The story of Mengjiang women crying at the Great Wall

This story happened a long time ago, when Qin Shihuang was recruiting 800,000 migrant workers to build the Great Wall of Wan Li. The government arrested people everywhere as migrant workers, and the arrested people built the Great Wall day and night. I don't know how tired they are

There is a scholar named Fan Qiliang in Suzhou. In order to escape from the government, he had to hide everywhere. One day, he fled to Meng Jia Garden and met Meng Jiangnv by chance. Meng Jiangnv is a smart and beautiful girl. She hid Fan Qiliang and her parents. The two old people like Fan Qiliang very much, so they betrothed Meng Jiangnv to him as their wife.

Less than three days after their marriage, Fan Qiliang was arrested for building the Great Wall. Meng Jiangnv cried like a crybaby, waiting for her husband to come back. Half a year has passed, and Fan Qiliang has no news at all. It is already late autumn, the north wind is blowing everywhere, the reed flowers are turning white, and the weather is getting colder every day. Meng Jiangnv must be very cold when she thinks of her husband building the Great Wall in the north. She sewed her own clothes to keep out the cold and set off for the Great Wall of Wan Li to find Fan Qiliang.

Along the way, Meng Jiangnv experienced many difficulties and hardships before she came to the foot of the Great Wall. Who knows that the migrant workers who built the Great Wall told her that Fan Qiliang was dead and his bones were filled into the wall. Hearing this heartbreaking news, Meng Jiangnv only felt that it was dark and suddenly fainted to the ground. After waking up, she cried sadly, only crying very sadly, and the sun and the moon were dark. I don't know how long I cried, but suddenly I heard an earth-shattering noise. The Great Wall collapsed for dozens of miles, revealing countless bones. Meng Jiangnv bit her finger and blood dripped on the bone. She secretly prayed that if it was her husband's bone, blood would seep into it; If not, blood will flow everywhere. Finally, Meng Jiangnv found Fan Qiliang's remains in this way. She hugged this pile of bones and began to cry again.

Qin Shihuang saw that Meng Jiangnv was beautiful and wanted to force her to be a concubine. Meng Jiangnv gave him a false promise, but asked Qin Shihuang to do three things first: ask the monk to read Fan Qiliang the 49-Day Classic and then bury him properly; Qin Shihuang will personally lead the minister of civil and military affairs to weep and sacrifice to Fan Qiliang; After Fan Qiliang was buried, Meng Jiangnv was going to travel and get married three days later. Qin Shihuang had to agree to Meng Jiangnv's request. After these three things were done, Meng Jiangnu scolded Qin Shihuang and then jumped into the rough sea.

[Edit this paragraph] Textual research on authenticity

The story of Meng Jiangnv crying in the Great Wall is purely fictional, because the Shanhaiguan Great Wall was built after the Qin Dynasty, and the Great Wall built by the Qin Dynasty is hundreds of miles north of Shanhaiguan. Since there was no Great Wall in the local area at that time, it was natural to cry for the Great Wall.

The story of Meng Jiangnv took place in the Spring and Autumn Period. According to Zuo Zhuan, in the twenty-third year and four years (the first 550 years), Qi attacked Wei and Jin Dynasties, and when he returned to attack Ju, Dr. Qi Liang died. Qi Liang's wife died in the suburbs. According to legend, she cried for her husband for ten days and the wall collapsed. According to misinformation, later generations described Qi Liang's wife as a person in Qin Shihuang's time and deduced the story of the Great Wall crying.

It has been pointed out that the story of Meng Jiangnu crying in the Great Wall has changed with the changes of times and customs in previous dynasties. During the Warring States period, the capital of Qi was in a state of crying, and Qi Liang (later evolved into Liang) died in the battlefield and was greeted by his wife. This is the material of the tragedy. In the Western Han Dynasty, yin and yang and five elements, the connection between heaven and man prevailed, and the bitterness of Qi Liang's wife caused the feeling of city collapse and mountain crack. During the Six Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties, there was a song of sending clothes in Yuefu, so the content of sending cold clothes was added. It can be seen that Meng Jiangnv's story of crying on the Great Wall is gradually enriched in the long-term cultural evolution.

