Li Guang was a famous general in the Western Han Dynasty, who fought countless battles in his life and made many military exploits. However, although he fought for many years under the three emperors of the Han Dynasty, he was never made a marquis. This made countless readers in later generations empathize with his experience, thinking that he is a typical representative of "Huai Cai has not met". But is that really the case?
Li Guang is indeed a famous martial arts general, he is good at riding and shooting, especially the stunt of shooting tigers. In the war with the Xiongnu, he repeatedly performed miraculous feats, and was called "General Fei" by the enemy, which made the Huns fearful. However, compared with Wei Qing and Huo Qubing in the same period, Li Guang's military merits and political skills were far inferior to them, which was also the key reason why he was not awarded the title of marquis in the end. So, in what ways is Li Guang inferior to Wei Qinghuo's illness? Is what happened to him really "wronged"?
Li Guang is strong in martial arts and is known as the "flying general"
Li Guang was born in a family of generals, and he has practiced martial arts and archery since he was a child, and his martial arts are undoubtedly strong. His father, Li Xin, was a famous general in the late Qin Dynasty, and Li Guang received strict military training from an early age and developed a horse and archery skill. When he grew up, Li Guang joined the Han army, and was soon promoted to the rank of martial cavalry attendant because of his excellent martial arts.
During the period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu Shan Yu led the people south, and Li Guang followed Zhou Yafu to conquer the seven kings of Wu and Chu, and made great contributions. After that, he fought with the Xiongnu several times, and said to himself that "he fought more than 70 battles with the Xiongnu". Gongsun Kunwu, an official at that time, once commented on Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty: "Li Guang is talented and unparalleled in the world." ＂
In the war with the Xiongnu, Li Guang repeatedly performed miraculous feats, which terrified the enemy. At one point, he led only a hundred soldiers and was besieged by thousands of Hun cavalry. When the situation was critical, Li Guang responded calmly, ordered his subordinates to unsaddle and rest, and pretended to be nothing. Seeing this, the Hun cavalry suspected that the Han army had ambushes behind, so they did not dare to attack rashly, so they had to give up. This surprising and winning trick made the Huns respect Li Guang and called him "General Fei".
After that, Li Guang traveled around the country to defend the border, whether in Longxi, Beidi, Yanmen or Yunzhong, his town guards all made the Huns awe-inspired. Sometimes the Xiongnu invaded, and when they saw where Li Guang was, they deliberately avoided it, unwilling to encounter the sniper of this "flying general".
Li Guang's martial arts are superb, especially known for archery. Once, when he was out hunting with a few of his retinue, he saw something looming in the grass, so he bent his bow and shot it. When the attendant looked closer, it turned out that it was only a large rock that had been shot. But Li Guang's arrow was deeply sunk into the stone, and the strength and accuracy of the head can be seen. The Tang Dynasty poet Lu Lun praised Li Guang's marksmanship in "Stopper's Song". Later generations of literati and writers also often used the allusion of "Li Guang shooting the tiger", which shows that Li Guang's archery skills have long become a legend.
It was with this kind of martial arts that Li Guang was appointed as the Taishou of Youbeiping during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to guard the frontier. The Huns were really in awe of him, and deliberately "avoided him for a few years", for fear of encountering the fierce archery of this "flying general". It can be seen that Li Guang is indeed a famous general with strong martial arts, who has repeatedly made meritorious achievements in the war with the Xiongnu, and is regarded as a great danger by the enemy.
Li Guang's lack of political skills is difficult to compare with Wei Qinghuo's illness
Although Li Guang was strong in martial arts, he was far inferior to Wei Qing and Huo Qubing at the same time in terms of political skills, which was also an important reason why he was not awarded the title of marquis in the end.
First of all, Li Guang had privately accepted the seal of the princes and kings, which was regarded as a taboo for the king at the time. According to historical records, when Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty quelled the rebellion of the Seven Kings, Li Guangli had the merit of taking the flag. However, he privately accepted the seal of the general given by the king of Liang. Li Guang may think that this is just a compliment, but King Liang's intention is obviously not only that, he wants to use it to win people's hearts and expand his power. As a military attache of the Central Committee, Li Guang should have understood that this action of the princes and kings violated the righteousness of the monarch and the ministers, but he failed to recognize the political intentions in it and smeared himself. Although Emperor Jing of Han only transferred him away from the central government, he was already lenient, let alone a marquis.
Secondly, Li Guang had violated military discipline by killing and surrendering, which was regarded as a major crime at the time. Wang Shuo once commented: "There is no greater disaster than killing the one who has surrendered, and this is the general, so he cannot wait." "In war, it would be customary not to kill and surrender, but Li Guang violated this rule and left a stain on himself. In contrast, Wei Qing and Huo Quzhi are both law-abiding model generals and have never made such mistakes.
