Before the story line turns back...
When the news of Li Ling's surrender to the Huns came, there was an oppressive silence in the court.
Li Ling's surrender was undoubtedly a resounding slap in the face to Emperor Wu - for decades, he had spared no effort in the people's power, disregarded the country's foundation, and went to war with the Huns, just to win a breath, wasn't it? But Li Ling let go of the anger he had accumulated over decades.
Emperor Wu's eyes glanced coldly at the officials below. Everyone immediately heard the song and understood its elegant meaning. For a while, words such as "traitor" and "spineless" were swayed around the court with dignity. Only one person with a long Standing tall and silent, this person is Sima Qian.
Sima Qian was a native of Xiayang (now Hancheng, Shaanxi). The Sima family has been a historian for generations, and the earliest history can be traced back to the legendary Zhuan Xu era. The post of Taishi Ling was first established during the reign of Emperor Wu, and Sima Qian's father Sima Tan became the first Taishi Ling. Sima Tan was very knowledgeable. His work "On the Essentials of Six Schools" systematically summarized several prominent schools since the pre-Qin Dynasty and analyzed their pros and cons. This was the first time in history.
Sima Tan was interested in recording history and started collecting materials very early. However, he died of illness in Luoyang before he could actually start writing. Before Sima Tan died, Sima Qian happened to arrive in Luoyang, and father and son could see each other for the last time. Sima Tan took Sima Qian's hand and said, "Our family has been a historian for generations. Will our career end when we come to me? After my death, you will definitely continue to be the Taishi Ling, but don't forget that I have always wanted to Writing history books is a major event to make your name known to future generations and show your parents your filial piety!"
Sima Tan cried, and Sima Qian also cried. He choked and said: "Although I am stupid, I will definitely inherit the legacy of my ancestors and dare not forget it!" This year, Sima Qian was about thirty-five years old.
In fact, Sima Qian had already made a lot of preparations for writing history. Sima Qian was precocious and could recite ancient books at the age of ten. By the time he was twenty, he traveled around the country, personally collecting historical materials and inspecting local customs. This is why the history he later wrote was so informative and contagious.
Three years after Sima Tan's death, Sima Qian completed his mourning and took up the post of Taishi Ling. Everything is going well. During his term of office, he will write an unprecedented history book based on what he has learned and experienced in the past, as well as the extensive and diverse royal collection. Unexpectedly, a big change soon occurred, which changed his entire life.
Emperor Wu noticed the silent Sima Qian.
Emperor Wu asked him: "What do you think?"
A few days ago, when Li Ling's impressive results of defeating many with less came to Chang'an, Emperor Wu was very happy, and the whole court was filled with joy and praise. But now?
Only Sima Qian stood up and began to speak for Li Ling, to the following effect:
Li Ling was only in his early twenties. It was very rare for him to go to the country's crisis regardless of personal life and death. With less than 5,000 infantry, he went deep into the territory of the Xiongnu and fought with an enemy that was ten times his own. For more than ten days, the number of enemies he killed already exceeded the losses of his own troops. This is a great display of prestige for me, Tianhan, and I deserve to be rewarded. But being outnumbered, Li Ling had to retreat step by step. When the arrows were missed, the soldiers who suffered heavy casualties still did not give up. They fought hard with the Xiongnu without caring about their bodies, fighting to die, of course to repay the emperor's kindness. Li Ling's achievements are not inferior to those of famous generals in ancient times. Although Li Ling was defeated, he still won. He was the enemy of the general. This surrender must not have been out of sincerity, but he was waiting for an opportunity to make contributions to the Han Dynasty.
Emperor Wu couldn't help but nodded, but Sima Qian had not yet finished speaking: "Besides, the general of the Second Division led 30,000 people to the expedition, but there were not many soldiers left with him when he came back. It can be said that 'even though he won, he was still defeated.'"
It would have been better not to say this, but once I said it, it touched on Emperor Wu's pain point - General Li Guangli of the Second Division was picked up by Emperor Wu. Sima Qian couldn't compare with anyone, so he chose Li Guangli. "Are you scolding Li Guangli? You are clearly scolding me and slandering the imperial court!" Emperor Wu was so angry that he moved Sima to prison and sentenced him to death.
In the Han Dynasty, people who were sentenced to death did not have to die. There were two ways to survive. One is to pay for atonement. For example, Li Guang once exchanged this for his life. However, the Li family has been generals for generations and has a lot of wealth. Although the Sima family has been officials for generations, they are all "between servants and Zhu". The historian is not rich. This road is obviously blocked. The other way is to accept the humiliating castration.
To survive or not to survive? It depends on why you live and why you die.
Sima Qian understood very well that life itself is meaningless. The meaning of life is entirely given by ourselves, filled by our own actions and our own life trajectory. Therefore, he said: "Everyone is destined to die. It may be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather. It depends on how you use it."
If you die like this and achieve nothing, then you are lighter than a feather. Sima Qian remembered his father's instructions before his death and his unfinished history, so he chose to accept the castration. "Live! Find the meaning of my life!" Sima Qian roared in his heart.
However, people are social beings, so they not only live in the world, but also live in the eyes and hearts of others. Sima Qian was ready to accept all kinds of ridicule, but the shame and humiliation of castration was always like a big stone, weighing heavily on Sima Qian's chest, making him breathless.
