We often say "heroes in a chaotic world", which makes some sense. The Southern and Northern Dynasties of Wei and Jin were a period of frequent regime changes in history, from the establishment of Liu Song in 420 AD by Liu Yu in the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the sui dynasty in 589 AD, the various regimes attacked each other in the past 70 years, and a large number of heroes emerged in the chaotic world.
The famous Northern Zhou general Wei Xiaokuan was an outstanding representative of this, he was recognized as the first general of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and some people called him the first general of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. However, friends who are familiar with the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties know that in the same period, the famous northern Qi general Huo Luguang seemed to have made more outstanding military achievements.
Map of Northern Zhou and Northern Qi
Northern Zhou and Northern Qi were sworn enemies, attacking each other for many years, as the first general of Northern Qi, Huo Luguang led his army to fight many times, and most of his opponents were northern Zhou troops, basically winning every time, and was a veritable "general who won a long time".
If this is the case, why do many people in later generations call Wei Xiaokuan the first general of the Southern and Northern Dynasties?
Below, we look through the experiences and achievements of the two to see if we can find the answer.
I. Comparison of Combat Achievements: Both of them became famous in their early years, fought bravely, made outstanding achievements in battle, and led the army to fight
Wei Xiaokuan was born in 509 and lived through the Northern Wei, Western Wei, and Northern Dynasties.
Huo Luguang was born in 515, 6 years younger than Wei Xiaokuan, and went through the Northern Wei, Western Wei, and Northern Zhou, both of whom were the last years of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and both of them were of similar ages, both of whom had gone through three dynasties.
Wei Xiaokuan: Fame in the First World War, Gao Huan in anger, and the Battle of Yubi became a classic
In the last year of the Northern Wei Dynasty, when Wei Xiaokuan was 20 years old, Xiao Baokuan launched a rebellion at Guanyou, and Wei Xiaokuan took the initiative to ask for war, and as a unified army, he accompanied the army and made meritorious contributions in battle, and was appointed as The Doctor of Guozi and the Taishou of Huayin County. At that time, Yang Kanzhen, a servant, was very impressed with Wei Xiaokuan's talents, transferred him to his subordinate Sima and married his daughter to him.
Wei Xiaokuan was both literate and martial
Later, the Eastern Wei commander Gao Huan led an army of 100,000 to the west and attacked Tongguan. Wei Xiaokuan was ordered to lead 20,000 people to meet the battle, and in the unfavorable situation of great disparity, Wei Xiaokuan skillfully used ambush warfare to pretend to be defeated and fled with a small group of soldiers and horses, led the enemy's forward troops into an ambush circle, completely annihilated the Eastern Wei forward troops in one fell swoop, and captured the general Dou Tai alive.
Later, Wei Xiaokuan defeated the Eastern Wei generals Ren Xiang and Yao Xiong at Yingchuan, captured Dongkou, captured Yuzhou, and captured Yuzhou to assassinate Shi Fengyong alive. Due to his repeated military achievements, Wei Xiaokuan was constantly promoted.
One of Wei Xiaokuan's most famous battles was the Battle of Yubi. In October 546, Gao Huan, the Chancellor of Eastern Wei, led a heavy army to besiege Western Wei Yubi, with the intention of taking the strategic yubi and opening the western entrance pass. The Western Wei general Wei Xiaokuan, who was guarding Yubi, adopted a comprehensive defensive strategy and held the city in the face of the enemy's outnumbered enemies.
In this battle, Gao Huan adopted a variety of attack methods such as earth attack, fire attack, tunnel warfare, and psychological warfare, and Wei Xiaokuan calmly responded, seeing the moves and dismantling moves, and defusing them one by one. Gao Huan besieged the city for nearly two months, the generals were exhausted, more than 100,000 troops were injured and sick and half damaged, Gao Huan had nothing to do, he fell ill with anger and fire, and had to take advantage of the night to retreat, and less than two months after his return, he died of depression and illness due to anger and anger. "Shen Wu fought bitterly for sixty years, injured the sick and the dead fourteen or fifteen, and was mentally troubled, so he became ill. Its night is gone. Later, he was angry and died. (History of the North)
Image of the Battle of Yubi
In the defense of Yubi, Wei Xiaokuan judged the hour and sized up the situation, wisely broke the enemy's plan, and created a classic defensive example of winning more with less. The Battle of Yubi also made Wei Xiaokuan famous in the First World War, and he is still happy for posterity.
Huo Luguang: "Hero of Archery", brave in battle, famous in hundreds of battles
From a young age, Huo Luguang was good at horseback archery and was highly skilled in martial arts. At the age of 17, he followed his father Huo Lujin to attack Guanzhong, and Huo Luguang shot Mo Xiaohui, a general of the Western Wei Yuwen Taibu, and captured him alive, which was deeply appreciated by Gao Huan and Gao Cheng' father and son.
Once, Hu Luguang followed Gao Cheng out hunting, saw a large eagle flying in the air, bent a bow and arrow, and shot down an arrow, from then on, the reputation of "Falling Eagle Governor" did not go away, and because of his merits, he was successively promoted to general of zhengfu and general of the left guard.