Building the Great Wall is the most cruel and representative of all kinds of labor in feudal dynasties. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Ming Dynasty, in the long years of nearly 2,000 years, the Great Wall has been repaired and repaired repeatedly, and countless civilian workers have been forced. At any time, it may have the same experience as Meng Jiangnv. Therefore, Jiang Nv and Qi Liang are two typical figures created by the working people in endless labor, which embodies the disaster that millions of lower-class people are driven away by labor and their wives are separated. The touching story of Crying over the Great Wall is an indictment of the tyranny of the feudal ruling class and a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the enslaved people. Just as Wen Tianxiang, a famous minister in the Southern Song Dynasty, wrote a couplet next to the statue of Meng Jiangnv: "Qin and Huang An are here, and the Great Wall of Wan Li builds grievances; Jiang Nv did not die, a thousand years ago, Shi Mingzhen. " This should be the theory of "zhongyun".

[Edit this paragraph] Generation, spread and evolution

The story of Meng Jiangnv took place in Qi State. Qi is a vassal state of Jiang Taigong. Anyone who has seen the history of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty will know that the "X Ginger" in the book has always been a Qi native. Meng is the eldest daughter of the Jiang family. Her story was first seen in Zuo Zhuan. Jiang Meng was the wife of Qi Liang, a general of the State of Qi, who died in Jun 'an in 549 BC. Qi Zhuanggong met Jiang Meng outside the primary school and expressed condolences to her. Jiang Meng thought that the countryside was not a place for mourning and refused to accept it, so Zhuang Gong accepted her suggestion and went to her house to offer condolences. Besides being polite, Jiang Meng also recorded that he was good at crying. Chunyu Kun said: "It has become a national custom for the wife of Qi Liang to cry her husband." Jiang Meng's cry tune was born in Qi. In the Western Han Dynasty, it was recorded that Meng Jiangnv "cried for her husband's death and the city collapsed" (Liu Xiang's "Shuo Yuan" and "Biography of Lienv"). As for where wailing wall is, although there are different opinions about Cheng Ju, Qi Liang and Liang Shan, they are all in one place, not the Great Wall of Wan Li in Qin Dynasty. According to Li Daoyuan's Notes on Water Classics, it was Cheng Ju that Meng Jiangnu cried and collapsed. About the Tang Dynasty, this theme evolved into the story of Meng Jiangnu's crying and collapsing the Great Wall in Wan Li, and it took shape today. Zhou moved the story to Yan State, where he was named Meng Zhongzi and Qi Liang became Qi Liang. Qi Liang strayed into Meng Chao's backyard to avoid the battle of building a city. Meng Nv Tadao is taking a bath. The ancient people had a very strong concept of chastity, and only the husband could see their daughter's body, so they got married. Later, Qi Liang returned to the site of the Great Wall and was executed and buried under it. So Zhong Zi went all the way to find her husband, cried and collapsed the Great Wall, sprinkled blood on many bones to examine them, and finally got her husband's body. ? In ancient times, there were frequent wars and heavy corvees, and it was a traditional theme to levy a husband and divorce a woman. Chen Lin wrote "Drinking Horses in the Great Wall Cave" at the end of the Han Dynasty: "Drinking Horses in the Great Wall Cave, Shui Han hurts the bones of horses. When you claim to be an official of the Great Wall, don't stay in Taiyuan ... You can't see the Great Wall alone, and the bones of the deceased lean against each other? " Since then, poets of all ages have praised it. The Wife of Qi Liang written by Guan Xiu, a monk in the Tang Dynasty, actually recited Meng Jiangnv's Crying for the Great Wall. Later, many poets wrote this theme, which contributed to the widespread spread of this story. Since the Yuan Dynasty, the story of Meng Jiangnv has been put on the stage.

