The Song Dynasty produced "traitors". However, some are "true traitors" and some are "adulterous subjects."
In the official revision history of the "History of Song", there are 21 people in the 4 volumes of the "Biography of the Traitor", and Cai Qi, Xing Shu, Lü Huiqing, Zhang Huan, Zeng Bu, An Huan and others are on the list.
In response to this list of traitors, historian Yu Chaogang once wrote three questions:
First, in the more than 100 years before Cai Qi, was there not a single traitor within the Ruling Clique of the Song Dynasty?
Second, in the more than 300 years of the two Song Dynasties, a total of 21 traitors were produced, and Wang Anshi's supporters and followers accounted for 1/3.
Third, are these people really all traitors?
Leaving aside the others, today we will talk specifically about Zhang Huan [dūn], a "traitor" who deserves to be rehabilitated the most.
▲ Zhang Huan (1035-1105), zihou, a native of Pucheng, Fujian
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Zhang Huan, a Native of Fujian, had a close friend named Su Shi.
The two were the same list of jinshi in the second year of Jiayou (1057), which was later considered to be the "Dragon and Tiger List" that shone through the ages, and admitted a large number of cattle people. In addition to Su Shi and Zhang Huan, there are also Su Rui, Zeng Gong, Zhang Zai, Cheng Hao, Zeng Bu, Lü Huiqing and so on.
Interestingly, the leader of this list is called Zhang Heng, who is Zhang Huan's nephew. Zhang Huan "came out of shame under the nephew Zhang Heng and entrusted him with an edict."
This was an extremely competitive man who felt it was a shame to rank behind his nephew, so he threw away his acceptance letter and left.
Two years later, the 25-year-old Zhang Huan was re-admitted to the jinshi and passed the exam again.
A talented and competitive personality, which accompanied Zhang Wei throughout his life, is a blessing or a curse, and it is difficult to determine.
The young Su Shi and Zhang Huan cherished each other and enjoyed each other very well, becoming friends of Mo Rebellion. Su Shi later recalled in a letter to Zhang Wei that the first time I saw you, I was stunned, and whenever I said, "Zi Hou (Zhang Zi Hou Zi Hou) is a great man, he is a generation of strangers, and as for the meritorious generals, they are the rest of the things."
When the two were officials in Shaanxi, they visited each other many times and went out on a trip. There are still many passages circulating about their interactions, true and false, but they can all glimpse the differences in their temperament.
Once, the two were drinking in the mountain temple, and there were tigers nearby. The two were drunk and rode to watch them together. Dozens of steps away from the tiger, the horse did not dare to move forward. Su Shi said, "If the horse is like this, why?" So he turned around and left. Zhang Huan whipped the horse forward and said, "I have a reason." "After approaching the tiger, he took a copper sand gong and slammed it on the stone, and the tiger flew away in surprise. After returning, Zhang Huan said to Su Shi, "Zi Ding is not as good as me." ”
Zhang Wei's victory and bravery can be seen from this.
Later, because of their different political views, their respective fates and common friendships were tested, and they were floating in the storms of the party struggle of the times.
During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song and Yuanfeng, the Fa-changing faction gained power, Su Shi was released and degraded, and Zhang Huan was about to enter the phase, and his career was relatively smooth.
During this period, the "Wutai Poetry Case" broke out, and many people saw Su Shi as if they had seen the plague god, and avoided it. Su Shi was also very "sensible" and took the initiative to cut off contacts with others, "although he was close to his flesh and blood, he refused to have a word of contact."
But Zhang's performance is definitely worthy of their friendship. He not only did not fear gossip and cold words, wrote letters to comfort Su Shi, but also gave Su Shi a lot of help to solve his difficulties.
The chancellor Wang Jue repeatedly took out the word "stinging dragon" in Su Shi's poems and instigated Song Shenzong to rule Su Shi's crime of "not being a subject". Zhang Wei argued on the basis of reason, accusing Wang Jue: "Do you want to overthrow the entire family of others?" Wang Jue argued, "I am just paraphrasing Shu Qi's words." Zhang Wei sneered, "You also eat Shu Qian's spit?" ”
Zhang Huan's friendship and help made Su Shi very moved. In the days of exile, Su Shi wrote a letter to Zhang Huan, lamenting the coldness of the world: Those who pursued me in those years, "once there is suffering, there are no more mourners", only you Zhang Huan, "living in peace and leaving me with medicine stones, and being in distress and receiving sympathy, it is really different from the world."
