What has Zhang Liang done in his life? There are so many ministers in history, why is he the only one who can be called a saint? This question has been haunting future generations. Zhang Liang was born in a noble family, but he witnessed the collapse of his family, and he had the heart of serving the country and his family since childhood. He not only participated in the peasant uprising, but also was an important adviser under Liu Bang, and made great contributions to the establishment of the Han Dynasty. However, just after Liu Bang became emperor, Zhang Liang chose to retire and completely stayed away from the government. What is the reason for all this? What did Zhang Liang experience after he retired? Why was he revered by later generations as "seeking a saint"? Let's explore the legendary life of this strategist.
The family has fallen, and it is inspirational to serve the country
Zhang Liang was born in a Korean aristocracy, and his ancestors served the Korean royal family for generations. However, with the tide of princes competing for hegemony in the Warring States Period, the fate of the Zhang family has also undergone earth-shaking changes.
In 230 BC, the Qin state underwent a series of wars of conquest after the Shang Dynasty reform, and finally unified the Central Plains in 221 BC. In the smoke of this war, South Korea will not escape the doom. In 230 BC, the Qin army captured Han Zheng and closed the Korean capital Hangu. In the years that followed, the Qin army gradually occupied most of Korea. By 226 BC, Korea had little strength left and had to bow to the Qin Dynasty.
As a Korean aristocracy, the Zhang family saw the collapse of the country and the family's status plummeted. Zhang Liang's great-grandfather Zhang Kaidi was a minister with military power, and his father Zhang Ping served as an important minister of the Korean Prime Minister and served the king of Han for generations. But now, their family can only be displaced as a remnant of the country.
The young Zhang Liang witnessed the great changes in his family, and the tragic scene of the country's ruin and family destruction was deeply imprinted in his heart. Since then, he has made up his mind to avenge his family and country and serve the Han family. After Qin unified the world, although Zhang Liang had fallen into the middle of the family, he still sold his remaining family property and wanted to assassinate the tyrant Qin Shi Huang, but unfortunately he failed. It was not until 209 BC, when the news of Qin Shi Huang's death came, that Zhang Liang saw hope for a resurgence.
In the following years, Zhang Liang secretly recruited a group of remnants of the country who also had the same heart to serve the country and the family, and established a straggler team. After the uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang in 209 BC, Zhang Liang soon joined the ranks of this peasant uprising and began the long and arduous road to anti-Qin restoration.
defected to Liu Bang and plotted the Han Dynasty
In 209 BC, after the uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, Zhang Liang quickly joined the ranks of this peasant uprising. In the following years, Zhang Liang has been following the rebel army to fight in the north, and has made many meritorious achievements. It was not until 206 BC that after the rebel army conquered Guanzhong, Zhang Liang began to form an indissoluble bond with Liu Bang.
At that time, the main force of the rebel army had captured Xianyang, and Li Si, the minister of the Qin Dynasty, and others surrendered one after another. Liu Bang led a force of the rebel army to attack Shangqi, but was met with stubborn resistance from the Qin army. Zhang Liang was already a strategic general in the rebel army at that time, and when he learned that Liu Bang's troops were trapped, he immediately devised a plan to retreat from the enemy.
Zhang Liang ordered the soldiers to disguise themselves as merchants, pretended to flee into Shangtai City, and then set fire to the city and set fire to the smoke. The Qin army mistakenly thought that the inner should have arrived, and because the line of sight was blocked, they could not judge the actual situation of the fire, and they neglected to take precautions for a while. At this time, Liu Bang's troops took the opportunity to break through the siege, broke through the city, and completely annihilated the Qin army in the city. This strategy benefited Liu Bang a lot, and the two formed a deep revolutionary friendship from then on.
Subsequently, the rebel army gradually defeated the remnants of the Qin army, and the situation of unifying the Central Plains was decided. In 206 B.C., the princes of all walks of life established Liu Bang as the king in Pei County, and Zhang Liang repeatedly performed miraculous feats and was appointed as Pei Xiangguo. At this time, Liu Bang was already the most powerful force among the princes, but he still faced the threat of fierce opponents such as Xiang Yu and Xiang Ji.
