The "Biography of a Senior Monk Seeking the Law in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" records the outstanding diplomats of our country, and the book says: "Later, because Tang made Wang Xuance return to his hometown to perform, he said that he (referring to Xuanzhao) was virtuous, so he surrendered to the Western Heavens and pursued Xuanzhao into Beijing. ”
Although a country exists independently in the world, it still needs friendly diplomatic relations. China's history has a long history, it has experienced the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, and it has also experienced a period of national decline since the Opium War, and the change of dynasties is inevitable, and there is no right or wrong.
However, we still remember the heroic figures who have led the way in history, and they have played a very crucial role in the process of human society. After we have learned about Zhuge Liang's resourcefulness, Han Xin's bravery and strength, and other figures who are in the concentration of state power, we also have to admit that the liaison between the state and the state is also a very important existence.
For example, Wang Xuance, a diplomatic figure in history, what kind of diplomatic career did he have?
1. Tianzhu, the birthplace of Buddhism
Buddhism originated in Tianzhu, which is now India, since Buddhism was introduced to China, it has strongly impacted the Taoist sect, and then Buddhism has taken the Western paradise world, and everything is vain, compassionate, and goodwill to occupy a place in the land of China.
And it is precisely for this reason that since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, China has had contacts with the Tianzhu State, and the person responsible for negotiating with it is Wang Xuance, an official of the Tang Dynasty and also a diplomat of the Tang Dynasty.
In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, the Tianzhu region sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, and since then there has been an intersection and exchange between the two countries, and two years later, that is, in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, the emperor summoned Wang Xuance to send an envoy to Tianzhu, which symbolizes the further development of the relationship between the two sides. It can also be seen from here that in the treatment of the Tianzhu Kingdom, the Tang Dynasty has always attached great importance to it.
In fact, there are not many records about Wang Xuance in the history books, most of them are only a few strokes, I don't know whether the history book compilers deliberately did it, or whether they think that Wang Xuance's contribution to the imperial court is not enough to leave a strong mark in the history books.
And it is precisely because the compilers of the history books have written little ink on him that future generations will question Wang Xuance's contribution to the diplomatic relations between Tianzhu and the Tang Dynasty, so what is the truth of the matter?
Second, the Tianzhu state was in turmoil, and Wang Xuance was arrested
Diplomats do not always have an easy job, they represent the image of the country and the face of the country, and in this case, prudence in words and deeds, and acting opportunistically have become indispensable styles and basic principles for diplomats. In the twenty-first year of Zhenguan, the ruler of the Tang Dynasty sent Wang Xuance to send an envoy to Tianzhu, but this time he failed to complete the task successfully and almost died in Tianzhu.
Originally, he went on an expedition with thirty other people, but when they went to the territory of the Tianzhu Kingdom, they learned that the emperor of the Tianzhu Kingdom had been killed violently, and for a while the country was leaderless, the people were in chaos, and the DPRK was even more turbulent.
As the saying goes, when the water is clear, there is no fish, and in such a chaotic situation, it is inevitable that there will be people with hearts who do wrong things, and sure enough, Wang Xuance soon received news that a powerful minister of the Tianzhu Kingdom had taken the opportunity to usurp the throne.
The so-called one dynasty and one courtier, the emperor of a country has changed, then the newly enthroned king will naturally behave differently, and the original monarch of the Tianzhu State respected the envoys sent by the Tang Dynasty very much, and also cared about the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
After all, in that era, the Tang Dynasty was a symbol of absolute power and an object of pilgrimage to other weak and small countries. Few countries dared to confront the Tang Dynasty directly and head-on. Otherwise, it is just like what is said in the "Warring States Strategy, Qi Ce III": "Jing is very solid, and Xue is not measuring his strength."
However, the newly appointed king of tianzhu was completely different from the violent king, the latter had great respect for the Tang Dynasty, while the former did not take the Tang Dynasty seriously at all. This was Wang Xuance just on the way to Tianzhu, and for this reason, the newly appointed king of Tianzhu immediately sent all the troops to refuse Wang Xuance's arrival.
