NFBE Chapter 314: Drinking and Sangma
Chapter 314: Drinking and Sangma
Two years later, Han Yu, who had just been promoted to the position of Supervisory Censor, encountered a severe drought in Guanzhong. Seeing the victims displaced and starving people everywhere, Li Shi, the prefect of Jingzhao, blocked the news and lied that the people were living and working in peace.
Han Yu was filled with righteous indignation and resolutely submitted a memorial entitled "On the Drought and Hunger in the Imperial Censorate" to expose the truth and plead for the people. However, he did not expect that this righteous act would be framed and Han Yu was demoted to the magistrate of Yangshan County, Lianzhou.
In Yangshan, Han Yu did not become depressed because of his demotion. He brought advanced farming techniques and culture to the local area, promoting local civilization and enlightenment.
However, Han Yu's character destined him to have a difficult career. In the 14th year of the Yuanhe reign, a Buddhist craze swept Chang'an. In order to achieve immortality, Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty offered Buddha's bones, which caused chaos throughout the country and consumed a lot of manpower and resources.
Han Yu was extremely opposed to this and resolutely wrote a memorial entitled "On the Buddha's Bones", in which he bluntly stated that emperors who believed in Buddhism died early. This move completely angered Emperor Xianzong of Tang, and Han Yu was almost executed. Fortunately, Prime Minister Pei Du and others pleaded for him, and he was spared from death and demoted to the governor of Chaozhou.
Unexpectedly, Han Yu turned Chaozhou into a civilized city in just 8 months. In order to promote local development, he even used his own salary to establish schools and cultivate talents.
In order to commemorate him, the local people renamed the largest river to Hanjiang and the mountain he climbed to Hanshan. Until now, there are nearly 4000 people in Chaozhou whose names contain the characters "Han" or "Yu". This is the so-called "establishing a heart for heaven and earth, and establishing a destiny for the people".
In the second year of Changqing, a mutiny broke out in Zhengzhou, the governor was killed, and no one in the court dared to go to quell the rebellion. At this time, Han Yu, who was 54 years old, stood up again.
He went deep into the enemy camp alone. Facing the threat of swords and knives from the rebels, he showed no fear. With his eloquence and awe-inspiring sense of justice, he successfully persuaded the rebels to withdraw and resolved a crisis. Su Shi once commented that he "bravely won the title of commander of the three armies". What a compliment!
In literature, Han Yu launched a magnificent ancient prose movement.
Before him, most articles focused on form and were flashy but not substantial. Han Yu opposed the parallel style of the Six Dynasties and advocated the revival of the prose tradition of the Qin and Han dynasties, advocating "literature as a vehicle for truth". His articles were simple and unadorned, powerful and vigorous, forming his own style.
The theories of prose writing he proposed, such as "the unity of literature and morality", "strong spirit and appropriate words", "eliminating clichés", and "smooth writing and smooth flow of words", have provided important guidance for literary creation in later generations.
Su Shi commented that he "revives literature after eight generations of decline, and saves the world with his teachings." This movement not only affected the literary world at that time, but also had a profound impact on later generations.
The reason why he was admired by writers such as Su Shi and Ouyang Xiu was more because he achieved the second sentence of Hengqu's four sentences: "Carrying on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages."
In the winter of 824 AD, this scholar who had been fighting for ideals and justice all his life closed his eyes forever at his home in Jing'anli at the age of 57. The court posthumously awarded him the title of Minister of Rites. His articles and spirit still inspire countless people today.
[He won the first place in the imperial examination and was known as the first number one scholar in history, but many people have never heard of his name. Historical knowledge Song Dynasty]
He was the first number one scholar in history. In the imperial examination at that time, three people became the Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties, nine people later became prime ministers, and 9 people were listed in separate biographies in the History of Song Dynasty.
Even Su Shi and Su Zhe were only ranked in the top three, and as the No. 1 scholar, he only had one poem handed down. Su Shi said frankly that in terms of talent and learning, no one could match him in a hundred years. Many people have never even heard of his name. He is the No. 1 scholar in the imperial examination for thousands of years - Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng, courtesy name Ziping, was born in Nanping, Fujian 1000 years ago. He was intelligent and well-read since childhood. With his profound knowledge and outstanding talent, he won the first prize in the imperial examination in the second year of Jiayou in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Not only did the number of participants reach 40, but the number of talented people was unprecedented, and could be called the greatest in the world. The examiner was the literary giant Ouyang Xiu, and the examiners were all great men.
Only 388 people were admitted to the Jinshi exam, but these 388 people included Su Shi, Su Zhe, Zeng Gong, three of the Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, the founders of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, Zhang Zai who said the "Four Sentences of Hengqu", and Zhang Xu, Zeng Bu, Lu Huiqing, the core members of Wang Anshi's reform. Later, 9 people became prime ministers, and 24 people were listed in the "History of Song Dynasty".
