The patriarch of the Ten Dynasties, who was criticized by Ouyang Xiu as a shameless person , made s

Mondo Culture Updated on 2024-01-29

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, regime changes were commonplace, and many ministers became veterans of several dynasties. In this era, there is an outstanding figure, known as the "Patriarch of the Ten Dynasties", he is Feng Dao. However, although his glorious history shines in the biography of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Ouyang Xiu in the future severely criticized him, calling him "a shameless person". Looking back on Feng Dao's merits and demerits, how should people evaluate it today?

Feng Dao was born in the second year of the reign of Emperor Xi of the Tang Dynasty (882) and spent his youth in Jingcheng, Yingzhou (present-day Cangzhou, Hebei Province). Despite his humble beginnings, his thirst for knowledge kept him tireless in the midst of a difficult environment. After Liu Shouguang was recruited as a subordinate of Youzhou Jiedu, Feng Dao's political career officially kicked off.

However, Feng Dao's bumpy experience doesn't stop there. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, he was imprisoned by Liu Shouguang for his outspokenness, and then regained his freedom under the patronage of the Jin king Li Cunxuan. His political wisdom and ability were highly recognized by Li Cunqing, who was appointed secretary of Taiyuan and rose to prominence in the political struggle that followed.

Feng Dao has experienced many ups and downs in the long river of history, and has become an important political figure. He was not only honored under the Later Tang regime, but also played an important role in the Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou dynasties. His political prowess and concern for the people earned him widespread respect in troubled times.

However, Feng Dao's life was not all smooth sailing. Ouyang Xiu criticized him for being "shameless" and accused him of political capriciousness. However, Sima Guang mentioned when commenting on the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms: "Those who lose their ministers are not the only ones, how can they be guilty of the Tao alone." "In those turbulent times, the unpredictability of the political situation was often a last resort, and Feng Dao may not have been perfect at some historical points, but his life was not lacking in praise.

From today's perspective, we may be able to understand the political changes in the troubled times and examine Feng Dao's life with a more tolerant eye. He may not have fully met the Confucian standard of "loyalty to the monarch and patriotism", but he left a contribution that cannot be ignored in safeguarding the interests of the people and promoting cultural prosperity.

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