Later, Fan Zhi was promoted to minister, crown prince and tutor, and Duke of Lu. He was exactly the same as his teacher He Ning, which became a good story.
Fan Zhi was a talented person with both political integrity and talent. Prime Minister He Ning of the Ming Dynasty of the later Tang Dynasty valued him highly, and Prime Minister Sang Weihan of the later Jin Dynasty also praised him highly. Sang Weihan promoted him to the central government as a supervisory censor. When Sang Weihan left town, he asked Fan Zhi to be his staff. When Sang Weihan came to the court again as prime minister, he promoted Fan Zhi to the Hanlin Academy and drafted edicts for the emperor (zhizhigao).
When Shi Chonggui formulated the "fifteen generals to govern the Liao", it was both secretive and hasty. It was already night, and Shi Chonggui suddenly urgently summoned the Hanlin scholars to the palace to draft an edict for the fifteen generals. Fan Zhi hurriedly dissuaded him, saying that the palace gate was closed, and if he summoned the bachelors at this time, it would be equivalent to revealing the secrets of the palace.
How can confidential matters be posted in Moments or group chats?
Therefore, Fan Zhi took on the important task of drafting the edict alone. Generally speaking, the emperor informed the Hanlin Academy of what he wanted to express, and then a team of bachelors collectively discussed, drafted, and polished it. The draft was submitted to the emperor for review before it was finally promulgated. This is why I like to read edicts and write essays. These are the collective writing styles of the top academics in the country at that time. Whether it is the article structure or the writing style, they are all undisputedly perfect compositions.
Fan Zhi completed it in a very short time on his own, "called it at the time", showing off his strength.
After Liu Zhiyuan became emperor, he became a member of Zhongshu Sheren and the Minister of Hubu.
When Guo Wei took command to conquer Li Shouzhen in Hezhong, every time he received military instructions from the court, he found that they were well-organized and well-written. He couldn't help but admire them, so he asked the envoy who passed the edict, "Who drafted the edict?" The envoy answered truthfully, saying that it was Fan quality. Guo Wei kept this name in mind and said to those around him: "This man has the tools of a prime minister!"
When Guo Wei entered Bian, Fan Zhi, like other court officials, was in hiding. Guo Wei sent people to search everywhere. When they found him, it was snowing heavily. Guo Wei took off his coat and put it on him.
Therefore, the empress dowager's edict mentioned above, such as the official report on the "Disaster of Xiao Qiang", and the welcoming of Liu Yun to Xuzhou, etc., were all written by Fan Zhi.
After Guo Wei left Bianzhou, he immediately appointed Fan Zhi as Deputy Privy Envoy and Minister of War.
"For the common affairs of the military and state, the powerful ministers Dou Zhengu and Su Yugui, the privy envoy Wang Jun and others will be discussed and implemented. The infantry soldiers in Beijing and Ma will be promoted by Wang Yindu."
Dou Zhengu and Su Yugui are Wang Jun's puppets and can be crossed out. The "waiting" includes Fan Zhi, who was promoted by Guo Wei; the supreme commander-in-chief of all armed forces in the capital is Wang Yin.
Wang Jun was in charge of civil affairs and Wang Yin was in charge of military affairs. Guo Wei's two important cronies controlled all the real power of the central government. Today's imperial court has the surname Guo.
2. Brightness and darkness
The old civil service group has disappeared. In just a few days, it has been controlled by the Guo Wei Group. The real power is controlled by Wang Jun of the Guo Wei Group, with Dou Zhengu and Su Yugui acting as puppets in the front; Fan Zhi and other new civil servants have also taken a bath. Guo Wei's kindness allowed him to be promoted and reused; Feng Dao and others were sent to Xuzhou.