From Su Shi's words, it can be seen that although Zhang Huan was already in the position of suffragette (deputy prime minister) at that time, he was still a clear stream in the world, which was very rare.
▲ Su Shi (1037-1101), Zi Zhan, a native of Meishan, Sichuan
During the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song, Empress Dowager Gao Taotao was regent, and the reform faction was completely purged. Su Shi "three into the Ming, four to nine Qing", Zhang Wei is in a state of depreciation and idleness.
Judging from the existing historical data, in the process of Zhang Huan's dethronement, Su Shi's younger brother Su Rui wrote the "Petition of the Privy Council of Beggars Zhang Huan" to act as a cannonball for conservatives to attack Zhang Huan; while Su Shi did not impeach or rescue Zhang Huan's text remained, we cannot confirm his own attitude toward Zhang Huan during this period.
Zhang Huan was initially deposed and sent to Ruzhou, physically and mentally devastated, and he repeatedly begged to go to Yangzhou to take care of his 87-year-old father in Hangzhou, but was refused. Nine months later, in November of the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (1086), Zhang Huan was finally able to return to Hangzhou, and Su Shi wrote him a letter at this time:
"Returning to Anqiu Garden, the early years shared this intention, and the public independence was the first to gain its gradual victory, and it was better than envy." But the fear of the world is deep, and the unknown fruit is off the ear? There is no chance to see it, and the little road used to be hated..."
In his letter, Su Shi mentioned their agreement to return to the countryside together in their early years, however, the phrase "but the fear of the world is deep, and the unknown fruit is not heard" shows that in Su Shi's view, Zhang Yi's pursuit of change of law is a manifestation of drawing on the name of merit, "the world is deep", and he hopes that Zhang Yi can transcend the name of merit.
Because Zhang Huan was later branded a "traitor", very little of his writing has been preserved. We have no way of knowing how Zhang Huan himself responded to Su Shi's "accusations." But the two still exchange letters, at least to show that although their political views are deeply divided, the friendship is still there and has not been completely broken.
Soon, Zhang Huan was impeached again and returned to Ruzhou. Two years later, by the time he was appointed to Zhi suzhou, which was quite close to Hangzhou, his father had died. He resigned as the prefect of Suzhou and was silent in the midst of endless impeachment.
During the Shaosheng and Yuanfu periods of Emperor Zhezong of Song's pro-government, Zhang Huan reached the peak of his personal career, while Su Shi was far away in Lingnan.
At this time, Zhang Huan originally had enough power to rescue Su Shi and repair the friendship between the two, but he did not have this belly. During the Yuan Dynasty, the Su Shi brothers' accusations against themselves and their failure to save themselves must have left a deep imprint on Zhang Huan's heart.
At this time, he should have a grudge against Su Shi.
However, later historical notes said that Zhang Huan was the black hand behind Su Shi, which was exaggerated. The Yuanyou party, including Su Shi, after Song Zhezong's pro-government, was successively belittled, all the way to lingnan, which was poor and watery. That was because during the regency of Empress Dowager Gao Taotao, most of the ministers in the court ignored the existence of Song Zhezong, the little emperor, which made him resentful. After he pro-government, Song Zhezong did his best to oppose Gao's government and carried out a venting retaliatory action.
At that time, a minister asked Song Zhezong if he could transfer the Yuanyou party from Lingnan to a slightly better place, and Song Zhezong made it clear that he absolutely could not.
Zhang Wei was sorry for Su Shi, just because he didn't rescue Su Shi, and this, just like Su Shi didn't rescue himself during the Yuan You. They may still have friendship with each other, but the involvement of politics has made them go further and further.
During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, the encounter between the two was even more intriguing.
In the first year of the Jianzhong Jingguo (1101), Su Shi spent the rest of his life and was allowed to return to the north, this time it was Zhang Huan's turn to be demoted to Lingnan. Zhang Yuan's son Zhang Yuan wrote to Su Shi for help, only one and a half months after Su Shi's death. Su Shi received Zhang Yuan's letter "Great Joy" and wrote a long answer with a sick heart. Although he was powerless against Zhang's depreciation, he asked Zhang Yuan to tell his father to take care of his body.
