Ban Gu once concluded in the Biography of Zhao Han Guo Chong Xin Qingji: "Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, Shandong has been the prime minister and Shaanxi has been the general." Ye Fan also wrote in "The Story of Xu Yu in the Later Han Dynasty", "There is a proverb:' Guan will be a general, and Kanto will make a fool of itself. ",so where does this statement come from? The Shandong and Shanxi mentioned by Ban Gu and Ye Fan are not Shandong and Shanxi now, but in the areas east of Taihang Mountain and west of Taihang Mountain. Kanto and Kansai are both within the same geographical scope. East of Hanguguan is Kanto and west is Kansai. Kansai, the geographical location of this area is very important. The capitals of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty basically settled in Kansai, which can be said to be the center at that time, especially Hanguguan, which has always been a battleground for military strategists. Because out of the center, all forces want to get their hands on it, and the nomadic people in the west are eyeing up and trying to invade the south, so they have also developed the land of ancient Shanxi, which is west of Taihang Mountain. The folk customs are tough, the military style is particularly heavy, and it is also rich in famous soldiers.
On the other hand, although there are occasional wars in the area east of Taihang Mountain, it is much more comfortable than the land of Kansai. The stability of the social environment has also contributed to the better cultural development in the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain. People can have more time and energy to think about war, life, future, nature and kindness, among which the most representative is the Confucian culture in Qilu.
A mountain range, a pass, has become a geographical symbol to divide famous sages and sages. "Shanxi" is the main producing area of famous soldiers. Since the Qin Dynasty, many fuses iconic such as Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Fu Jiezi and Li Guang have come from here. Even if it is extended to later generations, compared with other regions, "Shanxi" is also famous. Ban Gu once explained in "Biography of Xin Qingji in Guo Chong, Zhao Han": "Tianshui, Longxi, Anding and Jinbei are close to Hu Qiang, and the folk customs practice combat readiness and dare to ride on the pommel horse to shoot arrows. Therefore, "Qin Shi" said:' Wang Yu is a teacher, I am a soldier, and it is feasible with my son.' Its style has been popular since ancient times, and this song is generous and romantic. "
In short, "Shanxi" is located in the west of Xinjiang, adjacent to many nomadic peoples, so there are frequent wars and tough folk customs. "Shanxi" people attach importance to the tradition of martial arts and become fertile ground for cultivating famous soldiers. Compared with Shanxi, Shandong is the prime minister's main producing area. According to statistics, among the 45 prime ministers in the Western Han Dynasty, "Shandong" monopolized 35 people and "Shanxi" only had 8 people, which shows the grand occasion. Sima Qian once said: "The world is contending with the Warring States, and Confucianism is scarce. However, between Qilu and Qilu, scholars do not waste it alone. " Qin died and Han flourished, and Qilu Confucianism flourished, which was the highest in the whole Han Dynasty. In Hanshu, Ban Gu, as the most famous Confucian scholar in the Western Han Dynasty, made biographies for 26 people. Today there are 17 people in Shandong, accounting for 65.4% of the total number. Qilu became synonymous with the prosperity of Confucianism.
By the time Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ousted hundreds of schools and respected Confucianism alone, the number of officials at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain was about three times that at the western foot of Taihang Mountain. However, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty recruited a large number of soldiers to the west of Taihang Mountain to resist the invasion of Xiongnu. Therefore, the Eastern Han Dynasty concluded that Shandong produced wonders and Shanxi produced generals.