Weinan Three Sages Memorial Painting
In the fifth year of the Song Dynasty, in 980 AD, Cheng'an County, Hebei Province, was very lively, and people were fascinated to see the emperor's appointed Jinshi Jiake. What made them even more excited was that this young talent was about to take office as the zhi county of a large northern county, and the parent official of more than 100,000 fathers and villagers in Cheng'an was official.
As soon as Guanqiao landed on the ground, Kou Zhun, who was nineteen years old, jumped out, and everyone was stunned and stunned, it turned out that the parents they were looking forward to were still a childish young man.
The historical Kou Zhun is indeed a teenager who has achieved success. Although he came from a bureaucratic family, his father died early, and it was his mother who worked as a spinning artist to provide him with education and raise him as an adult.
Kou Zhun lived up to his mother's love, studied hard, and at a young age, he memorized the bitter and incomprehensible "Spring and Autumn", "Zuo Zhuan", "Ram Biography", "Hub Liang Biography" and the Four Books and Five Classics to a ripe end. What is rare is that he combines his own experience, always loves to think, can put forward his own opinions and views on the articles he has learned, and participated in the examination for the first time, and even achieved good results in the Jinshi A section.
In his youth, well-meaning people advised him to change his age to a few years older, because Zhao Guangyi, emperor Taizong of Song, always valued the stability and old age of his courtiers, and was extremely disdainful of the hairy young people. However, Kou Zhun was stunned and did not appreciate it, but instead seriously angered the well-meaning counselors, "I Kou Zhun are determined to serve the imperial court and the country, how can I deceive the monarch and blindly consider my own interests in such a small matter!" "Kou Zhun is straightforward and frank, and he is a Shaanxi stunned baby who is alive and free.
Portrait of Kou Zhun
Kou Zhun was a native of Huazhou, Shaanxi, in present-day Weinan, Shaanxi, and was known as the "Three Sages of Weinan" along with the Tang Dynasty's great poet Bai Juyi and chancellor Zhang Renyan.
Kou Zhun has a straight temperament, takes the truth as the responsibility for doing things for people, and takes the truth as the precious. Although he was young and inexperienced, he was able to put the interests of the people first, strictly implement the imperial court decrees, and become an anzhi county, in just a few years, with remarkable achievements, and repeatedly got the opportunity to be promoted. At a young age, he entered the capital as an official, achieved the position of Privy Counsellor, worked directly in the highest military institution controlled by the emperor, and gained many opportunities to meet the emperor.
Kou Zhun's bluntness, the most prominent manifestation is through the dispute. As long as he thinks that it is a true fact, or a correct opinion, he will desperately advocate and insist, no matter how big the other party's official position is, no matter how high the power, he has nothing to fear.
To the north of the Great Song Dynasty was the Liao state established by the Khitans. For many years, the Khitan cavalry was in a large military situation, and the Emperor of the Song Dynasty always felt a lot of pressure, and Emperor Taizong of Song summoned his ministers to discuss and revealed the meaning of peace. Kou Judged the situation and clearly opposed the peace, he analyzed that the Liao state had invaded the frontiers of the Great Song Dynasty for many years, and because they had not encountered a strong counterattack, they had to advance and become more unscrupulous. Only by strengthening our border defense forces and organizing a strong resistance can we stop the pace of the Liao army going south and truly realize the security of the northern border.
Kou Zhun propaganda poster
Kou Zhun, who was only in his twenties, talked and boldly stated his opinions in the court deliberations for the first time, and suddenly captured the emperor's heart, deeply trusted by Emperor Taizong of Song, and the imperial court no longer had the voice of peace.
Kou Zhun is heroic, dares to say and dare to do, and in the depths of his heart, he has a strong sense of home and country. He never valued his fame and fortune, and he often distributed all the money and wealth rewarded by the emperor to his subordinates and colleagues. Therefore, for Kou Zhun who dares to speak out, argue boldly, and have a just heart, he never doubts his motives.
