Speaking of Li Bai, many people can naturally think of a heroic and uninhibited, indulgent and dashing character image. And because the content and meaning conveyed in his poems contain many aspects, people today, reading Li Bai's poems, can still feel the style of this ancient poetry immortal.
Such a poet Immortal Li Bai naturally could not be a lonely man, he also had many cattle friends, including many great poets such as Du Fu, Meng Haoran, Wang Changling, He Zhizhang, and so on who left their works in language textbooks. In addition, Li Bai also has a great poet friend who was once very good, but broke up later--Gao Shi.
Perhaps many people have an impression of some of Li Bai's poems, but they don't know much about Li Bai and his era, so next, everyone can briefly understand Li Bai's life.
The first half of Li Bai's life
Li Bai was born in 701 AD, the day of the reign of Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in ancient Chinese history. Regarding his birthplace, some say that he was born in Jiangyou, Sichuan today, and some say that he was born in the Tang Dynasty's Shanye City (now part of Kyrgyzstan), but this does not affect the fact that he lived in Sichuan for a long time thereafter.
Li Bai was able to write poetry at a very young age, in addition, he was also a real swordsman, that is to say, do not think that Li Bai is a weak scholar who cannot be mentioned, and his martial arts may be higher than that of ordinary swordsmen.
Of course, the most important characteristic of Li Bai is that he likes to walk in all directions, from 724 AD, the 24-year-old Li Bai began to play in Sichuan, during which he also made many friends, but it can be said that Li Bai's first half of life was very unsatisfactory.
Don't look at the Li Bai as we know it today, who is dashing and uninhibited, and it seems that he can gain fame and fortune by relying on his own talent alone. But in fact, the early Li Bai did not have as good a life as everyone thought.
In ancient times, the highest ideal of the reader was to be able to enter the temple, that is, to become an official in the imperial court. This idea, Li Bai naturally has also. However, Li Bai did not participate in the beginning of the imperial examination during his lifetime.
The reason why he did not take the imperial examination is said to be because his father was a businessman, and some say that it was because his family was not innocent. However, Li Bai has always wanted to be an official. In 734 AD, the 34-year-old Li Bai wrote a poem "Mingtang Fu" to Li Longji of Tang Xuanzong, and in 735 AD, he wrote a "Great Hunting Fu" to Li Longji. These two articles are actually borrowing literature to seek officials.
However, how could a ruler of an empire easily look at a literati who had not even taken the imperial examination? Despite Li Bai's efforts to this end, he still failed to become an official.
However, the connections that Li Bai has built up because he loves to make friends has given him the greatest help in his career. In 742, under the recommendation of Keju Zhuangyuan, the old minister He Zhizhang, and Tang Xuanzong's sister Li Zhiying, Li Bai finally met Tang Xuanzong Li Longji, and in the following year, he began to serve in the Hanlin Academy.
Moreover, Tang Xuanzong loved Li Bai, not only because of the introduction of these two people, but more importantly, Li Bai's poetic talent at this time really impressed Emperor Xuanzong, and Tang Xuanzong even personally walked to pick him up when he met Li Bai.
However, if Li Bai can become an official and live the happy life he wants, it will inevitably be regarded as a good wish for him by Li Bai's lovers. But in fact, this platinum star in the poetry world seems to be doomed to suffer in the mortal world.
Li Bai had been with Emperor Xuanzong for a long time at this time, whether it was Tang Xuanzong going out to play or drinking and feasting, Li Bai was always by his side.
But at this time, Li Bai's own gap and the already dirty environment of the imperial court gradually pulled Li Bai out of this beautiful life.
Li Bai is a poet immortal, but Li Bai did not transfer his talent in poetry to being an official in the official field, or rather, Li Bai's ability to engage in politics was too low. And this can be seen from the fact that Colliers took off his boots for him.
Now many people read the story of Colliers taking off his boots for Li Bai and feel that Li Bai is very remarkable, but in fact, Li Bai has also been framed and ostracized by Colliers and his group.
From the perspective of demand relationship, Li Bai was the favorite one of Emperor Xuanzong, and Gao Lishi was also favored by Emperor Xuanzong, at this time, there was a competitive relationship. Judging from the actual strength situation, Li Bai, who had only been an official for only two years, was no better than Gao Lishi, who had been in front of Emperor Xuanzong for decades and had deep roots.
This act, which made people feel very enjoyable, eventually caused Li Bai to gradually be alienated by Tang Xuanzong.
Li Bai and Gao Shi met
In 744, Li Bai and Du Fu met, and thereafter they met Gao Shi, who was equally undesirable, and the three of them often drank and ate together, discussed major state affairs, and commented on poetry and articles. Their relationship quickly warmed up, and finally it was even better that Gao Shi and Li Bai could sleep in the same bed.
