Yuanjun 丨 helpless flowers fell

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The tragic life of Meng Chang, the lord of the Later Shu Dynasty

Meng Chang

In the Ming Dynasty's Sichuan talent Yang Shen's compilation of the Quanshu Yiwen Zhi, an edict of Meng Chang, the lord of Later Shu, was recorded. The emperor's edict is included in the "Yiwen Zhi", which shows that this is a text with considerable literary style and can be read as a poem. The edict is an edict issued by Meng Chang in December 934 (the first year of Mingde), called "Persuasion of Nongsang Zhao": Thorn Shi County Order its Duties, Enter and Exit Quemo, Laolai Sannong, Wangxing Dun Geng, Zhan Pu Persuasion. Spring is the beginning of the bird, and the basket is equipped. Crickets groan, i.e. chirping machines.

The full text is 38 words, short and concise, and some of the simplicity and elegance of the Book of Poetry. This means that officials at all levels have listened well, and you must go down to the fields and earnestly farm. Seeing the apricot blossoms and the calamus growing, we must urge the farmers to start spring ploughing, and do not miss the time of farming. When you hear the cry of the yellow oriole, you must prepare the agricultural tools to prepare for the farm. Smell the crickets chanting, and it is time to start the weaving work in the spare time of the farm. There is no second article in history that has written such a vivid and ingenious, fresh and elegant edict. Later, the "Spring and Autumn of the Ten Kingdoms" written by Wu Renchen of the Qing Dynasty also recorded this edict.

Looking closely at the not too many words left by Meng Chang, it can be said that the articles are wonderful, and they are completely a romantic, diligent and loving image of the Shu lord. However, the Seven Treasure Drowning Instrument recorded in Ouyang Xiu's "History of the New Five Dynasties" also positioned Meng Chang in the image of the extravagant and dim-witted king of the fallen country. The multi-faceted impression that Meng Chang left to the world and the pulse style he left on Chengdu have long been the topic of people's talk.

In 925, after the Later Tang Dynasty pacified the Former Shu, it focused on establishing a new order in the Sichuan region. In addition to the members of the imperial family and a number of high-ranking civil and military officials who were sent to Luoyang, they continued to use some Former Shu officials to govern Shu lands, and at the same time appointed Meng Zhixiang and Dong Zhang as envoys to Xichuan and Dongchuan, directly incorporating the Liangchuan region into the Later Tang rule. In 932, Meng Zhixiang defeated Dong Zhang, and there were two rivers. At this time, Hou Tang was in internal and external difficulties and had to admit the status quo. In 933, Ren Meng Zhixiang was made the envoy of Dongchuan Jiedushi and the King of Shu. At the end of the year, after Tang You's lord took the throne, Meng Zhixiang did not pay attention to it at all. At the beginning of the next year, Meng Zhixiang openly broke away from the control of the Later Tang, that is, the emperor was located in Chengdu, and the state name was "Shu", which was known in history as "Later Shu". Meng Zhixiang's success in basing on Shu, like the former Shu Wang Jian, was caused by the political chaos in the Central Plains and the inability of the Central Plains imperial court to control the two rivers. Just half a year after the establishment of Later Shu, Meng Zhixiang died, and the 16-year-old crown prince Meng Chang took the throne, known in history as the Later Shu Emperor, and this emperor with far-reaching influence on Chengdu stepped onto the stage of history.