Su Shi said that he and Zhang Weiding had been friends for forty years, "although the sources in the middle are slightly different, the friendship has not increased or damaged." He acknowledges and misses his friendship with Zhang Huan until his death. As for the differences in political views between the two men, the former party struggle was overwhelming and all of them were downplayed. None of this matters compared to their friendship.
They smiled and hated each other, but they didn't have a chance to meet again. About half a year after Zhang Huan was demoted to Leizhou, Su Shi died in Changzhou.
Paradoxically, in the third year of Chongning (1104), they were on the same path, and together they were included in the "Yuanyou Party" by Cai Jing, the chancellor of the Huizong Dynasty, and became the so-called "Yuanyou Traitor Party".
The following year, at the age of 71, Zhang Wei died of illness.
A few years after Zhang Huan's death, he was posthumously recognized by the imperial court and posthumously awarded the title of Duke of Wei, while Su Shi was placed in another book.
But after the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, the fate of the two people was reversed again.
Zhang Huan was regarded as a traitor, and Emperor Gaozong of Song posthumously demoted Zhang Huan as "the deputy envoy of the Zhaohua Army, and his descendants were not allowed to serve in the dynasty". Su Shi became the favorite "Su Wen Zhonggong" of Emperor Gaozong of Song and Emperor Xiaozong of Song. This historical positioning continues to this day.
▲ Screenshot of the documentary "Su Dongpo"
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Zhang Huan and Su Shi are both wizards of a generation, their ethics and talents are similar, but their understanding of politics is different, resulting in different political views and positions.
Su Shi pays more attention to humanistic feelings and spiritual aspects. He was not enthusiastic about Wang Anshi's change of law because he believed in the traditional Confucian way of governance, believing that as long as the king set a good example and strengthened his cultivation, he could solve all practical problems and usher in the rule of the world. This was obviously too idealistic in the face of the ruling dilemma in the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Zhang Wei is a realist, things must always be done by someone to be good, the country must formulate targeted policies for governance, so as not to chaos. He obeyed Wang Anshi's transformation method, essentially admiring Wang Anshi's "three deficiencies" - "the heavens are not enough to be afraid, the ancestors are not enough to fa, and the words of the people are not enough to be compassionate." Only change can make the country better.
The ideological foundation determines that the achievements of the two have their own emphases. Su Shi had achievements in local governance, but had deficiencies in the governance of the imperial court, and his reputation was mainly derived from his poetry and moral personality. Zhang Huan was good at governing the country and using soldiers, and although his life was bumpy, he was still a general and a general, and was one of the most important figures in the political arena of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Zhang Huan's political prowess is something that no one who opposes him can deny, so opponents can only make a fuss about his character. But what exactly is his character problem, the history books do not record. Just as soon as he appeared, he was given a definite sentence - "talent is not good".
The Southern Song Dynasty scholar Li Tao's "Compilation of The Continuation of the Zizhi TongjianChang" records that during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, someone recommended Zhang Huan, who had just emerged in the political arena, to Wang Anshi, and Wang Anshi said: "I heard that Zhang Huan was extremely incompetent. The recommender said: "What I recommend is his talent, as long as he has talent to use, what is the character?" You can meet him and you will love him. ”
The "Continuation of the Zizhi Tongjian Long Edition" continues to write, "An Shi saw the shame, was humble and argumentative, and was good at pandering, and An Shi was very happy, and hated it too late."
This is the penmanship of the historians of the Song Dynasty, writing Zhang Wei was favored by Wang Anshi and joined the ranks of the Law Reform School, but from beginning to end, he has always emphasized that Zhang Huan's character is not good, "simple argument", "good pandering", all pointing to Zhang Huan as a villain. From this, it is further explained that Wang Anshi's team of reformers are full of villains, in order to belittle the reforms of the 11th century.
In fact, Wang Anshi later saw that Zhang Huan was only slandered and slandered by the worldly people.