Archery hero Hu Luguang
During the reign of Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi, Hu Luguang attacked the three border cities of Tianzhu, Xin'an, and Niutou on the northern Qi border with 5,000 troops, and later led his troops to capture the four shu of Northern Zhou, including Daichuan, Baima, Xunjiao, and Yicheng. At the end of 562, Emperor Wu of Zhou sent Wei Chi and Yuwen Chi to lead an army of 100,000 to attack Luoyang, and Hu Luguang attacked with 50,000 cavalry, met at Mount Yi, defeated the Zhou army, won 3,000 heads, and piled the corpses into a Jingguan, threatening the four directions.
Later, Hu Luguang defeated the Northern Zhou generals Yuwen Jie, Liang Shiyan, and Liang Jingxing at Luoyang, and defeated Northern Zhou Yuwenxian and Tuoba Xianjing at Yiyang, captured Yuwen Ying, Yue QinShiliang, and other Northern Zhou generals, and beheaded the famous Northern Zhou general Liang Jingxing. Shi Zaiqi "has never lost his law since he was married to rong, and he was deeply intimidated by his neighbors" (Book of Northern Qi)—he had never lost since the battle, and the enemies were afraid of him.
In particular, the old opponent, Northern Zhou, encountered Huo Luguang during the battle, and even fled without a fight. In 562, the Northern Zhou sent the general Da Xi Chengxing to attack Pingyang, and Hu Luguang led 30,000 soldiers and horses to meet the battle, and Da Xi Chengxing heard that Hu Luguang was fighting, and he fled. Huo Luguang took advantage of the situation to pursue, penetrated deep into the territory of Northern Zhou, and captured more than 2,000 people and returned.
Huo Luguang was brave and good at fighting
Emperor Yuwen Yong of the Northern Zhou Dynasty had long had the intention of annexing Northern Qi, and before Huo Luguang's death, he fought many battles, losing more than winning, and had to wait patiently for the opportunity. In 572, after Huo Luguang's death, Yuwen Yong was happy to grant amnesty to the world. Five years later, Yuwen Yong led his troops to attack Northern Qi, and specially posthumously presented Huo Luguang as the Shangzhu State and the Duke of Chongguo. Yuwen Yong pointed to the edict and said, "If Huo Luguang is still alive, how can I capture Yecheng?" Emperor Wu of Zhou heard of the death, rejoiced, and pardoned his territory. Later, he entered the ye and posthumously presented the Shangzhu Kingdom and the Chongguo Duke. The edict says, 'If this man is here, how can he reach the throne?' (Book of Northern Qi) A general can make his opponents so jealous and admired, which fully reflects Huo Luguang's combat skills and prestige.
Second, the comparison of wisdom and strategy: Wei Xiaokuan's wisdom and courage are both complete, and he is superior in governing the army and managing the government; Huo Luguang is brave and fierce, but his wisdom and strategy are far inferior to Wei Xiaokuan's
In addition to being brave in battle, Wei Xiaokuan was also very intelligent and strategic, and was a Confucian general with both wisdom and courage. Wei Xiaokuan's intellect was brought into full play in both military and administrative aspects.
Wei Xiaokuan has a stable personality
Wei Xiaokuan was good at "using wisdom" militarily. Wei Xiaokuan is a master of "espionage warfare", and has repeatedly used espionage warfare and divisive tactics to make the other side fight among themselves and weaken their combat effectiveness. During the reign of Ren Yiyang Taishou, the Eastern Wei general Duan Chen attacked Yiyang and sent Shi Niu Daoheng (牛道恒) to instigate a rebellion by the people on the Western Wei border. Wei Xiaokuan sent spies to find Niu Daoheng's handwriting and imitate his handwriting to write a letter from Niu Daoheng to Wei Xiaokuan, saying that Niu Daoheng wanted to surrender to Western Wei.
Wei Xiaokuan also made some traces of the letter that had been burned by Mars, which looked like it was written under a lamp. Then send spies to throw the letter to Duan Chen's camp. After Duan Chen saw it, he really had doubts about Niu Daoheng and restricted Niu Daoheng's actions everywhere. Niu Daoheng was also annoyed and wary of each other. Wei Xiaokuan took advantage of his infighting, suddenly sent troops, won a great victory, and captured Duan Chen, Niu Daoheng and others.
Northern Zhou was most jealous of the Northern Qi general Huo Luguang, and was defeated by him many times. In order to get rid of Huo Luguang, Wei Xiaokuan made up a rumor that "a hundred liters (Huo) flew into the sky, and the bright moon (Huo Luguang character Mingyue) took care of Chang'an" "The mountain (Northern Qi Emperor Gao Wei) did not destroy itself, and the tree of Huo (Huo) did not support itself", and sent spies to the Northern Qi capital to sing everywhere, framing Huo Luguang for having a disobedient heart.
