Emperor Wu spent his whole life trying to frighten the Huns, but he did not kill them. As long as there is a breath, the Huns will be like grass on the original land, "spring breeze blows and grows again", so soon, they regained their strength and made a comeback towards the Han Dynasty in the south.
In 101 BC, the new Chanyu of the Xiongnu came to the throne. He hoped to reconcile with the Han Dynasty and sincerely sent back to Chang'an all the Chinese envoys he had detained in the past. The Han Dynasty accepted its sincerity, and the following year, diplomatic relations between Han and Huns were restored. The Han Dynasty sent envoy Su Wu and deputy envoy Zhang Sheng to apply for employment in the Xiongnu Khanate, thereby gaining long-term friendship between the two countries.
However, there are always some chess pieces in history that will affect the overall outcome of the game at critical moments. This chess piece is Zhang Sheng. After Zhang Sheng arrived in the Xiongnu Empire, he conspired with the Han people who had surrendered to the Xiongnu. They plotted to take advantage of the Xiongnu Chanyu's hunting trip to kill Weilu, the Xiongnu's adviser, and then kidnapped the Shanyu's mother and fled back to the Han Dynasty. achievement. Although this plan was not glorious from a personal point of view, it showed Zhang Sheng's courageous strategy for the country because of the interests between Han and Hungary. Unfortunately, a series of changes later made Zhang Sheng's wishful thinking completely come to nothing. He completely underestimated the vigilance of the Xiongnu Chanyu. After he arrived at the Xiongnu, the Chanyu was on guard against the Han Dynasty envoys, so his so-called conspiracy was soon known to the Chanyu. As a result, Shanyu was furious. After a bloody killing, Zhang Sheng saw that there was no hope of victory, so he shamelessly surrendered to the Huns. It can be seen that although he had the heart to serve the country, what he did was just for fame and fortune.
Su Wu had no idea about this, but he suffered disaster because of Zhang Sheng's arbitrary opinions. Under the coercion and inducement of the Xiongnu, Su Wu remained unmoved and resolutely refused to surrender. Firstly, the Xiongnu admired Su Wu as a man of backbone, and secondly, they did not want to completely fall out with the Han Dynasty, so they did not kill him, but exiled him to the ice-covered North Sea (Lake Baikal). At that time, the Han Dynasty was in the center and regarded itself as the supreme kingdom of heaven. It believed that it was surrounded by barbarians and it was unbearable for the Han envoys to suffer such a shame and humiliation. Therefore, the two countries resumed fighting each other.
During this period, Su Wu had been making a living by herding sheep on the shores of Lake Baikal for twenty years. Without the support and comfort of relatives and friends, there was only silence in the ice and snow. The Huns also sent people several times to persuade him to surrender, but he always refused to surrender. The Huns claimed that he was long dead. Historical records say that after Su Wu was exiled to the North Sea by the Huns, he could not get food supplies, so he dug up wild rats and ate the grass in their holes. All the hair on the talisman's knot had fallen off, but Su Wu still held it tightly in his arms, used it to shepherd sheep, and never destroyed it. By the time Li Ling surrendered to the Huns, Su Wu had been living by the North Sea for more than ten years. The Huns knew that Li Ling and Su Wu had both held the title of servant during the Han Dynasty, and they also had certain personal relationships. Although Li Ling knew the news that Su Wu was alive, he admired him but felt guilty and was embarrassed to see him. Later, the Chan Yu held a banquet and invited both Su Wu and Li Ling together. However, Li Ling had no choice but to persuade Su Wu to surrender. Naturally, it is difficult to have any effect.
When Emperor Wu died, Li Ling told Su Wu the news. Su Wu faced the south every morning and night for several months, wailing and even vomiting blood. Although he knew that his two brothers had committed suicide before because of their crimes; his mother also passed away unfortunately not long ago; even his wife had remarried someone else, leaving only two sisters, two daughters, and one son. , I don’t know if he is still alive. However, he also reminded himself that it was only thanks to the wisdom of the Han Dynasty and the cultivation of Emperor Wu that he was able to hold a high position, alongside the princes and generals, and his brothers were able to get close to the emperor. Therefore, he must do everything possible to repay the emperor's great kindness. . Even if he is given an ax or ax or cooked in a soup pot, he must have no regrets. He should be a minister and serve the king, just like a son serves his father. A son will die for his father without regrets.
Will Su Wu's life really end like this?
Spring and Autumn on the Grassland
As emperor and courtier, Hu Yan Chanyu replaced the old Chanyu and ascended the throne, preparing to carry out drastic reforms. The new Shanyu had just succeeded to the throne and did not understand the Han Dynasty, so he was often afraid of attacks by the Han army. Advisor Wei Lu made a plan for the Shanyu and asked for peace with the Han Dynasty. In fact, Wei Lu had this idea as early as when he took office as the Xiongnu. Especially when he persuaded Su Wu to surrender, Su Wu once said to him: "As a human subject, you have betrayed your master and betrayed your relatives. In the Xiongnu People here are slaves. The Chanyu obeys your words, but you instigated him to kill Han envoys and deliberately provoked a war between Hungary and Han. It is really deplorable. Previously, the King of Nanyue, King of Dayuan, and King of Korea had killed Han But they were all defeated in the end. Now, the Xiongnu’s genocide is probably going to start with me.”
