Cite a famous patriotic general in Chinese and foreign history, talk about his deeds and inspirations

Wen Tianxiang (1236-1283) was a Han nationality and a native of Jishui, Jizhou (now Ji'an, Jiangxi). His original name was Yunsun, with the courtesy names Lushan and Songrui. He also called himself Wenshan and Fuxiu Daoren. He was an outstanding national hero and patriotic poet in the Southern Song Dynasty. He is the author of "The Complete Works of Wenshan", and his famous works include "Song of Righteousness" and "Crossing the Lingding Ocean". Lizong Baoyou of Song Dynasty became a Jinshi. From the official to the prime minister, he wrote to the Duke of the country. When Lin'an was in danger, he recruited rebels in his hometown to resolutely resist the invasion of Yuan soldiers. Later, he was unfortunately captured. While in prison, he showed great righteousness and was eventually killed for his unyielding actions. His poems in his later years reflected his steadfast national integrity and tenacious fighting spirit. The style is impassioned, desolate and tragic, and has strong appeal. His works include "The Complete Works of Mr. Wenshan" and "Wenshan Yuefu".

Wen Tianxiang’s hesitation before execution

Heroes can also be cowardly in the face of death. In the movie "Braveheart", the Scottish national hero Wallace shouted "Freedom!" before he was executed. However, before leaving the cell before execution, he prayed to God, hoping to gain courage to resist the fear of death.

Wen Tianxiang, the hero of the Chinese nation, in addition to leaving history with the magnificent heroic spirit of sacrificing his life for righteousness, was not completely fearless when faced with death threats and inducements from the Yuan Dynasty. He not only doubted his own beliefs, but even You may have thought about "surrendering".

"The Biography of Wen Tianxiang in the History of the Song Dynasty" records his ambiguous words: "If the country perishes, one of us will die. Due to the lucid fate, I was able to return to my hometown with Huang Guan. I can prepare advisors from abroad in the future. If so. "If you want to become an official, you will not be able to survive unless you are a great man who has destroyed your country. If you give up his life and throw it away, how can you use me?" It hinted that he had the idea of ??returning to his hometown to become a Taoist priest (Huang Guan), or even serve as an advisor to the Yuan Dynasty in the future. From this point of view, Wen Tianxiang had the possibility of surrender, but Kublai Khan could not tolerate such a vague attitude. What he wanted was a wholehearted surrender like a slave.

"Fortunately" Kublai Khan did not agree to his request to become a Taoist priest in seclusion. An old colleague who had been demoted to the Yuan Dynasty who was angrily scolded by Wen Tianxiang also disagreed: "When Tianxiang comes out and summons Jiangnan again, where will the ten of us go!" , leave a loyal heart and reflect the history." With these words that last through the ages, we have gained an eternal hero, not a hermit that is common in troubled times.

How could Wen Tianxiang, who had sacrificed his life for charity, be cowardly and evasive? surrender? Don't even think about it. Later generations often suspect that the "History of the Song Dynasty: Biography of Wen Tianxiang" compiled by the Yuan Dynasty people was deliberately slandering and insulting our hero. Yes, in the thinking habits of the Chinese people, a hero is never cowardly, and a coward is never brave. Don’t you know that human nature is much more complex than we imagine? Wen Tianxiang's escape before his death is entirely possible.

Less than a year after writing "Crossing the Lingding Ocean", Wen Tianxiang actually began to "doubt" the so-called "no one has died since ancient times, and his loyalty will be remembered by history." After suffering all kinds of hardships and being taken to Dadu, he wrote a poem "On the first day of the tenth month of Ji Mao, we arrived at Yan, and on the fifth day of the month we were struck by wild beasts. I wrote this poem with my feelings." Among them was "Who is the biography of the great man who subjugated the country? Only unofficial history and people can read it." It means that I am afraid that if I sacrifice my life for righteousness, it will not be reflected in history and will only be circulated in unofficial history.

Wen Tianxiang cannot let "God give me strength". He needs the power of historical justice to motivate himself, and it is normal to experience doubts in the process. Previously, when he was taken to Guangzhou, those who tried to persuade him to surrender "ridiculed" his belief in leaving his name in history, "The country has perished, and the duty of loyalty and filial piety is over. If someone kills someone for loyalty and filial piety, who will write back the letter?" Wen Tianxiang said: "When the Yin Dynasty fell, Yi and Qi did not eat Zhou millet, and they also committed suicide. They did not hear that life and death changed their hearts." It can be seen that Wen Tianxiang has had repeated opinions on whether his loyalty can be reflected in history.