The former and later Shu were less than 10 years apart, the former dynasty was not far from the fall of Yin Jian, Meng Chang reigned for 31 years, the longest reign of all the emperors of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and his ruling measures, temperament and life habits were very different from the former Shu and Later Emperor Yan. The article that Meng Chang influenced later generations the most was one of his "official proverbs", which was the "Precepts" personally drafted by Meng Chang in 941 (the fourth year of Guangzheng), which was engraved by the national county offices: 朕念赤子, 旰食宵衣. The commander of the trust, raising An Sui. The government is in the three easy, and the Tao is in the seven silks. Driving chickens is the reason, leaving the calves is the rule. Wide and fierce gains, customs can be moved. No order to invade, no to make sores. The people are easy to abuse, and the heavens are difficult to deceive. Endowment of public opinion is cut, and military and civilian is capital. The reward of the Lord of Decay is not overdue. Erlu, the people anointed the people. For the sake of parents, it is not merciful. Mian Er is a precept, and the body is deeply thoughtful. The full text of this official proverb can be found in Zhang Tangying's Shu Han Zhuan (蜀梼杌). When Meng Chang wrote this "Official Proverb", he was just twenty-two years old, the same age as when Wang Yan wrote "Hui Hui Hehe Floating Five Clouds, There Is Wine Not Drunk and Really Foolish", but the two show a completely different style of human government. The "Precepts" are earnest in wording and well-intentioned, and exhort officials all over the world to always remember the grace of the people and their parents, in order to make the officials "remember it in their eyes" and "then they will be able to hide in their hearts." Meng Chang's insight and character were extremely rare among the five generations of chaotic emperors. He also opened up the way of speech, set up a small box in the court, and accepted the people's letters to report, which set a precedent for reports from later generations. Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, destroyed Hou Shu, but he was deeply impressed by Meng Chang's "Precepts", from which he picked out four sentences: "The people are easy to abuse, and the heavens are difficult to deceive; Erqi Erlu, the people anoint the people's fat", and in 983 (the eighth year of the Taiping Revival), he issued the world, inscribing a stele as a precept, known as the "Ring Stone Inscription". In 1132 (the second year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty), Emperor Gaozong asked the poet Huang Tingjian to write this ancestral precept, which was engraved in various prefectures and counties and stood in front of the hall.

Huang Tingjian's book "Jie Shi Ming"

The only poem that Meng Chang left to future generations was a truly beautiful poem, which inspired the great writer Su Dongpo to write a good word that has been passed down through the ages. The ice muscle jade bone is clear and sweatless, and the water temple wind comes to the dark incense. The curtain opens and the moon peeks alone, and the pillow is chaotic. Qionghu was silent, and when he saw the stars crossing the river, he saw the han. When the west wind came, only feared that the flow of years would change secretly.

Meng Chang's poem depicts the scene of summer vacation with Madame Huarui at night, and also implies the hidden worry of the fleeting light. Regarding the copyright of this poem, posterity has different opinions, whether It is Su Dongpojia character inflection filled in as a word, or whether posterity according to Su Zi for Meng Chang ghostwriting into the "Quan Tang Poems", in fact, is not important. Su Dongpo said clearly in the preface of the words, which was originally inspired by Meng Chang's original poems and completed, and Meng Chang's elegant and beautiful style can be seen.

Meng Chang once made it clear: "Wang Yan is superficial and thin, and the words that are good and light are not for it." Later Shu chancellor Xu Guangpu was once dealt with severely by Meng Chang after he wrote a provocative speech to tease the Former Shu princess, and was seriously dealt with by Meng Chang after he was deposed and demoted. On the one hand, Meng Chang rejected the flashy literary style of the previous dynasty, and on the other hand, he vigorously promoted and praised the Yuanbai poetic style of "articles are written for the times, and songs and poems are written for the sake of things", in order to bring the world style with the style of writing. A series of measures such as the Later Shu Kaike, the publication of stone scriptures, and the Zhaoxing culture and education have indeed inspired a generation of scholars and styles.

Meng Chang respected the scriptures and was fond of the ancients, and attached great importance to the engraving and printing of Confucian classics. Later Shu Chancellor Wu Zhao took out his own private property and engraved the Confucian classics into the Stone Classics, which Meng Chang greatly praised and strongly supported. Wu Zhao also paid millions of private wealth to build a school and asked the imperial court to engrave and engrave the Nine Classics to be issued to the county schools, and Meng Chang also issued an edict and ordered it to follow. Meng Chang's dedication to the cause of scripture and the publication of the Stone Classics of Reverence for Confucianism have won the praise of later generations.

