The official history is subtle.
Including the "Historical Records", the historical books called "official history" in ancient times in our country often unfold their narratives in the way of "small words and big meanings", and many readers and friends who are in contact with "traditional history books" for the first time often taste like chewing wax because of the too brief documentary text of the 24th History. In fact, if we modern readers want to understand the dynastic history of a certain era in our country's history, we should not gnaw at a certain "historical material" in the 24th history as soon as we come up, but should read the "official historical materials" of a certain era on the basis of fully combining the classics in popular science documentaries and academic monographs that are closely integrated with a certain era.
Subtle Words: Profound truths contained in subtle language.
That's right!"Small words" are charming!
In other words, the seemingly simple "small words" are enough to make readers applaud!
It can even be said that the auction of reading ancient books in the official history category is amazing, mainly from the "small words and righteousness"!
Take the Book of Northern Qi, which the author is relatively familiar with, as an example, we can get a glimpse of the political changes in the Eastern Wei Dynasty and the Northern Qi Dynasty through several details and dialogues in the Book of Northern Qi, and then through Li Delin, Wang Shao, Li Baiyao, Li Yanshou and other historians who had a major impact on the existing Book of Northern Qi, we can vividly and vividly grasp the pulse of Wei Qi politics from the "three words and two words". However, there is also a small detail that is the most amazing for Han Kun's case, although this small detail is also a typical "brief" micro-saying in the official history, but what it expresses is not only a profound truth, but full of strong human feelings, which can be called a historian's wonderful pen.
Book of Northern Qi. The two volumes of Emperor Shenwu Benji are the beginning of the entire "Book of Northern Qi", and the protagonist of this part of the content is Gao Huan, the founder of the foundation of Northern Qi. The content of the two volumes reviews the whole process, Gao Huan's family history, the deeds of his youth, his participation in the Duluo Zhou Rebellion, joining the account of Er Zhurong, the establishment of Xindu and the domination of Guandong, the major events before and after Emperor Xiaowu of the Northern Wei Dynasty went west, and the Eastern Wei Dynasty's Eastern Expedition and Western Expedition. As for the character depiction of Emperor Gao Huan of Shenwu Emperor, the author of "The Book of Northern Qi and Emperor Shenwu Benji" mainly uses a generalized narrative method, focusing on the beginning and end of the content of the two volumes
Long and deep and generous, light on wealth and heavy on people, for the hero. The eyes are fine, the head is long, the cheeks are high, the teeth are as white as jade, and there are few outstanding people.
The divine martial nature is deep and dense on the high shore, and it is unfathomable all day long. At the time of the opportunity, change is like a god. As for the military strategy, it is rare to predict that it is a one-man and military general. Commanding the army, the laws and regulations are serious, the enemy is victorious, and there is no way to plan out. Hear and discern and do not deceive. Knowing people and good people, all protecting the old. Sex weekly, every time there is culture and education, often diligent, pointing to the heart, not yet beautiful. The appointment of people lies in the talent, ·· Yashang is frugal, and the sword saddle has no gold and jade ornaments. is rarely able to drink dramatically, and he is a big responsibility, but he is only a third lord. At home like an official. Forgiveness, ·· His men of civil and military affairs did everything they could, and there were many who did not sin when they saw it. Therefore, they all return to their hearts, and they all think about effectiveness. To the south of Weiliang country, the north of the worm, Tuyuhun, A to Luo Xian recruited, get its power, the rules are far away.
Combined with the life of Gao Huan shown in the main content of the two volumes and the character depiction at the beginning and end of the two volumes, we can see how a handsome leader who rose to prominence in the chaos of the world in the last years of the Northern Wei Dynasty coped with the challenges he constantly encountered. Moreover, the miracles or deeds contained in the two volumes also fully correspond to the author's description of the character of the preacher, and the image of a military and political strongman who is as deep as a person, unpredictable and well-versed in people is about to emerge. However, what is really moving is not only the life deeds and character description of the biographer Gao Huan, but the small details left by the author near the end of the two volumes, that is, the wonderful pen that this article will focus on "touting":
At that time, the Western Wei Dynasty said that the Shenwu was in the crossbow, and the Shenwu heard it, but he reluctantly sat down to see the nobles, so that the Hu Lu Jin Le Song, the Shenwu was self-reconciled, and the sorrow was runny.
This is the only "sorrowful runny" in Gao Huan's life that has been seen in historical materials, which is in stark contrast to the content of the two volumes of this book. So what kind of situation made Gao Huan so "sad and exposed", so that he broke Gao Huan's overall style of "deep and generous" all his life?This plot takes place in Gao Huan's later years on the way to attack the withdrawal of Yubi Buke (or has arrived in Jinyang), and the Battle of Yubi is the last western expedition launched by Gao Huan with his old and sick body when he knows that his life is dying.
