Text/Zhong Guangwu
On that autumn day more than nine hundred years ago (that is, in the seventh year of the Song Dynasty, 1074), the sky was clear, the wind was gentle, the leaves of the sycamore fell, and the golden laurel was fragrant. Accompanied by a crisp and loud sound of horses' hooves, a group of people and horses hula out of the north gate of Mizhou Capital (present-day Zhucheng) and along the meandering west bank of the Weihe River, all the way north. The leader was Su Shi, known as one of the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, who had just been transferred from Hangzhou Tongju to Mizhou Zhizhou. The purpose of Su Shi's visit was threefold: first, to follow the direction of the Weihe River and trace the footprints of the Great Yu Zhishui in that year; second, to hang on the ancient battlefield of Weishui; and third, to go to Gaigong Mountain, which is located on the west bank of the Weihe River and in the eastern part of Anqiu County, a hundred miles away, to search for the ruins of Gaigong and pay homage to the Gaigong Tomb. Anqiu County was then under the jurisdiction of Mizhou Prefecture on Jingdong East Road.
When Su Shi was a teenager, he devoted himself to Taoist doctrine, especially the huang laozhi technique, which was extremely popular, and he admired the Taoist authority Gai Gong's way of governing the country. Su Shi was born to be laid-back and straightforward, although his career was bumpy, three ups and three downs, he still held his fist to repay the country. He sincerely admired the selfless mind and courageous spirit of the ancients Dayu in order to control the flooding of the Weihe River. Su Shi is knowledgeable, knows the past and the present, and worries about the country and the people. As early as the beginning of his career, he looked forward to one day, going north to the land of Qilu, and personally feeling the long history of Dongyi ancient culture and the profundity of the thought of the sage Gaigong. Now that the imperial court ordered him to know the secret state, it was the so-called fulfillment of the wishes of the heavens, and Su Shi naturally would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Gai Gong ,surname Gai (ge), shi unseen, was a han dynasty an anqiu man. He studied under the Yellow Emperor and Lao Tzu, "Good learning of the Yellow Old, learning the way of the Yellow Old." The central idea of his governance is that "the Lord is quiet, the law is natural, the silence is braked, and the things are used." "It is the authority of the Taoist school of the early Han Dynasty." When Cao of the Han Dynasty served as Qi Xiang, he worshipped him as a teacher. Gai Gong instructed Cao San's phrase "governing the Tao, noble, quiet and the people are self-determined", which became the guideline for the implementation of the Huang Laozhi technique in the early Han Dynasty, creating a new situation of "the rule of Wenjing". Although Gai Gong returned to the hidden mountains and forests in his lifetime, he never became a high-ranking official, but he had a good teacher, profound knowledge, a more rigorous attitude towards learning and a broad mind, and his great ideas laid a solid theoretical foundation for the strength and prosperity of the Han Dynasty, which was admired and remembered by future generations.
When Su Shi first became mizhou, it was the year of the great drought and locust plague. On both sides of the Weihe River, the land is barren, the crops are not harvested, and thieves are rampant, and the people are not happy. In addition, "the new law is strict and the storm is dangerous." "The people are even more hungry, and their lives are difficult." The "New Law", that is, the hand-practice method promoted by the imperial court in various places, is to force the common people to evacuate their own property to settle households. Su Shi found that the popularization of the hand-practice method has led to mutual accusations and exposures among the common people, increased neighborhood contradictions, provoked the resentment and struggle between the people, and is not conducive to social harmony and stability at all. Faced with such a situation, Su Shi was anxious and could not sleep all night. He painstakingly wrote the "Shanghan Cheng Xiang On the Disaster and Wounded Hands" and "On the Thieves of Hebei Jingdong" to the imperial court, and proposed corresponding governance measures and solutions. After a period of reform, the disaster situation and social order in various parts of Michigan's jurisdiction have been improved to a certain extent.