Meng Shu Shi Jing , Book of Poetry ( Sichuan Provincial Museum )

Driven by Meng Chang, the overall morality and spiritual temperament of the literati in the Later Shu period were very different from those of the Former Shu Wang clan, quite quite the cultural character of the traditional Confucian scholars and the fashion of chun hou and elegance. In the waxing moon of 964, Meng Chang ordered the bachelor to write a peach charm on the bedchamber, but it was not neat, so he wrote himself: "New Year Na Yu Qing, Jia Jie He Changchun." Meng Chang's inscription on the peach charm changed the nature of the legendary peach rune to drive away evil spirits, and changed into the spring union of later generations, and this first pair of spring unions can still be seen often to this day. Unfortunately, this year's Spring Festival was the last comfortable Spring Festival that Meng Chang spent in the Shu Palace, and the next year, Later Shu was destroyed by Zhao Song.

The most intuitive expression of the romantic and vulgar atmosphere of Later Shu is the hibiscus flowers in the city and the collection of words that has been passed down through the ages, "The Collection of Flowers".

Meng Chang loves flowers, red and white peonies, fragrant red gardenias, of course, her favorite is the colorful hibiscus flowers. The Shu Shu Shu Records: "In September of the thirteenth year (950) of the reign of Shu Chang Guangzheng, the city was planted with hibiscus and covered with a mantle... In September, it blooms like a splendid embroidery. Chang said: "Since ancient times, Shu has been the Jincheng City, and today it is viewed as the true Jincheng City." "This grand scene really deserves the good name of Huazhongjin Official City." The descendants of meng chang's furong should be yangma city, which was an outer city built by Meng Zhixiang on the outskirts of Luocheng after Shu. Later generations only know the beauty of hibiscus, but do not know that this move also has a defensive function. Later generations are willing to attribute this romantic feat to Madame Huarui, and it is also a match between people and flowers. Rongcheng got its name from this, and hibiscus is also the city flower. Regrettably, there is no memorial place for Meng Chang and his Lady Huarui in this city today. In recent years, Dujiangyan Shiyang Town has built a "hometown" for Mrs. Huarui, and there are no relics. We still owe this beauty a beautiful debt to this thousand-year-old beauty.

Jincheng hibiscus flower

Portrait of Madame Huarui carved by Zhang Daqian

When can the words of "The Flower Collection" not appear at this time? Where else could it be without being in this place?

After a long time of peace and a legacy, posterity sees an elegant and amorous monarch. In fact, in addition to his artistic life, Meng Chang has another sharp face that is rarely mentioned, and this side may be closer to the real Meng Chang in the cruel court.

Meng Zhixiang died of illness after only six months on the throne, and Meng Chang was less than 16 years old when he ascended the throne. "Few people are not pro-government affairs, but the ministers are all aware of the past." These meng Zhixiang's deceased people have made outstanding military achievements and are proud of their achievements. When Meng Zhixiang was alive, it was precisely the time to employ people, and he was very good and indulgent, resulting in Meng Chang's situation of being strong and weak as soon as he ascended the throne. In particular, the general Li Renhan was unusually stubborn, and although he had already commanded the envoys of the Shu Wei Sheng's armies and the envoys of Wuxin Jiedushi, he still asked for a sentence to the Sixth Army. At that time, Later Shu, like other countries, set up six armies, such as Wei Sheng, Kuang Sheng, Bao Sheng, Feng Luan Su Wei, Xiao Rui, and Qin Wei, of which Li Renhan was the strongest. But he was not satisfied, and in order to get rid of the other generals, he proposed to lead the Sixth Army. Meng Chang had no choice but to compromise when his own foothold was unstable. However, while ordering Li Renhan to "sentence the sixth military", he appointed Zhao Tingyin, who had a deep grudge with Li Renhan, as a deputy envoy of the Sixth Army as a constraint, and further strengthened the palace guards, while at the same time enlisting the support of Zhao Jiliang, Zhao Tingyin and other old ministers. In the winter of 934 (the first year of Mingde), after everything was prepared, Meng Chang decided to preemptively attack and when Li Renhan entered the dynasty, he had the samurai kill him, "and his sons Jihong and Song Conghui were all ambushed."

