Zhang Xun of the Tang Dynasty, was a cannibal demon or a hero?

In history, the use of soldiers as gods and the most controversial is none other than Zhang Xun. For a long time, the controversy over Zhang Xun has never stopped, and the focus of the controversy is mainly on two aspects, one is whether to deprive others of life in exchange for one's own survival; the other is to break through the moral bottom line.

One of the biggest differences between humans and animals is that humans do not eat their own kind. However, Zhang Xun stepped on this red line so hard that the war ended. When it came time to discuss merits and rewards, the court also divided into two factions. Some denounced him as a demon or called him a hero. However, similar events were also staged in the 1970s, which also caused widespread controversy.

On October 13, 1972, a passenger plane crashed in the Andes Mountains. There were 45 people on the plane and only 16 survived. This event was called the "Andean miracle", and it was put on the big screen in the 90s. The translation was "The Remnant of the Dead" (also translated "the air crash horror")

. The survivors were rescued under extreme conditions, but the survivors’ self-rescue behavior by eating their dead companions is against morality and law? Even some civil law teachers from law schools borrowed this incident when they taught.

In terms of military talent, Zhang Xun was at least historically a figure who erected monuments to enshrine gods. In the battle of Yongqiu, 3,000 soldiers and horsepower rejected tens of thousands of Yan army under the city; in the battle of Suiyang, only 6,000 soldiers killed hundreds of thousands of enemy troops, and achieved a brilliant record of destroying 120,000 enemies.

The skeptic believes that such a record is in exchange for 30,000 lively lives. Although it is forgivable, it is unforgivable. In the end, Tang Suzong gave a final word and temporarily quelled the accusation that "to guard Suiyang not to go, instead of cannibalism, it is like a whole person".

不归路

Does Zhang Xun have no choice when the city is in poverty? the answer is negative. There are four paths for Zhang Xun to choose from suicide, surrender, break through, and hold on. It happens to have half life and death. However, in Zhang Xun's eyes, there was only one Jingzhong serving the country Huashan.

In February of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (AD 756), Linghu Chao, the magistrate of Yongqiu County, surrendered to Anlu Mountain. Zhang Xun from the neighboring county was invited to defend Yongqiu. At this time, Zhang Xun had only three thousand Centaur. At the beginning of March, Linghu Chao led 40,000 troops to surround Yongqiu.

In just sixty days, the two sides fought more than three hundred battles, but Yongqiu was still firmly in the hands of Zhang Xun. At this time, a bad news suddenly came from the rear. Tongguan and Chang'an were successively captured by the Yan army in Anlu Mountain, and Xuanzong went into exile in Bashu.

The emperor cannot protect himself, does the little Yongqiu still have a reason to stick to it? Linghu Chao didn't miss the opportunity to revise the book and urge Zhang Xun to surrender. The six generals under Zhang Xun saw that the general situation was gone, and together they persuaded Zhang Xun to surrender.

As a result, Zhang Xun ordered a portrait of Xuanzong hung in the hall, leading civil and military officials to bow down to the portrait. After that, the six generals who were persuaded to surrender were taken down and beheaded. So far, no one dared to say the word surrender. The army's mental arithmetic was stabilized, but more trouble was placed in front of Zhang Xun, and there were no arrows in the city.

After thinking hard, Zhang Xun decided to "borrow an arrow" from the Yan army of Linghu Chao. In the evening, the soldiers of the Yan Army who patrolled the night found that many people in black appeared on the head of Yongqiu City, and they were quietly descending along the ropes. There were about a thousand people.

Linghu Chao immediately summoned the archers and sent all arrows to the man in black. Soon after, Linghu Chao found that the man in black was motionless, and he knew that he was fooled. These people in black were just scarecrows. One round of operations was fierce, and Zhang Xunbai picked hundreds of thousands of arrows in vain.

