Preface
In Chinese history, the confrontation between loyal and traitorous ministers is often one of the themes in historical stories. Zhang Shigui, as an important general in the history of the Tang Dynasty, should have been recorded in history for his loyalty to the country and his outstanding military exploits.
However, because of the circulation of some folk tales, he was labeled as a "traitor", and his image was controversial. Is this legendary figure a true loyal minister or a victim of misunderstanding?
What kind of character is a real Zhang Shigui? Why is he so scandalous? Let's uncover the true face of this hero of the early Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Shigui at the beginning of the establishment of the Tang Dynasty: from a hero in troubled times to a hero of the founding of the country
In 586 AD, shortly after the founding of the Sui Dynasty, a child named Zhang Shigui was born in Lushi County, Henan. He was born in a family of scholars who had been officials for generations, and his ancestors had held important positions in the Northern Wei Dynasty. With such a family background, Zhang Shigui is destined not to live the life of ordinary people.
Zhang Shigui in his youth, influenced by his family, had great ambitions and was proficient in martial arts since he was a child. He was able to "bend the bow for one hundred and fifty pounds, and shoot left and right without empty hair", which can be described as a terrifying general at that time. It's just that such good days didn't last long, and they were soon hit by the turmoil of the last years of the Sui Dynasty.
The tyranny of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty led to a nationwide peasant uprising, with various armed forces fighting each other. Zhang Shigui, who is a member of the Lu family, is naturally also involved in this troubled world. He gathered the men and horses of his hometown, called himself "the chief governor, Huai Yigong", and launched a fierce confrontation with other rebel armies.
Although Zhang Shigui's power is not the largest, because his geographical location is extremely important, he can not only directly take Guanzhong, the base of the Sui Dynasty, but also invade the eastern capital Luoyang, so all armed forces want to win him over. However, it is a pity that Zhang Shigui did not take refuge in them in the end, but chose the group led by Li Yuan's father and son.
In 617 AD, Li Yuan and his son raised troops in Jinyang, and launched an army towards Guanzhong under the banner of "stabilizing the Sui Chamber". When the army arrived in the area of Jiang County, Nanjin, Li Yuan realized the importance of Zhang Shigui's righteous army, so he personally sent people to appease him.
After repeated consideration, Zhang Shigui finally chose to join Li Yuan's group. This decision not only greatly strengthened Li Yuan's strength, but also laid an important foundation for the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Yuan first established a puppet regime and changed the yuan to "Yining", and then abolished the puppet emperor and ascended the throne himself, becoming the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty. And Zhang Shigui became one of the founding ministers of the Tang Dynasty and was reused. He was ordered to march east to Shaanzhou, responsible for cleaning up Henan and purging the hostile forces in the area of Kunwei, and preparing for Li Yuan's march into Kanto.
Soon after, Li Yuan's eldest son Li Jiancheng and second son Li Shimin led an army to the east. As a pioneer officer, Zhang Shigui was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the First Army, and took the lead in attacking cities and plundering land, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Soon, Zhang Shigui was also rewarded for this and was appointed as the Assassin of Tongzhou.
Such a performance made Zhang Shigui highly valued by Li Yuan. In 618 AD, Emperor Yang of Sui was killed in Jiangdu, and Li Yuan abolished the puppet emperor, established himself as emperor, and established the Tang Dynasty, with the year name Wude. And Zhang Shigui became one of the founding heroes of the Tang Dynasty.
From a hero in troubled times to a founding hero, this experience can be called an important turning point in Zhang Shigui's life. In this turbulent era, he relied on his bravery and talent, from a local armed leader, and eventually grew into an important participant in the founding of the Tang Dynasty.
He not only contributed to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, but also played a key role in the subsequent unification war. It can be said that Zhang Shigui is worthy of the name of the founding hero of the Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Shigui in the Tang Dynasty's march into the battle of unification
In the first year of Wude, the Tang Dynasty officially launched a war to unify the whole country. The primary targets were the three major separatist forces in the northwest: Xue Ju in Jincheng, Li Liang in Wuwei, and Liu Wuzhou in Mayi. At that time, Li Shimin, the king of Qin, was ordered to lead his army west to conquer Xue Ju. Zhang Shigui, on the other hand, was arranged to follow Li Shimin on the expedition.
