Chapter 18 The second section is excellent in writing collectives and sophisticated organizational procedures

The important assistants written by Sima Guang include Liu Shu, Liu Tun (ban class), and Fan Zuyu successively. When the bookstore was established, the first person Sima Guang recommended was Liu Shu.Liu Shu (1032-1078 A.D.), courtesy name Daoyuan, was born in Gao'an, Junzhou, and was a Jinshi.He is most familiar with the history of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the research questions are also the most detailed.He has a wide range of interests, profound knowledge, and has a strong memory of his knowledge.Liu Shu was only 35 years old when he entered the bookstore.In addition to Sima Guang, he contributed the most to the compilation of "Tongjian" and made the greatest contribution.Not only did Liu Shu adopt Liu Shu's opinions in many discussions and formulating the style of the book, but also handed over all complicated and complicated historical events to Liu Shu.Liu Shu was mainly responsible for the drafting work from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui Dynasty, and the drafting work during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was also entrusted to him.Sadly, he died of illness at the age of 47.Liu Shu is the author of "Records of Ten Kingdoms", "Tong Jian Wai Ji" and so on.

Liu Tun (1022-1088 A.D.), courtesy name Gongfu, was a native of Linjiang Xinyu, and was born as a Jinshi.He has been a county magistrate for more than 20 years.Liu Tun wrote "Eastern Han Dynasty Magazine Mistakes", and later co-authored "Hanshu Annotation" with his brother Liu Chang and his nephew Liu Fengshi. He is an expert in Han history.He was 44 years old when he entered the bookstore and was mainly responsible for the drafting of the Han Dynasty.He only stayed in the bookstore for five years.In the third year of Xining (1070 A.D.), Liu Tun was demoted to other places for opposing the reform.In June of this year, another Fan Zuyu came to the bookstore.

Fan Zuyu (AD 1041-1098), styled Chunfu and Mengde, was born in Huayang, Chengdu, and was a Jinshi.He was only 30 years old when he entered the bookstore, and he was the youngest one with the longest working hours in the bookstore.He is smart, studious, quick thinking, and can write articles.During the 15 years of participating in the compilation of "Tong Jian", Fan Zuyu devoted himself to being mainly responsible for the drafting of the Tang Dynasty part.In the fifth year of Shenzong Xining (AD 1072), the bookstore moved to Luoyang, and Fan Zuyu also went to Luoyang in the second year.Since then, he has been with Sima Guang and has become Sima Guang's main assistant.After finishing it, he wrote the book "Tang Jian" by himself, and he was famous for his Bo Qia, so people at that time called Fan Zuyu the "Master of Tang Jian".

Proper selection of personnel and division of labor can give full play to their strengths, which is one of the important reasons for the success of writing. Sima Guang formulated strict writing procedures and working methods for "Tongjian".These are the three steps of compiling catalogues, slender editing, and editing and finalizing.To make a catalog is to write an outline and collect information.It is required to collect a wide range of historical materials, mark the events in the order of the year, month and day, and compare the materials.All kinds of historical materials, whether they are official revised histories or private works, biographical novels or anthologies of various figures, all related to current events, should be annotated in the catalog according to the year, month and day.If the day is not clear, it is month, if the month is not clear, it is year, and if the year cannot be determined, it is attached to the beginning and end of the relevant event according to the content involved.Sima Guang attaches great importance to the detailed preparation of materials. He once said: "Anyone who is slightly involved in the matter should be noted. Too much is not harmful." If the materials are not collected, the next step of slender compilation cannot be started.The slender editor is to preliminarily sort out relevant materials and write the first draft.When editing, you must find out and review all the relevant materials under the headings, analyze and identify, select and choose, and then write it into a document.The principle of writing is that if the things are the same but the words are different, choose the clear and detailed one to write down; Just choose a statement with clear evidence that is more reasonable and write it into the text, and annotate the rest of the different statements below, and at the same time explain clearly the reasons for choosing one over the other.Sima Guang advocated an objective analysis of historical materials, and his method of handling historical materials was prudent and rigorous.He once said: "In fact, not all official histories can be recorded, and miscellaneous historical novels may not all be unfounded. It is up to Gao Jian to choose." Han Zuyu's Discussion on Repairing Calligraphy Notes")", this is what he repeatedly reminded his assistants.There is a manuscript of Sima Guang, which records the outline of major events in the first year of Emperor Yongchang of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 332). The handwriting is neat and meticulous.It shows Sima Guang's rigorous academic attitude, and also shows Sima Guang's hard work in summarizing the outline of the whole book.The last writing step is to examine the similarities and differences, delete and revise the final draft.This is a difficult and meticulous work, and the workload is considerable.According to historical records, the long compilation of Tang Ji, a book, has a length of six to seven hundred volumes. It took Sima Guang at least four years to delete it to 81 volumes.Liu Xizhong, Liu Shu's son, said in "Tongjian Questions": "The ancestors stopped similar deeds in the bookstore, and they grew up and compiled them. When they were right and wrong, they were written by Junshi (Sima Guangzi)." It can be seen. The final edits and revisions were made entirely by Sima Guang.

Sima Guang was ordered to compile "Tongjian" from the third year of Zhiping. Every time a generation was completed, a part was given to the court. It took 19 years to complete the complete book in the seventh year of Song Shenzong Yuanfeng (AD 1084).If you count from Sima Guang's original writings, there are a total of 30 years. The book "Tongjian" embodies Sima Guang's lifelong painstaking efforts.His important assistants Liu Shu and Fan Zuyu also dedicated the golden age of their lives to this historical masterpiece. It starts from the 23rd year when King Weilie of Zhou granted Han, Wei, and Zhao princes.Liu Shu once asked Sima Guang: "Why don't your books start from ancient times or the Yao and Shun era?" Sima Guang said: "Since King Zhou Ping, things include "Spring and Autumn", the classics of Confucius, and there is no profit or loss." Liu Shu Shu asked again: "Why don't you continue to write "Spring and Autumn"?" Sima Guang said: "The classics cannot be continued." Sima Guang's Confucian thought of respecting scriptures and admiring sages.He chose the 23rd year of King Weilie of Zhou as the beginning, because the division of the three families into the Jin Dynasty marked the decline of the kingship of Zhou Tianzi, and the rule of the Zhou Dynasty had indeed reached the point where "rituals collapsed and music was destroyed".Since Han, Wei, and Zhao became independent vassals, history also entered the Warring States Period when the Seven Kingdoms competed for supremacy.Sima Guang not only showed the old-fashioned idea of ​​maintaining the feudal kingship, but also showed a keen historical vision.The lower limit is at the end of the Five Dynasties, because the Song Dynasty had its own national history, and Sima Guang was from the Song Dynasty, so it is inconvenient for him to talk about it apart from the national history.