Chapter 88 The Road to Shu is Difficult/Li Bai

The difficulty of the road to Shu has been natural since ancient times, and it is daunting and daunting.In ancient times, there were only two ways to get in and out of Shu, by land and water.The waterway goes out of Kuimen and passes through the Three Gorges, with rapids and dangerous shoals, which are extremely dangerous.There are several land roads, all of which pass through the Qinling Mountains, mainly Baoxie Road, Ziwu Road, Chencang Road, Jinniu Road, etc. The terrain is very dangerous, especially the Jinniu Road. Jinniu Road (also known as Stone Niu Road, plank road) is actually a section in Sichuan, from Chengdu via Mianyang, Zitong to Jiange, passing through the Jianmen Pass of "one man guards the gate, ten thousand men cannot open it", crosses the Jialing River to Wu Zetian's hometown Guangyuan.Then cross the Jialing River, pass the plank road dug on the cliff, to Chaotian Qipan Pass, pass through Wuding Pass and Jinniu Station in Mian County to Hanzhong.This road was excavated by Wu Ding in the legend, and it is mainly this section of road that is described in Li Bai's "The Difficult Road to Shu".

The road to Shu is naturally dangerous, and Sichuan is closed, and it is regarded as a treacherous way to go out of Sichuan and enter Sichuan.However, Sichuan is rich in products, developed in culture, beautiful in scenery, pleasant in climate, difficult in Shu Road, and cut off from the outside world, so it is relatively stable.So Tang Xuanzong and Tang Xizong fled to Sichuan.Chengdu in the Tang Dynasty was already the second largest commercial city in the world as famous as Yangzhou, and it has the reputation of "raising one and benefiting two".Many literati and scholars also like to go to Sichuan, and there is even a saying that "poets have come to Shu since ancient times" (in the Yuan language of Li Diao in Qing Dynasty), so it is difficult to go to the blue sky on the Shu Road, where horses neigh and donkeys bray, and pedestrians keep coming.

Li Bai's "The Difficult Road to Shu" is described here, and those who feel it are also here. The poem is relatively long, and the key phrase "The Road to Shu is more difficult than going up to the blue sky" appears three times in the poem. We can use this as a clue to understand and appreciate it in three parts. The first part, from the beginning to "then connect the ladders and stone stacks".This section describes the historical legend of the excavation of the Shu Road.Starting from Cancong, Yufu and other founding kings of the Shu Kingdom, several years have passed, and they have not had much contact with the Central Plains, and of course there is no way to go.There is also a road, which is the "Bird Road" from Taibai Mountain (one of the Qinling Mountains) to Mount Emei.In other words, such a dangerous obstacle can only be overcome by birds.

Legend has it that Wuding opened the mountain later, and the road to Shu was finally repaired.What a way!There are ladders, stone stacks, and cliffs, but the road is finally cleared. The second part, from "there are six dragons returning to the sun on the high mark" to "people who are far away from you, why are you here?".This part of the scenery is also the most beautiful part of the poem.This kind of beauty is a bit soul-stirring. Li Bai's poems have expressed the unrestrained and imaginative style perfectly, and the highly concise and vivid language is also fully expressed in this paragraph.

The third part, from the beginning to the end of "Jiange is towering and Cui Wei".This part is about personnel.The difficulty of the road to Shu also enabled the land of Shu to consolidate itself with natural dangers.Especially Jianmen Pass, "One man guards the pass, ten thousand men cannot open it", it is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Until the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongolian army suffered a great loss from the natural dangers of the Shu Road.Therefore, if the people who suppress Shu use it improperly, "guarding or not being relatives", it will easily cause wars.As the saying goes, "Shu will be in chaos before the world is in chaos, and Shu will be ruled after the world is in order."It is said that this poem was given by Li Bai to his friend Wang Yan who was about to enter Shu.Li Bai has a "Jiange Fu", the theme of which is similar to this poem. Under the title, the author notes "Send friend Wang Yan to Shu". This poem may also be written for this purpose.If this is the case, then "Although Jincheng is happy, it is better to return home early", there is a solution, which is to persuade friends not to be greedy for the wealth and glory of Sichuan and forget the various risks of Sichuan, and return earlier.

It is this poem that won Li Bai the reputation of "the immortal".It is said that when Li Bai first arrived in Chang'an, he went to see He Zhizhang.When He Zhizhang read this "Difficult Road to Shu", he was very moved and said, "You are really a fairy who has been relegated to the world." Yin Fan, who was about the same time as Li Bai, compiled "Heyue Heroic Spirit Collection", which was selected into this poem. It is "strange and strange, and it is rare to have this style since the poet".Li Bai's poem is well-deserved.