Author: Qin Shiyong
The so-called historical facts are things that have happened in history and are recorded through official history; while legends are stories formed by people through association and imagination to express their wishes, or process them in some historical facts, and then pass on them by people's word of mouth.
There is no doubt that most historical facts are cruel and cold, and do not exist objectively based on the transfer of people's will. Those legends derived from historical facts can always revolve around this historical fact, diverge and supplement some more exciting plots. Their role is just like Lu Xun "adding a wreath to Yu'er's grave in "Medicine". This not only enhances the impact of historical facts, but also digs out deeper things. Therefore, legends are often more charming than the original historical facts, and then gradually become "historical facts" in people's hearts, or replaces the original historical facts.
So today we will discuss the facts and list a few legends that are regarded as historical facts by people. One is to listen to them with righteousness; the other is to appreciate some of the mentality of people who use legends to replace historical facts.
1, Farewell My Concubine
related legends are like this: Han Xin ambushed on all sides, soldiers surrounded Gaixia, the overlord Xiang Yu of the Western Chu was helpless, and had no plans to come out, so he could only drink in the camp, listen quietly to the sings on all sides, and when he was panic, he drew his sword and sang a sad song: "The strength is to pull the mountains and the spirit is vast. The time is not good, and the horse will not pass away. What can you do if the horse will not pass away? Yu Xi and Yu Xi will do if you don't do it!"
His beloved concubine Yu Ji sadly came from it, wearing luxurious and beautiful clothes, taking the sword in the hand of Xiang Yu , singing while dancing: "The Han soldiers have already covered the ground, and the songs of Chu in all directions; the king is exhausted, how can you do if you don't live?" After the song, he committed suicide.
Heroic beauty, sad and touching, and deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Even Li Ao praised this and wrote an extremely sensational chicken soup article titled: "The Death of a Beauty and the Death of a Hero".
article reads: " Yu Meiren is the great Chinese son and daughter. She is a beauty, and there is a hero's death; opposite, Chu Bawang, another great Chinese son and daughter, he is a hero, but there is a beautiful death."
also said: "Now, Yu Meiren is sleeping in Dingyuan Wasteland, and Chu Bawang hates the ancient crossing of Wujiang River. All the Chu River and all the Han world are in the ups and downs of the world. The clouds dissipate and smoke disappear, leaving only these two beautiful deaths and hero's deaths to pay tribute to future generations. 'Strength is so strong that I am so angry that I am so angry that I am so happy that I am so happy that I am so happy that I am so happy that I am so happy that I am so happy that I am so happy that I can scatter the mountains. The world is so great,... Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can I do! 'I shed tears for the heroic beauty."
What is interesting is that Master Li also accused Sima Guang of 's "Zizhi Tongjian" of not mentioning this beauty. He speculated about Sima Guang in this way - "How can the dull and stubborn old masters understand this kind of aesthetic temperament, crazy personality and romantic feelings of the revolutionary party?
Little did he know that the so-called "Yu Ji's love sacrifice" was originally a legend!
Sima Guang's "Zizhi Tongjian" does not mention the incident of this beauty committing suicide. " Records of the Grand Historian: Xiang Yu's Chronicle " did not mention the incident of this beauty committing suicide?
Let’s take a look at the relevant text in "Records of the Grand Historian: Xiang Yu's Principal": King Xiang got up at night and drank in his tent. There is a beauty named Yu, and I always wish to follow him; a horse named Zhui is often called Zhui, and I often rode him. So King Xiang sang tragically and wrote a poem on his own: "The strength is to pull the mountains and the spirit is vast. The time is not good, and the horse will not pass away. What can you do if the horse will not pass away? Yu Xi and Yu Xi will not do if it is!" He sang several songs and the beauty reconciled him. King Xiang cried several times, and everyone around him cried, and no one could look up at him. So King Xiang then rode his horse and rode with more than 800 heroes under his command. He collapsed and went out south at night.
Here, there is no explanation for Yu Ji's ending.
Did Yu Ji really commit suicide?
Sima Qian 's " Records of the Grand Historian " does not record it. So is there any basis for other reliable historical materials?
Ban Gu said in "Book of Han•Biography of Sima Qian": "Sima Qian based on "Zuoshi" and "Mandarin", and compiled " generations of " and "Warring States Strategies", and described "Chu Han Spring and Autumn", and followed its subsequent events to the Tianhan."
In other words, Sima Qian referenced "Chu Han Spring and Autumn" when writing "Records of the Grand Historian"."Chu, Han, Spring and Autumn" was written by Lu Jia in the early Han Dynasty and was lost in the Southern Song Dynasty. "Chu Han Spring and Autumn" does record the incident of Xiang Yu and Yu Ji drinking and singing. The "Beauty's Reconciliation" is the song "The Han soldiers have already broken the land, and the voice of Chu singing from all directions" mentioned above. However, this song has always been considered a fake work in later generations, because there was no such mature five-character poem in the Qin and Han dynasties, and "Chu Han Spring and Autumn" also did not explain the ending of Yu Ji.
So, according to their own imagination, people believed that Yu Ji was drinking a sword and committing suicide. The tragic story of "Farewell My Concubine" has since fermented in the Chinese literature gallery, fermenting into a soul-stirring love song.
Zhang Ailing also wrote a "Farewell My Concubine", which made Yu Ji extremely sad.
