On the sickbed, the white-haired Kou Zhun was already dying. He looked out the window at the lush bamboo, no different from what he had once been. The passage of time did not change the bad situation, only the people in the bureau. He was old and could no longer contribute his strength to the Great Song Dynasty.
Time goes back decades, when he was born into a famous family, his grandfather was once a Sikou during the reign of King Wu of Western Zhou, and because of his repeated achievements, the imperial court gave him the official position as a surname, which is the origin of the Kou surname. From an early age, Kou Zhun was called "someone else's child" by his parents, and he was talented and hardworking.
While the other children were still playing with the mud, he had begun to think about his connection to the world, as evidenced by a poem called "Wing Wah Shan". When the seven-year-old Kou Zhun ascended to the summit of Mount Hua, he rose to the height of his pride:
Only the sky is above, and there are no mountains and qi.
Raise your head to the red sun approaching, look back at the low white clouds.
This poem describes the towering and majestic of Mount Hua without a trace, without a trace of craftsmanship. Through his depiction of Mount Hua, Kou Zhun expressed his pride and ambition, and it was hard to imagine that such a wonderful poem was written by a seven-year-old child.
The young Kou Zhun has the world in mind, and he knows that only by joining the army can he achieve his ambitions. So he devoted all his time to learning, and Heaven did not fail to live up to his efforts. In 980, when he was only 19 years old, Kou Zhun was a high school scholar, and the imperial court sent him to Renzhi County, Badong, Guizhou.
Kou Zhun showed great political talent in office, and soon after he was transferred back to the central government from the local government. Back at the center, Kou Zhun was not polluted by the trade-offs and intrigues of the officialdom, and he maintained his integrity and fortitude. Once, Kou Zhun advised Emperor Taizong of Song that Emperor Taizong should leave the Dragon Seat and return to the Inner Palace. However, Kou Zhun boldly stepped forward and grabbed the corner of Taizong's clothes and did not let Taizong leave.
Emperor Taizong had no choice but to re-sit down and listen to Kou Zhun's advice. Afterwards, Emperor Taizong praised him greatly: "I have to approve it, just like Tang Taizong got wei hui." Although Kou Zhun was praised by the emperor, he was rejected by the courtiers. Since ancient times, the officialdom has paid attention to smooth handling, and such an upright Kou Zhun seems to be out of place with most officials.
Soon after, Kou Zhun was ostracized by his courtiers and demoted to the prefect of Qingzhou. Kou Zhun laughed at this and knew that he would never let the rules of the bureaucracy and society bind him. Be brave enough to be yourself, even if the results are not satisfactory, what is the harm?
Two years later, Kou Zhun returned to the central government again, and the official was given to the matter. In 997, Emperor Taizong of Song died and was succeeded by Emperor Zhenzong of Song, at which time Kou Zhun was appointed as a servant of the staff department.
In the first year of Jingde, the Liao army invaded the Song territory on a large scale. The Northern Song army was defeated one after another, and the rule of the Great Song Dynasty was on the verge of danger. At this critical moment, the group of courtiers chose silence, none of them offered to retreat from the enemy, and Mingzhe's self-preservation was the best choice in their hearts. Only Kou Zhun stepped forward and prepared to defend the country against the enemy, and Emperor Zhenzong of Song granted him the position of prime minister and commanded the affairs of resisting the Liao.
The courtiers all looked at Kou Zhun with foolish eyes, the Song Dynasty and the Liao State had fought many times, never had the upper hand, they thought that Kou Zhun would also fail, then all the responsibility would be pushed on Kou Zhun's head, and he could only apologize for his sins with death. Of course, Kou Zhun knew what was at stake, but he could never learn the word "escape."
In September of the same year, Emperor Shengzong of Liao and his mother Empress Xiao led an army of 200,000 to the south of the Central Plains. The Song army was timid before the battle, and the Qunchen suggested moving the capital to avoid the Liao state's attack. Kou Zhun advocated resistance and said: "Those who plan to move the capital should be guilty of death." ”
In the end, Kou Zhun's opinion prevented the compromise faction from moving the capital, and the war with the Liao state was about to break out. On the one hand, Kou Zhun recruited the militia widely, and on the other hand, he collected grain and grass extensively. When the Liao army attacked all the way to the city of Liaozhou, Kou Zhun urged Emperor Zhenzong of Song to march in person. If the city of Liaozhou was lost, most of Hebei would fall into the hands of the Liao army, and the capital city of Bijing would immediately be in jeopardy.
When Emperor Zhenzong heard the news of the emergency on the front line halfway, he started to retreat. Kou Zhun tried every means to persuade Zhenzong to continue to move forward. When Emperor Zhenzong arrived in Liaozhou, he did not want to go to the northern city near the battlefield, so Kou Zhun ordered his soldiers to forcibly pull Zhenzong's car to the northern city.
Eventually, Emperor Zhenzong came to the front line of the battlefield, and the Song Dynasty soldiers saw the emperor's personal conquest, and their morale was greatly increased. In the ensuing battle, the Song army was like a bamboo, killing the Liao army step by step. Empress Xiao saw that the war situation was unfavorable, so she asked the Song Dynasty for peace, and the two countries signed an "alliance of yuanyuan".
Without Kou Zhun, the Northern Song court would not have won a victory, and Kou Zhun could be said to be a great achievement, but what awaited Kou Zhun was an unexpected disaster.
Song Zhenzong's respect for Kou Zhun, coupled with Kou Zhun's exploits, caused the envy of the courtiers towards Kou Zhun. Amid the slander of the hundred officials against the courtiers, Zhenzong gradually became cold to Kou Zhun. Kou Zhun understood the reason and did not make any excuses. He knew that his upright personality would have a lot of adverse effects on him, but he would not change, and if he did, he would not be Kou Zhun.
All men are filled with goodness and integrity in their hearts before the events of the world, and despise all dirt and darkness. However, when they have gone through the oppression of life and the baptism of society, their hearts have long been free of right or wrong, and they only care about interests. This is probably the so-called maturity, living like you once hated.
Kou Zhun, who was cold to Emperor Zhenzong and hostile to his subjects, was soon demoted to Shaanzhou as a zhizhou. In 1019, in order to obtain his own political capital, the favored minister Ding Zhi took the initiative to invite Kou Zhun to return to the dynasty as prime minister. When Ding Zhi obtained his own political capital, he framed Kou Zhun for attempting a coup d'état and relegated him to the local level. After that, Ding Yu successfully obtained the phase and degraded Kou Zhun one by one.
Kou Zhun was eventually relegated to leizhou on the southern coast, and did not even have a house after arriving. The local officials and people admired Kou Zhun as a person and built a house for him, so that Kou Zhun finally had a place to stay. One dynasty is the picture, one is degraded, and kou Zhun does not give up on himself during the ups and downs. In the remote Leizhou, he vigorously developed people's livelihood and brought a happy life to the local people.
While he was sick in bed, he composed the last poem of his life, called "Poetry in Illness":
Many illnesses will pass through the years, and it will not be possible to meet the fate.
The book only reads the medicine record, and the guest only waits for the doctor monk.
Ambition is like snow, and nostalgia is cold as ice.
After the storm, there is no sleep on the green lights.
Ambitions can no longer be realized, and the sorrow in my heart is like cold ice. Even after countless storms, his heart still cares about the country. Such a person is destined to leave a strong mark in history.
After writing this poem, Kou Zhun passed away. The image he left in people's hearts will always be a teenager who has just entered the world, full of integrity and fortitude. May we who have run away for half a lifetime return, just like Kou Zhun, still teenagers. The heart is still in tune with right and wrong and integrity, not with tact and profit.