Author: Xu Yunhui
In 682, the Turks rebelled against the Tang and launched a large-scale attack to Yunzhou (云州, in present-day Yunzhou District, Datong, Shanxi), where they were suddenly counterattacked by the Tang army. The Turks failed several times, and they were unwilling, so they asked in front of the two armies: "Who will Tang be?" ”
Tang Jun replied in a loud voice, "Xue Rengui! ”
The Turkic leader did not believe it: "I heard that General Xue liuxiangzhou died and was revived?" ”
Tang generals rode out of the crowd, took off their helmets, and revealed their white hair, which was the famous general Xue Li (Zi Rengui), who was intimidating and fearful. "The Turks looked at each other and went down to Malobai." The other Turks "heard that Ren Gui had risen to the rank of general, and they all ran away and did not dare to take it." Xue Rengui took advantage of the situation to pursue, "Greatly broken, beheaded more than 10,000 people, obtained more than 20,000 people, camels, horses, cattle and sheep more than 30,000 heads." The heroic deeds of Xue Rengui's "taking off his hat and retiring from all enemies" have been passed down through the ages.
Why was Xue Rengui exiled to Xiangzhou, and why was he able to return to the battlefield?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="42" > (i) two dynasties loyal generals</h1>
Although Xue Rengui is "less poor and lowly, and takes the field as his business", in the eyes of his wife, he is a potential stock that is ready to develop "with high worldly materials". After she learned the news that Tang Taizong had "conquered Liaodong and asked for a fierce general", she encouraged her husband to "meet the time to be hair" and join the army to report to the country". Xue Rengui then threw himself into the army of the famous general Zhang Shigui and accompanied the army to conquer Liaodong.
In Liaodong, the Tang general "Liu Junqiong was surrounded by thieves in a hurry", and Xue Rengui single-handedly broke into the enemy position, "beheading the thief with his hand and hanging his head in the saddle." In the Ten Thousand Horse Army, the bravery of the first rank of the general was lightly taken, so that "all thieves were intimidated", and thus became famous in the army.
In the territory of Goryeo, when the two armies were fighting and falling into a stalemate, suddenly lightning flashed and thundered. Xue Rengui was like a god of heaven, "dressed in white, holding a halberd, holding a bow at the waist, shouting to enter first, going forward, but the thief is invincible but leaving." "The Tang army's heart was greatly encouraged," the Goryeo soldiers collapsed, beheading more than 20,000 people. ”
Tang Taizong "sent Chi to ask the vanguard who the white-clad people were, and specially introduced, gave two horses and forty silk horses, and promoted them to guerrilla generals." On the way back to the division, Tang Taizong pushed his heart and said to him: "The old generals who followed the fallen to fight in the jiangshan are old and weak, and it is difficult to withstand the heavy task of field command. I have wanted to promote a brave and strong young general many times, but no one can compare with you! 'I don't like Liaodong, but I like Qingqing.' Xue Rengui was thus promoted to the position of Right Leader Lang General, and after the resignation of his old superior Zhang Shigui, he took on the heavy responsibility of guarding xuanwu gates that had special significance for Tang Taizong.