This also makes this imperial examination known as the first list of imperial examinations for Chinese youth.
However, Zhang Heng, the champion of this imperial examination, is little known in later generations. After winning the title, Zhang Heng embarked on an official career and served as the magistrate of Huzhou. In this position, he demonstrated his extraordinary political talent and keen insight.
He soon discovered many problems in financial management, among which the phenomenon of empty salaries was particularly serious. He decisively suggested that the court should clean up those people who did nothing but enjoyed salaries, strengthen the supervision and audit of financial revenue and expenditure, and do a good job in budget preparation and management in advance to enhance the rationality of financial planning and reduce the burden on the people. Therefore, he was also the first person to propose a financial budget system.
These suggestions hit the mark, but they also touched the cheese of some vested interests, and were suspected and excluded by the dignitaries in the court. Soon after, Zhang Heng was excluded from the court and served as the governor of Ruzhou and Yingzhou. In 1068, Zhang Heng was appointed as the governor of Zhengzhou. After taking office, he went deep into the people to understand the sufferings of the people.
He found that the idle land under Yuan Wujing's jurisdiction was huge, as much as 4200 hectares. These lands had been abandoned for a long time and had not been effectively used. Zhang Heng knew the importance of land to the people, so he submitted a memorial to the court, suggesting that these lands be redistributed to the people for cultivation.
This move not only solved the people's land needs and promoted agricultural production, but also won the recognition and praise of the court. Subsequently, he was recalled to the capital and served as the judge of the Taichang Temple.
In 1072, Zhang Heng had a special mission - to be sent as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom. The Liao emperor saw that he was a scholar and tried to humiliate him by asking him to shoot arrows at a banquet to show the military superiority of the Liao Kingdom. However, Zhang Heng surprised everyone.
His superb skills and his continuous success shocked the Liao monarchs and ministers and won their respect. During his mission, Zhang Heng also keenly noticed that the Liao army was lax and the political struggle was fierce.
After returning to China, he immediately reported to the emperor and suggested taking the opportunity to send troops to recover the Yanyun area and strengthen the border defense of the Northern Song Dynasty. Unfortunately, his suggestion was not adopted.
After returning to the court, Zhang Heng still maintained his upright and outspoken character. He saw that many scholars compiled the "Records of Military Affairs in the Past Dynasties" without understanding history, which led to a conflict with Prime Minister Zhang Xu.
Facing opposition from Prime Minister Zhang Xu, he did not back down, and submitted memorials to argue, and even directly accused Song Shenzong. In the end, although he proved his correctness, he was once again expelled from the court and served as the governor of Changzhou.
In Changzhou, local legislation prohibited people from selling salt. He knew that most people sold salt to make a living, and such a ban would only put people in trouble. So he decisively lifted the ban, allowing people to make a normal living.
While serving as the prefect of Zhenping, faced with the frequent flooding of the Hutuo River, he personally supervised the construction of a river embankment of more than 20 meters, successfully resisting the invasion of floods and protecting the lives and property of the people.
Zhang Heng traveled to many places throughout his life and served as governor of many prefectures. Wherever he went, he was honest and upright and was known for doing practical things for the people. He did not seek personal fame, but only focused on seeking the welfare of the people.
In 1099, this man of action died at the age of 75. Although Zhang Heng is not as well-known as Su Shi, Su Zhe and others in later generations, his life is worth remembering. As the saying goes, "A man who is good at fighting does not have great achievements", this is what Zhang Heng, a man of action, is like.
[He never served as an official in his life, but he lived a carefree life. Even Li Baihe and Wang Wei were willing to be his little fans. Historical knowledge Meng Haoran]
He was the most powerful job seeker in the Tang Dynasty. At the age of 18, he ranked among the top in the imperial examination, but he never entered the official career. Because of his love of drinking, he not only lost his official position, but also his life. He had the most powerful circle of friends in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and countless poets and dignitaries regarded him as an idol.
Li Bai confessed his love to him, and Wang Wei painted for him. However, in his later years, he drank himself to death because of Wang Changling's drinking. He was the landscape and pastoral poet of the prosperous Tang Dynasty - Meng Haoran.
Meng Haoran was born into a scholarly family in Xiangyang, Hubei in 689 AD. Xiangyang, a city of many talented people, not only endowed Meng Haoran with an elegant temperament, but also planted in his heart a yearning for freedom and secluded life.
Meng Haoran was well-read and talented since childhood. As the 33rd-generation grandson of Mencius, his name comes from a famous saying of Mencius: "Nurture my great spirit."
When he was young, he was deeply influenced by Pang Degong in the Biography of the Elders of Xiangyang. The story of Pang Degong living in seclusion in Lumen Mountain with his wife and children fascinated Meng Haoran and laid the groundwork for his future life of seclusion.