If the first half of Li Bai's life was not smooth, then the first half of Gao Shi's life can be described as bumpy.
Gao Shi was born in 704 AD, three years younger than Li Bai, and although his grandfather was once a great general, it was as if he had been rich for no more than three generations, and when gao Shi arrived, he did not enjoy the convenience brought to him by his grandfather.
Gao Shi was not as dashing as Li Bai, or could not be as dashing as Li Bai, he was so poor that he could only farm at home, and even sometimes had to rely on people to help, and when he saw Li Bai, he also had a very unsatisfactory life.
If these three great poets who have left their names in history can live in such a plain and happy life, it must be excellent. However, reality requires them to disperse and run their own things.
Although Li Bai and Gao Shi have been in contact for a short time, their relationship is undoubtedly intimate, but the intimate relationship established by Li Bai and Gao Shi has finally led to a rupture.
Li Bai became a prisoner of Gao Shi's ranks, but Gao Shi did not care about his life or death.
In 755 AD, the powerful Tang Empire, after Tang Xuanzong neglected the administration of government affairs, finally broke out the 8-year melee that determined the fate of the empire - the Anshi Rebellion.
The bad impact of the Anshi Rebellion on the Tang Dynasty can be said to be difficult to eliminate, and this 8-year war directly led to the decline of the imperial power of the Tang Emperor and the strength of the feudal town.
However, Li Bai and Gao Shi, who were in the catastrophe of this war, went to the complete opposite fate.
Li Bai was already far away from the officialdom at that time, but the war burned all over the land of the Tang Dynasty, and the opportunity for Li Bai to enter the army appeared again, and in 757 AD, Li Bai became a courtier of Li Xuan, the Yong King of Jiangling, and at this time, the Tang Dynasty urgently needed a local prince like this. But this Yong King did not seem to want to use his troops to counter-rebel against the imperial court.
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had already abdicated to his son Li Heng of Tang in 756. Li Heng, who had just come to power, was furious in the face of his brother Li Xuan's actions. The emperor issued the order, but Li Xuan did not carry it out, and this move, in the eyes of the emperor, especially the new emperor who had just come to power, undoubtedly had the intention of rebellion.
At this time, Gao Shi, who had been following Tang Xuanzong's side, had been promoted to the post of Envoy of Huainan Jiedushi. And this high degree of conformity from the door can obviously not be evaluated by a simple border plug poet. In terms of military operations, Li Bai was far from Gao Shi.
Therefore, Gao Shi led the central army of the Tang Dynasty to carry out a crusade against Li Xuan, the Yong King. Such a war is doomed to only one side to survive.
Confidants and friends who used to sleep in the same bed appeared in the hostile camp. Although it is a good saying to call each its own master, when the war is over, how can the loser have the right to survive?
Li Lu, the King of Yong, died in this war, and although Li Bai, as a courtier, did not die on the battlefield, Li Bai could not escape this time. And unlike what many people think, Gao Shi did not give li bai extra kindness.
And the person who sent Li Bai to prison was no one else, it was Gao Shi who expressed his spirit together more than a decade ago. It's really a creation of people.
The tragedies of literary works come from reality, and we may not feel deep when we look at them, but when the tragedies in those literary works become reality, I think it is difficult for ordinary people to accept.
And when this tragic scene appeared on the bodies of Li Bai and Gao Shi, it was even more lamentable.
Then, many people can't help but wonder, after Li Bai fell into trouble, why did Gao Shi ignore him? Obviously, with the power and ability of Gao Shi, it is easy to open up to Li Bai, right?
In fact, Gao Shi had no way to open up to Li Bai at this time. Although Gao Shi was the senior leader of the central army of the Tang Dynasty, he did not dare to rescue the officials of this rebellious force.
After all, Gao Shi's promotion from a petty official to a festival envoy was only a year, and at this time, his position in the official field was not stable. Even if he wanted to save Li Bai, I was afraid that he would have to hesitate for a long time.
In addition, most of the friendships between Li Bai and Gao Shi were based on poetic talents, and in the official arena, they had neither friendship nor common interests. That is to say, the friendship between Li Bai and Gao Shi is not deep in the official arena, and perhaps Li Bai is not important enough for Gao Shi to dare to take a huge risk to save.
However, Li Bai was finally rescued, and although he was sentenced to exile, he was lucky to save his life. Of course, the person who rescued Li Bai had little to do with Gao Shi. Because after such an almost life-and-death confrontation occurred, the friendship between Li Bai and Gao Shi drew a terminator.
If it were not for this war, if Li Bai had not sided with the Yong King, who was condemned as a rebel, perhaps the friendship between them would have become a good story in history.
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