▲ Wang Anshi (1021-1086), Zi Jiefu, a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi
Judging from Zhang Huan's life's deeds, he is not only not a villain, but also a lonely hero who is selfless and fearless, insists on his position, is loyal to his duties, and often makes inappropriate remarks.
In the fifth year of Xi Ning (1072), Zhang Huan was appointed as an envoy to the North Road of Jinghu Lake, and was made a barbarian of Meishan. This was an important appointment, meishan kaibian was one of the three war activities during the Xining years, and Zhang Huan also used this economic strategy to get a stepping stone into the central department of the imperial court.
Zhang Huan formulated a dual policy of gentleness and toughness, and eventually the local barbarian leaders "successively accepted the land and were willing to be the king's people".
Later, after Zhang Huan was demoted to Huzhou, a rebellion broke out in Jingnan, and the best person the imperial court could think of to suppress the rebellion was Zhang Huan. Zhang Huan was ordered, and without saying a word, "Rush to Jingnan, fall from a horse in the middle of the road and injure his foot." It's really a desperate "desperate samurai".
However, the injustice of history lies in the fact that later history books mentioned the deeds of Zhang Weijingjing on Jinghu North Road, deliberately deleted his remarks of asking for gentle and lenient treatment, but slandered others for killing him on a large scale in Meishan, "so that floating corpses covered the river, and the inferior people did not dare to eat fish for several months" Rumor Book.
That's the tactics of the naysayers — you don't do a good job, I can blame you; if you do well, I can still denigrate you.
Because of His meritorious service in governing Jinghu North Road, Zhang Huan was later promoted to the rank of Military Weapons Supervisor. One day, a fire broke out in the Third Division of the Ministry of Finance of the Northern Song Dynasty, and Zhang Huan led the ordnance supervisors to put out the fire, desperately trying to be seen by Song Shenzong standing on the imperial tower. The next day, Emperor Shenzong of Song directly promoted Zhang Huan to the position of Third Division.
The conscientious and desperate Zhang Wei "yin and yang mistakes" became the "planner" and "rich master" of the Northern Song Dynasty, which can be regarded as a trace of fate's care for him. However, Zhang Wei carried out drastic reforms during his tenure as envoy of the Third Division, sorted out the accounts, set up an accounting department, re-registered the world's household registration, population, rent, annual classes, and so on, and made the accounts clear. Even if it is a position favored by God, he still relies on his talent and pragmatic spirit to do his work to the extreme.
A few years later, in the third year of Yuan Feng (1080), Zhang Huan had been promoted to the position of Governor of the Senate and became an important minister of the imperial court.
However, after the eighth year of Yuan Feng (1085), Emperor Shenzong of Song died of illness, and the young Emperor Zhezong of Song succeeded him, and was regent by Empress Dowager Gao Taotao, and the conservative leaders Sima Guang and Lü Gongzhuo were successively worshipped. At this time, the wind direction of the imperial court took a sharp turn, and some people who were originally attached to the Reform Sect began to take sides again out of self-preservation.
However, Zhang Huan was not moved, and he still argued with the conservatives in the court, accusing Sima Guang of bringing in officials to undermine procedural legitimacy, and arguing with Sima Guang on the issue of the improper abolition of the exemption law. In the end, like Cai Qing and others who insisted on changing the law, he was demoted from the imperial court, and during the 8 years of the Yuan Dynasty, he had no chance to return to the imperial court.
After Emperor Zhezong of Song took power, in April of the first year of Shao Sheng's reign (1093), he summoned Zhang Huan as a minister. The first thing Zhang Huan, who returned to the core of the imperial court, was to hold the late Sima Guang, Wen Yanbo, and others responsible for seeking peace from the Western Xia, and at the same time stop the annual gifts given to the Western Xia, and order Zhang Rao to build a city wall and strengthen the border defenses. Five years later, Zhang Rao defeated the Western Xia people at Pingxia City, causing western Xia to "no longer be able to fight an army, and repeatedly asked for peace".
At this time, Zhang Huan's main task was to restore the new laws of Xining and Yuanfeng, which had been abolished by Sima Guang, and to raise the banner of Wang Anshi's transformation of the law to enrich the country and strengthen the army. Although he could not save the Great Song from danger in the end, his efforts gave the Northern Song a dazzling return to the light.
