This article talks about Hebei and Gaoshi from a macro perspective.
When writing this book, in the process of constantly digging into the historical truth, I became more and more in awe of this magnificent and magnificent history before the Anshi Rebellion.
Yes, it’s awe.
Because ignorant people always think that they know everything, and what they know is the truth, but in fact, the stories written in black and white in the "New Book of Tang", "Old Book of Tang", and "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" are also likely to be It was compiled by the scholar-bureaucrats of the Song Dynasty.
So I want to talk about my own understanding by sorting out the historical context.
Words and phrases in history books can be falsified, but historical context, countless corresponding cultural relics, and folk customs cannot.
What this article has to say is:
Gao Shi was the epitome of the scholars in Hebei at that time. His fate, in fact, to a certain extent, is closely connected with the fate of Datang.
Everyone knows that Hebei was discriminated against during the Kaiyuan Tianbao period and even in the early Tang Dynasty.
This kind of discrimination is comprehensive, long-lasting and institutional.
It started during Taizong's Zhenguan period.
Why is this? Because the Guanlong nobles are the foundation of the ruling class of the Tang Dynasty. Although there were many powerful people in Shandong around Taizong, the final result was that they were "absorbed" into the Guanlong nobles through marriage.
For example, Yan Zhenqing’s ancestors.
Although brothers Yan Zhenqing and Yan Gaoqing worked hard in fighting the Anshi rebels in Hebei, I have to remind you again: their ancestors for more than five generations were already out-and-out Chang'an bureaucrats.
Putting aside their personal feelings, if they served as governors in Hebei and did not fight against the Anshi rebels, could they still be colluding with them?
Even if I want to, my family background won’t allow it!
This matter is the same for Gao Shi.
Twenty-three years ago in Kaiyuan, Gao Shi's life was rough and he had no official career path, so he could only go to Youyan to gain qualifications. There are actually many Hebei scholars like him, and many of them have become figures who advise the Anshi rebels. They are even active in the Jiedu Mansion in the three towns of Heshuo later.
After all, not every literati is a poet or has poetic talent. But every literati has to eat to make a living. There was no place for them in the Li Tang court, so they had no choice but to hang out with An Lushan and his gang.
Scholars at that time had already divided into "Qingliu officials" and "Zhuoliu officials". It is still possible for scholars in Hebei to enter the Zhuoliu official position, and they do not need to pass the imperial examination. But don't even think about becoming a Qingliu official.
The so-called Qingliu official means that he has great power, few things to do, and he is close to the emperor with his words. These official positions were clearly recorded by the scholar-bureaucrats of the Song Dynasty when they were compiling history books.
On the contrary, most of the huge number of Zhuoliu official names have been lost and have not been recorded in the classics. Only by relying on modern archeology in later generations, some of them were gradually unearthed.
These people often do very specific and technical jobs and are attached to the governor or military governor. Once the governor is transferred, these people will immediately lose their jobs. They are officials of high rank, but they are despised and rejected by Qingliu officials.
Gao Shi rotated through such official positions in his early days. I don't know how many official positions he held. Anyway, the nobles in Chang'an didn't care much.
Gao Shi was talented in poetry, and he began to take the imperial examination in the 23rd year of Kaiyuan, but it was obvious that he could not pass the examination. This is exactly the same reason why Fang Chongyong, the protagonist of this book, will be able to pass the imperial examination while lying down in the future.
At that time, a person's origin had already determined his future. God may see the futile efforts, but it may not change your destiny.
Origin determines destiny, and skill affects the pattern. It is so realistic.
I especially despise those historical novels of the Tang Dynasty, in which the protagonist has no background and can climb up by his own ability. The harshness and harshness of this era far exceeded the imagination of future generations.
To put it more cruelly, for a slave in a noble family, even if he pushes the stone mill until it smokes, the flour he grinds out will pile up like a mountain. Can even such efforts change his fate as a slave? Probably not.
People at that time took this matter for granted, but in the eyes of our descendants, it was actually too cruel.
Fang Chongyong was like running on a high-speed rail, while Gao Shi was running on his own legs. The result was doomed.
He is from Hebei and comes from a noble family in Hebei. This is enough.
From the next time until the eighth year of Tianbao, Gao Shi continued to expand his contacts and squeezed into Chang'an's circle, but he didn't make any noise.
Until this year, Zhang Jiugao, the prefect of Suiyang, recommended Gao Shi to be a Youdao Ke. He went to Chang'an in Sanfu and was awarded the title of Qiuwei.
County captain is the starting point for scholars to become Qingliu officials. Of course, it is a relatively poor starting point. When Bai Juyi entered the officialdom, he was the starting point for the position of "College Secretary". Beijing officials were noble, and they would not be punished if they had less work and more vacations. It was regarded as the preserve of the gentry class, and they strictly controlled the distribution of the position of "College Secretary".
Of course, this is when Gao Shi truly became an official, but he had a low starting point and was despised (if it’s hard to understand, just think of him as a wild dog that picks up the lost bones of noble people), and he only cares about "vulgar things".
Gao Shi, who had a keen observation of the political situation and current situation, resigned and returned to Chang'an, where he went to the Hexi shogunate to look for opportunities, and was appreciated by Ge Shuhan.
Having said that, Gao Shi was actually spinning around outside the circle. He has never touched the core of the ruling class, and he has never even touched the road.
Be cruel.
The turning point of Gao Shi's fate came from the Anshi Rebellion.
That's right, if there hadn't been the Anshi Rebellion, it can be said bluntly that he would have been like that in his life, and there would never be any chance, not even the slightest chance.
Gao Shi began his political investment.
Those who worked desperately at the grassroots level in the past were far inferior to those who knelt down and licked Li Longji and Li Heng when their father and son were in trouble.
This is not funny, but it is sad and pitiful.
Li Heng saw the "united front value" of the Hebei gentry, and Gao Shi, a typical example, could offset the legitimacy of the rebel rebellion to the greatest extent. At least, a flag was raised to call on the Hebei gentry not to cooperate with the Anshi rebels, and the court left a place for the Hebei gentry.
The power of role models is great.
This may be the only thing worth talking about Gao Shi, from my perspective.
The development of the middle and late Tang Dynasty after the Anshi Rebellion all confirmed that one after another Hebei "high-tech" people stood up.
The "Chang'an Dream" of Hebei Family has indeed come true to a certain extent. In Chang'an in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the descendants of Hebei aristocratic families took turns to serve as prime minister.
Of course, in order to be easily taken over by Huang Chao in the future, they all moved to live near Chang'an and Luoyang.
These people have reached strategic cooperation with Tang Ting, and they will naturally lose the support of the grassroots in Hebei. As a result, associations began to proliferate in Hebei, and Ya soldiers rose up to protect each other at the grassroots level. By the way, they sidelined the Jiedushi envoys in repeated struggles.
Not only did Tang Ting fail to rule Hebei, but it actually isolated the Hebei aristocratic families from the grassroots in Hebei and lost the right to speak locally in Hebei.
Gao Shi's personal efforts are so insignificant in the face of the great tide of the times and are not worth mentioning.
On the contrary, it confirms the iron law that "if you move with the trend of the times, you will prosper; if you move against the trend of the times, you will perish."
As for Li Bai's fate - the business class talks about his official career, since he was unwilling to be Li Longji's hard-core licking dog, he blocked his own official path, so don't mention it.
Feudal society, you can just think about it, but don't aspire to it.