"The intestines turn nine times a day, and when they stay there, they feel like they are dead. When they go out, they don't know where they are going. Every time I think about this shame, sweat breaks out on my back and stains my clothes!"
This is a portrayal of his inner pain.
what to do? All I can do is pour uncold blood into the pen. Hence the "Historical Records". Needless to say, the value of historical data in "Historical Records" is that it was the creation of the world, although it can compete with the sun and the moon for glory.
But what is more important is that Sima Qian did not stick to history when writing history, but often poured his own feelings into his writing. As a result, each historical figure that has become "ancient trace" has become flesh and blood, and appears vividly in the bright starry sky of our national culture. Some of them are world-famous poets, such as Qu Yuan and Song Yu; some are generals who have accomplished hundreds of battles, such as Han Xin and Li Guang; some are independent thinkers, such as Confucius and Xunzi; and some are dominant overlords, such as Duke Huan of Qi, Jin Wengong, etc., Sima Qian's writing is very clever, and he outlines the distinctive character traits of each of them. To do this, I am afraid that sometimes it is necessary to "process" and "transform" the history.
For example, Qu Yuan. Since modern times, many people have doubted the real existence of Qu Yuan, and their arguments can be said to be well-founded and reasonable. However, Sima Qian's "The Biography of Qu Yuan" vividly depicts Qu Yuan. Not only that, Sima Qian's "Issued by the Bank of Yinze" and a dialogue with the fisherman are even more exciting. I would like to ask if this fisherman really existed, he should be a reclusive master. In ancient times, education was not as common as it is today, so the fisherman must have a good background, but why is he not mentioned in the history books?
There were only two people at the conversation, he and Qu Yuan, and since he was a reclusive master, he did not bother to spread the word about this matter. So how did Sima Qian know about it? It can be seen that the "good fortune" before Qu Yuan's suicide was all made up by Sima Qian.
However, it is no longer important to be true or false. What is important is that when we read "The Biography of Qu Yuan", we clearly felt the "spiritual and physical unity" of Sima Qian and Qu Yuan. Isn't it true that Qu Yuan's "hair is moaning" is Sima Qian's "when you go out, you don't know where you are going"? They were in the same abjection and in the same pain. And Qu Yuan was slandered and exiled, and Sima Qian was castrated instead because his proposal failed. Isn't it "the same"?
Sima Qian used his life to write about Qu Yuan. The Qu Yuan he wrote has transcended the fetters of reality and has become a "reality" pointing to a higher reality. Therefore, few people doubt whether "The Biography of Qu Yuan" is a fake or not, even if they know it is a fake. , people don’t care, what people see inside is a living soul.
Sima Qian before and after the palace execution was two Sima Qian. Before, he was "looking at the sky while wearing a basin" and he was "seeking favor" from the Lord. Later, he was infused with resentment and hostility, and became a person with an independent personality, so he had his own opinions on many things. the opinion of.
For example, Xiang Yu was not an emperor, and he was defeated and committed suicide in Wujiang River. However, Sima Qian did not "beat up the drowned dog". He wrote a biography for Xiang Yu and listed him in the "Benji" of emperors. Wei Qing and Huo Qubing had great military exploits and dominated the world. However, Sima Qian's biography only listed their expedition deeds and did not mention anything else. On the contrary, Li Guang, who was "unusual" and had no ambition in his life, was favored by Sima Qian, so he details them. He recounted his family background and life, and at the end, he spared no effort in pen and ink, praising him as "the peach and plum blossoms are silent, and they make their own mistakes."
According to secular standards, Xiang Yu and Li Guang are both losers, but they received "pity" from Sima Qian. This illustrates Sima Qian's unique view of heroes. He "does not judge heroes by success or failure."
This world is dominated by laws, and "success" also has its own laws. People who violate it are doomed to fail - but some losers are more unforgettable, such as the Monkey King who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and the man who committed suicide in Wujiang River. The overlords of Western Chu are all losers and traitors to the rules, but people like them, like their mistakes, and like their foolishness in breaking through the southern wall and bleeding, because every time people stare at them, they see It is not numbers (calculations), but human flesh and blood. What they achieve is not merit, but just themselves - destiny is called nature, and this is how they are originally.
"Follow the lowly and rebel against the noble." This is probably Sima Qian's view on personnel affairs - how can people disrespect themselves? Sima Qian bluntly said that he had violated advice and refused to admit his mistakes. He himself was a "rebellion". Therefore, Sima Qian sympathizes with those who compete with fate or law and ultimately fail. He not only pities them, but also pities himself.
Sima Qian was "rebellious", so he unceremoniously described Emperor Jing's indecisiveness and cruelty in "The Benji of Xiao Jing". Emperor Jing was the father of Emperor Wu, and Emperor Wu was naturally very angry when he saw it. Of course, Sima Qian was even more merciless in his writings towards the Emperor Wu who persecuted him, so this "The Benji of Xiaowu" had long been banned by the Liu Han Dynasty. The "Benji of Xiaowu" we see today was all copied from "Historical Records" by later generations. It was excerpted from the "Book of Fengchan" and pieced together.
Among the vast official history books, "Historical Records" is the last song, and Sima Qian himself is also the last song. Later generations commented on "Historical Records" and said that it is "the swansong of historians and a rhymeless Li Sao".