Moreover, Li Guang's personality is narrow-minded and conceited, and he has taken risks and lost many times because of this. According to historical records, Li Guang's sense of honor and self-esteem was so strong that it seemed a little narrow-minded. Once, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty re-appointed him as the Taishou of Youbeiping, and the first thing he did after taking office was to use his authority to kill the Baling Lieutenant who had stopped him, which shows that he declared personal vendetta and lacked bearing. On the battlefield, he is also often conceited and does not hesitate to take risks. He waited until the enemy was within ten paces of the enemy before shooting an arrow, and if he missed, he preferred not to shoot, so he was "humiliated by the number of soldiers." This behavior directly led to his defeat in several battles.
In contrast, Wei Qing and Huo Quzhi were both cautious, composed, and far-sighted generals. Wei Qing refused the conscription of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty three times, and did not set out until he was fully prepared, thus repeatedly performing miraculous feats. Huo Quzhi is even more famous for "going deep behind enemy lines and strategizing", and his political wisdom and military talent are far superior to Li Guang. It was precisely because of the gap in political skills that Li Guang finally failed to keep pace with Wei Qinghuo's illness and was appreciated by the king.
Of course, Li Guang's character is not entirely bad. According to historical records, he loved his soldiers and shared weal and woe with his subordinates. He also maintained a clean and honest style throughout his life, and "had no money to spare" before his death. But these merits could not cover up his lack of political skill, and it was difficult to completely convince the king.
In general, although Li Guang is strong in martial arts, he is obviously inferior to Wei Qinghuo in terms of political skills, and he has committed crimes such as violating the king's taboos, killing and surrendering in violation of discipline, and his personality also has the defect of narrow-mindedness and conceit, which are all important reasons why he was not awarded the title of marquis in the end. A generation of famous generals ended regrettably, which is really sad.
Li Guangjun's merit was not as good as Wei Qinghuo's illness
In the Han Dynasty, the main basis for obtaining a feudal title was military merit on the battlefield, especially the number of enemies captured or beheaded. From this point of view, Li Guang's military exploits are obviously inferior to those of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing at the same time.
In the biographies of Wei Qing and Huo Quai, there are detailed records of the number of beheadings. According to statistics from historical books, Wei Qing captured and killed more than 50,000 enemies in his lifetime, and Huo Qubing even had more than 110,000 people. These single-digit kills are undoubtedly a testament to the remarkable feats they have established on the battlefield.
In contrast, Li Guang's number of kills is very vague in the history books. Historians often only use the word "many" to summarize, and there are few specific numbers to record. This undoubtedly gives people the impression that Li Guangjun's military achievements are mediocre. Could it be that his battle results are really difficult to calculate? Then why can Wei Qing and Huo Quzhi's combat exploits be so clearly calculated?
From this point of view, it is doubtful whether Li Guang's real military exploits have reached the standard of being a feudal marquis. Whether he can be compared with famous generals such as Wei Qinghuo is also an unsolved mystery.
In addition to the lack of specific numbers of enemy kills, Li Guang's performance in campaign command was also not ideal. In his more than 40 years of military career, Sima Qian recorded five battles in detail because of defeat or ineffectiveness.
The first was the Battle of Ma Yi in the second year of Yuanguang, where Li Guang set up an ambush but returned in vain. Then in the sixth year of Yuanguang, he was defeated and captured in the Battle of Yanmen, and had to flee back to the Han Dynasty. In the sixth year of Yuan Shuo, he attacked the Xiongnu from Wei Qing, but also found nothing.
In the second year of Yuanzhen, Li Guang led the army out of Beiping to fight against Zhang Qian, although the battle was finally drawn, but the merits were offset. The last time was in the fourth year of Yuan Hunt, and he attacked from Wei Qing and Huo Qubing as a striker, but he got lost and missed, and finally chose to commit suicide to apologize.
The results of these battles were either lost or futile, which shows that Li Guang was already incapable of commanding the battle in his later years. In contrast, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing have made many miraculous achievements in the same period and have made great achievements. Li Guang's performance naturally could not completely convince the king, so he was qualified to be a marquis.
However, Li Guang is not useless. In the position of holding the frontier, he performed well, which terrified the Huns. At one time, he led only 4,000 men and horses, but he had to resist the siege of 40,000 Hun troops. Under such a disparity in numbers, Li Guang insisted on shooting and killing the enemy's officers and men, giving the enemy strong psychological pressure, and finally containing the enemy's attack.
