Chapter 9 Chapter 8 History in and out sideways

Most Chinese believe that the universe is always in a state of harmony.If anything went wrong, someone must be responsible.During the split of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the villain was Cao Cao.That is, Mr. Qian Mu, who may be the leading master who brought the tradition of Chinese history writing to modern times, still did not forgive Cao Cao's usurpation.The reason is not difficult to understand: in the era of autocratic monarchy, the laws of nature always prevail from top to bottom. If the monarch claims that he accepts Haotian's Ming Ming, he is the only one who can commend the supreme morality and wisdom of the universe.But in fact, the details of the lower level cannot be known.And in a vast country, many conflicting interests may not necessarily be reconciled.But the emperor has the mysterious color on the dragon chair in the royal palace, and becomes an arbiter who keeps his word. If you follow the creed of humility, you are not afraid that any conflicts cannot be resolved, and there are no technical difficulties that cannot be eliminated.Cao Cao's crimes lie not only in his brutal methods to solve practical problems, but also in his public speaking, deliberately piercing through the commonly believed myths.It is said that he once said: "If the destiny is with me, I will be King Wen of Zhou." The so-called King Wen is Xibo. Although he has a vast area, he still continues to be a minister to the Shang monarch. It is not until his son Wu Wang officially replaces Shang. Of.When Cao Cao died in AD 220, his son Cao Pi, without further delay, immediately carried out his father's wishes and declared the establishment of the Wei Dynasty, and forced the last emperor of the Han Dynasty to perform abdication, and the Mandate of Heaven was formally accepted. 45 years later, the Sima family followed suit.Sima Zhao had the authority of the emperor without a name, and his son Sima Yan took Wei and replaced him, and the country was named Jin.

Mr. Qian Mu said in the "Outline of National History": "The country is originally a product of the spirit." From a practical point of view, it is very difficult for us to accept such a statement today.However, the main purpose he advocated is that any regime needs some theoretical basis, which cannot be disputed.Due to technical difficulties in ancient China, when managing millions of living beings, they had to rely on the hereditary imperial lineage to represent the sum of social values, which has its reasons.What Cao Cao said and what his subordinates did were all like Machiavelli, no wonder he had to bear the resentment of the ages.In Chinese opera, Cao Cao's mask is all painted white, like a wall, to show his treachery, only the corners of his eyes are slightly stained with ink, showing his alertness and adaptability.

Chinese opera began in the Tang Dynasty, and gained the status of market entertainment in the Song Dynasty. It evolved into today's "Peking Opera", at least a thousand years after the separation of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.Even so, Cao Cao and his contemporaries are still the most frequently excluded characters on the stage today.Among this group of characters, Guan Yu is the most admired. He is a general who leads troops, and his face is particularly maroon.In real life, Guan Yu was arrogant and lacked the prudence of dealing with the world. Regardless of his own interests, he let himself be attacked on both sides. He was defeated and awarded the title, and died a month earlier than Cao Cao.But thousands of years later, Guan Gong is still regarded as the god of war by the Chinese people. What the people worship is not his command but his moral strength.Guan Yu's "righteousness is as important as a mountain", and some groups that secretly form associations still regard him as their ancestor.

On the stage, it seems that a certain balance must be maintained in the relationship between extremes, so another type of hero, Lu Meng, is brought out.This person was undoubtedly planning to kill Guan Gong on the battlefield, and the Wu general who handed over his head to Cao Cao for credit also exaggerated his personality in his facial makeup, even if it was contrary to his actual appearance, it was harmless.Lv Mengchu was a pure warrior, with an attitude of disdain for literature and ink, only because of the urging of his superiors, he started to study under helpless circumstances.But in this way, the sentences in the book fascinated him, which can be seen from the fact that he did not put down the book, and within a very short period of time, he had completely changed his mind.His colleagues were also amazed that this man has transformed from an ignorant warrior to a scheming strategist, so "after three days away from a scholar, he will look at him with admiration".On his face, the butterfly-like design is accompanied by two flexible eyes, which symbolizes the inner mobility of a complex personality.Obviously, what is unique to Lu Meng is unique to Guan Yu.

