Any elementary school student who has been studying for a few days is familiar with the name Sima Guang. The primary school students are familiar with Sima Guang, not because of his "Guide to Political Affairs" or his political influence, but because he broke a tank and saved a child who fell into the tank. I won't tell the story here, because everyone knows it, but few people know who Sima Guang rescued the child, who he was, and what happened to him, especially the child's family, how thanked Sima Guang. In fact, these things are also recorded, but we just ignore them.
When Sima Guang was born, his father Sima Chi was the magistrate of Guangshan, which is located in Henan. Because he was born in Guangshan, Sima Guang was named Guang. Sima Guang was very clever when he was a child. It is said that he was able to recite "Zuo Zhuan" and other books proficiently at the age of six or seven. That time, Sima Guang and some children were playing on the rockery. These children could play with Sima Guang, and they were still playing in the park or on the rockery. Naturally, the quality of life would not be too bad. Sima Guang opened the big water tank in time, and the children who fell into the tank survived. I have to say that Sima Guang, who is also a child, is indeed smart enough and his mind is really flexible. No wonder he can recite so many classic books at such a young age.
The person rescued by Sima Qian was called Shangguan Shangguang. His family was panicked when he heard that the child had fallen into the water tank. They rushed over to see that he had been rescued by Sima Guang. Up. The child’s family praised Sima Guang for being smart because he was rescued by Sima Guang. The story of Sima Guang’s smashing of the tank was lavishly rendered by the person who fell into the tank, so it was all of a sudden. People nearby spread, and people say that the county magistrate Simachi gave birth to a good son. Later, Shangguan Shangguang's family also wrote Sima Guang into the genealogy, hoping that future generations will not forget Sima Guang's great kindness, and the story of Sima Guang has been passed on for a longer time.
Shangguan Shangguang is actually a wise man. He used to study hard to get fame, but he suffered setbacks and failed the exams. In desperation, Shangguan Shangguang chose to be a businessman. Because merchants were looked down upon during the Northern Song Dynasty, Shangguan Shangguang was rarely mentioned. In fact, Shangguan Shangguang is still a relatively successful businessman. He once built a thanksgiving pavilion specifically for Sima Guang to thank Sima Guang.
The story of Sima Guang’s smashing the tank has been circulated for a long time, largely because of Shangguan Shangguang and his family’s sincere gratitude and enthusiastic publicity for Sima Guang. Sima Guang was also known to future generations because of this incident. Although Sima Guang was indeed an extraordinary one, he was known to people as the stone he picked up casually. Of course, the story of smashing the cylinder is also repeatedly mentioned by later generations because of Sima Guang's outstanding political achievements and cultural qualities. If Sima Guang has no other outstanding achievements besides smashing the tank, it is estimated that his story of smashing the tank will soon be lost in the long river of history.