The first quarrel with the emperor was in the spring of the second year of Chunhua (991), when there was a severe locust plague in the whole country, and the people suffered and the country suffered. Emperor Taizong of Song was worried, and it was convenient for his courtiers to sigh, was there a major mistake in the administration of the imperial court and was punished by heaven? The ministers did not dare to speak directly, but only promised and vague, and expressed their providence one after another, and did not dare to say more. Only Kou Zhun was straightforward and bold in expressing his opinion. He quoted shang shu hongfan as saying that heaven and man are the relationship between form and shadow, sound and sound, and that there is now a great drought and locust plague, which shows that His Majesty's decree on governing the country is wrong and the punishment is unfair, which is a warning from heaven to us.
When encountering such a straight-forward, unsympathetic face, no matter who it is, it is difficult to accept it happily, Song Taizong was furious and wanted to get up and flick his sleeve away. Geng Zhi's Kou Zhun was even more unforgiving, and even went forward to pull on the emperor's sleeve and asked the emperor if he was unwilling to solve the problem?
Song Taizong was furious, threw off his sleeve, and left directly.
After a while, Emperor Taizong of Song returned to the imperial court and questioned Kou Zhun, "What is the basis for your remarks that I punished injustice and offended Providence?" Kou Zhun replied, summoning Wang Yuan, the Counselor and Governor (Vice Minister), to jin, and I have my own words.
Posthumous commemoration
It turned out that in a bribery case last year, Kou Zhun thought that it was handled very unfairly. Wang Huai embezzled tens of thousands of public funds, only to be dismissed from office and reprimanded, and then quickly reinstated as an official, while another official, Zuji, embezzled a small amount and the circumstances were not serious, but he was sentenced to death, because Wang Huai had an older brother Wang Huan who participated in the government affairs.
Kou Zhun dared to expose the truth, and the emperor thought that he could take on a big responsibility, but he also attracted many slanders and attacks from those who pursued fame and fortune.
Just after the age of thirty, most of the students who studied were admitted to the academy, but Kou Zhun had already achieved the position of deputy envoy of the Privy Council, and with his courage to act boldly, he held the vital military power of the Great Song Dynasty.
However, the next performance fully revealed the shaanxi people's stunned disposition, not knowing the tact, not knowing the detours, not being sharp, and making him suffer the first demotion of the official.
The man who had framed him accidentally seized an opportunity. Kou Zhun was traveling with a colleague Wen Zhongshu, and when he encountered an uninvited guest who actually knelt down in front of two people and shouted "Long live" three times, and then flew away, Kou Zhun did not care. However, when the Privy Council made Zhang Xun aware of it, he appealed to the emperor, believing that Kou Zhun had the intention of rebellion. Song Taizong overreacted to this, and the court questioned Kou Zhun. Kou Zhun, who has always been straight-talking and fast-talking, can rub the sand in his eyes, and according to reason, he and Zhang Xun quarreled in a mess, and the two sides used this to expose each other and tear each other apart. Emperor Taizong of Song was angry and hateful, believing that it was insulting to Swen and breaking the rules of the imperial court, and finally each played fifty boards and demoted his posts separately, and Kou Zhun became the prefect of Qingzhou.
On the issue of establishing the crown prince, he dared to speak out and express his true intentions, once again bringing good luck to Kou Zhun and achieving his career. Emperor Taizong of Song inherited the unification of his elder brother Zhao Kuangyin, and according to the legend of the Alliance of The Golden Hammer, whether he was the son of his brother or his own son as the crown prince was emperor Taizong's heart disease. He wanted to set up his own son, but he was afraid that the group of ministers would move out of the old account, so he always avoided it and did not dare to face it. In the years after Kou Zhun left, Emperor Taizong often thought about it, which was a trustworthy person from his heart. Just as Kou Zhun had something to play, Emperor Taizong summoned him inside and asked Kou Zhun how to make him crown prince.
Kou Zhun said bluntly, Zhizi Moruo's father, this matter does not need to be discussed with outsiders, let alone listen to the opinions of eunuchs, concubines and other people with interests, and the people selected by His Majesty must be the people who are expected by all.
