Recently, there is a TV series, and the male protagonist of the story is the famous Tang Dynasty general Pei Xingjian. Speaking of Pei Xingjian, there may not be many people who know him, but he is a legendary general in history. According to historical records, Pei Xingjian was not only erudite and versatile, but also had both culture and martial arts, especially in fighting wars, and he had a unique talent, which could be pinched and calculated, and could accurately predict various events. So how amazing is Pei Xingjian in history?
First, born into a famous family
There are three famous families in the Hedong area, namely pei, xue, and liu, of which Pei Xingjian was born in the "middle family house" of the Pei clan in Hedong. The Pei family had been officials for generations, and his father's name was Pei Renji, who served as the Grand Master of Guanglu in the Sui Dynasty. Pei Renji's eldest son was named Pei Xingyu (裴行俨), who was a fierce general during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and "whenever there was an attack, he was invincible, and he was called an enemy of all men." The prototype of the fierce general Pei Yuanqing in the novel "Sui and Tang Dynasty" is Pei Xingyu!
Pei Renji and Pei Xingyu originally served the Sui Dynasty, but later defected to the Wagang Army. However, Li Mi was defeated by Wang Shichong, and the Pei family father and son received the courtesy of Wang Shichong, and Wang Shichong also married his daughter to Pei Xingyu. However, the Pei family was very dissatisfied with Wang Shichong, and they wanted to launch a coup d'état and kill Wang Shichong. As a result, the matter was leaked, and the father and son of the Pei family "all saw harm and destroyed their three tribes." However, Pei Renji had a young son at that time, and he was Pei Xingjian!
Second, emerge
During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, Pei Xingjian took the examination of the Ming Jingke, was hired by the imperial court, and was appointed to join the army as Zuotun Weicang Cao. Don't look at the high official position, but Pei Xingjian met a figure who influenced his life, this person is Su Dingfang, the general of Zuo Wei Zhonglang. Su Dingfang took a fancy to Pei Xingjian and said to him, "I use soldiers, there is no one in the world to teach, and Imako is also virtuous." After that, Su Dingfang passed on all the military skills he knew to Pei Xingjian!
At that time, Emperor Gaozong of Tang intended to make Wu Zetian empress, but was opposed by the old ministers of the court, and Pei Xingjian also expressed dissatisfaction, and as a result, he was accused of "leaving the governor of Xizhou Prefecture" (左除西州都督長史). During his time in the Western Regions, Pei Xingjian was well-governed, and was soon promoted to the position of Protector of Anxi, "the Kingdoms of the Western Regions were annexed by Many Muyi". After that, Pei Xingjian was ordered to enter the dynasty and served as a servant of the official department, responsible for the selection and appointment of officials, which was very successful, and some of his practices were used by later generations.
Third, make a name for yourself
In 679, the Ten Khans, Ashinadu, rebelled and united with Tubo. The Tang court adopted Pei Xingjian's strategy, leading troops to launch a surprise attack on the ten khans in the name of escorting the Persian prince. Pei Xingjian adopted the strategy of capturing the thief and capturing the king, and the soldiers did not have bloodshed, and soon put down the rebellion. In order to reward Pei Xingjian for his ability to combine culture and martial arts, the imperial court deliberately added two official positions of Wen and Wu, "that is, Shangshu of the Ministry of Worship and Inspector of the Right Guard General".
In the same year, Ashwin Fu launched a rebellion with hundreds of thousands of troops, and Emperor Gaozong of Tang appointed Pei Xingjian as the commander-in-chief of the Dingxiang Road March, restraining 300,000 troops from marching and winning victory again. Pei Xingjian was proficient in yin and yang, calendar art, "every battle, Yu Dao victory day", and even accurately calculated the time of victory. In 682, Pei Xingjian was again appointed as the grand commander of the Jinya Road March, but before he could send troops, he fell ill and died at the age of 64. Pei Xingjian was not only good at using soldiers, but also a calligrapher, especially good at cursive writing and calligraphy, and could be called a Confucian general.
References: 1. Old Book of Tang; 2. Zizhi Tongjian