Some people say that Feng Dao is a "pro-Han faction", saying that he opposed Guo Wei and worked hard to support the Han Dynasty. Moreover, he was powerful and became a stumbling block for Guo Wei to usurp power. He threatened Guo Wei's attempt to usurp the throne. Therefore, he was kicked to Xuzhou, and Feng Dao was calm. Accepting Guo Wei's kneeling as a reason, he said that Feng Dao was trying to maintain the organizational structure and power system of the Later Han Dynasty and give Guo Wei, who had just joined Bian, a show of strength.
There is some truth to that. but--
Feng Dao calmly accepted Guo Wei's kneeling, and the reasons have been briefly analyzed in the previous article. This is not to show off to Guo Wei, but to build a bridge for Guo Wei. Don't use sugar for vinegar.
In addition, Feng Dao has never been "powerful". He is a political mascot with high moral standing and everyone respects him. However, he has never had any lethality and is harmless to humans and animals. This is a valuable experience for him to settle down and live his life. The fundamental reason for being able to serve as an official for four dynasties and ten emperors.
Rather than saying that he has dominated the political arena for decades, it is better to say that he is cautious and has wandered on the edge of core power for decades, walking on thin ice with trepidation. Although he is in the phase and theoretically at the core, he has never been involved in the whirlpool of power. He has no political stance. No stance is his stance. There is no trick to win.
When Yelu Deguang came to Bianzhou, Feng Dao also surrendered to the Khitans and knelt down to pay allegiance to Yelu Deguang. He, Li Song, He Ning and others also received praise from Yelu Deguang.
The Khitans could overthrow the rule of the Han people and change the dynasty, but could the Han people overthrow the Han people? Why did Feng Dao stop Guo Wei from usurping the Han Dynasty?
Moreover, after Feng Dao, Li Song, and He Ning fled back to the Central Plains from Zhenzhou, they were accused of being traitors for surrendering to the Khitan people, and were deprived of all their real rights. They were left idle and retired with the empty title of Taishi. A few people also behaved with their tails between their legs, thanking guests behind closed doors, and being honest.
Therefore, Feng Dao had neither the motive to oppose Guo Wei nor the strength to oppose Guo Wei. It is really far-fetched to portray Feng Dao as someone who forcibly prolongs his life for the later Han Dynasty and tried hard to prevent Guo Wei from becoming emperor.
As an honest man, Feng Dao's only appeal may be that he hopes for a peaceful transfer of power. He has witnessed too many bloody coups with his own eyes. He wiped out families at every turn, leaving hundreds of corpses lying dead, and women and children were not spared. Feng Dao only hopes that Guo Wei can wear the mask of mercy for a longer time. Since Liu Baht's family can be pardoned, can you also show mercy to Liu Chengyou's family members, such as Liu Yun?
So before leaving, Feng Dao couldn't help but question Guo Wei face to face, whether he really supported Liu Yun, or whether he wanted to trick him into coming over, and then...right.
If Guo Wei took him aside and confessed that he just wanted to be placed under house arrest, it would still sound like he was being sincere.
But Guo Wei pointed to the sky and the earth and swore that I sincerely wanted to support Liu Yun...
Are you fooling ghosts by going to graves and burning newspapers? Feng Dao watched Guo Wei's performance and already knew the answer in his heart, so after he walked out of Bianzhou City, he said with great difficulty that he had never done anything wrong in his life, but this time, he finally had to violate his conscience. He already knew Liu Yun's ending.
Feng Dao and his party came to Xuzhou in preparation. After Liu Yun received the news, he had to meet Gao Ying-Jiao Ying from afar according to the rules.
The horse Liu Yun rode was usually very tame, but today it suddenly behaved uncharacteristically. It raised its hooves, neighed, bit the horse's butt, and ran around like crazy. Liu Yun had to find another horse. Some of the more superstitious servants secretly sighed and shook their heads, thinking that this was a bad omen.
Last winter, a strange bird suddenly flew into Liu Yun's courtyard. It was colorful and looked like the legendary phoenix. Now that he received the registration edict, Liu Yun thought that it was called "A Phoenix Coming to the Ceremony" and it was a good sign. But people around them think this is also an ominous sign, "when wild birds enter the house, the owner will go away."