Weihe River, known as Weishui in ancient times. The Weihe River Basin is one of the birthplaces of the ancient Dongyi people. The splendid Weihe ancient culture they created was an important part of China's ancient civilization. Many years ago, archaeologists found a large number of post-Li culture, Dawenkou culture, Longshan culture, Yueshi culture, and human cultural sites from the Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang and Song dynasties in the Weihe River Valley. It is also in the Weihe River Basin that people have discovered pottery inscriptions that predate the oracle inscriptions and oracle bones, which further explains the depth and longevity of the ancient culture of the Weihe River Basin. In the east of Zhuzi Village, Wangjiazhuang Street, Xiashan District, that is, on the west bank of the Weihe River and the east side of Huanggong Mountain, there is a magnificent "Pavilion Cliff" that is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and listening to the old people in the village, the origin of the name of the "Pavilion Cliff" is the name of the ancients to commemorate the great Yu Zhishui and establish the "Yuwang Pavilion" there. There is nowhere to be seen in what year and in what year the "Yuwang Pavilion" was built and destroyed. Today, the location of this "Pavilion Cliff" has also been submerged below the water storage line of the Xiashan Reservoir, and only during the dry period, between the silt and moss, the rubble and rubble left on the ground after the destruction of the Yuwang Pavilion can still be seen.
"The flood is terrible, and the mountains are vast." In ancient myths and legends, the river that Da Yu zhishui, corresponding to the terrain is the south high and north bottom, is a river flowing from south to north, and in northern China, there are few large rivers flowing in this direction, only the Wei River is the most representative, and Shun and Yu are ancient Dongyi people, and have long been recognized by the academic community. Through the above historical facts and legends such as "Dayu zhishui, three times through the door and not entering", it is fully proved that the ancient Dayu ruled the water, and it was Weishui that it was Weishui. Along the direction of the Weihe River, there is a very obvious cultural belt, and the historical and cultural celebrities bred by the profound cultural heritage are even more brilliant, and the list goes on.
Weihe River in the cool autumn wind, the autumn water rises, the reeds are pure, the blue waves are thousands of miles, the lotus root is fragrant, the oars are gusting, and the fishing songs are loud. The two banks of the Weihe River are sometimes connected by mountains and mountains, and sometimes by a horse and a flat river. It is a mountain, but it is not towering into the clouds, it is the ground, but it does not lower its posture. This combination of high and low is just the right connection, creating a unique terrain and beautiful natural landscape in the Weihe River Basin of Changwei Dadi. Under the Gaigong Mountain, the Weihe River gushes north, the mountains reflect the water, and the water shows the mountains. Su Shi, who was standing by the river, suddenly had waves in his heart. He remembered the Dayu who led the people to work tirelessly to govern Weishui in ancient times, the power of one person is limited, but the power of example and the power of the masses are infinite!
Swinging qi battlefield sword intestines, wind and clouds ruined the sunset. Both sides of the Weihe River have been a place of contention for soldiers since ancient times. The Battle of Weishui, which took place in 2020 BC, was the first written water battle in Chinese history, and after this battle, in 204 BC, the Han general Han Xin commanded a famous battle of Weishui for the flooded Chu army here, which also became a key battle to reverse the situation between Chu and Han. Looking at the rushing weihe river for thousands of miles, Su Shi's ears seemed to echo the sound of the urging war drum, and when he saw the hunting and fluttering flag, he imagined that Han Xin was like han Xin in the past, wearing armor, holding a sword, riding a long-maned horse, and coming from the mountains with red leaves. “... Leaning north into the water, sighed. Thinking of the work of Huaiyin, and hanging it is not the end. Su Shi expressed extreme sympathy and regret for the fall of Han Xin, a famous general of a generation.
Gradually, the silhouette of Gaigong Mountain came into Su Shi's eyes. As the saying goes: mountains are not high, immortals are named, water is not deep, and dragons are spirits. Gaigong Mountain is named after Gai Gong, who preached the Taoist Huang Laozhi technique, in seclusion here. On gaigong mountain in autumn, the pine waves are gusting, the birds are singing in unison, the north wind is xiaoxiao, the shrubs are wild, the red leaves are flying, and the leaves fall back to the roots. There were half-foot-deep dead yellow leaves in the woods on the mountain, and the wind blew, swirled and flew up, and spread out evenly, like a large yellow satin quilt, covering the winding path that went up the stairs.
