In "Water Margin", Gao Li is a super traitor, along with Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and Yang Jian, who are the four major traitors. In the history of the Northern Song Dynasty, there were indeed six major traitors in the last years of the Northern Song Dynasty, namely Cai Jing, Wang Yi, Tong Guan, Liang Shicheng, Zhu Xun, and Li Yan. Among them, there is no high-
Historically, Gao Li did rise from the grassroots and became an envoy (Privy Counsellor) who controlled the military power of a country, but there was no obvious disadvantage during his tenure. He became a traitor, entirely thanks to the Water Margin.
Because there is no biography of Gao Li in the "History of Song", we can only find some sporadic records from the wild history. Judging from these records, although Gao Li did not have any general talent, and his superior position mostly relied on sneaking whiskers to shoot horses, this person was still sentient and righteous.
According to the "Song Barnyard Banknotes", Gao Li was originally a small history of Mr. Su Dongpo. The so-called small history, similar to the current secretary, often helps the master to carry out some copying and recording work. The history books say that Gao Li's "penmanship is quite skilled" and can make the calligraphy master Su Dongpo invite him to do the copying work, which shows that Gao Li's achievements in calligraphy are definitely not low, at least at the level of second-rate calligraphers.
Gao Li worked at Su Dongpo's side for several years. Later, Su Dongpo was released from Hanlin Tou as a local Zhizhou. Before leaving, he wrote a letter of recommendation to Gao Li, recommending it to the imperial court minister Zeng Bu.
Zeng Bu was the younger brother of Zeng Gong among the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, and was a key minister in the Shenzong Transformation Law, who was politically opposed to Su Dongpo, but had good personal relations with each other. Zeng Bu served as chancellor and privy councillor, and served as a chancellor in the three dynasties of Emperor Shenzong, Emperor Zhezong, and Emperor Huizong. If he can worship under this person's door, Gao Li's future will certainly be bright.
However, when Su Dongpo left the capital and Gao Li went to see Zeng Bu with a letter of recommendation, Zeng Bu told Gao Li that he had enough secretaries and did not need to ask anyone anymore. However, Zeng Bu did not want to refute Su Dongpo's face, so he also wrote a letter of recommendation, recommending Gao Li to Jinqing, the king of the horse.
Because Gao Li was very good at things, Wang Jinqing quickly regarded Gao Li as a confidant.
During the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song, Wang Jinqing and Duanwang Zhao Had a good relationship, and the two often corresponded. Once, the two met while waiting for a meeting. Duan Wang said, "I came in a hurry today, I forgot to bring a grate knife, I don't know if it is okay to borrow your grate knife?" ”
The so-called grate knife is similar to the current comb. Before the chancellor met the emperor, he would slightly modify the waiting room. It is estimated that Duan Wang is in a hurry, and his hairstyle is a bit chaotic, so he wants to borrow a grate knife and then straighten his hair.
Wang Jinqing of course agreed, and he took out his grate knife from his waist. Duan Wang looked at it and thought that the grate style was new and cute, and he liked it very much.
Wang Jinqing saw the intention of Duan Wang Zhao Tuo, so he said: "I recently let people make two pairs of grate knives, and one pair has not been used, if Wang Ye likes it, I will let you give it to you later." ”
After that, everyone dispersed and went home. Wang Jinqing picked a subordinate who could speak the Tao to send a grate knife. This selected subordinate is Gao Li.
Gao Li came to the Duanwang Mansion, and it happened that Zhao Li was playing football, and Gao Li waited while watching. When watching the ball, Gao Li was "stunned" and seemed to be very dismissive of the skills of those under Zhao Tuo's goal. So Zhao Li asked Gao Li to play together. As a result, everyone was horrified, and Gao Li was really powerful. Zhao Tuo was overjoyed, and sent someone to tell the horse that he had left the grate knife and the person who sent the grate knife behind!
A few months later, King Duan of Zhao ascended the throne as emperor. As a confidant of the highest rank all the way to the promotion.
In "Water Margin", it seems that as soon as Zhao Li ascended the throne, Gao Li immediately became the grand lieutenant of the Palace Marshal's Mansion. In fact, this is not the case at all. Gao Li was even a confidant of Emperor Huizong of Song, but to be an official, he had to follow the rules of the officialdom.
Starting from a very low position, Gao Li served as an official in the military circles of the Great Song Dynasty for a total of twenty years, and transferred to many positions before finally becoming a lieutenant.
After Gao Li became a high-ranking official, he still did not forget Su Dongpo's kindness in that year. After Emperor Huizong of Song succeeded to the throne, he once changed the yuan to "Chongning" and flaunted the worship of the former emperor Song Shenzong (Shenzong once had the era name of Xi Ning), so new parties such as ZengBu and Cai Jing successively came to power. As the leader of the old party, Su Dongpo was repeatedly suppressed, and even his family was implicated.
However, when everyone was afraid of the Su family, Gao Li had been reading Su Dongpo's original recommendation of himself and repeatedly cared for the Su family. Whenever Su Dongpo's descendants came to the capital, Gao Li would always contribute money. Therefore, Gao Li's reputation in shilin is actually not bad.
In the early years of Jing Kang, the Jin soldiers went south, and Emperor Huizong of Song was unable to escape, leaving the capital to Song Qinzong. Gao Li was ill (most likely on the pretext of being ill), so he resigned and went home. Later, Jin Bing was repelled by the Song army, and Song Qinzong's momentum was high, so in the name of hoeing and adultery, several notorious ministers around Song Huizong, such as Tong Guan, Liang Shicheng, and others, raided their homes and destroyed them.
In the list of traitors approved by Emperor Qinzong of Song, there is no Gao Qi. Gao Li was also able to spend his old age in his hometown.
Although Gao Li was not a clean official or a capable minister in history, he was not a great traitor or a great evil person. Although he was once in charge of the Forbidden Army of the Song Dynasty and could not blame the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty, the corruption and incompetence of the Song Army was a complicated problem. Nor can we impose the sin of the Song Army's defeat at the Jin Army on his shoulders.
The judgment of the Chinese people on the good and evil of loyalty and adultery is always easily influenced by some folk interpretations and public opinion. Few people go to the history books, and even fewer people think independently. This has not changed much from thousands of years ago to the present.
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