An intersection near the Yubi battlefield in Jishan County, Shanxi Province.
Yubi City is a set of military fortress system built by Wang Sizheng, a famous general of the Western Wei Dynasty, and the city is a fortress built in the lower valley of the Fen River after the Western Wei Dynasty stabilized the control of the east of the river. The lower valley of the Fen River is sandwiched by the southern edge of the Luliang Mountains and Jiwang Mountain in the north and south respectively, the middle is the Fen River that flows into the Yellow River from east to west, the Guanzhong Plain is crossed by the ferry ports such as Longmen and Miaoqian to the west, and the center of the Jinnan region since ancient times to the east - Xinjiang Houma Quwo Wenxi area, this area is the center of communication Jinzhou (Linfen), Puzhou (Yongji), and Jiezhou (Yuncheng). Compared with the more difficult and dangerous Cuihan Ancient Road in the south, from Jinyang, the military center of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, to Jinzhou in the south and then along the lower valley road of the Fen River to the west, it was obviously a more ideal passage for the Eastern Wei led by Gao Huan to conquer the west.
In 542 A.D. and 546 A.D., Gao Huan was trapped under the Jade City by Wang Sizheng and Wei Xiaokuan respectively and was not allowed to advance westward, and the second Battle of Jade Bi even fought hard for fifty or sixty days, and Gao Huan's side exhausted all kinds of siege methods and could not conquer it. Gao Huan, who was born about 496 AD, was also 50 years old, and his physical condition obviously no longer allowed him to mobilize a large army to fight here again a few years later. We can even say that the "exhaustion of strategy" and "camping hard fighting" in the second battle of Jade Bi dragged down the body of the elderly Gao Huan, and at this time Gao Huan understood that he would no longer have the opportunity, physical strength and mental strength to realize his desire to destroy Yuwentai in this life.
Eilechuan, under the Yin Mountain, the sky is like a dome, covering the four fields. The sky is blue, the wilderness is vast, the wind blows the grass and sees the cattle and sheep.
The Song of Eile depicts the hometown where Hu Lujin, a native of Eile, once lived - Eilechuan, and Eilechuan is also the northern and southern prairie guarded by the three towns of Woye, Huaishuo and Wuchuan in the six northern towns, and Gao Huan's ancestors settled in Huaishuo Town from his grandfather's time, and Gao Huan grew up in Huaishuo Town. Then, the "Song of Eile" sung by Hu Lujin as a Eile person depicts not only the hometown in the eyes of that generation of Eile people - Eilechuan, but also the common hometown of Gao Huan's main monarchs and ministers who were born in Huaishuo Town.
Combining the above analysis, the reason why Gao Huan "felt sad and weeping" was that he suffered a major military setback (Yubi), his physical condition deteriorated sharply (reluctant to sit), he knew that he would never have a chance to realize his life's wishes, and he had hidden worries about whether the princes could settle the princes smoothly, held a banquet to entertain high-ranking officers, and asked Hu Lujin to sing a folk song depicting the hometown of everyone present at the banquet. With the rendering of wine and singing, Gao Huan, who sang together on the main seat, could no longer be "deep and like" as usual, and finally shed sentimental tears, and for the first and last time, he showed his true temperament in front of the nobles and in the annals of history.
The grassland under the Yin Mountain.
In other words, Gao Huan's "weeping with grief" instantly turned the "resolute and deep" emperor Benji, which was originally written according to the routine of the emperors of the past dynasties, into a tragic epic full of heroism. From a hero who stood at the peak of the thirties and forties of the sixth century AD, we saw a sense of powerlessness that after more than ten years of hard work and several times of brushing the edge with death, but finally "it is difficult to achieve great ambitions". This "grief and runny nose" also added a stroke to Gao Huan's life, which can make every ordinary person who has felt powerless and difficult in the face of fate, and it is easier to have emotional "resonance" with this originally high-ranking hero.
Gao Huanyi's current appearance.
The small detail of Gao Huan, who was reluctant to sit at the banquet, was "sad and weeping" because of singing and singing songs, was actually just one of the many small details in the official history of the past dynasties. These details are full of profound truth and deep emotion through brief whispers. They all have amazing potential, but limited by the way the official history is written, it is difficult for us to feel the power of "small words and great righteousness" as soon as we get started without any background reading. Therefore, Han Kun never advocates that beginners directly start reading the official history, because then you will ignore a lot of "micro words" that are originally full of profound truths and deep emotions, and the "great meaning" behind these "micro words" can only be more accurately grasped by readers if they have a certain amount of classic monographs.
In other words, for the official history of ancient books with the 24th history as the backbone, we actually need to read a certain number of classic monographs with multiple perspectives and then read them accurately, so that we can use the microscope of modern historiography to truly understand the emotions of the heir, the intentions of the historians and the general trend of the times behind each sentence of "subtle words".
Author: Wang Gongjian.