In 205 BC, Zhang Liang advised Liu Bang to defeat Xiang Yu first and won a complete victory. Later, he said that although Xiang Yu was strong, he was greedy for merit and profit, and suggested that Xiang Yu be invited to crusade against Xiang Ji together. Sure enough, Xiang Yu came after being calculated, and Liu Bang and Zhang Liang beheaded Xiang first.
After that, with Zhang Liang's repeated suggestions, Liu Bang gradually cleared the threat of other princes and kings, and finally unified the world in 202 BC. In May of the same year, Liu Bang held a grand celebration banquet in Luoyang and was officially proclaimed emperor by his ministers. Zhang Liang was also named Taifu and received high courtesy.
However, at this celebration banquet, no one expected that Liu Bang's commendation of Zhang Liang and others in public would become their last glorious moment. From then on, the life paths of Zhang Liang and other three heroes of the early Han Dynasty will be completely forked, and they have chosen completely different endings.
Secluded in the mountains and forests, concentrated self-cultivation
Zhang Liang assisted Liu Bang and made outstanding contributions to the founding of the Han Dynasty. However, just when everyone thought that he would be rewarded by the title of lord like other heroes, Zhang Liang unexpectedly chose to retire.
In 202 BC, Liu Bang officially ascended the throne as emperor, and Zhang Liang was given the title of Taifu. But just half a year later, Zhang Liang suddenly wrote a letter asking for retirement, claiming that he was old and frail, and hoped to retire to the countryside and enjoy his old age quietly. Although Liu Bang was very reluctant, he had no choice but to follow Zhang Liang's wishes.
From then on, Zhang Liang completely stayed away from the power struggle in the court, hid deep in the mountains and forests, and devoted himself to the practice of Buddhism. At that time, when Buddhist culture had just been introduced to the Central Plains, Zhang Liang was quite heartbroken and vowed to explore the true meaning of life for the rest of his life.
In the first few years after his retirement, Zhang Liang lived in Henan. Later, he traveled to several famous places of scenic beauty, and finally settled in Funiu Mountain in present-day Jiaozuo City, Henan Province. There, he devoted himself to the practice of Buddhism, but also absorbed the essence of other ideas and cultures, and explored the mysteries of life.
At that time, Zhang Liang was over seventy years old, but he still maintained the sharpness and wisdom of his former advisers. He made extensive friends with the world's eminent monks and Taoists, and talked freely with them about the way of life. At the same time, Zhang Liang also brought many good stories and allusions from his hometown, injecting new vitality into the local culture.
During his seclusion in Funiu Mountain, Zhang Liang was invited many times to explain Buddhist doctrine to princes and nobles. But even so, he insisted on avoiding all affairs related to the government and politics, and always adhered to his original intention. Once, Liu Bang wanted to depose the crown prince, but Zhang Liang only reluctantly proposed an idea to invite the virtuous Empress Lu after learning about it, but he never intervened in the matter.
After years of seclusion, Zhang Liang is already old and decrepit. In order to preserve the wisdom and experience of his life, he began to write books and lectures, expounding his unique views on governing the country and dealing with the world. Regrettably, however, these writings are no longer extant, and we can only glimpse some of them from historical records.
In general, although Zhang Liang's years after his seclusion were poor and lonely, his spiritual pursuit was extremely lofty. He devoted himself to cultivation, attached great affection to nature, and always insisted on being alone and detached from the world. It is this noble and steadfast character that made Zhang Liang retire early, but he was also respected by later generations as the status of "seeking sainthood".
不问朝政,独善其身
Although Zhang Liang lived in seclusion in the mountains, away from the troubles of the world, he was not completely ignorant of the affairs of the court. It's just that he has never directly intervened in the power struggle of the imperial court, and has always maintained his noble integrity.
There was a time when Liu Bang planned to depose the crown prince Liu Ju, and at that time, the government and the opposition were divided and disputed. As Liu Bang's concubine, Empress Lu tried her best to seek Zhang Liang's advice and support. She had Zhang Liang's guidance in the old years and respected him very much, so she gave up her life to ask for advice, hoping that Zhang Liang could give advice.
