything was strange and at a loss to the rebels, and people's hearts still turned to the Tang Dynasty.There are often rumors in the city that the Prince Li Heng, who was left to preside over the overall situation, has personally led an army to the capital.The news spread more and more widely, so vivid that it was difficult to distinguish the true from the false.For a while, the rebels were inevitably panicked and eccentric.
The troops of the Tongluo and Turkic tribes who followed An Lushan to rebel had been stationed in the Forbidden Garden of Chang'an.On this day, the chief Ashina led 5,000 cavalry to leave suddenly from Li, stole 2,000 good horses from the Forbidden Garden, and fled back to Shuofang. territory.After Suzong heard the news, he immediately sent envoys to appease, and there were many people who returned to the Tang Dynasty.
Ashina's departure from Li led the Ministry had a great impact on the city of Chang'an, and the city began to be in chaos.Everyone didn't know the truth, and they all thought that Ashina left the city from Li to join the Tang Army.Officials at all levels appointed by An Lushan also thought that the rebel army was over and the Tang Dynasty army was about to kill them, so they hid one after another.Even the prison was unguarded, and all the prisoners fled on their own.Even Jing Zhaoyin Cui Guangyuan, who had already surrendered to Anlushan, made a mistake in his judgment, thinking that this was a precursor to the retreat of Anlushan's army, and planned to send people to surround the residence of the rebel leader Sun Xiaozhe so that he could capture Sun Xiaozhe and make a great contribution.After Sun Xiaozhe heard the news, he immediately sent someone to tell An Lushan about the matter.
Cui Guangyuan was born in the Boling Cui family.The Cui family of Boling belongs to a prominent family and is one of the four surnames in Shandong.In the Tang Dynasty, there were as many as 12 prime ministers in the Cui family of Boling.Most of Cui's daughters married dignitaries of the dynasty.It is said that the heroine Cui Yingying is also the daughter of the Boling Cui family.Officials in the Tang Dynasty had their first official careers through their family background and imperial examinations.Regardless of family background, imperial examinations, or others, the children of aristocratic families have considerable advantages.Cui Guangyuan's grandfather, Cui Jingsi, was the prefect of Fangzhou during the Wu Zhou period.Fangzhou has been the place of exile for deposed royal family members since ancient times. At that time, Prince Li Xian was also sent to Fangzhou by Wu Zetian.For Li Xian who was frustrated politically, Cui Jingsi did not add insult to injury like some people did, but tried his best to take care of him.
After Li Xian came back to the throne as Emperor Zhongzong again, he did not forget the people who helped him in times of crisis.After he saw the name of Shi Cui Jingsi, the governor of Yizhou, on the list of officials' appointment and removal, he immediately drew up a pen and demanded that he be promoted exceptionally.A total of 4 times were hand-picked by the imperial pen.After Zhongzong met with Cui Jingsi, who was named and reused, he realized that he had made a mistake.This Cui Jingsi is not that Cui Jingsi, but has the same name.Zhongzong immediately sent someone to look for Cui Jingsi, the former prefect of Fangzhou. Cui Jingsi had passed away, leaving only one son named Cui Wang.Zhongzong regretted not being able to repay Cui Jingsi's favor in time, and specially appointed Zhongshuling Wei Anshi to appoint Cui Wang an official, and he must treat his benefactor kindly.Cui Wang, however, was addicted to alcohol and often got drunk, "unfit for duty".So Wei Anshi appointed Cui Wang as a doctor of Zhongsan, and he was appointed as a minister in Luozhou. He only got a salary and did not need to sit in the yamen.
Cui Guangyuan is the son of Cui Wang. It is recorded in the history books that "although he has no academics, he is quite ancestral, courageous and determined. He is more than six feet long and has clear white and black eyes" ("Old Tang Book Volume 111") "The Biography of Cui Guangyuan").When the tall Cui Guangyuan entered the official career, Zhongzong had already passed away, and this layer of ancestry no longer existed.But Cui Guangyuan got acquainted with Yang Guozhong because of his good gambling, which laid the groundwork for his future prosperity.Both Cui Guangyuan and Yang Guozhong love Azalea, so they have become excellent Azalea friends.