From beginning to end, Zhang Huan was a staunch figure in the reform of the law, did not change his original intention, gained and lost calmly, and was particularly valuable in the swinging and chaotic political situation of the Northern Song Dynasty.
What is even more valuable is that during the 7 years that Zhang Weiwei was a chancellor, he did not negate the practices of the Yuan Dynasty in one size fits all, just as Sima Guang exterminated the new law in the past. On the contrary, he was able to put aside the irrationality of partisanship and revenge a little, and realistically retained some practical decrees of the Yuan Dynasty.
At that time, Zhang Wei submitted a newly revised decree to Emperor Zhezong of Song. When Emperor Zhezong of Song heard that some of the decrees had been promulgated during the Yuan Dynasty, he was puzzled: "Is there also a desirable edict of the Yuan You?" ”
Zhang Wei replied, "Take the one who is good." ”
At this moment, Zhang Wei shows the pattern of a big politician.
▲ Zhang Wei stills
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Many people know that Su Shi has a stomach full of "inopportune". In fact, as a friend of Su Shi, Zhang Huan is also known for being "out of date".
When Zhang Huan was alive, both those who opposed him and those who supported him recognized him as a man who was outspoken, blunt, and never saw the wind at the helm.
No matter who is in front of him, whether it is the emperor or the empress regent, he can say whatever he wants, regardless of personal interests and losses.
During the reign of Emperor Yuanfeng of the Song Dynasty, 1082.
One day, Emperor Shenzong of Song was furious and ordered the beheading of a Cao official. The next day, Emperor Shenzong of Song asked Cai Qing, the prime minister, "Has the person who was ordered to be killed yesterday been carried out?" Cai Qi replied, "The ministers are preparing to report this matter." Song Shenzong asked, "Is there any doubt about killing someone?" Cai Qing then said that since the founding of the Song Dynasty, I have never killed a scholar in the Dynasty, and the ministers and others do not want to see His Majesty make an exception. Song Shenzong sighed for a long time before he said, "Then send him a thorn face." ”
At this time, the attendant under the door, Zhang Huan, suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, it is better to kill him." Song Shenzong asked, "Why is this?" Zhang Huan stepped forward and played back: "The ancients said that a soldier can be killed and cannot be disgraced." According to Chen, killing the head is much more comfortable than the exile of the thorn face. ”
When Song Shenzong heard this, he was furious: "Heavenly Son, can't you even do a happy thing?" ”
Zhang Huan hurriedly said to Song Shenzong, "Your Majesty, such a happy thing, the minister thinks it is still impossible to do well. ”
Song Shenzong was silent, and after calming down, his anger gradually subsided, and he said to Cai Qing, Zhang Huan, and others: "This matter will be handled by you at your discretion." ”
There have never been traitors who have only sneaked up and patted their horses and greeted the emperor to do evil, so how can there be such traitors as Zhang Huan and Cai Qi, who confront the emperor in person and create unhappiness for the emperor?
Song Zhezong Yuan Yu yuan year, 1086.
Gao Taotao came to the court, Sima Guang worshiped the chancellor, and the new laws were abolished one after another, but at this time, the laws of immunization and green seedlings still existed, and Sima Guang, holding on to his illness, requested that the exemption law be removed within 5 days, otherwise "death will not be blinded".
In this regard, Zhang Huan countered tit-for-tat, "Today, if we are more open to political affairs, the interests of the people are related, and the law of exemption from military service and bad service is the largest, and it is extremely necessary to examine it in detail, and it cannot be easily"; if we really change the law of exemption from military service to the law of bad service within 5 days, "it is more hasty and more harmful."
The Law of Exemption from Military Service was a new law introduced during Wang Anshi's reign in order to reduce the burden on the people. Originally, the people needed to serve the imperial court, but now they only need to pay the exemption money and hire people from the imperial court to serve. This system conforms to the trend of the development of the commodity economy, and although there are some drawbacks in its implementation, it is obviously irrational if it is completely denied because of choking on food, and it is obviously irrational to drive backwards and return to the law of bad service. Therefore, not only Zhang Wei, but also people in the conservative camp advised Sima Guang to be cautious.