Zhang Liang, who learned of this, only politely declined, and rejected Empress Lu categorically. In his reply, Zhang Liang did not mention the abolition of the crown prince, but roughly suggested that Empress Lu should give priority to caring for the people of the world, be honest and diligent, and be virtuous and talented.
These words did not directly point out the issue of the succession of the crown prince, but explained the principles of being a man and governing the country to Empress Lu from a higher level. We can see that although Zhang Liang has some understanding of the government, he is completely unwilling to get involved in it. His attitude was to maintain the noble integrity of his hermit status.
In addition to the above incidents, Zhang Liang almost never intervened in government politics after living in seclusion. Even later, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the imperial court tried to postpone his comeback many times, but he also vetoed it, fearing that his secluded life would be disturbed.
Of course, although Zhang Liang is far away from the government, his popularity is still everywhere. Even in the deep mountains and old forests, there are often dignitaries and dignitaries who come to ask for advice. However, Zhang Liang has always been humble and self-controlled, vegetarian and wild-fed, although he accepted these followers, he never coveted power and wealth, and lived a poor and lonely hermit life as always.
In general, although Zhang Liang's life after retirement is hard, it is precisely because of this that he has been spiritually enriched and sublimated. He stayed away from the dross of the world, devoted himself wholeheartedly to the practice of Buddhism and Taoism, and his whole attitude towards life became detached from things. Although he did not care about the government, he had a profound impact on later generations with his own moral integrity.
Died in seclusion, forever left a good story
Zhang Liang has experienced ups and downs in his life, and his grand plan or hermit cultivation is all out of his own choice. Eventually, he also came to an end on his path of seclusion.
Zhang Liang died in the second year of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty at the age of 86. At that time, he had been living in seclusion for decades in Funiu Mountain in Jiaozuo, Henan Province. When he was dying, Zhang Liang was still poor and sick, and only a few attendants accompanied him.
Despite this, Zhang Liang's 100-year life can be described as experiencing vicissitudes and hardships. From the remnants of the country, to the generals of the peasant uprising, to the founding heroes, and finally to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, practicing Buddhism, Zhang Liang can be said to have a successful career in the first half of his life, and in the second half of his life, he is dedicated to seeking Taoism.
However, whether it is Zhang Liang's earth-shattering strategy during his lifetime or his noble conduct in old age, he has left a valuable spiritual legacy for future generations. Due to Zhang Liang's seclusion in his later years, his writings are scattered, and we can only get a glimpse of some of his wisdom crystallization from intermittent historical records.
Among them, the highest evaluation of Zhang Liang is the bold words he left when he lived in seclusion in his later years:
"A million families in vibrating clothes, He Runzhi planted trees to benefit his shade. ＂
These words vividly illustrated the farsightedness and ambition that a leader should have, pointing out that only by genuinely caring for the people can he win the hearts of the people and truly rule the world. Such words also reflect Zhang Liang's wisdom and compassion.
Earlier, Zhang Liang had already shown his outstanding strategic talent in the Battle of Red Cliffs. At that time, Cao Cao was besieged in Chibi, and Zhang Liang proposed that a fire attack should be set up. Sure enough, Cao Cao's army collapsed in the smoke. Such foresight also laid the foundation for Zhang Liang's later reputation as a "saint".
When he was younger, Zhang Liang had killed many enemy generals with his own hands, and his achievements were impressive. Among them, he defeated Han Wanghui's army at Hangu Pass, sweeping away the last force of the Central Plains. This feat, also laid an important foundation for Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, to dominate the world.
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In general, Zhang Liang has implemented the belief of "Kuang Fu Han Dynasty" throughout his life, not only has the outstanding achievements of going out of the phase, but also has the noble character of transcending things, which can be said to be half a life for a plan, half a life for the Tao, and a perfect integration of the spirit of Confucianism and Buddhism. It is precisely because of such an outstanding life experience that he can be revered by later generations as "seeking saints" and "Buddhist masters".