Tao's Record of Dropping out of Farming in Nancun and Zhong Sicheng's Record of Ghosts both recorded this point. In these operas, Jiang Meng was transformed into Meng Jiangnv, and Qi Liang gave birth to Qi Liang, Fan Qiliang, Fan Xilang, Fan Xilang and Wan Xiliang.

With the spread of Meng Jiangnu's story, the upsurge of temple building has arisen everywhere. It is known that the earliest temple of Meng Jiangnu was built in the Northern Song Dynasty, and auspicious symbols and Jia in the Northern Song Dynasty were found in Xu Shui, Hebei Province and Tongchuan, Shaanxi Province. During the years, the stone tablet of Jiangnu Temple was rebuilt. Many local chronicles describe Meng Jiangnv as a native, and Linzi, Tongguan (Tongchuan), An Su (Xu Shui), Shanhaiguan and Tongguan all have the tombs of Meng Jiangnv. When Shanghai was building a road in the late Qing Dynasty, a sarcophagus was dug at the foot of the old north gate, with a stone statue lying in the middle and the word "Wan Qiliang" on the chest, which was buried when Shanghai was building a city during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. According to Meng Jiangxian's treasure scroll, the first emperor built the Great Wall, and Taibaixing sang nursery rhymes: "There are thousands of happiness in Gusu, and one person can overcome many deaths. After the Great Wall is sealed, it will be king, and the Great Wall of Wan Li will last forever. " The story of Meng Jiangnv crying over the Great Wall for her husband was triggered by her desire to escape from the beam. Qin Huang allowed Jiang Meng to do three things: build a bridge, build a grave, and cry for sacrifice. Jiang Meng condemned the tyrant and drowned. In this story, Meng Jiangnv became a Songjiang person. Meng Jiangnv's story reflects the people's hatred of feudal tyranny and their desire and pursuit of a free and happy life. After more than 2,000 years of spread and evolution, it has become what it is today. ?

Meng Jiangnu cried about the Great Wall. For thousands of years, people have been preaching on the basis of true stories and gradually misinformed them, so that the authenticity of Meng Jiangnu was greatly reduced. Do not hesitate! In fact, Meng Jiangnv was a native of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period and married Qi Liang, a native of Linzi. Qi Liang is filial to his mother and is mighty and brave. Just born a commoner, no official, no job, farming for a living.

At that time, Duke Zhuang of Qi wanted to revive the glory of Qi Huangong, so he sent troops to attack the country of Ju. In order to motivate the soldiers, Qi Zhuanggong rewarded two warriors, Zhou Chuo and Jia Ju, each with a five-horse chariot. Zhou Chuo and Jia Ju were very happy. Jia Ju recommended Zhou Hua and Qi Liang in Linzi. They were also very brave. So Qi Zhuang called Zhou and Qi Liang to China, and they really looked like warriors. So he gave a carriage to Zhou Hua and Qi Liang. After meeting, I retired. Unhappy, Zhou Hua said to Qi Liang, "This is also a reward for the warriors, giving Zhou Chuo and Jia Ju a five-horse chariot, but it can only be used by the two of us. For us, this is not a reward, but an insult. What to do, it is better to run and find another place. " Qi Liang hesitated and said to Zhou Hua, "I still have an old mother at home. Let me go back and tell her, but it's not too late to run again. "

Qi Liang came home and told his mother the whole story. Mother taught Qi, "If you didn't make any contribution when you were born, you can't be famous when you die. Even if you sit in a chariot, people will laugh at you.". If you make a great contribution and die, even a chariot rider is not as good as you. You can't disobey your orders. You'd better fight for it. " Qi Liang told Zhou Hua what his mother said. Zhou Hua blushed and sighed, "I don't understand what women know. I am very embarrassed! "

