The outstanding generals in history all possessed outstanding talents and military exploits, and were deeply admired by the king and the people. However, they also often threaten the king because of their high merits, and thus fall into a life-and-death crisis.
This is like the modern mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship, although it seems simple on the surface, but in fact it hides complex interpersonal relationships and knowledge. Only a wise monarch and a courtier can properly handle this relationship and avoid losing both.
Guo Ziyi is such a politician who has successfully handled the relationship between the monarch and the minister.
Guo Ziyi: Outstanding achievements but can live a long life Guo Ziyi was a famous general of the Tang Dynasty, who performed well in the Anshi Rebellion and made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty's defeat of the Hui and Tubo.
His military exploits and achievements won the respect of Dezong of the Tang Dynasty and he was revered as "Shang Father". Although the most successful generals usually do not die well, Guo Ziyi is an exception, he lived to be 85 years old, and successfully avoided the tragic fate of "flying all the birds, hiding the good bow".
In a society where imperial power is exclusive, generals with great military achievements are regarded as a great danger to their henchmen. Guo Ziyi knows this well, and he has summed up a set of methods to protect himself - self-pollution.
This approach allowed him to successfully avoid the emperor's suspicions and achieve a long and safe life.
Why is General Kwok still glamorous at the age of 80? How to still have a group of wives and concubines when you are old and decrepit? Why do historians understand his extraordinary behavior?
How many secrets are hidden behind this? There is an ancient Chinese proverb that "birds cherish their feathers and tigers cherish their skins", which means that birds cherish their feathers because they rely on them to soar in the sky, and the same is true for human beings, and respect for reputation is the key to life and success.
However, General Guo Ziyi was a special case, he pursued extravagance in his later life, not only living a life of fine clothes and food, but also making the servants in the palace wear gorgeous silk.
He paid special attention to pomp and circumstance, and the cost of each banquet was hundreds of thousands.
Guo Ziyi is over 80 years old and still has a strong desire for women. It is recorded that he was often surrounded by a group of women, with whom he laughed and played without suspicion.
At the time, this kind of behavior was very dissatisfied, and some people even questioned whether the dignified king of Fenyang should indulge in wine.
Ms. Kwok's misconduct has raised questions from some. His subordinates were worried about this and advised him to maintain a good reputation. There was still a war going on on the border, so it was better to dismiss his wives and concubines and donate his property to the imperial court to support the military campaign.
However, Guo Ziyi was adamantly opposed, believing that if he did so, the emperor would think that he was trying to win over the hearts of the people and had bad intentions.
Some scholars have pointed out that Guo Ziyi is well versed in the way of people and monarchs and ministers, and has long understood the true meaning. Since ancient times, the imperial court has often set up a model for the righteous men and gentlemen among the common people, and publicized them to encourage the whole country to follow suit.
If it is a powerful minister in the imperial court, the emperor will be perfunctory on the surface, secretly guarded, and if necessary, he will get rid of it quickly, and Han Xin of the Han Dynasty in history is a typical example.
Therefore, the emperor was not worried about Guo Ziyi's greed for money and lust, but worried that he was too greedy for power. And Guo Ziyi knows this very well, since he has become famous and has no desire to chase power, so why hide it?
So he chose to show it openly, let the people around him become his mouthpiece, dispel the emperor's doubts, and make the emperor think that Guo Ziyi was just bent on pursuing beauty.
As long as a minister does not intend to rebel, the emperor will not interfere with him too much. The tragedy of Bai Qi and Han Xin is that they threaten the position of the king, and if they are not removed, the position of the king will be threatened.
Guo Ziyi took the initiative to lower his status by retreating, so as to dispel the emperor's suspicion of him, and finally saved his life. In the second year of Tang Jianzhong (781 AD), Guo Ziyi died of illness at the age of eighty-five.