Standing at the highest point of Gaigong Mountain, Su Shiji looked north, and Gaigong Mountain was surrounded by the Huanggong Mountain, which was abrupt, rolling, mountainous, and forested. It is said that this mountain was named because Huang Shigong, a teacher of Zhang Liang in the Han Dynasty, lived in seclusion here. Huang Shigong was a famous thinker and military figure in the early Han Dynasty. He is the author of the "Sushu" and the "Huangshi Gongsanluo". The story of losing shoes and collecting Zhang Liang under the Huangshi Gongqiao is well known in the folk. To the west, there is Di Shan, also known as Di Gong Shan, which is said to be named after the patriotic general Di Qing of the Northern Song Dynasty who garrisoned here. Gaigong Mountain is in the south, Huanggong Mountain is in the north, Digong Mountain is in the west, and the entire terrain is distributed in a horseshoe shape from west to east. And in the middle of the horseshoe mouth, on the west bank of the Weihe River, there is an ancient village with a history of more than 4,000 years, such as The ancient village of Zhong Lingyuxiu, Zhong Lingyuxiu, renjiediling, and simple folk customs, one by one, Xiaoxing Township, the origin of the village's name is because the Han Dynasty villager Wuqiu Chang is known for filial piety (to the third year of the Northern Song Dynasty Qingyuan [1174], after the Song Dynasty Shuo Ru Zhu Xi lived in this refuge, the village was also called Zhu Zangli, because there was a Zhu Zi Ancestral Hall in the nearby Farin Temple, so it was called Zhu Zi Village).
Along the undulating mountain, along the winding path, in a secluded place, Su Shi saw the Gaigong Tomb that suddenly bloomed with wild chrysanthemums and the Gaigong Ancestral Hall that had fallen into disrepair. Su Shi, with devotion and admiration, went forward to pay homage, and then he stood silently in front of the tomb and closed his eyes and meditated. Perhaps, in the autumn of that thousand years ago, the sage Gaigong also stood here countless times, ascending to the far horizon, enlightening the Tao, and thinking about life. At this time, there was suddenly a lingering light rain in the sky, and the breath of autumn once again swept over Su Shi's cheeks, wrapped in a hint of coolness, and he seemed to hear the cold blowing in the clear corner, whimpering, empty. The wind and rain have been fluttering, it is better to remember the deceased. Su Shi instructed the local accompanying officials that the Tomb and the Shrine must be repaired as soon as possible. After he returned to Mizhou, he ordered people to build a Gaigong Hall near the mansion to show his admiration and remembrance of Gaigong.
“... Gai Gong is the ruler of the tao, noble and quiet, and the people are self-determined, and so on, so they avoid the hall and give up the Gai Gong, use their words and rule together, and then rule the world with the one who governs qi, and the world is still called virtuous. ... Fu Cao was a minister of Emperor Han, and Gai Gong was a teacher..." Su Shi spoke highly of Gai Gong's Taoist thought in the Records of Gai Gong Tang.
Su Shi organically combined the enlightenment he received from the ancient historical legend of Dayu Zhishui with the Taoist thought of Gai Gong to form a set of practical and feasible governing concepts. He observed the people's feelings, understood the will of the people, and conformed to the people's wishes, adopted flexible methods and methods that combined "loosening" and "blocking," and did his best to create a general environment for the people to live and work in peace and contentment, and maintained and consolidated the stability and harmony of society. This is also the root of Su Shi's remarkable political and cultural achievements in Mizhou.
After the reconstruction of the Gaigong Ancestral Hall, on the ninth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar every year (it is rumored to be the Day of the Thanksgiving of the Gaigong), the people of the nearby neighborhood came here to catch the mountain pilgrimage and pay homage to the Gaigong Ancestral Hall. Since then, the incense has been continuously burned and bustling. Different eras, similar scenes, have continued for nearly a thousand years.
Su Shi's two years in mizhou were also the peak of his literary creation, and the sloping rain and willows on both sides of the Weihe River and the infinite scenery made him feel excited and his thoughts welling. During this period, he wrote more than 200 popular poems. Among them, the famous "Jiangchengzi Mizhou Hunting", "Water Tune Song Head Bright Moon When" and "Transcendental TaiJi" and other famous passages were created at this time.
At the end of the ninth year of Emperor Shenzong of Song 's reign ( i.e. 1076 ) , Su Shi left Mizhou to take up a post in Xuzhou with a reluctant mood. Since then, he has spent most of his career in the South. Everywhere Su Shi went, he would talk to local friends about the ancient and strong cultural heritage and unique and beautiful landscapes of the Weihe River Valley, how to be separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, and finally could not make the trip, causing many old friends to stand in the misty Rain Lane of Jiangnan all day long, sighing and looking north.
(Image from the Internet)
【About the author】Zhong Guangwu, pen name Weishui Chenzhong. A native of Anqiu (now Xiashan District), Shandong. He has published more than 200 works in print publications or online media such as "Chinese Countryside", "Contemporary Essays", "Today's Headlines", "Weifang Radio and Television News" and so on.
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