At first, the battle didn't go well. The Tang army suffered heavy casualties and was in a stalemate with the enemy. However, Xue Ju then died of illness, and his son Rengao ascended the throne, which provided an opportunity for the Tang army. At this time, Zhang Shigui was finally no longer passive, but took the initiative to come forward.
He took the lead, rushed into the enemy formation, fought bravely to kill the enemy, and made many meritorious achievements. In the end, Xue Ju's separatist forces were completely wiped out, and the entire territory of Longxi was occupied by the Tang army.
Zhang Shigui, who returned triumphantly, was treated and rewarded like a hero. However, instead of enjoying his leisure, he was resent to Shaanzhou to ensure the smooth flow of Cao Yun and lay the foundation for the Tang Dynasty to continue its march eastward. During this period, he repeatedly turned danger into disaster and maintained the safety of Caolu.
Once, when the grain was transported to Mianchi, Henan, it was suddenly attacked by Wang Shichong's generals. But Zhang Shigui responded calmly and commanded his subordinates to repel the enemy. On another occasion, bandits led by Su Jing invaded Shaanzhou, and the generals defending the city were repeatedly invincible. Tang Gaozu was very shocked by this, and thought that he must send the "warrior" Zhang Shigui to exterminate it in person. Sure enough, Zhang Shigui annihilated this gang of robbers in one fell swoop, and his prestige was greatly enhanced.
At this time, Zhang Shigui took advantage of the situation to attack Lu Hun and Xiongzhou. In the Battle of Huang Ze, which was encountered by Wang Shichong's troops, the disparity in forces between the two sides was huge and the situation was critical. But under the decisive command of Zhang Shigui, the Tang army finally defeated the enemy and won a great victory. This battle not only shocked the prestige, but also allowed Zhang Shigui to obtain the title of the founding prince of Xinye County.
In the subsequent wars, Zhang Shigui made many miraculous achievements. He once accompanied Li Shimin to Shandong and broke Liu Heimin; He also followed Li Shentong, the king of Huai'an, to pacify the separatist forces in Yanzhou. In these battles, Zhang Shigui was not only brave and good at fighting, but also good at command and dispatch, and turned the tide of the war many times. It can be said that he was one of the founding fathers of the Tang Dynasty in the true sense of the word.
By the seventh year of Wude, except for the Liang Shidu forces located in Shuofang, the Tang Dynasty had basically unified the whole country. In this magnificent war of reunification, Zhang Shigui was undoubtedly a veritable hero. He was an active participant in this process from beginning to end and made a great contribution to the reunification of the country and the nation.
Zhang Shigui in the Xuanwumen Change
As the war for national unification gradually ended, the power struggle within the Tang Dynasty became increasingly fierce. Li Yuan's eldest son Li Jiancheng and second son Li Shimin were the most outstanding military generals at that time, and they made great contributions in the process of raising troops in Jinyang and establishing the Tang Dynasty.
However, after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan made his eldest son Li Jiancheng the crown prince and his second son Li Shimin as the king of Qin. This sparked a power struggle between the two brothers. The crown prince Li Jiancheng strongly felt that his position was threatened, so he formed an alliance with his fourth brother, Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, to fight against Li Shimin.
And Li Shimin also accumulated a group of fierce generals in the long-term campaign, gradually increased his strength, and formed the so-called "Qinfu Group". Zhang Shigui is one of the important members.
In 626 AD, Li Shimin secretly accused the crown prince Li Jiancheng and the king of Qi Li Yuanji of committing adultery with the harem. Li Yuan immediately decided to personally interrogate the two the next day. At that critical moment, Li Shimin led the confidant generals of the Qin Mansion to set up an ambush at the Xuanwu Gate.
When the two passed by, Li Shimin suddenly attacked, shooting Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, and eliminating their forces. This is the famous "Xuanwumen Change".
As a powerful general of the Qin government, Zhang Shigui undoubtedly participated in this coup. Although the specific details are not clear, it is certain that he is on Li Shimin's side at this critical moment. This also made him more reused and trusted after his new master, Li Shimin, ascended the throne as emperor.
Soon, Li Shimin forced Li Yuan to abdicate and become Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. After this, Zhang Shigui was still reused and was appointed as the head of the Ma army to assist the new emperor in governing the world. This shows that he is undoubtedly one of the few henchmen whom Tang Taizong trusted the most.
