The hidden tragedy of "Chang'an 30,000 Li": the protagonist's fellow villagers were eaten up in the defense of Suiyang
"Chang'an 30,000 Li" is a super high-level domestic animation film this year, which not only interprets the peerless style of the Tang poets, but also allows us to appreciate the beautiful scenery of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, such as Chang'an, Yangzhou, Jibei, Songzhou, Yellow Crane Tower, Liang Yuan and so on.
Among them, in the protagonist Gao Shi's hometown - Liang Yuan, it shows us a quiet pastoral scenery of the years. But the author found that the cartoon actually hides a huge tragedy that really happened here!
Beautiful countryside - Liang Garden
Liang Garden is a grand garden created by King Xiao of Liang of the Western Han Dynasty, "Building East Garden, Fang Three Hundred Li... The palace is connected, the fruit and trees, rare birds and beasts, and it is not endless." During the Tang Dynasty, although the Liang Garden was abandoned, there were many ruins and was a scenic spot for the literati to linger. Li Bai, Du Fu and Gao Shi once visited Liang Garden, which is still a good story.
Gao Shi himself settled in Liangyuan when he was young, and has been "cultivating and leaving" here for a long time. At that time, a large area of land in Liangyuan was reclaimed by local villagers, and as depicted in the cartoon, it was an idyllic landscape. Although the local villagers in the cartoon once arrested Li Bai as a thief, they made us feel simple, kind and amiable.
In the cartoon, Gao Shi went to Chang'an, Yangzhou, Youzhou and other places many times to pursue his life goals, but he was frustrated, and each time he returned to Liangyuan to resume farming. In the eyes of the audience, Liang Yuan can be seen as the protagonist's soul refuge, although living here is poor, but represents tranquility, comfort and harmony.
However, the content of the film involves the Anshi Rebellion, and the author has to point out that Liang Yuan is located in a thrilling place - Suiyang (Tang Dynasty for Song Prefecture, also known as Suiyang County)!
Hell on earth - Suiyang
The defense of Suiyang was the most admirable and tragic battle in the Anshi Rebellion. The names Zhang Xun, Xu Yuan, and Nan Jiyun are still deafening until more than a thousand years later.
Beginning in January 757, Zhang Xun commanded only a few thousand defenders to resist the siege of more than 100,000 An Lushan rebels when they ran out of food, and held out for ten months, avoiding the destruction of the Jianghuai region by the rebels, thus preserving the vitality of the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that the strategic significance of this defense war is very significant.
However, the battle to defend the city in a state of food shortage was very tragic. After the Suiyang army and people ran out of food, they ate all the leather on the sparrows, bark, grass roots, and bows and arrows in the city, and finally fell to the point of cannibalism.
Zhang Xun first killed his concubine, and Xu Yuan also killed his slaves and cooked them for the soldiers to eat. The soldiers and civilians in the city first ate the old and weak, then the women and children, and finally the strong men were eaten in batches. Despite this, the military and people in the city still vowed not to surrender, because everyone knew that Suiyang was the gateway to the south of the Jiang, and once the city was broken and the rebels went south, "Jiang and Huai will die." Before the war, there were 40,000 household registrations in Suiyang City, estimated to be more than 100,000 people, and only more than 600 people survived after the city was destroyed.
Unfortunately, Gao Shi's hometown Liangyuan is located on the outskirts of Suiyang City. After the outbreak of the Battle of Suiyang, the local people of Liangyuan basically had to take refuge in the city, thus all stepping into hell on earth.
It can be said that although the Liangyuan countryside described in "Chang'an 30,000 Li" is quiet and beautiful, the historical end of these simple people is very tragic.
Why is the historical fact of Gao Shi saving Suiyang not described?
"30,000 Li of Chang'an" describes some historical events in which the protagonist Gao Shi did not participate, such as the Battle of Stone Castle City. However, Gao Shi participated in the siege of Suiyang in real history, but the cartoon did not talk about it at all. This is a very strange phenomenon.
In real history, Gao Shi, as the envoy of Huainan Jiedu, participated in the siege of Suiyang under the command of Zhang Hao, the envoy of Henan Jiedu. But three days after the fall of Suiyang, Zhang Hao's reinforcements arrived in Suiyang, and it was already too late. It can be said that the failure to save the fate of the Suiyang military and people, Gao Shi's relatives and neighbors all died, was the biggest pain in Gao Shi's life.
In the author's opinion, the cartoon did not involve Gao Shi's deeds of saving Suiyang, and should deliberately avoid this tragic battle. The audience of this work includes children and teenagers, and the producer may hope that Liang Yuan will leave a good impression of "pastoral songs" for everyone, and if the tragic scene of historical facts is shown, then the mental impact on many people will be too great.
However, the cartoon also talks about the defense of Suiyang from a side angle, when Huainan Jiedu made Gao Shi quell the rebellion of King Yongding. In the cartoon, Gao Shi believes that if King Yong wants to seize the world, the correct strategy should be to send troops to recover Chang'an or Luoyang, or to save the trapped Suiyang, which can shake the world and win great prestige. However, Li Xuan, the Yongwang, only dared to attack the weak Yangzhou, thus exposing the Yongwang's incompetence.
This description of the cartoon reflects Gao Shi's concern for the defense of Suiyang from the side, and also reflects his dissatisfaction with the Yongwang Li Xuan not saving Suiyang.
Since many viewers do not know history, are not Shangqiu people, and do not know the relationship between Liang Yuan and Suiyang, they cannot discover the great tragedy hidden in the cartoon, and it is directly related to the protagonist.
The author believes that hiding this tragedy is also a last resort, and the tone of this all-age animation cannot be too dark. While there is a lot of fiction in the work, some historical truths have to be hidden. (Author: Tao Mujian)