The tomb of Zhao Tingyin, King of the Later Shu Song Dynasty, located in Shiling Street, Longquanyi District, Chengdu

From the beginning of the year to the end of the year to kill the hunchen, it is difficult to imagine that the 16-year-old Meng Chang has such a deep and calm and thunderbolt means, perhaps this can only be attributed to the inheritance of his father Meng Zhixiang. What is even more rare is that after the murder of Li Renhan, Meng Chang did not wantonly make a fuss, but to win the support of other ministers to the greatest extent, so the killing of the old minister did not cause political turmoil, but established the prestige of the new monarch and punished those old ministers who had ill intentions. The old minister Zhao Jiliang was the first in the process of the founding of the Later Shu state, and he also assisted the young lord to foil Li Renhan's coup plot. After Meng Chang ascended the throne, in order to show your superiority, he added Zhao Jiliang as a Situ, and his position was higher than that of the Three Dukes. For such a heavy minister who held great administrative and financial power, although his people did not take credit for themselves, Meng Chang could not be completely assured. The following year, Meng Chang announced that he would make Yushi Zhongzhong (御史中丞毋昭) the prime minister, changing the situation in which Zhao Jiliang was alone. Subsequently, he also made Wuxin Jiedushi and Tongping Zhangshi Zhang Ye the left servant and Zhongshu Shilang and Tongping Zhangshi, further dispersing Zhao Jiliang's power. After another five years, Zhao Jiliang took the initiative to write a letter, requesting that the three divisions be divided into three divisions with the subordinate Shilang Tongping Zhangshi Wuzhao, the Zhongshu Shilang and the Pingzhangshi Zhangye, and with Meng Chang's permission, the financial power was divided into three, Zhao Jiliang was in charge of the household department, Wu Zhao was in charge of the salt and iron, and Zhang Ye was in charge of finance and taxation, and the three formed a situation of mutual restraint and mutual restraint, and Meng Chang was just in his early twenties at this time.

After that, in order to stabilize the political power, Meng Chang deliberately cultivated his own political power, especially the promotion and training of generals from among the demoted generals. Zhang Qianzhao and Sun Hanshao were originally Great Generals of the Later Tang Dynasty, but after the surrender of Shu, Meng Chang appointed them as commanders of Kuang Shengdu and Commander of The Sacred Control Crane, becoming important generals in the army.

By 948 (the eleventh year of Guangzheng), Meng Chang felt that his power was basically stable, and the role of Zhang Ye, Wang Chuhui, Zhao Tingyin and other old ministers had basically been played, and Meng Chang began to attack them. The first is Zhang Ye, on the grounds that plotting rebellion is common in court struggles. Zhang Yeping was extravagant and extravagant, and offended many people, and since the above had the intention of getting rid of him, Sun Hanshao, who had a disagreement with Zhang Yeben, secretly accused him of conspiring against his son Zhang Jizhao. "When the karma entered the dynasty, the Shu lord ordered the strong men to be killed in the hall, and the evil was violently committed, and there was no home for him." The scene of killing Li Renhan was staged again. After that, it was the turn of the old minister Wang Hui and Zhao Tingyin. Meng Chang's men were merciful and allowed the panicked Wang To return to the sick to report to the elderly, Zhao Tingyin also called him a disease, and resigned from the military post, and Meng Chang also allowed it. Suddenly, one of the three old ministers was killed, and the two were forced to withdraw from the political arena.

From 934 to 948, after fifteen years, the old vassals were exhausted, and Meng Chang finally sat on the throne. After purging the old vassal forces, Meng Chang vigorously promoted Wu Zhaoyi, Li Hao, Xu Guangpu, Gao Yanzhao, Wang Zhaoyuan, etc., and also deliberately formed in-laws with Han Baozhen and Li Hao. There is also no mercy on corrupt officials at lower levels. Meizhou Thorn Shi Shengui is also Meng Zhixiang's old department, he was "accumulating greed" when he was in office, and once pointed to the prison gate and proudly said to people: "This is my family's money-casting stove." When Meng Chang learned of this, he immediately demoted him to the frontier and gave him death on the way.