After Emperor Gaozong of Tang ascended the throne, he inspected the Wannian Palace, and Xue Rengui escorted him. Late at night, "the mountains and rivers overflowed, rushing to the Xuanwu Gate", and the guards rushed to escape for their lives. Xue Rengui roared angrily, "An has a guard, and the Son of Heaven is anxious and dares to fear death!" He risked his life to climb the door frame and shouted a warning to the palace. Emperor Gaozong of Tang urgently avoided danger and ascended the heights, "The water of Russia entered the sleeping hall, and the water drifted the guards and the Lin residents, and more than 3,000 people died." Emperor Gaozong of Tang was extremely grateful: "'Lai Deqinghu, Fang avoids drowning, and knows that there are loyal subjects', so he gave the imperial horse a horse." ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="48" > (2) Three arrows to set the Tianshan Mountain</h1>
Subsequently, Xue Rengui first served as the deputy general of the crusade against Goryeo, "breaking Goryeo at Guiduan City and beheading three thousand ranks." The following year, in the decisive battle between Hengshan and the Goryeo Army, he single-handedly broke into the enemy's position and fired arrows, and the enemy "fell without hesitation." "Goryeo had a sharp archer," and shot and killed more than a dozen people under Seokseong. "Xue Rengui" rode straight to the charge, and his thief lost his bow and arrow, and his hand could not be lifted, so he grabbed it raw. "Subsequently" he and Xin Wenling broke the Khitan in Montenegro, captured the Khitan king Abgu and the chieftains and went to the eastern capital. Hefeng Hedong County male with merit. ”
After the death of the Hui chieftain, the successor chief openly made enemies of Tang. Xue Rengui was ordered to serve as a deputy general and went to the Tianshan Mountains to meet the enemy. Before leaving, Emperor Gaozong of Tang held a banquet in the inner temple, asked people to take out their armor, and said to Xue Rengui: "Ancient sharpshooters can shoot through seven pairs of armor with one arrow. You could shoot through five layers of armor? "Xue Rengui took a bow and arrow, and the arrow passed through the five layers of armor," Emperor Gaozong was horrified, and he took the strong armor to give it. ”
Tie Le, surnamed Hui Jiu, resisted the Tang army with more than 100,000 troops and sent dozens of Xiao Yong knights to fight in front of the battle. Xue Rengui "fired three arrows and shot three people", frightening the remaining knights to "dismount for a while." Xue Rengui "feared that he would suffer a future problem, and killed him", taking advantage of the victory to pursue the remnants of Hui Qi and capture the bandit leader, "The nine surnames have weakened since then, and they are no longer more troubled." Tang Jun sang an ode triumphantly: "The general's three arrows set the Heavenly Mountain, and the warrior's long song enters the Han Pass." ”
Xue Rengui not only killed the descendants, but even took all the Hui women captured by his subordinates as concubines, and accepted countless bribes at the same time. When his actions were exposed, he was rightfully impeached. Emperor Gaozong of Tang forgave Xue Rengui after a few words of hard work.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="53" > (iii) defeated Dafeichuan</h1>
Xue Rengui once again participated in the conquest of Goryeo, "breaking Goryeo and beheading more than 50,000 people." "Emperor Gaozong of Tang" wrote a letter of labor. Xue Rengui led three thousand men to attack the important town of Goryeo and took the lead, "killing more than 10,000 people." "Let the local" more than forty cities look forward to the wind and please. He assisted the commander-in-chief in the destruction of Goryeo and served as a magistrate to govern Goryeo, "moving the new city and caring for the elderly; those who have the ability to serve as envoys; loyalty and filial piety, and ham and jing." The "envoys" of the Koryo were overjoyed. ”
Xue Rengui, the god of war, was invincible and invincible. However, the Battle of Dafeichuan became the Battle of Waterloo in his career as a famous general.
The Dafei River is located on the south side of present-day Qinghai Lake, with dangerous terrain and miasma. In order to consolidate the security of the western region, the Tang court appointed Xue Rengui as the grand commander of the march of The Luojiao Province, and together with the deputy governor Guo Beifeng and others led a 50,000-strong army to escort and escort the Tuguhun King back to Qinghai.
After Guo Zhifeng became a famous general, he also held an important position, but he was not willing to submit to Xue Rengui, and deliberately disobeyed Xue Rengui's orders many times, thus sowing the seeds of defeat.
When Xue Rengui led the vanguard to continuously break through the enemy army waiting for reinforcements, Guo Zhifeng still took Xue Rengui's advice as the wind in his ears, "do not follow Rengui's orders", and led his heavy troops to move forward slowly like a sightseeing tour. Because of his pride and light enemy, he was ambushed by the Tubo army, and the military food and weight were snatched up. Xue Rengui was helpless and had no choice but to retreat to Dafeichuan, where he was attacked by more than 400,000 Tubo troops in turn, resulting in a "great defeat of the official army". Xue Rengui was cornered, and in order to preserve his strength, he had no choice but to negotiate peace with the Tubo army. After the defeat of the Tang army and returning to the Dynasty, Xue Rengui was dismissed from his post and named a civilian.