Wei Lu was originally a Han, but he became the counselor of the Xiongnu, the sworn enemy of the Han Dynasty. He couldn't help but feel guilty. If he could make the Han and Huns stop fighting and make peace, he would be repaying his sins. At the same time, Weilu also realized that the Xiongnu Going south to the Central Plains, they could only plunder but not stay for a long time, and it was almost impossible for the Xiongnu to completely defeat the Han Dynasty. Now that the Xiongnu is in decline, the time is ripe. I believe that the Chanyu also hopes that the Han and Huns can shake hands and make peace. Sure enough, when Hu Yan asked Wei Lu about his strategy, he was immediately overjoyed and ordered Wei Lu to do his best.
In 81 BC, the Han Dynasty resumed diplomatic relations with the Huns. The envoys sent by the Han Dynasty to the Xiongnu heard the news that Su Wu was still alive and demanded that Su Wu and others be allowed to return home. The Xiongnu Chanyu then falsely claimed that Su Wu was dead, because Su Wu was far away in the Beihai at this time. The messenger had no choice but to leave first. Soon, the Han envoys came to the Xiongnu again. Chang Hui secretly met the Han envoys and offered advice to the Han envoys. He told the envoys to say to Shanyu: "The emperor of the Han Dynasty was hunting in Shanglin Garden and shot down a wild goose. There is a piece of silk with writing on it, which says that Su Wu and others are in a certain lake." The envoy was overjoyed and questioned Chanyu according to Chang Hui's words.
Shan Yu looked around at his attendants. He did not expect that the Han emperor had such magical abilities, so he was shocked. Then he apologized to the Han envoy and said, "Su Wu is indeed alive." He also said that Su Wu was grazing herds in the North Sea at the moment. The envoy then went to meet Su Wu together with the people sent by the Xiongnu Chanyu. At this moment, in addition to Su Wu, the Han Dynasty envoy also welcomed back another person, he was Ma Hong.
Who is Ma Hong? He was previously an envoy sent by the Han Dynasty to various countries in the Western Regions. He went to the Western Regions together with Wang Zhong, the Guanglu doctor, and served as deputy envoy. However, he was intercepted by the Xiongnu army on the way, and Wang Zhong died in battle. Mahon was captured, but he did not surrender to the Huns. At the request of the Han envoys, the Xiongnu released Su Wu and Ma Hong back to express their goodwill to the Han Dynasty. When the news reached Li Ling, Li Ling was so happy that he decided to serve Su Wu a drink to celebrate. He said to Su Wu, "When you return to your motherland, your name will go down in history. But my reputation has been ruined and my relatives have been killed. What hope can I have?" Originally, I hoped to endure the humiliation and bear the burden and return to my hometown one day, but now all this has become a thing of the past. "A man doesn't shed tears lightly, but it's just not the time to be sad." This time, Li Ling saw that Su Wu was finally able to return to his homeland in the Central Plains with honor. He was naturally happy and couldn't feel proud of himself. However, when he thought about it, he had a family that was hard to return to and a ambition that was hard to achieve. With mixed feelings in his heart and tears streaming down his face, he turned away and waved goodbye to Su Wu.
The two of them really have the same fate but different fortunes, what a pity!
At the request of the Han Dynasty envoy, Shan Yu summoned the Han Dynasty officials and entourage who came with Su Wu. Except for those who had surrendered to the Huns and those who had died, a total of nine people returned to Su Wu with the Han Dynasty envoy. Han Dynasty. After Su Wu and his party arrived in Chang'an, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty paid homage to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty with the most solemn ceremony in order to commend Su Wu's integrity. This was a great honor for a minister at the time. In addition, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty also made Su Wu a vassal state with a rank of two thousand shi, and rewarded Su Wu with two million yuan, two hectares of public land, and a residence. It can be said that there is a combination of favors. For a moment, Su Wu had mixed feelings in his heart.
Su Wu was detained by the Huns for a total of nineteen years. When he left, he was in the prime of life and had black hair. When he returned, his hair and beard were all as white as winter snow. His wife has long since remarried and his family has long been separated. Nineteen years of loneliness are unbearable for ordinary people. Su Wu, who was far away from home and country, endured physical devastation and mental torture with unyielding perseverance. Nineteen years of coercion and inducement never made him give in. Even though his wife and children were separated and his hair was as white as snow, his determination to be loyal to the Han Dynasty never wavered. So he finally returned, carrying a body of arrogance and ambition. Although this body of ambition has experienced thousands of years of wind and frost, it still makes people today awe-inspiring.
At this moment, Li Ling still succumbs to the prison constructed by the current situation. Huo Guang and Shangguan Jie had always had a good relationship with Li Ling. After hearing about Li Ling's aspirations and intentions, they sent Li Ling's old friend Ren Lizheng from Longxi and three other people to go to the Huns to persuade Li Ling to return home. At the same time, they were also asked to bring a letter written by Su Wu to Li Ling. Li Ling said to the people who came to greet him: "It is easy to go back, but a man cannot be humiliated twice!"
At this moment, Li Ling was already disheartened. The Xiongnu had weakened and he was old and decrepit. The Han Dynasty no longer needed him to fight everywhere, and his relatives in the Han Dynasty had been dead for many years. His only concern was his homeland. It was a pity that he He had already surrendered to the Huns once. No matter what the reason was, his loyal minister did not serve his two masters. He had already been forced to be humiliated once. What a shame it would be if he went back. Li Ling, who had this idea, did not return to the Han Dynasty and died in the Huns...
