Among the ancient Chinese emperors, Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, was one of the emperors who attracted the most attention from later generations. His life started at the age of forty, achieved a middle-aged counterattack, and finally climbed from a cloth cloth to the pinnacle of power. In the midst of the vicissitudes of the late Qin and early Han dynasties, how did Liu Bang dominate the world and establish the Han Empire? The book "The Biography of Liu Bang: The Chosen Man at the Hongmen Banquet" (hereinafter referred to as "The Biography of Liu Bang") by the historical writer Piao Xuelou tells the history of the late Qin and early Han dynasties, reveals the complex aspects of human nature, and reveals the natural and historical laws of social development.
The owner of Piaoxue Building, whose real name is Chen Liyong, has a master's degree in history, a member of the Chinese Writers Association, and is the author of "Those Things in the Han Dynasty" (8 volumes), "Double-faced Emperor: Zhu Yuanzhang", "Sui is Tang Fei", "Chu and Han Decoding: Xiang Yu on the Left Hand, Liu Bang on the Right Hand", "History of the Han Dynasty That Can't Be Stopped at a Glance" (3 volumes), etc.
"The Biography of Liu Bang: The Chosen One at the Hongmen Banquet" is laid out in the form of a novel, starting from the core of human nature, presenting Liu Bang and the characters of his time in a panoramic way. If Zhang Liang had not been for Zhang Liang, would Liu Bang have been able to accomplish the great cause of reunification? If Xiang Yu had reused Han Xin, would history have been reversed? If Fan Zeng had not died, would the result of the struggle for hegemony between Chu and Han have been different? The owner of Piaoxue Mansion has used skillful, delicate, humorous, and sharp language, coupled with vivid and tortuous details, to spread out one wonderful historical picture after another.
In your previous works, such as "Those Things in the Han Dynasty", there have been many discussions and writings about Liu Bang. Why did you write a biography of Liu Bang alone this time? What are the characteristics of this book?
Snow Owner:In 2013, after I completed all 8 volumes of "Those Things in the Han Dynasty", I was still unsatisfied, so I came up with the idea of creating Liu Bang, Liu Che, and Liu Xiu, three emperors.
Compared with the biography of Liu Bang that has been published in 2016, I have made a new revision this time, which is mainly reflected in three aspects: first, the details have been dug deep to make the storyline fuller and make the whole text more appealing; second, the original sentences of the history books have been quoted in key places to enhance the persuasiveness; third, the historical controversy has been used to discuss the truth of the matter and expound personal views. I hope that through these innovations, this book will be more in line with the reading tastes of today's readers.
Reporter:Among the emperors that have appeared in Chinese history, what do you think is the place of Han Gaozu's political achievements, and can you compare them with the most outstanding emperors in the usual sense, such as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty?
Snow Owner:Liu Bang, the founder of the Western Han Dynasty in Chinese history, rose as an ordinary person, and with his wisdom, bravery and resilience, he won the four-year victory of the Chu and Han dynasties, creating a glorious era of his own and writing an immortal legend. After the establishment of the dynasty, Liu Bang faced internal and external challenges. He took a series of measures to quell the civil strife and consolidate his rule. Benevolent government became the core concept of his governance of the country, he reduced the tax burden on the peasants, improved the political stability of the country, and created a relatively harmonious social atmosphere. His political system became a model for later dynasties, which lasted for centuries until the end of feudal Chinese society.
Such feats are brilliant and far-reaching, therefore, Liu Bang can be called an outstanding ruler in Chinese history, and I personally believe that Liu Bang can be compared with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty who "will be punished even if he is far away" and Tang Taizong who created the "rule of Zhenguan" and other ancient emperors.
Reporter:What do you think is the most important character element that helped Liu Bang rise to the pinnacle of power?
Snow Owner:Liu Bang's nature cannot be summed up in terms of good and bad, it can only be said to be debauched and eclectic. This may have something to do with his years as a ranger. After experiencing the days of sleeping in the open and licking blood from the knife, he has already seen through the cold and warmth of the world, and understands the true meaning of cold and hot, as long as he lives. Therefore, his thinking is flexible, his adaptability is diverse, he is also sophisticated and calm in handling things, and he is also insidious and cunning when playing with power, even vicious and ruthless, and he will never give up until he achieves his goal.
And Xiang Yu almost grew up in a greenhouse, although he lost his parents when he was a few years old, he had his uncle Xiang Liang to help him hold up another piece of sky. Therefore, even if Xiang Yu has experienced some ups and downs in the process of growing up, compared to the helpless and self-reliant Liu Bang, this is a small thing and not worth mentioning at all. It is precisely because of the lack of the vicissitudes of life that Xiang Yu's bones flow with the blood of the rules that a general should have, lack of innovative consciousness, lack of perseverance and perseverance, and act as a person seems old-fashioned and ignorant, just like a frog at the bottom of a well, the limitations of his vision and thinking limit the play of his powerful energy.
At the same time, Xiang Yu's character is inherently strong, coupled with his own actions, which leads to many times when dealing with incidents, he is self-righteous and brutal, thus losing the support of the people bit by bit, and laying the bitter fruit for his final failure.
Reporter:The biographer of this biography is Liu Bang, but it also presents a group portrait of characters from that era, such as Xiang Yu, Zhang Liang and so on. Is outlining a group portrait of the people of the era also a way of writing that was planned before you started writing?
Snow Owner:Liu Bang, Xiang Yu, Zhang Liang and other influential figures in the Chu and Han dynasties have their own characteristics, and they have many advantages that are worthy of learning and Xi by future generations, but there are also some shortcomings that are not recognized by later generations. However, this does not prevent them from becoming great men of the ages.