But Sima Guang insisted on going his own way, opposing for the sake of opposing, and did not do this like a rational politician. When Wang Anshi, who was idle in Nanjing, heard that Sima Guang wanted to change the law of exemption from military service and the law of reinstatement of military service, he was stunned and said, "Why is this the end?" After a long time of deep groaning, he said to himself, "This fa cannot be stopped in the end!" After saying that, Wang Anshi, who had been strong all his life, burst into tears.
Zhang Huanren was in the courtroom, and he clearly knew that the times were easy to move, and the things that the conservatives had to do could not tolerate him as a person of the law-changing faction. If he remained silent, he might be able to keep his seat. But he ignored it, that is, to defend Wang Anshi's painstaking efforts to change the law. Conservatives took turns impeaching him, but he "did not degrade", regardless of reputation and safety, preferring to be degraded rather than asking himself to be released, in exchange for time to defend Wang Anshi's most important exemption law.
The history books say that Zhang Huan argued with the conservatives in front of Empress Gao's curtain, and there were many inferior words, "The empress dowager was angry at her rudeness and deposed her."
The conviction of the crime is very knowledgeable, and of course the empress dowager and others cannot depose Zhang On the grounds of adhering to the new law, although this is the root cause. As a result, Zhang Huan was charged with "frivolity" and was thrown out of the imperial court.
There has never been a traitor who has only judged the hour and sized up the situation and gone up against the wind, but where are the traitors who, like Zhang Huan, go against the trend and create trouble for themselves?
Song Zhezong YuanFu three years, 1100 years.
When Emperor Zhezong of Song died, Empress Xiang falsely sought the advice of Zai Zhi when she had previously selected Zhao Tuo the Prince of Duan as the heir to the throne.
Zhang Huan stood up at an inopportune time and said that according to the procedure, who should be established. Oppose the Empress. Zhang Huan still did not know how to pander, and said that who should be set up. Xiang Empress dowager objected again.
Seeing that Zhang Huan did not go on the road twice, Empress Xiang had no choice but to say in the name of the former emperor Song Shenzong that The Duan King Zhao Yao "had a blessed life and was benevolent and filial" and could be made a king.
Speaking so obviously, Zhang Huan still stubbornly confessed: "The Duan King is frivolous and cannot rule the world." ”
Before he could finish speaking, Zeng Bu, who was in the same dynasty as Zhang Huan, was afraid of being implicated, and shouted at Zhang Huan: "Zhang Huan listened to the punishment of the empress!" Zhao Tuo the Prince of Duan thus succeeded him as Emperor Huizong of Song.
The other ministers pondered their intentions and blindly agreed, but Zhang Huan repeatedly tried to ignore them. You must know that at this time, Zhang Huan is not a stunned young man in the political arena, but a 66-year-old minister who has been in charge of the government for seven or eight years and has rich political experience, and he cannot be unaware that the consequences of blunt words will endanger his own position. But he knew that Zhao Tuo was frivolous, "he could not rule the world", and he could not help but fight for the livelihood of the world's society.
Sadly, the failure of this struggle eventually led to the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, proving Zhang Huan's foresight, and Zhang Huan and his family completely buried the political future.
There have always been only traitors who climb the dragon and attach themselves to the phoenix, and who are opportunistic, and who are like Zhang Huan, who do not know good villains and bet on the future of their individuals and families to tell the truth?
Although the traditional canonical history has denigrated Zhang Huan as a traitor, in the narrative of history, he still cannot hide his glorious character as a direct subject.
The history books written by the descendants of the Yuanyou Party smeared Zhang's character because they opposed the reform of the law, but they could not cite specific examples to argue their judgment except for empty words that he had "talent and no deeds." On the contrary, the deeds they wrote about Zhang Huan in turn proved that Zhang Huan was a person who had principles in doing things and had a bottom line in his life:
He had monopolized power for seven or eight years, but he "refused to be personally related to officials and lords", and all four sons were admitted to the jinshi, but except for a low-level official who entered the dynasty as a school scribe, the other three sons were all officials in the prefecture and county, and none of them were prominent. If he is a traitor, is there a traitor who does not favoritism?