Wen Tianxiang is not afraid of sacrifice and can withstand temptations. However, when a Taoist priest named Ling Yangzi talked to him, he was moved to return to Buddhism. Previously, Wang Yuanliang, a court piano master of the Southern Song Dynasty whom Wen Tianxiang knew, had been awarded the title of Huangguan Taoist Priest by Kublai Khan. Although Wen Tianxiang was a Confucian, he was very fond of Buddhism and Taoism, which is evident from the fact that his two sons were named Taosheng and Fosheng respectively.

"Who knows the true adversity, suddenly realizes the great light, the sun rises and the clouds are calm, the wind disappears and the water calms down. Fame can destroy one's nature, but loyalty and filial piety are hard work. Only heroes in the world, gods and immortals are established.

"This is a poem given by Wen Tianxiang after Lingyangzi came to see him in prison. This poem is very different from Wen Tianxiang's "Song of Righteousness" and other righteous works. In addition to the tragic Confucian spirit of killing oneself to be benevolent and being loyal to the emperor and keeping justice, There is indeed a Wen Tianxiang who wanders in Buddhism and seeks liberation.

We can see the clues from another poem written by Wen Tianxiang to Lingyangzi: "In the past, I loved the spring stone, and I always bowed to the public. Under the green mountain of Jiewu, Peng and Ying are close at hand... The heaven and the earth are not old, and the sun and the moon give their essence. Human beings are yin and yang, and they are born from eternal life. Point me to the void and lead me back to my country. A needle penetrates the top door, and the bones of the road are made by nature..." In his early years, when Wen Tianxiang was frustrated in his official career, he returned to his hometown in Wenshan and lost his love for Quanshi all day long. "When he was trapped in a prison in Dadu, thousands of miles away from his hometown, his conversation with Lingyangzi aroused Wen Tianxiang's memories of the past happy years.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival night of 1280, he was killed by Kublai Khan Wang Yuanliang, who was awarded the title of Taoist priest, played "Eighteen Beats of Hujia" with his qin in his hand. This is a long poem written by Cai Wenji in the late Han Dynasty after she returned to her hometown after being plundered by the Huns for 12 years, narrating her misery. Life experience and feelings of homesickness. On a full moon night, without his homeland and behind bars, Wang Yuanliang's playing and singing sounded. What kind of grief did Wen Tianxiang feel when he was homeless like Cai Wenji? Then, Wen Tianxiang wrote "Hu Jia Qu". "Eighteen shots, at the end of the preface, the signature is "Fuxiu Taoist Wenshan". "Fuxiu" comes from "Zhuangzi", "He lives like floating, and his death is like resting." Wen Tianxiang calls himself "Fuxiu Taoist". It can be seen that the words of "returning to his hometown with a yellow crown" are not unfounded.

More than seven hundred years later, when we saw Wen Tianxiang's loosening of faith before his death, he had thoughts of escaping and even surrender. It does not feel that his image has been diminished, but is more in line with the reality of human nature, making people approachable and touching.

In the end, Wen Tianxiang did not escape and walked to the execution ground with dignity and dignity, with thousands of people watching. Seeing that Wen Tianxiang was very calm, he said to the officials: "I have finished my work, and I am not hesitant anymore." "Nan Xiang worshiped and died. In the clothes worn by his body, people found the "Ode to Clothes and Belts" he left behind: "Confucius said Cheng Ren, Mencius said Qi Yi. Only when his righteousness is fulfilled, he is benevolent. What do you learn from reading the books of sages? Now and from now on, I have nothing to be ashamed of. ”

Yue Fei (1103-1142) was a national hero, military strategist, and famous general who fought against the Jin Dynasty. His courtesy name was Pengju, his posthumous title was Wumu, and later his posthumous title was changed to Zhongwu. He was a native of Xiaotili, Tangyin Yonghe Township, Xiangzhou, Hebei (now Henan) (Chenggang Village, Caiyuan Town, 30 miles east of Tangyin County, Anyang City)

When Yue Fei was 19 years old, he joined the army to fight against the Liao Dynasty. On December 29, the eleventh year of Shaoxing (1142), Qin Hui died. Yue Fei was poisoned to death in Lin'an Fengbo Pavilion on "unfounded" charges. In 1162, Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty ordered him to be reinstated and given the posthumous title of Wu Mu. During the reign of Ning Zong, he was posthumously named King of E and his posthumous title was changed to Zhongwu. There is "Yue Wu Mu Ji".

As a national hero in the history of our country, Yue Fei’s spirit of loyalty to the country is deeply admired by the people of all ethnic groups in China. His eternal masterpiece "Man Jiang Hong" was written in the grief and anger of the Northern Expedition and his unfulfilled ambition. It is still a morale-boosting masterpiece. The army he led is called the "Yue Family Army", and people have a famous saying "It is easy to shake the mountains, but it is difficult to shake the Yue Family Army", which expresses the highest praise for the "Yue Family Army".