For example, when Xiang Yu saw Qin Shi Huang, he said, "He can replace him", which is extremely straightforward and a typical take-it-or-leave-it-it-or-leave-it doctrine. Liu Bang also had a similar experience, when he saw Qin Shi Huang in Xianyang, he said "the big husband should be like his ear", subtle and elegant, is a typical opportunism, a kind of dedication to soaring above the blue sky. It was for this unwilling ordinary ambition that Liu Bang began the journey of butterfly change in life. Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, people with completely different personalities and personalities, are more attractive to readers.
And before I wrote it, I comprehensively analyzed and positioned them, formed a different "face" for each person, and then worked hard to write in this direction.
The owner of the Drifting Snow Building
Simple, humorous, detail-oriented language style Reporter:"Xiang Yu is fearless, as the host, he has no special arrangements at all, and he has the momentum of sending my territory and me in charge. "Before the dinner, Liu Bang, as a 'special guest', obviously came prepared and made careful preparations under the guidance of Zhang Liang. On the one hand, he used 'sugar-coated cannonballs' (marrying sons and daughters) to get Xiang Bo done. The book is written in this style of popular and humorous language, and it is easy to read smoothly. Tell us why you write a serious history in such a style.
Snow Owner:History is originally simple, and everyone can understand and understand it, and we can't pretend to be profound, let alone moan without illness. The biographies of historical figures I am writing now pay attention to the smoothness and simplicity of the story and plot, in fact, the simpler the history, the easier it is for people to understand, but the more simple the history, the more memorable. "The Biography of Liu Bang" is no exception, the whole book not only focuses on the big picture, outlines the background of the times and social background at that time, but also deeply and concretely describes Liu Bang's travels, friends, uprisings, ruling the world and other life experiences, presenting a vivid and plump image.
To this end, I worked the language, adopted a combination of simplicity and humor, tried to dig deeper into the details, highlighted the control in the storytelling, and made it hierarchical, staggered, and easy to understand, so that the original serious history is no longer serious, it is lively and interesting, so that everyone can read easily and fluently.
Reporter:Continuing from the previous question, some readers commented that your history book is as good as a novel. How do you do that? Is humorous language an ingredient in that?
Snow Owner:I have loved history since I was a child, and I made bold innovations and experiments when I wrote "Those Things in the Han Dynasty" 15 years ago. In order to highlight the "easy to read", I worked hard to get close to the public, and the humorous and sharp language was just a shining point of my works, and I also tried my best to restore the authenticity of history. In order to respect historical facts, I consult a large number of relevant history books for each work I write, and I am busy until late at night almost every day, completing the work with such a rigorous and serious attitude.
At the same time, I also try to highlight the vividness of history. How a story can be ups and downs and fascinating, is to tell the main line and branch lines clearly, and use them well, that is, to focus on the main line and run through the intricate branch lines, so that the whole story is always like a raging flame. When I write, I have a very strict control over the storyline, so that the whole text is tightly linked and completed in one go, making people feel as if they are in the scene and can't stop. The success of "Those Things in the Han Dynasty" is like this, and so is the success of "The Biography of Liu Bang".
Studying history makes you feel more at peace Reporter:We often say that we can be wise in reading history, and we can learn from the past in order to learn from the present. As a veteran history writer, what do you think has been the biggest impact of studying and learning about history?
Snow Owner:Those who govern the world take history as a mirror, and those who govern the county and the country take the ambition as a mirror. Through the study of history, we can understand our origins, understand past mistakes and successes, and draw wisdom and inspiration from them. In other words, history is our foundation and source of wisdom. Over the years, I have also taken history as a mirror, and used history as a metaphor for the present, and easily understood the true meaning of being a man and doing things. And by studying history, my mind has become more peaceful. Looking back at the growth of great men in history, their efforts and talents are only a small part of their success, and the most important thing is their political vision and choices.
You must know that under the premise of hard work and hard work, countless chances and coincidences have made Liu Bang become Pei Gong, countless chances and coincidences have made Xiang Yu the overlord of Western Chu, and countless chances and coincidences have made them embark on the road of hegemony. In life, in addition to hard work, we must also rely on the right time, place and people, and in this process, we must concentrate on improving ourselves, prepare for continuous growth, and when the opportunity comes, we will go all out and move forward steadily.
Reporter:At present, we are in a period of "history fever", and some people think that most people are not interested in real history, but small stories, jokes, jokes, and so on labeled with history. What do you think of this phenomenon?
Snow Owner:In fact, we must rationally understand and analyze the current so-called "historical fever", and not be blindly optimistic in the face of the "historical fever", nor should we be arrogant. Because the current "history fever" is very complex, on the one hand, it does reflect that the public is very interested in history, but there are also some people who are interested not in real history, but in curiosity - stories, novels, jokes, jokes labeled as history, and even interpret history into bizarre stories and trick games.
History is obviously not a girl dressed up by others, but rigorous, and it is inseparable from the fundamental truth, but everyone has different tastes and will have different understandings. Everyone has a different perspective, and there will be a different perspective. In the midst of heavy makeup, does it have to go off the rails? Does it eventually become nothing? I don't think so, necessarily. Because it can take you to another kind of historical charm. What we urgently need to do at present is to stick to the right direction and guide it well, so as to promote the study of history in a healthy and good direction.
In closing, I would like to say that history cannot be repeated, but we can create our own wonderful future with hard work.
Reporter: Xu Min Editor: Xu Zheng Proofreader: Yang Hefang