When a few words came to Emperor Taizong's heart, the emperor was extremely happy and relieved, and the major problems that had plagued him for many years were solved by Kou Zhun in a few words. Emperor Taizong did not forget his old feelings, reactivated Kou Zhun, promoted him to the position of governor, and Kou Zhun, who was only thirty-three years old, paid his respects for the first time and became one of the two phases around the emperor. Emperor Taizong of Song invited his courtiers and said openly, "I have to approve of Kou, just as Emperor Taizong of Tang got Wei Zhengye." What's more, the precious gifts of tribute from the foreign domains, Emperor Taizong always divided into two and gave them to Kou Zhun.
The first time he was degraded, Kou Zhun did not learn his lesson, since he worshiped the prime minister, he did things like his character, both strong and straight, causing dissatisfaction among the courtiers, and the impeachment of him was like a snowflake flying, and the source was continuous. The emperor had no choice but to discuss in court, and he wanted to make him soft, criticize a few words, soothe the mood of the group of subjects, and continue to reuse Kou Zhun. However, Kou Zhun was soft and hard, and the imperial court was indebted to it, bringing in a large number of documents and archives, defending himself and arguing strongly, and not giving in to the group of courtiers, the scene was chaotic, once again angering the emperor, being demoted to Dengzhou Zhizhou, and once again far away from the core of the imperial court.
After Emperor Zhenzong of Song succeeded zhao heng to the throne, the Khitan Liao soldiers took advantage of the situation to invade the border of the Great Song Dynasty, and Emperor Zhenzong worried day and night, and there was no one in the imperial court and lacked responsibility. At this time, someone recommended Kou Zhun again, and Song Zhenzong immediately summoned Kou Zhun to inquire about the plan. Kou Zhun single-mindedly served the country and vigorously advocated resisting the Liao, emperor Zhenzong suddenly had the main heart, re-worshiped Kou Zhun as a minister, abandoned the escape idea of moving south to Nanjing and Chengdu put forward by the two ministers, and led the army to march personally and cross the Yellow River to drum up the morale of the afternoon.
Because of Kou Zhun's clear ideas, strong organization, and full of confidence in the front-line generals, although the Liao army led by Empress Xiao and Emperor Yelü Longxu personally went south, the Song army still effectively stopped the pace of the Liao army's invasion, the two armies met, the Song army achieved a clear victory, and the killing of the Liao army's forward general made Xiao Taolan, and the morale of the Song army was even higher.
Kou Zhun story
The Liao army suffered heavy losses and could not make up for the supply of troops, and Empress Xiao had the idea of returning home. However, she was not reconciled, for decades, the conflict between Liao and Song was often ended by Liao's compensation, and this time she could not go back empty-handed, so Liao sent envoys to Song to negotiate peace.
Emperor Zhenzong of Song did not want to go out to fight, and Liao proposed peace, but he could not ask for it, and immediately sent an envoy Cao To negotiate peace with Liao. Cao took advantage of the bottom line of compensation before leaving, and Song Zhenzong gritted his teeth and gave an amount of one million. Kou Zhun chased out of the tent and said to Cao Yu, more than three hundred thousand, you don't have to come back, and when you come back, I will directly kill you. After negotiations, the Liao and Song dynasties reached an entente, which became brotherly states, each retreated to the border line, opened the border to the mutual market, and gave the Liao dynasty 100,000 yuan and 200,000 cloth every year.
Because the place of battle and negotiation between the two sides was in the city of Liaozhou after the Yellow River Continent, it was called the "Alliance of The Yuan". This year is the first year of the Great Song Dynasty, 1004 AD.