So Zhou Hua and Qi Liangtong took a bus and were at the disposal of Qi Zhuang Barracks. On this day, Qi Zhuanggong dispatched troops and prepared to March. Zhou Hua and Qi Liang volunteered to be strikers. JiZhuang male asked, "how many infantry do you want? How many chariots do you bring? " The two men replied, "We don't need soldiers or cars. We will ride in the chariot you gave us. One car for two people is enough. " Duke Zhuang of Qi wanted to see how brave they were and smiled and agreed. Qi Heliang made a scene and agreed to take turns driving. When they left, they said that if a person can guard the right side in the car, he will certainly defeat an army. At this time, a soldier named Ji Houzhong came forward and was willing to go with him. So a man drove, a man with a weapon on the left, and a man with a weapon on the right, heading for the capital of Ju.

Li, the monarch of Chu, heard that the Qi army was coming, and personally led 300 infantry to inspect the city. Just met Qi Liang. Qi Liang three people swore at me and said I was a general. Who dares to fight to the death? Li didn't expect the Qi army to come so quickly. He was surprised. On closer inspection, there is only one car and no successor. So he ordered three hundred infantry to besiege three people. Qi Liang and Zhou Hua said to Ji Houzhong: You beat the drums in the car and watch how we kill the enemy! So the two men jumped out of the chariot, holding halberds, and rushed into the tight encirclement. Confronted from left to right, the halberd swept away and was invincible. More than half of the 300 soldiers were killed by two men. Li was surprised and said to the two men, "Stop fighting. I know you two are great. As long as you submit to living in peace, I will split living in peace in two and give you half. " They laughed and said, "it is disloyal to abandon the country and surrender to the enemy;" I don't believe it if I don't get a military order. It is not our nature to be unfaithful or unbelieving and seek personal gain. " Say that finish, and courageously ji beheaded. Li couldn't resist the enemy, and he was defeated.

When he heard that the two men were defeated by Li, he quickly sent a messenger to express his condolences and promised a lot of rewards. Qi Heliang said with a smile, "Your Majesty gave others five chariots and only gave us one, because he thought we were not brave, and now he rewards us with profits, because he thinks we value profits over righteousness. Are we really so depressed? " So he drove away the emissary, abandoned his car and walked, pushing the capital of Juguo.

Li knows he can't beat three people. So I dug a ditch on the narrow road of the city gate and filled it with red-hot charcoal, making it impossible for people to walk. Hou Ji said, "Those ancient soldiers who can make their mark in history are definitely not afraid of death. I can let you through. " So Hou Ji leaned on charcoal with his shield on his back, and let Qi Liang and his wife walk on the shield. When they passed by and looked back, Ji Houzhong had been burned to black. They cried bitterly and rushed into the city gate with halberds. Li had already ambushed archers at the gate of the city, and thousands of arrows were volley. Qi and Liang rushed forward with arrows and were shot several times, and 27 people were killed. Soldiers guarding the city surrounded the city and shot down desperately. Qi Liang was seriously injured and died first. Hua was captured.

When Qi Zhuanggong's troops arrived, they were defeated without a fight. Qi Zhuanggong returned home in triumph. Qi Zhuanggong buried Qi Liang's body in the suburbs and was about to enter the suburbs when he met his wife Jiang Meng to meet her husband's body. Zhuang Gong stopped the car and let people mourn in front of Jiang Meng. Jiang Meng said with a cold face, "Is it mourning in the suburbs? What kind of etiquette is this? " Qi Zhuanggong was very ashamed, so he buried Qi Liang's body in his home and went to pay his respects. Meng Jiangnu sent out mourning, went outside the city gate, stopped the coffin and camped for three days. Meng Jiangnv held the coffin and cried her eyes out, crying her blood. All of a sudden, the capital of Qi collapsed several feet. It is also caused by grief and sincere urgency. Later, Mencius, an Asian sage, said that "Zhou Hua's wife of Qi Liang is good at crying her husband, which has become a national style", and so it was called. See Zuo Zhuan for twenty-three years. In addition, note that crying may be true, and the wall is also true, but there is absolutely no necessary connection between crying and the wall, just a coincidence.