After Xiongnu Shan Yu heard about Li Guang's talent, he even ordered that "Li Guang must be born", which shows that he is in awe of Li Guang's strength. This detail also once again proves that Li Guang is indeed outstanding as a general, but compared with Wei Qinghuo's illness, his military merits and achievements are still inferior.
Although Li Guang was not a marquis, he was concerned with the people
Although Li Guang fought countless battles in his life and made many military exploits, he was never awarded the title of marquis, but he still won the support and love of the people. This can be seen in several ways:
First of all, Li Guangren loved his soldiers and shared weal and woe with his subordinates. At that time, the generals treated their subordinates harshly, but Li Guang was indistinguishable from the soldiers. According to historical records, whenever the war ended, Li Guang would personally treat the wounds of the soldiers. Once, his men were besieged by the Huns for several days, and they ran out of food. Seeing this, Li Guang took the initiative to distribute his rations to the soldiers, ate and lived with them, and tided over the difficulties together. This practice of treating soldiers as relatives naturally won the heartfelt love of his subordinates.
Secondly, Li Guang was honest and honest all his life, and his family had no money to spare before his death. In the social environment at that time, many generals took the opportunity to accumulate wealth for personal gain, but Li Guang ran counter to these people. He never pursued self-interest, but only focused on serving his country. Even when he served in the frontier, he never took the opportunity to blackmail the people. Until his death, Li Guang's family had "no money to spare", which shows his innocence. This kind of honest style naturally won him the hearts of the people.
Moreover, Li Guang's deathbed decision demonstrated his loyalty to the country and the people. In a battle in the fourth year of Yuanzhen, Li Guang attacked from Wei Qing and Huo Qubing as a striker, but he got lost and missed the opportunity. Li Guang was well aware of his mistakes and resolutely committed suicide to apologize. At that time, all his troops were crying, which shows their deep love for Li Guang.
In the end, after the news of Li Guang's death spread, the people also wept bitterly. This reflects from the side how high Li Guang's reputation among the people is. As a general, it is not easy to win such a wide range of popular support.
In general, although Li Guang was not awarded the title of marquis in his lifetime, his benevolent and loving soldiers, honest and honest character, and loyalty to the country and the people have won the support and love of the broad masses of the people. These qualities may be more valuable than the glory of the marquis. As Sima Qian said: "The peach and plum do not speak, and the next is its own." Li Guang's virtues and achievements will be passed on by word of mouth among the people and will be remembered forever.
Li Guang's refusal to be a marquis is not "wronged"
Through the analysis above, we can see that although Li Guang is strong in martial arts, he is obviously inferior to Wei Qing and Huo Qubing in the same period in terms of military merits and political skills. These factors were the key reasons why he was not awarded the title in the end.
First of all, from the perspective of military exploits, the number of enemies killed by Li Guang is vaguely recorded in the history books, and it is difficult to compare with the precise number of Wei Qinghuo's illness. The latter two captured more than 50,000 and 110,000 enemies respectively, while Li Guang's results were often summed up only by the word "many", giving people an impression of being mediocre.
Secondly, Li Guang was defeated or ineffective in many battles, especially in his later years, and his combat command ability was no longer enough. In contrast, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing made many miraculous achievements during the same period, and they made great achievements, so it was naturally easier to gain the appreciation of the king.
Moreover, Li Guang had committed crimes such as violating the king's taboos, killing and surrendering, and was far inferior to Wei Qinghuo in political skills. His narrow-minded personality and conceited many times have taken risks and losses because of this, which are important reasons why he is difficult to become a marquis.
Of course, Li Guang is not useless. He is good at riding and shooting, especially the stunt of shooting tigers. In the position of holding the frontier, he performed well, which terrified the Huns. He was benevolent and loving, honest and honest all his life, and his family had no money left before his death, which shows his moral integrity.
But these merits could not cover up his shortcomings in military and political skills. Compared with Wei Qinghuo's illness, the gap is too big, no wonder he was not awarded the title in the end. A generation of famous generals ended regrettably, which is really sad.
However, we cannot think that Li Guang has been "wronged" because of this. Although he is strong in martial arts, he lacks outstanding military exploits and political wisdom, which is an objective fact. Moreover, his fame has been immortalized in the history books, and the evaluation of him by later generations of readers has always been positive.
The so-called "peach and plum do not speak, and the bottom is its own", Li Guang's loyalty and courage have long won the hearts of the people. Even if he is not crowned, his spirit will always shine on posterity. To be a part of history, why be too obsessed with the false name of the marquis?
In general, Li Guang's failure to be made a marquis was not "wronged", but because he was indeed inferior to Wei Qinghuo in the same period in terms of military merits and political skills. But his spirit and character are worthy of being remembered forever by future generations. As long as he can shine on future generations, why not be a marquis? Li Guang has become a part of history, and this is the most precious thing.