The thief hero in the TV series "Swallow Li San" is chic and free, robbing the rich and helping the poor. It's just a sugarcoating on the screen, and the "Swallow Li San" in reality is not what you think. History is written by the victors, and those deified heroes of the thieves are really the patron saints of the people?
Speaking of "Swallow Li San", this name may appear in many old movies and TV series. But you know what? Behind this glamorous name, there is actually a tortuous and complex history. During the Republic of China, Li Shengwu, a character who flaunted the identity of a "thief", his story was more ups and downs and darker than that of TV dramas.
In 1921, Li Shengwu was born in a poor village called Lizhuang in Yucheng, Shandong. At that time, the whole family was forced by life to run around, and finally settled in the northeast. It is conceivable how much of an impact such a life of displacement has on a child. Li Shengwu has been in such an environment since he was a child, and his character and behavior have gradually been shaped by this state of existence.
At the age of seventeen, Li Shengwu's life took a huge turn. He joined a gang of bandits and began his career. Soon after, in order to improve his martial arts, he traveled between Shandong and Wutai Mountain in Shanxi, and worshiped a martial arts master named Liu Hongji. Liu Hongji not only taught him various martial arts, but also instilled a set of so-called "chivalrous" ideas - killing the rich and helping the poor, and eliminating harm for the people. But in that troubled world, how many people can really do this?
Li Shengwu soon rose to prominence and became a well-known thief. He called himself "Yanzi Li San", as if he wanted to inherit the spirit of Li Hong, the real hero of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, through this name. But it is a pity that Li Shengwu did not fully inherit the spirit of Li Hong. Although on the surface he is robbing the rich and helping the poor, in fact, his behavior is more self-centered, even at the expense of harming the innocent.
It is said that Li Shengwu's martial arts are very good, especially good at light and internal skills. He can easily climb over walls and break into houses, and is often able to escape pursuit with ease. In 1936, he even infiltrated the official residence of Han Fuyu, chairman of Shandong Province, and after the theft was successful, even if he was discovered, he could easily escape. Such skills undoubtedly made him famous in the rivers and lakes at that time. But this fame is based on the pain and fear of others.
As time passed, Li Shengwu's behavior became more and more lawless. In 1948, he and his gang attacked a gold shop in Jinan, and in this operation they not only robbed a large amount of gold, but also injured several people. This incident is undoubtedly a notorious page in Li Shengwu's life. They use extremely cruel means in their operations, even at the cost of killing people to achieve their goals, which is a far cry from the "grand thief spirit" he had when he was a fledgling.
However, the road to rivers and lakes is a road of no return after all. In 1949, with the establishment of the new regime, there was no place for old snitches like Li Shengwu. After one arrest, he was sentenced to capital punishment for failing to escape justice. Before the execution, Li Shengwu once expressed his reflection on his life, saying: "If I use these skills to do something right, maybe the outcome will be completely different." "It's a pity that history has no ifs, everything is a foregone conclusion.
The story of Li Shengwu is a microcosm of that turbulent era. His life is full of legends, but at the same time tragedy. He had the opportunity to become a true hero, but in the end he chose the wrong path. The lesson of his story is profound – choice is more important than effort, and every decision in life can directly affect our ultimate destiny.
In Li Shengwu's story, we can see that those glorified images of "grand thieves" are vastly different from real historical figures. The thieves in TV dramas often fight against injustice on their own, but Li Shengwu in reality may be trying to achieve justice as he understands it in the wrong way. This misunderstanding ultimately led to his tragic end.
In modern society, although we no longer have such thieves, the pursuit of "justice" and the choice of the way to achieve it are still problems that everyone needs to face. Li Shengwu's life reminds us that when pursuing our ideals, we should pay more attention to methods and means, not just ends. Only in this way can we avoid taking the road of no return like Li Shengwu.
The story of Li Shengwu is not only a simple historical event, but also reflects the complex views and expectations of people in that era on "hero" and "justice". His life is a profound lesson about choices and consequences. In today's society governed by the rule of law, we should learn a lesson from this and understand that true heroes do not rely on force and violence, but on justice and wisdom to protect and uplift society.