It is said that after the negotiation envoy Cao Yu returned, Song Zhenzong was busy asking about the results of the negotiations, and Cao used the secret to extend three fingers. Song Zhenzong thought it was three million, and his expression was very disappointed, but his mouth said to take two million more, as long as there was no war. When he learned that it was 300,000, he was overjoyed and praised Kou Zhun and others. In fact, Kou Zhun opposed peace from beginning to end, and always advocated strengthening border defenses, actively resisting the Liao, and gradually recovering the lost land in the north. The song army's morale is strong, the Liao army has climbed a long distance, and the grain and grass supply difficulties have shown obvious defeat; as long as the Song army advances, the Liao army is very likely to collapse on a large scale, and the Song Dynasty's dream of unifying the territory of North China and recovering The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun will be just around the corner. However, under the direction of the capitulation faction and in the case of victory on the battlefield, the Great Song Dynasty finally signed a peace agreement, which deprived the Song Dynasty of an opportunity to expand its territory and unify the world.
The emperor's personal conquest and the conclusion of the alliance of the Yuanyuan basically solved the troubles of the northern border and bought a peaceful environment for the Great Song Dynasty for nearly a hundred years. However, Kou Zhun's good fortune seems to have come to an end, and the imperial conquest he organized was slandered by his official rival Wang Qinruo, who was clever and slandered as a gambler.' mentality. Wang Qinruo spoke to the emperor, and Kou Zhun advocated that the emperor go out on a campaign and personally go to the front, just like a gambler in a gambling market, pouring out all his possessions, betting on all his belongings, desperate for personal gain. Just think, if you lose the war, Kou Zhun may be able to fall into a good reputation of sacrificing his life for the country, and Your Majesty will become the king of the country and be spurned by future generations. The emperor himself came to the battlefield and signed a peace treaty, which was a kind of surrender, and Kou Zhun was able to resist the Liao, and His Majesty bore the insult of surrender, which was actually a humiliation.
After Wang Qinruo's provocation, Zhao Heng, the True Emperor of Song, lost trust in Kou Zhun and soon dismissed him.
In the official arena, Kou Zhun will never learn to cultivate human feelings and deal with things in an old way, let alone work hard and stab people in the back. Such a character, if you encounter a monarch who is unknown and listens to rumors, is extremely dangerous in his career.
Soon after Emperor Zhenzong of Song ascended the throne, Kou Zhun recommended Ding Shu to the emperor. This Ding Zhi was clever and intelligent, good at observing the color, very self-interested, and was listed by posterity as one of the "Five Ghosts" of the Northern Song Dynasty. Once, a banquet was held in Zhongshu Province, and when Kou Zhun drank the soup, his beard was stained with some vegetable soup, and Ding Zhi saw it and used his sleeve to help Kou Zhun wipe it away. Ding Zhi was originally kind- and kind, but Kou Zhun did not think so, his stunned, non-demanding personality once again appeared, publicly reprimanded Ding Zhi, you are already a state minister for participating in politics, it is inappropriate to wipe the beard of your superiors in public. Kou Zhun showed no mercy and expressed his chest directly, which was entirely due to his personality, but Ding Zhi remembered the hatred in his heart and did not forget to wait for the opportunity to retaliate.
In the fourth year of the Tianxi Dynasty (1020), Song Zhenzong fell ill and planned to pass the throne to the crown prince, and Kou Zhun and others were very much in favor. However, before the edict was issued, Kou Zhun revealed the news to the outside world, and Ding Zhi and others seized the opportunity to report to the sick emperor and falsely accused Kou Zhun and others of plotting rebellion. The emperor was suffering from illness and indiscriminately ordered that Kou Zhun once again be deposed as prime minister, first demoted to Daozhou, Hunan, and then sent to Leizhou, Guangdong, to charge the army.
In Leizhou for more than a year, it was the most lonely time in Kou Zhun's life, infinite feelings about his life, contemplating good and evil in the world, remembering that life is not easy, and creating a large number of poems to express his chest.
Kou Zhun Monument
In the first year of Emperor Renzong of Song 's reign (1023), Kou Zhun left behind the famous Book of Illness and died.
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 wind and rain, there is no sleep on the cold lights.
Kou Zhun was an official for forty-three years in his life, twice because of his outstanding political achievements, and was degraded seven times because he dared to speak directly, and his life was full of ups and downs, which was intriguing.