Such anecdotes and trivia are interesting, but how can history readers benefit from them?The authors of this book suggest that we pay attention to the way sociologists distinguish between great and little traditions.That is to say, in general, departments that are informal in culture and slightly loose in structure, although they are generally based on "high culture", are interspersed with details.This informal and entertaining arrangement brought the insights of philosophers and great statesmen to the general public.Beijing opera played up this history to the best of its ability, also with the help of a popular book from the 16th century. "Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is full of legends. This book extremely novelizes and romanticizes the events of that day.Because of its distortion in the direction of small traditions, there is no fundamental difference between the argument put forward by the aforementioned great historian Qian Mu, which is enough for the majority of the masses to appreciate, that is, "the state is originally a product of the spirit."That being the case, the more critical the autumn of life and death, the more stringent the need for personal character.Apparently, the dramatists here have the same confidence as the traditional historians, that they feel that the moral immutable scale is enough to measure the character of the individual.Since their positions are so consistent, their comprehensive opinions can also be expressed simply and clearly by the red, white and black on the face.

The official historians represent the great tradition, and their task is to "praise and criticize". Of course, they also try their best to make the white people whiter and the black people blacker. They set off the fact that there are so many "unreasonable and stupid kings" in this period, which is unprecedented. No one came after. (Please pay attention to what Qian Mu put forward in the "Outline of National History": "It is unbelievable that it is unbelievable.") Liu Ziye was the "former abolished emperor" of the Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties. He ascended the throne at the age of 17. 18 months.It is recorded in historical records that his half-sister, Princess Shanyin, once proposed to him, "Although the concubine and your majesty are different men and women, they both entrusted their bodies to the late emperor. Your majesty has tens of thousands of palaces, and the concubine is only a concubine. There is a big difference!" So there were 30 male concubines called "Mian Shou" for my sister.Sima Zhongnai was the tragic emperor of the Pu Dynasty. When he was in power, civil war broke out, and Rong Di fought.It is said that his entourage reported to him: "The world is deserted, and the people are starving to death." Hearing this, he said: "Why don't you eat minced meat?"He chiseled gold to stick lotus flowers on the ground (lotus flowers are sacred products of Buddhism), and made his beloved concubine Pan walk on them, saying, "Lotus flowers grow every step of the way."

These three faint kings were all killed.If Liu Ziye really set up a male concubine for his sister, of course he cannot escape condemnation in a society where men are more important than women, but the absurdity of his behavior was exposed after he was imprisoned, and the article also mentioned that his handwriting was not neat, This can also be regarded as his performance of ruling the world without virtue.Regardless of whether it is true or not, the gender equality mentioned by Princess Shanyin seems to have gone far beyond the standard that was customary in 5th century China.We have heard the story of Empress Marie Anthony during the French Revolution, "Why don't you eat cakes if you don't have bread", so we can't help but wonder why Emperor Hui of Jin Dynasty Sima Zhong didn't eat minced meat.These two stories are 1500 years apart, but the content is too similar.In addition, it is difficult for us to think that the design of the third Xiao Baojuan who was murdered with lotus flowers on the indoor floor is immoral.If his creations are indeed as described in the history books, we can only admire his discerning style as Botticelli (B0tticelli) painted beauty - she in "The Birth of Venus" (The Birth of Venus) His posture is just full of Chinese sentiment.In short, the creativity of an artist and the arrogance of an autocratic devil are of course irrelevant.

In these kinds of stories, the attitude of the historians is more worthy of consideration than the subjects they describe.With the above anecdotes and trifles, these historians point out one point that deserves special attention. China's autocratic imperial power has a dual-track character.The emperor issued an imperial edict to call, although the natural laws and regulations are perfect and good from top to bottom, but when the people are in dire straits, he really has to be personally responsible.Unless the people live and work in peace and contentment, the ruler cannot be at ease—this point has been repeatedly emphasized by Mencius.