In the process of strengthening imperial power and ruling with an iron fist, we see a Meng Chang who is completely different from the literary and artistic youth.

In the early later Shu period, under meng Chang's actions, there was finally a brief grand scene of Guotai Min'an. "Shu Zhongjiu'an, Enlisted Ju Province, Rice Bucket Three Dollars." The price of rice at this time was lower than that of the "Rice Bucket Four and Five Qianzhu" during the Zhenguan Period of the Tang Dynasty and the "Rice Bucket to Thirteen Texts" during the Kaiyuan Tianbao Period. Huang Xiufu of the Song Dynasty", "Maoting Guest's Sayings": "Shu has a silkworm city, from the beginning to march of each year, the prefecture city and the subordinate counties, circulating fifteen places ... Because it is a tool for silkworm farmers, and flowers and fruits and herbs. "Every time you go to the silkworm market, "the goods are easy to collect, the corner is filled in, and the Shu people call it prosperous." Peasant households, small craftsmen, large and small merchants, as well as the children of landlord bureaucrats and officials and eunuchs, even the imperial princesses and concubines gladly went to the city. The time of the silkworm market, the size of the circulation area, the goods put into the market trade from the treasures, down to the agricultural mulberry, daily necessities and flowers, trees and fruits, the variety, the number of people, the number of people, the magnificence of the market, other regions are incomparable.

Southern Song Dynasty "Silkworm Weaving Map"

Sadly, the days of happiness have been too long, and Meng Chang still inevitably fell into the old path of the early and late qinzheng of the previous kings. The people he uses are not great talents, but more mediocre. When the strong enemy finally invaded, the happiness of Hou Shu came to an end.

In 955 (the eighteenth year of Guangzheng), Later Zhou Shizong Chai Rong sent troops from Qin Prefecture to attack Later Shu. Meng Chang sent Zhao Jiza to inspect the border, and Zhao Jiza was known for his literary talent and martial prowess, but in fact he only had one straw bale. He traveled to Deyang, heard that Zhou Bing had arrived, and immediately rushed back to report. Meng Chang asked him about the enemy situation, Zhao Jizha was so frightened that he could not say a word, and Meng Chang killed him in anger. He also sent Gao Yanli and Li Tingjue to resist the Zhou army. Unfortunately, Gao, Li, and others were not generals, and Later Shu lost Qin, Feng, Jie, and Chengsi Prefectures.

In 964, the Song master cut down Shu, and the reason was that the Privy Counsellor Wang Zhaoyuan made himself a provocation. Two years before the Song dynasty destroyed Jingnan and Southern Chu, Meng Chang was terrified and wanted to send emissaries to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty, but Wang Zhaoyuan resolutely stopped it, and also sent emissaries to send letters to join forces with the Northern Han to jointly send troops to the Central Plains, forming a pinch attack on the Song. Unexpectedly, the emissary Zhao Yantao presented the wax pill book to Song Taizu. Zhao Kuangyin originally wanted to cut down Shu, and he was very happy with the book, saying that "the west is famous." Song Sui sent an army of 60,000 to cut down Shu. When this Wang Zhaoyuan was young, he entered meng zhixiang's mansion as a monk child, and Meng Zhixiang loved his minhui and asked him to accompany Meng Chang around, and Meng Chang entrusted him with a heavy responsibility. This time, I thought that the time had come to make meritorious achievements, but I didn't know where the self-confidence came from, but I actually compared myself to Zhuge Liang, and I said that I took Zhongyuan as if I were a palm ear. As a result, the enemy was feared like a tiger, and it was defeated and left the laughing stock of future generations.