Azalea is a kind of gambling that decides the outcome by rolling dice. It is said that it has a very long history since ancient times, and later became popular in the Three Kingdoms and Jin Dynasties.Du Fu also deliberately recorded this matter in "Journey to This Eve": "Feng Ling shouted at Wubai, and he was unworthy of becoming an owl. Heroes are also like this sometimes. Isn't it a good idea to meet each other."
After Yang Guozhong rose to the top because of Concubine Yang's nepotism, his friend Cui Guangyuan naturally became a beneficiary, and he was immediately transferred to the capital as Doctor Zuo Zanshan.Doctor Zan Shan is an official of the Prince's East Palace.This prince was Li Heng who later became Emperor Suzong.Thus, Cui Guangyuan got another trump card in his sinister official career.
Back to the topic of Jing Zhaoyin Cui Guangyuan.Now based on the few records in historical records, it is difficult to judge Cui Guangyuan's true intentions at that time: Did he pretend to surrender to the enemy like Yan Gaoqing, who was in Cao Ying and his heart was in Han, and then waited for an opportunity to report to Tang?Or are the two ends of the first mouse falling with the wind like grass on the wall?Because of the complex environment and situation in which historical figures lived, it is difficult to fully restore them.Judging from the situation at the time, Cui Guangyuan was forced by the situation to surrender to the rebels, not necessarily willingly, but for the sake of his life and future, he had to do so.After Ashina left from Li, the city of Chang'an was full of turmoil, and it was widely heard that the Tang army was about to enter the city.Under such circumstances, Cui Guangyuan immediately sent troops to surround Sun Xiaozhe's mansion.It was more like a move due to the situation, worrying that after the Tang army won, he would die without a place to bury himself because of surrendering the bandits.If he really wanted Tang, why didn't he take this opportunity to kill Sun Xiaozhe, raise his arms, and call on the Chang'an army and people to resist the bandits?It can be seen that Cui Guangyuan's so-called "righteous deed" is still a last resort, and he is still just a fool on the fence.
After Cui Guangyuan found out the real situation of Ashina's escape from Li, he couldn't help panicking, but the matter has come to this point, the situation is irreversible, and the disaster of killing his life is imminent, so he and Chang'an County Magistrate Su Zhen killed the two Yeluohe ( Hu dialect means "strong man"), led more than ten government and county officials, and went straight to the city gate.
Su Zhen is also a descendant of a famous family. His grandfather is Su Huan, a famous prime minister in the period of Zhongzong and Ruizong. Yan Xu is a big writer". Zhang said that he was granted the title of Yan Guogong, and Su Ting was granted the title of Xu Guogong).
Cui Guangyuan first sent people to the westbound main road to open the far gate, falsely saying that "Yin patrols all gates".At this time, Cui Guangyuan was still Jing Zhaoyin's identity, so the city gate guards naturally did not dare to neglect, "the gate officials are ready to welcome him with weapons."After queuing up, prepare to receive Master Jing Zhaoyin's inspection.Cui Guangyuan and his entourage arrived, raised their knives and dropped them, "cutting them all down".Cui Guangyuan and his entourage rushed out of the city on horseback, "ordered the people in the west of Beijing, and more than a hundred people went to call" ("Old Tang Book Volume 111 Biography of Cui Guangyuan"), passed Xianyang at night, and went straight to Lingwu. Sukjong.Because the incident happened in a hurry and it was too late to take away the family members, Cui Guangyuan and Su Zhen's family members were all killed by the rebels.
After the group arrived at Lingwu, Emperor Suzong was overjoyed when he heard about it.Cui Guangyuan was an official of the crown prince in the early days, and Emperor Suzong trusted him very much, and he did not pursue Cui Guangyuan and Su Zhen's crimes of surrendering to the rebels. people.At the same time, Su Zhen was appointed as Yushi Zhongcheng.
After Cui Guangyuan returned to the Tang court, he still had some brilliant achievements.The rebels in Anlu Mountain once went to Jingyang to plunder wantonly, and after getting a lot of money, they got carried away with pride, killed cattle and roasted meat in a temple, and drank all night.At that time, Cui Guangyuan's troops were stationed 40 miles away from the temple.After hearing the news, Cui Guangyuan personally led more than 2,000 soldiers to "go to his place at night."At that time, most of the rebels were already drunk and unable to fight at all.Cui Guangyuan led a hundred cavalry to guard the main roads in and out of the temple, and at the same time sent brave men with long knives to enter the temple with a loud shout.In this battle, more than two thousand enemies were killed, more than one thousand horses were captured, and one enemy chieftain was captured.For this battle alone, Cui Guangyuan became famous. "Among the thieves, light is far and brave, and they often avoid their fronts."In the Weibei area, wherever Cui Guangyuan went, the rebels avoided one after another.Compared with the previous image of surrendering to Anlu Mountain, he is completely different.The complexity shown by historical figures in the historical background can be seen from this.
