Due to years of conquest and the emptiness of the national treasury, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty was worried about sleeping and eating, and suddenly a shepherd wrote to say: "The grass people are willing to donate half of their family property for military expenses!" Emperor Wudi of Han was both surprised and puzzled, and sent an emissary to ask him: "How can you be willing to donate so much money?" Do you want to ask an official to do it? ”
Unexpectedly, the shepherd said: "The grass people have been herding sheep at home since childhood, and they do not understand the rules of being an official, and they are unwilling to be an official." ”
Then the Prophet asked, "Then, do you have any grievances to complain about?" If there is, just say. ”
The shepherd shook his head again and said, "The grass people always do their best to help the poor, and they always advise those who do evil to be good, and they never quarrel with others." Grass people can be respected everywhere they go, how can there be any grievances? ”
Puzzled, the messenger asked, "You neither want to seek an official nor do you want Your Majesty to uphold justice for you, so what is the purpose of donating so much money?" ”
The shepherd said: "The Huns have invaded our territory of the Great Han for a long time, and now His Majesty has raised an army to fight, and the grass people believe that the virtuous people should be loyal to the country, and the rich people should donate military expenses. ”
The Prophet was deeply moved when he heard this, and said to him, "I will surely tell your majesty the truth about your words." ”
Emperor Wu of Han was surprised to hear the emissary's account and specifically asked Gongsun Hong, the chancellor, what he thought. Gongsun Hong, however, did not agree to accept the shepherd's donation: "Taking out half of his family property and asking for nothing is not in line with the common sentiment of man, please your majesty not to agree." In this way, the shepherd's request for donations to help the war was rejected.
Speaking of this shepherd, he is a legendary figure in Henan County. His name was Bu Shi, and his family was originally a wealthy family. After the death of his parents, his brother was clamoring to separate the family, so he gave all the property of the house to his younger brother, and he only needed more than 100 sheep and moved to the mountains to live.
However, after a few years, the living conditions of the two brothers changed drastically: the younger brother squandered all his family wealth and became poor; the flock of sheep became more and more numerous, becoming the richest family in the local area, and building a new house.
Bu Shi heard that the imperial court was in financial difficulties because of years of conquest, so he decided to donate half of his family property for military expenses, but he did not expect to be rejected by the chancellor. If you want to serve the country in your own way, but you fail to do so, then use it to repay your hometown.
It just so happened that in the second year, there were a large number of poor people in Henan County who needed to be relocated and resettled, but the official treasury was empty and could not come up with money, so Bu Shi donated 200,000 yuan to Taishou for the resettlement of the poor.
Taishou reported to the imperial court the list of funds to help the poor, and Emperor Wu of Han found that Bu Shi was at the forefront, pointed to his name and said to the people around him: "This is the person who wanted to donate half of the family property for military expenses." He then decreed that a reward would be given to Bu Shi, and Bu Shi would also donate these rewards. At that time, in order to avoid taxes, the rich families tried to hide their property, and only Bu Shi was willing to fund the imperial court again and again. Emperor Wu of Han was very appreciative of Bu Shi and asked him to go to the imperial court to become a lang official.
Bu Shi once again said: "Grass people have become accustomed to herding sheep for a living, and they are reluctant to become officials. Emperor Wu of Han really wanted to keep him, and as soon as he moved, he said, "There is a flock of sheep in Shanglin Garden, and I want you to help take care of them." ”
Bu Shi could not continue to shirk, so he had to agree. He wore cloth shoes every day to herd sheep in the Shanglin Garden, and never wore official clothes. After only a year, the sheep were raised fat and strong, and many lambs were born. When Emperor Wudi of Han saw this flock of sheep when he went to Shanglin Garden, he was very happy and chatted with Bu Shi.
Bu Shi said: "The ancients said that if you rule a big country, you should cook small fresh. In fact, governing the people is also the same as shepherding sheep: grazing on time, getting rid of those who do wrong, and not allowing them to harm the sheep. ”
Emperor Wudi of Han felt very curious after listening to it, and when he thought about it carefully, he said with a smile: "Don't you just talk about soldiers on paper?" How do you know if you can govern a county according to your methods? He was then ordered to go to The County of The Jiaoshi to make a county order, and as a result, Bu Shi managed the place in an orderly manner. Emperor Wu of Han also transferred Bu Shi to other places as officials, and he was also very competent. Later, Bu Shi was given the title of Marquis of Kannai and made yushi dafu (equivalent to vice chancellor).
Bu Shi made his fortune by shepherding sheep, not only became rich and skilled, but also learned the truth of governing the people. What is even more precious is that he always has the country in mind, and donates his hard-earned savings for many years to solve practical difficulties for the imperial court and the localities, and his character is worthy of respect.
Emperor Wu of han, as a monarch of great talent, can be seen from the reuse of bu style in his eclectic style. In addition to reusing the Bu style of the shepherd's origin, he also reused the Sanghong sheep from the merchant background, the main father from the Zongheng family, the Wei Qing from the riding slave, and even the prime minister Mentioned in this article, Gongsun Hong, also let the pigs go when he was young. Jin Ilju, who was once taken prisoner, later became emperor wu of han's vassal.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was well versed in the way of recruiting talents and talents, and it is no wonder that at that time, talents were born and literature and martial arts were flourishing.
(Reference: The Book of Han and the Biography of Bu Shi) #历史 #