Zhang Shigui and Xue Rengui are not enemies
Among the many generals who made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Shigui's exploits, although prominent, always seemed to be overshadowed by others. A story that was widely circulated among the people in later generations was his grudge with Xue Rengui.
It is said that in the preparation stage for the first conquest of Goguryeo, Tang Taizong specially sent Zhang Shigui to Longmen County to recruit heroes. And Xue Rengui at that time joined the army under Zhang Shigui at this time. However, Zhang Shigui suppressed Xue Rengui everywhere, restricted his development, and falsely passed on the holy decree, attributing Xue Rengui's military exploits to his son-in-law.
This kind of repeated suppression and framing of Xue Rengui has undoubtedly caused people's extreme dissatisfaction with Zhang Shigui. In the end, although Xue Rengui still made contributions, under Zhang Shigui's obstruction, he could only be a small soldier in charge of cooking.
However, this long-standing story is actually very different from the historical truth. In fact, when Xue Rengui joined the army under Zhang Shigui, Zhang Shigui did not suppress him.
On the contrary, he was able to recognize heroes, and soon discovered Xue Rengui's excellence. In the later Battle of Anshi, Xue Rengui wore silver armor, bravely charged, and made great meritorious contributions, thanks to Zhang Shigui's reuse and recommendation.
And after Xue Rengui's meritorious service was shocked, Zhang Shigui recommended him to Tang Taizong without hesitation. This made Xue Rengui appreciated by Li Shimin and gradually grew into a famous general in the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that Zhang Shigui played a very important role in the rise of Xue Rengui.
Therefore, the grievances and entanglements between Zhang Shigui and Xue Rengui depicted in traditional novels are completely made up by later generations. Zhang Shigui in history is Xue Rengui's guide, providing him with the possibility of getting ahead. It can be said that the relationship between the two is more like a master and an apprentice than an enemy.
Zhang Shigui retired and deified
After years of hard work, Zhang Shigui, who is nearly 70 years old, finally applied for retirement. In 653 AD, at the age of 68, he enjoyed his old age in his hometown of Lushi. Four years later, in 657 AD, Zhang Shigui died peacefully at the age of 72.
Zhang Shigui's retirement and death marked the complete completion of his historical mission in the Tang Dynasty. As the founding father of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Shigui's position in history cannot be ignored.
He rose from the peasant uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty and participated in the whole process of the establishment and consolidation of the Tang Dynasty, making outstanding military achievements. Whether it was in the war of reunification or in the palace struggle after Li Shimin ascended the throne, Zhang Shigui played a key role.
It can be said that without Zhang Shigui's timely surrender, it is difficult to say whether the Tang Dynasty could be successfully established. His wise decisions and heroic performance at critical moments laid a solid foundation for the Tang Dynasty. It is with these achievements that Zhang Shigui was also respected by later generations as one of the founding fathers of the Tang Dynasty.
However, even so, Zhang Shigui's image in later generations is not completely upright. As mentioned above, the widely circulated stories among the people portrayed him as a traitor who was jealous of the virtuous and hindered Xue Rengui.
The emergence of this image is largely due to the creation of later generations of literati. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, when vernacular novels became popular, people developed a great dislike for some mediocre and incompetent superiors.
epilogue
As the founding hero of the Tang Dynasty, his historical status is undeniable. But at the same time, he happened to be at the critical moment when Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng were competing for the throne, and stood on Li Shimin's side. In the eyes of later generations, this undoubtedly made him a traitor who obstructed justice.
In fact, we should restore history to what it was. Zhang Shigui did not frame Xue Rengui as in the folk tales, but was still his cultivator.
And the role in the Xuanwumen Revolution is just an ordinary general who is loyal to his boss, not the mastermind. What he did was nothing more than to be loyal to his lord, not out of some dirty selfishness. Perhaps, Zhang Shigui just unfortunately became a victim of history.
He had to bear the ugly image of the literati of later generations and became the great traitor referred to by Qianfu. But we should re-recognize this founding father who made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty with a more objective and fair attitude. His life undoubtedly demonstrated the typical military demeanor of loyalty and bravery, which is worthy of our learning and respect.