He believed, carried forward, and improved the content of Wang Anshi's transformation of the fa all his life, but when another leader of the fa-change faction, Cai Bian, vigorously promoted Wang Anshi's cult of personality, he sober-mindedly stood up against idolatry, saying that he had never called Wang Anshi a "real person, a supreme person, and a saint." If he is a traitor, is there a traitor who is not flattering?
He was a clean official, and it is said that after his death, his family was poor and difficult to bury, and his fingers were gnawed off by rats. Even those who framed him did not dare to say that he was corrupt and bribed. If he is a traitor, is there a traitor who is not corrupt?
When Sima Guang and others proposed to cut the land to The Western Xia for peace, he was furious and said that the proposed people "can be cut off." After he took control of the government, he forcefully severed the gift of age to Western Xia and actively launched a campaign to recover the lost land. If he is a traitor, is there a traitor who does not betray the country?
Not favoritism, no corruption, no flattery, no traitor, as a traitor, what is he trying to do?
Could it be that, as a traitor, he is trying to have principles, a bottom line, a conscience, and courage?
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As mentioned above, the allegations in the canonical history that Zhang Huan was a traitor can be concluded that tongtong is not established.
According to the historical reality of the Song Dynasty, the History of the Song Dynasty (although it was an official revision of the Yuan Dynasty, but the original texts used were all written by the Song people) included Zhang Huan in the "Biography of the Traitorous Minister", the basic reason is the same as that of Cai Qing and Lü Huiqing in the "Biography of the Traitor", based on the fact that they were the supporters and successors of Wang Anshi's transformation of the law.
The history is very clear, and one of the evidences of Zhang Huan's guilt is that "after Shao Sheng, Zhang Huan advocated Shao Shu's plot and resumed the work of Shu Zheng." The so-called "Yu Zheng" is a disparaging term for Wang Anshi's new law by historians.
After the modern era, Wang Anshi's change of law, as well as the famous reform and change of law in history, has been more fairly evaluated. However, for a long time before that, Wang Anshi's transformation of the law has been despised by the mainstream of social thought because of the chaos of the ancestral family law and the emphasis on financial management. Cheng Zhu Lixue, who occupied the mainstream after the Song Dynasty, emphasized "moral governance" and despised "technical governance", and naturally did not have a good feeling for Wang Anshi's new law, which emphasized practical operations such as law, finance, and economy. Traditional history books, guided by the idea of science, make it easier to blame the decline and fall of dynasties on the change of law, and on those who advocate and support the change of law.
After the jing kang revolution, the Song dynasty crossed south, and faced with the political crisis of the destruction of the country and the death of the family, what the imperial court needed to do was to review the reasons for the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty and determine who would bear the responsibility for historical crimes.
Emperor Gaozong of Song exonerated his father and brother from historical guilt, pushed the peril of state affairs from Cai Jing to the country, pushed up to Wang Anshi to change the law, and let a group of "misguided traitors" who implemented the change of law bear the insult. In this way, the Zhao family is not at fault, and those who are at fault are the traitors at the bottom.
Yang Shi, a contemporary, said, "Cai Jing has been doing things for more than twenty years, harming the people in the country, endangering the sect, and cutting the teeth of the people, and those who are guilty of it do not know what they are. In the name of following up on the Divine Sect, Cai Jing threatened Wang Anshi for personal gain" and "Today's disaster, Shi'an Shi has enlightened it". This shows that the Southern Song Dynasty people criticized Cai Jing for misleading the country and pointed the spearhead at Wang Anshi's change of law, believing that the change of law had confused the ancestral family law and eventually caused the difficulty of Jingkang, and had become a kind of political correctness.
Historian Fang Zhiyuan once pointed out that since the neutralization of the "Biography of Traitors" in the main history, there have been only traitors in Chinese history, and there have been no emperors or tyrants.
The so-called "traitors" have become the scapegoats of the emperor and tyrant.
Wang Anshi was not included in the "Biography of a Traitor" by the zhengshi, perhaps only because his reputation was too big, the style was too correct, and the writers of the history were afraid of causing criticism. However, below Wang Anshi, Cai Qing, Lü Huiqing, Zhang Wei and others, either have problems with the faction or their reputation is not very obvious, and it is best to bully them and let them bear the guilt of the Fall of the Northern Song Dynasty.