During the division, it was not the degeneration of the royal lineage, but only the fragility of the organization at that time.The ruling power of the dynasty was originally based on the influence of culture and education, but now it depends entirely on the discipline of the palace.The smaller the scope of its actions, the greater the pressure felt by its upper layers.This kind of moral pressure was especially felt by the Southern Dynasties.Since the government-in-exile claims to be ordered by Haotian Ming, it is also superior to the Yidi in the north. When we reveal all the circumstances in the environment, we can see that there is indeed a coherence in the development of that day.Since it is trying to restore the northern lands, there should be a military government led by a strongman in the south, but the support of its lower levels is still lacking.When Xi'an and Luoyang fell, the prominent families in Nandu had already developed industries in the mountains and near the water, and were self-sufficient.They have relative security, so they wait and see about Jiankang's government-in-exile.The Southern Dynasties also followed Jin Cheng's example and sent the royal family's children to various important prefectures and counties as prefects and governors.However, they lack minions to reach the villages, and they themselves are dominated by powerful local people. Therefore, the conspiracies in the states and counties are more sloppy than those in the government.In this way, the short-lived imperial court with its capital Jiankang was no different from that in the north.Neither of them was able to restore the imperial system dominated by bureaucratic organizations, and neither of them formed a kind of feudal decentralization due to the balance of the overall situation.

Jiankang is today's Nanjing, and later called Jinling. Although its name is brilliant, it is actually shrouded in an atmosphere of disappointment and depravity.The well-to-do of the upper classes, feeling unable to develop their ambitions or even to use their wealth effectively, spend their money snobbishly on themselves.At this time, the prestige of the family was very important, and some even traced back several generations in North China, so the compilation of genealogy became a fashion of the moment.Men also wear vermilion powder.The use of kung fu by literati in parallel prose was even more popular for a while, and the symmetry and balance between the sentences were extremely skillful, but it lacked the gist of the whole text and the logic between paragraphs.So Jiankang became the Jinling of "Six Dynasties Gold Powder", that is, China's tinsel town.