At the age of 18, Meng Haoran took part in the imperial examination in Xiangyang and won the first prize, becoming a well-known talent in the local area. At this time, his future seemed bright, and his family also had high hopes for him, hoping that he could shine in the imperial examination, become an official in the court, and bring honor to the family.
However, his idol Zhang Jianzhi once launched the Shenlong coup and supported Tang Zhongzong Li Xian to ascend the throne, but was ostracized after the success and eventually died of illness in exile. The experience of his idol gave Meng Haoran a deep understanding of the darkness of officialdom and the dangers of official career.
Despite his family's strong opposition, he resolutely went to Lumen Mountain to live in seclusion at the age of 20, and lived a life of farming and reading in Yunqiao. This period of seclusion not only made him calm and indifferent, but also provided rich material for his poetry creation.
He wrote the popular poem "Spring Dawn": "I sleep in spring and do not wake up until dawn, and hear birds singing everywhere. There were sounds of wind and rain at night, and I wonder how many flowers have fallen." These simple lines of poetry vividly show the laziness and vitality of a spring morning, full of love for nature and perception of life.
In Lumen Mountain, Meng Haoran also met the singer Han Xiangke. The two fell in love with each other and decided to spend their lives together despite their family's opposition. However, this romantic love did not last long.
When Meng Haoran was 25, his father died of illness. At this time, Meng Haoran realized the responsibility he shouldered and began to reflect on his willfulness and rebelliousness.
In order to fulfill his father's last wish, Meng Haoran decided to leave the mountaintop and embark on the road to seek officialdom. At that time, Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling was inspecting work in Xiangyang. Meng Haoran seized the opportunity and wrote "Looking at Dongting Lake and Presenting it to Prime Minister Zhang": "In August, the lake is calm, and the sky is mixed with the clear sky. The air is steaming over Yunmeng Lake, and the waves are shaking Yueyang City. I want to help but have no boats, and I am ashamed of my sage.
Sitting and watching the fishermen, I can only envy the fish." In the poem, he used the magnificent scenery of Dongting Lake to euphemistically express his desire to enter the world and display his talents. Zhang Jiuling was very impressed by this poem and gladly recommended Meng Haoran to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.
However, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang did not like Meng Haoran at all, and his first job search attempt ended in failure.
Although his path to becoming an official was not smooth, Meng Haoran made many like-minded friends during this period, such as Wang Wei, Li Bai, He Zhizhang, etc.
These poets admired his talent, and Li Bai admired him even more, and wrote the poem "I love Master Meng, his elegance is known all over the world" to express his respect and love for him. Their friendship also became a precious treasure in Meng Haoran's life.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Meng Haoran has reached the age of forty. Seeing his friends around him becoming officials one by one, but he still has nothing to show for it, he can't help feeling a little lost.
So at the age of 40, Meng Haoran once again plucked up the courage to apply for the imperial examination. However, years of seclusion made him lack understanding of current political affairs, and he eventually failed.
Meng Haoran was unwilling to accept his failure, so he went to the Secretariat to complain to his friend Wang Wei, but he did not expect to meet Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. When Emperor Xuanzong heard that he was blind, he asked him to write a poem.
At the critical moment, Meng Haoran was so nervous that he recited a poem "Returning to Nanshan at the End of the Year". The line "I am not talented, but my wise ruler abandons me. I am sick, but my old friends neglect me" made Emperor Xuanzong mistakenly think that Meng Haoran was blaming him, and he was furious. Meng Haoran completely ruined his career.
After that, Meng Haoran's job search became more and more difficult. He once met Han Chaozong, who was willing to help him. Han Chaozong was quite impressed with him and planned to recommend him to the court.
The two agreed to go to Chang'an together, but on the appointed day, Meng Haoran forgot about it because he was drinking with friends and stood Han Chaozong up. This willful act made him lose the opportunity to enter the officialdom again.
After many setbacks, Meng Haoran gradually despaired of his official career. He returned to Xiangyang and lived a secluded life again. During this period, his poetry creation reached its peak.
He wrote "Visiting an Old Friend's Farm": "My old friend prepared chicken and rice and invited me to his farm. Green trees clustered around the village, and green hills sloped outside the city. I opened the window facing the fields and talked about mulberry and hemp while drinking wine.
When the Double Ninth Festival comes, I will come back to enjoy the chrysanthemums." This poem depicts the beauty of rural life in plain language and shows Meng Haoran's love for nature and friendship.
However, Meng Haoran's later years were not entirely peaceful. At the age of 48, he accepted Zhang Jiuling's invitation to serve as an aide, but soon resigned and returned home because of Beichuan. In 740, Wang Changling passed through Xiangyang and drank with Meng Haoran.