The next night, the man in black appeared on the wall again, and Yan Jun turned a blind eye at this time. But this time the men in black were a real death squad. When the Yan Jun woke up, everything was too late. Hundreds of thousands of men in black killed the unsuspecting Yan Jun in the big camp. After this battle, Linghu Chao's army retreated to Chenliu, and did not dare to approach Yongqiu again for several months.

In the first month of the 2nd year of Germany (757 AD), the general of the Yanjun Yin Ziqi led an army of 130,000, intending to take Suiyang, the gateway of Jianghuai. Xu Yuanjian, Suiyang Prefect with only 3,800 peopleThe military situation was urgent, so he quickly requested Zhang Xun for reinforcements.

After receiving the request, Zhang Xun hurried to Suiyang with three thousand soldiers and horses. Facing an army of 130,000 with a mere 6,800 soldiers, it is destined to be more ill-fortune than good fortune. At the beginning of the battle, the Yan army was first beaten to the ground. Suiyang City was full of the corpses of Yan army soldiers. After more than ten days, the Yan army soldiers died in battle.

However, as the war continued to deepen, by the beginning of July, there was not much food in the city. The ration of each soldier was strictly controlled, only two or two meters per day. This ration was obviously not enough to wrap the belly, bark, paper Anything that can be eaten down is used to satisfy hunger.

By mid-July, there were only 600 soldiers remaining in the city, and the food was about to run out. The neighboring Qiaojun, Linhuai, and Pengcheng three Tang armies still stood still and watched the fire from across the bank. Before Zhang Xun arrived in Suiyang, he left a force of 3,000 in Ningling.

Zhang Xun’s last hope is to send someone to ask for reinforcements from the neighboring Tang army. The decision was made. That night, Zhang Xun drew thirty elite soldiers to Nan Jiyun, and took advantage of the darkness to break out of the siege.

Nan Jiyun is also a strong general. He tore a hole in the army and went straight to the nearest Linhuai Helan Jinming Division. What made Nan Jiyun unexpected was that Helan Jinming not only did not send a single soldier, but also asked Nan Jiyun to stay and assist herself.

Nan Jiyun, who had not been dripping water for a day, swung a knife and chopped off one of his own fingers, and left angrily. On the same day, he brought three thousand warriors from Ningling back to Suiyang. In this battle, only a thousand people can enter the city alive. The number of soldiers guarding the city has increased, but the food shortage has increased.

Zhang Xun knows that if Suiyang falls, the important Jianghuai town behind him will fall into the hands of the rebels. That is the hope and lifeblood of Datang. Although perseverance is a path of no return, it is not the duty of a soldier to be loyal to his duty and serve the country.

So, the horse was first used as rations, and then the sparrows in the sky and the rats on the ground were swept away. After a month, I could no longer find anything to eat. The city had to be guarded, and the battle had to be fought, Zhang Xun focused his attention on his concubine.

Zhang Xun carried a whole sacks and distributed it to the guards. From August to October, Zhang Xun used this "cannibalism" method to provide food for the soldiers defending the city. On the ninth day of October, the remaining 400 soldiers could not stand the influx of rebels, and Suiyang finally fell.

National interests are above all

The desperate Zhang Xun climbed up to the head of the city and bowed to the west: "The minister is exhausted, can't be the whole city, there is nothing To repay your Majesty, to die as a ghost to kill a thief". In the end, 36 generals including Zhang Xun and Nan Jiyun were beheaded by the rebels. When Zhang Xun died, "the colors are not chaotic, but the colors are as usual."

is Zhang Xun's persistence, not only dragged down hundreds of thousands of rebels, but also won precious time for Datang's victory. In the second year of Germany (757 AD), Tang Jun recovered the capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang. As Zhang Yipai of the imperial court said, "Purchase the few to attack the crowd, use the weak to control the strong, protect the Yangtze River and the Huai River to wait for your majesty's division, and patrol the death after the division. There is a cruel side, no loss of land, people are on the ground, and national interests are above all else. With the smallest sacrifice in exchange for the greatest victory, Zhang Xun deserves the word “hero”.