Stills of Hu Luguang
Rumors spread to the Northern Qi court, and the Northern Qi chancellor Zu Hu happened to be at odds with Huo Luguang, so he took the opportunity to slander the rear lord Gao Wei, saying that Huo Luguang had long had the intention of rebellion. The faint-hearted Gao Wei did not distinguish between true and false, and killed Huo Luguang and his entire clan.
Wei Xiaokuan eliminated the biggest threat of Northern Zhou without spending a single soldier.
Wei Xiaokuan's intellect is also reflected in the administration. During the history of Ren Yongzhou, he saw that the signs that recorded the mileage at that time were to set up a mound every other mile, and every time it rained, it needed to be repaired due to the collapse, so he ordered the planting of locust trees instead of the mound, which was both scientific and convenient. After Emperor Yuwentai of Zhou saw it, he praised it and issued an edict to promote it nationwide.
When Ren Xunzhou assassinated Shi Shi, he appeased the people internally, took advantage of Northern Qi's peacemaking psychology externally, and the two sides agreed to trade on the border and live in harmony, releasing the Northern Qi population looted by the local Hu people, and persuading Northern Qi to return several of the Northern Zhou royal relatives who had been detained earlier.
Huo Luguang's bravery and martial prowess are mainly reflected in the battlefield. He led his army to fight against the Northern Zhou For more than 20 years, and basically won every battle. And Wei Xiaokuan faced each other on the battlefield, and there are not many clear records in the history books, the most famous of which is the Battle of Fenshui, which defeated Wei Xiaokuan.
Hu Luguang image diagram
In 571, Wei Xiaokuan led more than 10,000 troops to attack Pinglong. Huo Luguang fought on the north side of Fenshui, defeated Wei Xiaokuan, and captured and killed thousands of Zhou troops. Huo Luguang took advantage of the victory to pursue and seize hundreds of miles of Northern Zhou territory. "The pillar state of Wei Xiaokuan rode more than 10,000 horses to force Pinglong, and fought with Guang in the north of Fenshui, and Guang da broke it and captured thousands of people." (Book of Northern Qi)
Huo Luguang was brave and strategic in battle, invincible on the battlefield, and was a famous general who won a long time, but his intellect and knowledge were not as good as Wei Xiaokuan's. After he entered the dynasty as the chancellor of Northern Qi, although he made suggestions to the imperial court many times, because the government was controlled by treacherous people such as Zu Jue and Lu Lingxuan, and the later lord Gao Wei was faint and absurd, Huo Luguang did not have any obvious achievements in governance.
Third, the comparison of personality and handling: Wei Xiaokuan has a gentle temperament, is talented and knowledgeable, and is old and stable in dealing with people; Huo Luguang has a strong temperament, is violent and severe, and is majestic and unkind
Shi Zaiwei Xiaokuan was a deep and astute person, gentle and upright, and good at reading the history of the Scriptures. He has a calm personality, talent and learning, and is brave and strategic in governing the army and fighting; in the management of government affairs, he is good at gathering people's hearts and minds, and has harmonious interpersonal relations, from spies to soldiers to leaders, he is very trusting.
Emperor Yuwen of the Northern Zhou Dynasty unified the north
During the period of Ren Yanyang County, he was in Jingzhou with dugu Xin, a famous general who was then the sheriff of Xinye County, and the two were intimate and had excellent political achievements, and they were called "Lianbi" by the locals and became famous. He guarded the border city for many years, was good at comforting the border people internally, and repeatedly resisted foreign enemy invasions, and many people in the vicinity came to join him. In his later years, when he was the commander of the march, he marched into Huainan, and soon after arriving, the defenders of the border city of Chen Guo in the Southern Dynasty took the initiative to send people to contact him and express their surrender. Therefore, the court and the people praised him, and he died at the age of 72 and was given the title of Taifu after his death.
Huo Luguang's personality is the opposite of Wei Xiaokuan's. He was temperamental, fierce and fierce, and his opponents were very harsh, and he mainly relied on majesty and punishment to govern the army and lead the army. When he was building a city and guarding the border, he often whipped the servants and was extremely cruel. "The light nature is rare and urgent, stricter than the emperor, ruling the army and supervising the people, and only threatening punishment." The Battle of Banzhu was flogged and called it violent. (Book of Northern Qi) Although this kind of personality trait is invincible on the battlefield and can win battles, it is not easy to return to the hearts of the people, especially in daily life, rigidity and flexibility, and it is easy to offend people.
His relationship with courtiers reflects this. Because of his upright personality, he has always been unaccustomed to the villains in the imperial court doing evil, often scolding them, and the interpersonal relationship is very stiff, and finally he is framed by Zu Jue, Lu Lingxuan and others for rebellion, and loses his life.
Whether Wei Xiaokuan can be called the first general of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the benevolent see the benevolent, and the wise see the wise. However, in terms of combat, strategy, and handling of affairs, compared with Huo Luguang, Wei Xiaokuan's comprehensive quality is undoubtedly higher than that of Huo Luguang.
What do readers think? Welcome to leave a message to exchange discussions.
(References: Book of Northern Qi, Northern History, Book of Zhou)