However, why did Sima Qian, who is known for his rigorous history, not write about Yu Ji's ending and leave a blank?
There is a cruel inference in it that is impossible to see directly: Yu Ji, perhaps it was killed by the Overlord himself.
( Records and other historical materials have not recorded the suicide of Yu Ji. Chu and Han talked about Yu Ji, but did not mention the ending. Farewell My Concubine is more from folk literature. The only thing that talks about Yu Ji’s ending is that Yu Ji was killed by Xiang Yu himself)
"Taiping Huanyu Ji" Volume 128 "Haozhou Zhongli County" records coldly, "Yu Ji tomb is sixty miles southeast of the county, six feet high, and Xiang Yu was defeated, and killed Ji was buried here."
This is very consistent with Xiang Yu's character - no one can get what I can't get! There is still a certain possibility that the inference is that Han Sheng was cooked and surrendered, and Xiang Yu killed Yu Ji with his own hands. Xiang Yu is just a general like Lu Bu.
2, Chen Cang
, people have always believed that "building the plank road openly, Chen Cang " is the military masterpiece of the military immortal Han Xin.
, even, there is a dictionary and it is said with a clear connotation that this idiom comes from "Records of the Grand Historian: The Original Annals of Emperor Gaozu", and then vividly introduces the background of the idiom, namely: During the dispute between Chu and Han, Xiang Yu named Liu Bang as the King of Han , and himself as the King of Han , Western Chu gong . Liu Bang followed the plan of his adviser Zhang Liang. When he returned to Hanzhong from Guanzhong, he burned the plank road and showed that he would no longer enter Guanzhong. Later, Liu Bang appointed Han Xin as a general. He ordered soldiers to repair the plank road and pretended to attack from the plank road into Guanzhong. In fact, he and Liu Bang led the main force to secretly capture the small path and attack Chen Cang. He took advantage of the unpreparedness of the defending general and occupied Chen Cang. Then he attacked Xianyang and occupied Guanzhong.
In fact, "Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu" only mentioned a general sentence about the historical fact that the Han army was sent out of Chen Cang: "In August, the King of Han used Han Xin's plan to return from the old way and attacked King Yong Zhanghan. Han faced Chen Cang in Han, and Yong was defeated and left." There was no "open cultivation" and "secret crossing" of the false and real. Even in "Records of the Grand Historian: Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin", it is only mentioned that "In August, the King of Han raised his troops to the east and set the Three Qins".
The correct solution is that "building the plank road openly and crossing the Chen Cang secretly" actually comes from Yuan Zaju.
Among them, the second volume of "The Secret Crossing Chen Cang" by the Yuan Dynasty is "When Fan Kuai was building a plank road, I could cross the Chen Cang ancient road secretly. The Chu soldiers did not know that it was wisdom, so they would definitely line up the soldiers to guard the plank road. I intercepted the Chen Cang ancient road and caught him off guard." The first volume of "Qi Ying Bu" by the Yuan Dynasty is also "The lonely family used Han Xin's plan to build a plank road secretly, crossed Chen Cang secretly, attacked the Three Qins, and seized the Five Kingdoms."
3, Bian Ji's Words
Bian Ji is a famous monk in history who helped Xuanzang translate scriptures and wrote the book " Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty ". He had an affair with the beloved daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Princess Gaoyang, who was given to him by Princess Gaoyang, was stolen. During the trial, the censor reported the case and found the affair between Princess Gaoyang and Bian Ji. Emperor Taizong of Tang was angry and executed in half.
" Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty " Volume 12 "Records and Praises" describes Bian Ji in this way: "I am a sacred festival in my youth, and I study local chronicles in my year."
This passage in "Records and Praises" was written by Bian Ji himself.If you praise yourself like this, you either have thick-skinned or you really have the information.
To be fair, Bian Ji really deserves this praise. He has been diligent and studious since childhood, and has lofty ambitions. He advocates himself as a monk at the age of fifteen. He worships Master Dayue, a high-ranking monk from the Grand Master of the Grand Master, devotes himself to studying Buddhist theories and has a profound Buddhist practice. In the TV series "The Love History of the Tang Dynasty", according to legend, a scene was added to the tortured Bian Ji:
Bian Ji lies calmly under the guillotine, with a calm eyes. Inadvertently, he saw an ant crawling on the blade. He gently picked up the ant, put it aside in love, then slowly closed his eyes, waiting for the side knife to fall.
It is not difficult to see that this detail before Bian Ji died is not even a legend, but it is just an imagination that the TV screenwriter temporarily added. But it is understandable to add imagination to TV series. It is all about making movies according to historical facts. How boring is it?
However, there is a book called "Survey the Truth of History", which seriously includes this fictional plot in this TV series. This has to be serious.
As the saying goes, lies will come true if they are repeated a thousand times.
Or maybe, we shouldn't be so serious?
This is the world, this is history, we always wander infinitely in the beautiful illusion and ruthless truth.
Author's words: What this article wants to express is that too many drama works are regarded as historical facts by people. Of course, most history does not have the 100% authenticity of in the absolute sense of (including official historical books representing official history, just like "Ming History" is official history, but this book was compiled by people in the Qing Dynasty. Later generations can only combine the specific events in history with various official history records, relying on their own analytical skills, the background of the occurrence before and after the incident, and the inventory of historical materials to make the final conclusions of the events). However, the serious history on the table needs to be verified at least.