The fact that Cui Guangyuan and Su Zhen left Chang'an was quite influential at the time, and some officials who had surrendered came to Lingwu to join Suzong one after another.It can be seen that although the rebel soldiers are strong, they are still unpopular.After that, An Lushan appointed his confidant Tian Ganzhen as Jing Zhaoyin.But at this time, the various atrocities of the rebels have lost the hearts of the people, and the rebels are everywhere near Chang'an, and Tian Gan is really tired of coping.
Regarding Cui Guangyuan, after the Tang army regained Chang'an, he went all the way to the top, successively serving as the governor of Henan, the governor of Fengxiang, the governor of Chengdu Yin and the governor of Xichuan.In his later years, he became more and more fond of Cupu and drinking, and no longer personally took care of military affairs.In the second year of Shangyuan (761), Duan Zizhang, governor of Zizhou, rebelled. Cui Guangyuan, relying on the power of his subordinate Hua Jingding, assisted Li Huan, the governor of Dongchuan, to flatten Duan Zizhang.Although the rebellion is peaceful, the chaos is even worse.Hua Jingding's soldiers took the opportunity to rob the people wantonly, and even cut off people's wrists in order to plunder the golden bracelet.
Du Fu once wrote two poems for Hua Jingding. Among them, "Gift to Hua Qing" is very famous: "Brocade silk tubes are piled up every day, half into the river and half into the clouds. This song should only exist in the sky, and it can be heard several times in the world. "
The poem is very well written, especially the last two lines can be called eternal famous lines.It's just that the recipient Hua Jingding is too notorious, which has attracted people's speculation about Du Fu's intention to write this poem.Some people think that Du Fu praised Hua Jingding sincerely at that time; some people think that he praised Hua Jingding against his will;Yang Shen's "Sheng'an Poetry Talk" says: "(Hua Qing) The brave general of Shu is also proud of his merits. Du Gong's poem ridiculed him for abusing the rituals and music of the emperor. It is reserved and unrevealed, and some people say it is innocent. Those who have heard of it are enough to give a warning. There are more than a hundred quatrains in the public, and this is the crown." Some people think that this poem is "similar to flattery and irony" ("Du Shi Jingquan"); some people think that it is Du Fu's work as a gift to singing girls . "Tang Fenghuai" mentioned: "Nancun said: "Shaoling's chants have many feelings, but they may not all refer to them. Yang Yongxiu respects Huaqing, which is quite similar to Fu Hui. Yuan Duanyun is a 'singer' , It is reasonable or not." "Net Master Garden Tang Poetry Notes" also said: "There is no need to be ironic, but the meaning is endless."
The environment and situation in which the historical figures lived at that time, later generations cannot get a glimpse of the whole leopard.As the author has been emphasizing, some of the behaviors of historical figures cannot be controlled by their personal consciousness and beyond their power.In fact, Du Fu at that time did not have the status of "poet sage" as later generations praised him. His reputation was far inferior to Li Bai, Wang Wei, and even Meng Haoran, He Zhizhang and others.In his wandering life, Du Fu did cater to some officials he was not ashamed of in order to make a living.Instead of artificially covering up for Du Fu, later generations should truly restore Du Fu's situation at that time, so that they can know the real purpose of his poems for Hua Jingding.In any case, a Du Fu who is full of contradictions in his heart should be a real Du Fu.Regarding Du Fu, there will be a special chapter later on.
The looting of Huajing Dingzong had a great impact at the time, and Suzong sent a special envoy to investigate.As Hua Jingding's direct superior, Cui Guangyuan naturally bears an inescapable responsibility.As a result, he became depressed and became ill, and died in October of the second year of Shangyuan (761).In Cui Guangyuan, it well reflects the multifaceted nature of historical figures in the context of contradictions and conflicts.It can be seen that in the rich and colorful historical process, historical figures are all constrained by the times and cannot escape the control of the specific situation at that time.
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