Even if Wang Xuance struggled to resist, in the end, the cavalry of only thirty people was not the opponent at all. Later, Wang Xuance was arrested, and the life of being captured was not good, which is a well-known thing.
During this period, Wang Xuance thought of various ways to escape and save himself, but in the end he successfully saved himself, fled to Tubo, and by virtue of his advantage as a Tang Dynasty diplomat, he successfully borrowed 1,200 soldiers and 7,000 mud Borneo cavalry from Tubo.
Since then, Wang Xuance has opened his own path of revenge, and in just three days, he has successfully defeated Tianzhu's troops with this army. This is a war of shame before the snow, but also to Tianzhu to promote the national prestige of the Tang Dynasty, although this journey is very unlucky, it can even be said to be very bumpy, but in the end it is still a fierce lesson to the Tianzhu Kingdom, which does not know good and evil, and has no one in sight.
Later, Wang Xuance returned to the Central Plains, and in order to reward Wang Xuance's great Yang Guowei, he was given the title of Imperial Grand Master. However, in the eyes of later generations, Wang Xuance made a contribution to this matter, but for the ancients, he did not think that this was his own merit, and even said that this was expected, even if it was not him, it was likely to be someone else.
After all, in the Tang Dynasty, the strength of its national fortunes and the peak development of the country really attracted the fear of many countries, and few countries dared to be enemies of it, in this case, the defeat of Tianzhu was already doomed, and Wang Xuance was not a big hero.
In the history books, there are very few descriptions of him, which also makes future generations wonder whether Wang Xuance really made a contribution to the Tang Dynasty, and also began to wonder whether he was a diplomat of the Tang Dynasty who linked Tianzhu.
3. Special stone stele excavated from Tibet
In fact, this problem was finally revealed in the 1990s, when such a special stone stele was accidentally excavated in Tibet, and the content was unbelievable, and the stone stele recorded the inscription of The Tang Dynasty Tianzhu.
After interpreting it, experts found that the inscription recorded exactly the deeds of Wang Xuance leading troops to Tianzhu at that time, which can fully prove Wang Xuance's identity and also link with the few records in the history books. The experts also came to the conclusion that Wang Xuance really existed, he was a diplomat of the Tang Dynasty linking Tianzhu, and he was also a hero who made a war horse contribution in this.
After reaching this conclusion, in 2001, the stele was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit. With the explanation of experts and the recognition of the country, people are also full of admiration for such a historical figure, from the spirit of other countries, to the yin and yang mistakenly captured, to the escape of Tubo to borrow troops, successfully defeated the Tianzhu army, and finally returned triumphantly.
It has to be said that such an experience makes people admire his strong heart and willpower, and not everyone can successfully escape the shackles in the territory of others and go to other countries to borrow troops. Fortunately, history has made us aware of him and the efforts and achievements of a man for the sake of his country.
In fact, in the second year of Xianqing, he had sent three missions, the frequency was still relatively high, and after this year, the Bodhi Temple in Tianzhu rewarded him and set up a conference.
The words and deeds of the diplomat represent the image of the country, in this case, we have to recognize Wang Xuance's diplomatic ability, can let other countries reward him, this is really not an easy thing, enough to see how great his diplomatic contribution to the Tang Dynasty was.
And this merit should not be forgotten, nor should it be worn down, without his efforts, whether the peaceful coexistence between the Tang Dynasty and Tianzhu could have been maintained for so many years, it is really difficult to say.
brief summary
In history, we have always paid too much attention to those soldiers who served the country on the battlefield, but we have forgotten that the development of a country is definitely not only the credit of the soldiers, but also inseparable from the efforts of these civilian diplomats, the state is a huge machine, and the court officials and border guards are a part of this machine, indispensable.
Therefore, while paying attention to historical figures, we should also devote some energy to understanding these obscure court officials. Without them, there would be no prosperous Tang Dynasty, and only by working together can a country be built strong, which is beyond doubt, and since they have all paid, future generations must recognize the importance of each post and the dedication of the incumbent officials.
bibliography:
"Warring States Policy Qi Ce III"
"The Legend of the High Monk Seeking the Dharma in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty"
The picture comes from the network, if there is infringement, contact to delete!