But the stage of disappointment is also an opportunity for revival and reconstruction.Of course, Confucianism has never completely died down. If the influence of Confucius and Mencius did not exist at all, how could the history of these hundreds of years be written with strict moral standards and to the best of its ability?So where do those who write history find the original materials, and how do they constitute the purpose of their writing? Unexpectedly, it was the so-called barbarians who made the most substantial contribution to rebuilding the Chinese imperial system.To pay homage to them, we should call them "non-Han people" or "ethnic minorities".Its details are discussed in the next chapter.What should be mentioned here is that this is not the only time that ethnic minorities played an important role at the juncture of rebuilding the empire in Chinese history.The constitution of China's autocratic dynasties relies more or less on a framework design, and its state must accommodate the masses of peasants.The invading tribes in the grasslands, because they have no worries, can make great achievements because of their simplicity.It just takes time for them to get used to the agricultural environment and the cultural relics of the Central Plains. The revived interest in Taoism and fascination with Buddhism at that time had the effect of broadening the horizons of Chinese knowledge. Its influence lasted for hundreds of years, but it was not noticed by people.Confucianism is a kind of social discipline, which is of little use in troubled times, and scholars are looking for other ways.In the second half of the 3rd century AD, the so-called "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" at that time commended the current fashion.These seven sages are an uncle, a nephew, and their five close friends.Liu Ling used a donkey to carry wine, and a servant who followed him followed with a hoe. He told the servant, "Bury me when I die."Bohemianism is not what they are all about.In fact, they also served as officials in the Jin Dynasty. Ruan Jishang was the captain of the infantry, and Ji Kang was the chief of Zhongsan, and they were killed by Sima Zhao.What they opposed was the ceremonies and pretensions of the day, and they hoped to be liberated in the Taoist concept of innocence and oneness. China's acceptance of Buddhism involved a series of twists and turns.From its wide acceptance in many aspects and attacks from the opposition, it can be imagined that its influence is far-reaching.Among the modern self-proclaimed defenders of China's "rationality" and "truth", including Mr. Hu Shi, he felt that this imported religion focused on afterlife and reincarnation, and said that heaven had 33 levels, and hell also had 18 levels. , It is really lamentable.However, some people who appreciate the guiding effect of Buddhist thought on Chinese people point out that even the concept of "causality" (karma, karma) requires Chinese people to think again and again in the category of natural laws and pay attention to every aspect. Don't be like the thinkers in the Han Dynasty who were completely obsessed with symmetry and balance, and compared various moral behaviors to musical notes and wavelengths.All in all, the benefits of sending monks to foreign lands to learn Buddhist scriptures and opening doors to welcome sramana masters from afar go far beyond "saving souls".It is a cultural encounter with uses in philosophy, literature, education, science, music, sculpture, painting, and architecture.Some scholars have pointed out that when translating Sanskrit classics, Chinese scholars have since mastered the principles of phonology, which will help Tang poetry to flourish.Its influence is so extensive that several Chinese publications recently pointed out that "Buddhism is an inseparable part of Chinese culture".Historian Lei Haizong even pointed out that since the Battle of Feishui in 383 AD, Chinese culture has entered the stage of "Tatar Buddhism". Buddhism in China is pervasive and affects every aspect of life. Tourists can get this impression when visiting the grottoes in Yungang, Longmen and Dunhuang.At first glance, these caves are hewn in a honeycomb pattern on the sandstone wall, which is not easy to make people feel good about. What impresses the viewer has to be done after entering the grottoes.There are tens of thousands of Buddha statues in each place.The tallest one is in Yungang, with ears as long as 9 feet; the smaller ones have a total body length of no more than 1 inch.There are countless people who are not big or small, like the length of a person.There are still murals in the room: colorful portraits painted on the top of the grotto, reliefs on the pillars and full-body statues in the alcoves.The operations of the above three places all started when China was divided during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.However, on the Silk Road, Dunhuang continued to develop more completely in subsequent generations than the other two places.Tourists can see the development of Buddhist art over thousands of years.The operation of Longmen has projects from the Tang Dynasty. Even the Yungang Grottoes in Yungang, which was founded in the 5th century, have been in operation for 40 years.In addition to religious themes, there are also popular stories and historical stories.After being arranged by the artist, it appears as a grin on the face, trembling at fingertips and tense muscles.After traveling around, historians can learn about ancient clothing, textile designs, musical instrument styles, and even ethnographic appearances.There is a cave in Longmen that was formed in 575 A.D. On the wall are all the herbal prescriptions of that day. However, these grottoes seem to be composed at will, without a comprehensive design, and lack of uniform size.Although there are some designs, with the support of the emperor and empress, to pray for their parents and win glory for themselves, but their structures are placed on the walls of the wind and rain, so the breath-taking spectacle is also full of wounds, like a dream.This is in sharp contrast to the arrangement of the "Stone Bible" in front of the churches in Amiens and Chartes in France.Even so, the open-air museum can really express the character of Buddhism, which is a religion of the lay people, which can reach the small people without the power of sectarianism.Its theological purpose does not need to be penanced, and the effect of epiphany can occur immediately.At the same time, it can also be used as a subject of metaphysical thinking for intellectuals.Its variety has indeed made Chinese emperors feel troublesome for a long time.They all hope to use Buddhism's attraction to the whole people as a tool for their own administration, but they are afraid that if it focuses on the afterlife and reincarnation, if it is once advocated, it will become a restraint of Confucianism for the discipline of society. Has this divided period become the "lost three centuries" in Chinese history?The answer depends on each person's point of view.At this time, the elements of history lack centripetal synthesis, but move in and out substantially to the flanks.From the fall of the Han Dynasty after 220 AD to the unification of the Sui Dynasty in 589 AD, the historical records in it did not lack logic, and their evolution was by no means the virtuous and foolish of a few characters, just like the praise and criticism of the historians in the past, and the dramatists. It can be summed up by painting white and black faces. We have pointed out the negative factors in history above, and the next chapter will talk about the process of reunification.Just let me mention here that the Jin Dynasty entered Nanjing in 280 AD. The unification at that time was but a flash in the pan, and it was nothing but an illusion.The poem written by Liu Yuxi in the 9th century mentions this incident, so that the scene of that day can be seen more clearly because of the depth of history.Liu Shi is transcribed here: 〖Wang Junlou's boat went down to Yizhou, and Jinling's royal spirit was sadly taken away. Chihiro's iron locks sank to the bottom of the river, and stones came out from the streamers. The world hurts the past several times, and Yamagata still sleeps in the cold current. Today is home day around the world, so the base is Xiao Xiao and Lu Di Qiu. 〗