If there is adultery, there must be loyalty, and zhengshi's denial of the collateral results of the law-changing faction is to affirm the conservative faction headed by Empress Gao, Sima Guang, and others. The political controversy in the political arena of the Northern Song Dynasty, based on the change of law and the anti-change law, was therefore described by the history books as a moral struggle between loyalty and treachery.
When morality overrides politics, historical facts are further obscured and distorted.
During the Yuanyou period, empress dowager Gao, Sima Guang, and others purged and degraded the reformists, which in essence was exactly the same as the purge and demeaning of the Yuanyou party by Song Zhezong, Zhang Wei, and others during the pro-government period of Song Zhezong, and was a bloody and ruthless power struggle. In this cyclical struggle, both sides have made mistakes and deserve equal criticism and condemnation.
Speaking of which, Sima Guang has a strong sense of revenge, the impact is too large, and he makes mistakes first, and he deserves to be more severely criticized. Zhang Huan "treated his political enemies in the same way as a man", did not forgive his political enemies, and although he made some efforts, he was still unable to get rid of the demons of the party's revenge, but his crimes were by no means heavier than those committed by Sima Guang.
As Liang Qichao said: "Even if you chase away the Yuanyou ministers, you will also treat the Yuanyou so you treat Xifeng as another." If the Yuanyou ministers are, then they are also also; if they are not, then the Yuanyou ministers are not also. "If there is praise, both sides should praise together; if there is condemnation, both sides should condemn together." This is reciprocal.
However, after the moral writing of the opposition between loyalty and adultery, Sima Guang's blindness and stubbornness were beautified into zero tolerance for loyal subjects to traitors, while Zhang Huan's same practice was regarded as a slander against loyal subjects by traitors.
I don't want to glorify the northern Song Dynasty's political arena, but I also oppose the discrimination between Sima Guang and Zhang Huan's similar practices, at least, they are not perfect, and they should each play fifty big boards in retaliating against political enemies.
What is even more tragic is that no matter before and after death, in the struggle for the moral high ground, Zhang Huan, who has always been Gengsuke and never speculated, has always been at a disadvantage. He was not only regarded as a "traitor" by the Yuanyou party members, but also as a "traitorous minister" by Cai Jing, the minister of power of the Huizong Dynasty who regarded himself as a new party, and his name was engraved in the "Yuanyou Party Membership Monument". Finally, it was written into the "Biography of the Traitor" by the "History of Song". A character who is not flattered on both sides, in the fog of history, completely blurs his figure.
Historically, it is not uncommon for a character's real condition to be in great contrast with the evaluation behind him. But a person like Zhang Wei, who has always been misunderstood and never understood, is indeed a tragedy within a tragedy. Therefore, some historians have called this phenomenon the "Chapter Phenomenon".
Speaking of which, as an old friend of Zhang Huan, Su Shi is very lucky, although he was not flattered by both sides before he died, and his life was not satisfactory, but after his death, he received a very high evaluation. And Zhang Wei may not dare to ask for anything extravagant, but only wants to seek a fair stroke of history.
bibliography:
[Song] Li Tao: "Continued Zizhi TongjianChang", Zhonghua Bookstore, 2004
[Song] Su Shi: Collected Writings of Su Shi, Notes from Kong Fanli, Zhonghua Bookstore, 2004
[Yuan] Detachment: History of the Song Dynasty, Zhonghua Bookstore, 1985
Deng Guangming: Ten Lectures on the History of the Song Dynasty, Zhonghua Bookstore, 2015
Liang Qichao: The Biography of Wang Anshi, Shaanxi Normal University Press, 2010
Yu Chaogang: "The Theory of Zhang Wei", Collected Historiography, No. 1, 1997
Huang Jinjun, "The Theory of Zhang Huan's Biography: From the Ups and Downs of Zhang Huan's Eunuch Sea to see the Political Situation in the Middle and Late Northern Song Dynasty", Cultural Studies of the Song Dynasty (Ninth Series), Bashu Book Society, 2000
Fang Zhiyuan: "The Tale of the Traitor and the "Biography of the Traitor" in History", Knowledge of Literature and History, No. 12, 1998