In order to suppress the rebellion of the Goguryeo remnants, the Tang court revived Xue Rengui as the governor of Jilin Province. After Xue Rengui arrived at his post, he was sparsely guarded and widowed, and was again defeated and exiled by the imperial court to Xiangzhou (present-day Xiangzhou County, Guangxi). After being pardoned and returned to Beijing a few years later, Xue Rengui had changed from a lonely hero who was a mighty enemy to a white-haired old man with white hair.
On a whim, Tang Gaozong remembered Xue Rengui's old deeds, and specially summoned and instructed him: "When there was a sudden flash flood in the Ten Thousand Years Palace, without you, I would have turned into a fish earlier!" Your credit is unforgettable! However, it is a pity that someone impeached you for deliberately letting the enemy run away under Wuhai City! ”
Nevertheless, Xue Rengui was still heavily relied upon by Emperor Gaozong of Tang, "to give the history of the governor of Guazhou, to worship the right leading wei general, to inspect the acting governor of the prefecture", and to guard the western part of the town. Xue Rengui also lived up to his high expectations, and took off his hat to show his face to scare off the Turkic army and won the great victory of Yunzhou. In the same year, the old and strong "Ren Gui died of illness, at the age of seventy." ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="62" > (4) self-protection with wenwu</h1>
Xue Rengui was born and died for Tang Taizong's father and son in the Southern Expedition to the Northern War, and he was able to die without being slandered, for the following reasons:
First, he came from a humble origin: although Xue Rengui was born into the Hedong Xue clan of the Hainei Wang clan, and his ancestors had been officials for generations since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xue Rengui had been a commoner in the family road due to the early death of his father, so he did not have the support of the court forces and posed no threat to the Li Tang regime.
Second, the three armies of the Brave Crown: there is neither family power nor political ambition, some are only loyal to Li Tang and the martial arts of the battlefield, just like liu Bang's mouth "gong dog", such a talent, which boss does not like?
Third, he was good at self-preservation: since the Warring States Baiqi pit and killed 400,000 Zhao Guo's descendants, all generations have regarded the killing of descendants as an act of lack of morality that deserves to be condemned by heaven. However, Xue Rengui knowingly committed a crime, killing dozens of Huiqi knights who had surrendered from their horses, deliberately leaving behind infamy; he was so bold that he actually took all the captured Hui women as concubines and fell into the notoriety of lustfulness and greed; he was lawless, openly demanding bribes and bribes to the point of being "impeached by Yousi" and turning into a demon drinking the blood of soldiers.
If Xue Rengui was an illiterate warrior, it was not surprising that he would do something that the above people and gods were indignant about. However, what is less known is that Xue Rengui is not only the author of the fourteen volumes of Yangyang's "Zhou Yi Xin zhuan ben yi" (an epoch-making academic work on the study of Zhou Yi), but also proposed in the book that "the way to establish heaven, there is yin and yang; The way to the ground, there is softness and rigidity; The way to build people, there is moderation and righteousness" unique insight. A person who is both literate and martial and who has studied "Zhou Yi" to the point of no ancients before, will make the above low-level mistakes?
Therefore, Xue Rengui can not only make meritorious achievements on the battlefield of guns and bullets, but also be able to end the curtain perfectly on the bloody political stage, the reason is that he is self-preservation!
【About the author】Xu Yunhui, male, graduated from the Department of Chinese of Yunnan Normal University in 1984 and is now a senior lecturer at Baoshan No.1 Middle School Education Group in Yunnan Province. He has published two monographs and published more than 600,000 words in literary journals at or above the provincial level.
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