What is even more embarrassing to future generations is that when they learned that the front line was defeated, Meng Chang sent out Jin Shuai to recruit troops, making Prince Xuanzhe a marshal and increasing the number of troops. This prince was born in the Taiping Dynasty, grew up in the deep palace, where he had experienced battles, commanded the front line, and actually carried Aiji, carried musical instruments and people, and held up brocade flags all the way. It was raining, and the prince was afraid that the rain would wet the flag, so that the rain would stop and then raise it, and as a result, thousands of flags were hung upside down on the flagpole. Treating the military as a child's play in this way, the Shu people all sighed and disdained it when they saw it. The Sword Gate and the Chu Prefecture collapsed one after another, and Meng Chang lamented: "I and the ancestors have been raising soldiers in warm clothes and food for forty years, once they are facing the enemy, they cannot put an arrow in the east direction of wu, although they want to strengthen the wall, who is evil with my guardians!" After sixty-six days of attack, on the nineteenth day of the first month of 965, Meng Chang ordered Li Hao to write a table and surrender to the Northern Song Dynasty. Originally, Li Hao was a Hanlin scholar of the former Shu Emperor Wang Yan, and when Wang Yan was defeated, Li Hao wrote a descending table for him, and now he wrote a descending table for Meng Chang.

When Meng Chang, after the fall of the country, was sent to Kaifeng in Songjing, "all the people embraced the Road and cried and moved... From Erjiang to Meizhou, there are hundreds of people mourning." This text is found in the Shu people's records, and the complex emotions in the meantime should be placed in the long river of history, and Meng Chang's image changes with time and changes in the accounts of later generations.

In the history written by the Song Dynasty, Meng Chang is mostly portrayed as an image of extravagance and lavishness. Among them, the Seven Treasure Drowning Instrument, which is often used as evidence, first appeared in the "History of the Two Dynasties" completed by Taizu and Taizong in February of the ninth year of the Great Zhongxiang Fu (1016), and the Song Shi Taizu Benji III also contains: Taizu Zhao Kuangyin saw Meng Chang's urinary drowning vessel decorated with various gems, indignant and shattered, saying: Decorating this thing with seven treasures, then what is used to store grain? In doing so, there is no need to die. According to the accounts of the Song dynasty, Meng Chang was not only "specialized and extravagant", but also "endowed with unlimited". Ouyang Xiu also said that "Chang is good at playing ball and walking horses, and is also a skill in the alchemist's room", not only the plaything is disoriented, but also lustful. However, these records are not recorded in Xue Juzheng's "History of the Old Five Dynasties", which was written before the "History of Song". Later, there was no record of the Seven Treasures drowning vessel in private works such as Zhang Tangying's "Shu Tangying" of the Northern Song Dynasty and Gou Yanqing's "The Old Biography of Jinli Qi". Try to analyze the reasons: it is reasonable to analyze the historical books from the Western Shu, whose position is different from or even antagonistic to the official history books of the Northern Song Dynasty. The History of Song described Meng Chang in this way to give Song Shu a just reason for having a way to cut down the way, and the beauty of the Later Shu lords in the Shu Shu and the Old Biography of Jin Liqi may be closer to reality, and may also have elements that are dissatisfied with the rule after the Song and beautify the former dynasty. In their remembrance, Later Shu "has no disturbance in the borders, and the people are rich and fat", "taken by mountains and rivers, enough to eat enough soldiers, and a strong country under the world", and the later Shu lord "Ben Ren ZuYi, Yun Wen Yun Wu's sage lord also". Even, in the Northern Song Dynasty's Anonymous "Tale of the Five Kingdoms", it is also recorded that "the only place to sleep is the violet tent and the purple bi silk drapery, and there is no splendid ornament." As for the utensils, they are also made of silver and black lacquered wood ears. Every time the death penalty is decided, many are reduced. According to the Shu people, Meng Chang was not only not a luxurious and absurd prince, but a frugal and benevolent prince. In this way, Meng Chang presented a different image in folk accounts and official documents.

Jiangnan Jiangbei Jiujia Mountain, a dream in the past thirty years. In that first month of a thousand years ago, Meng Chang's era ended like this. The truth of history may not matter, no matter how multifaceted life will eventually come to an end, but the mark he left on Chengdu will remain forever. In fact, no matter how hard Meng Chang tried, the destruction of the Later Shu in the Northern Song Dynasty was the general trend of history, and the flow of water fell and the flowers went away in the spring, and an era eventually dissipated.

Source of the article: Fang Zhiban of Jinniu District, ed. "Jinshui Huajian - Chengdu a Thousand Years Ago"

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