Linchuan County in eastern Jiangxi has always been known as the "Hometown of Talented Scholars". Among the famous talents of the past dynasties, there are the "Five Kings" and "Liu Yan" in the Song Dynasty, and the "Eight Famous Scholars" in the Ming Dynasty, shining like stars in the sea. From the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, people from Linchuan wrote more than 450 kinds of books and more than 2,000 volumes. There is a popular proverb in eastern Jiangxi called "Linchuan Talented Scholar Jinxi Shu". The so-called "Linchuan Talented Scholar" refers to the "last four famous celebrities" Chen Jitai, Luo Wanzao, Zhang Shichun and Ai Nanying in the late Ming Dynasty.
The four talented scholars Chen, Luo, Zhang and Ai were born in the early years of Wanli, the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty. They were well-read in poetry and books, and well-read in classics and history. Although they were politically unsuccessful and had a low social status, they had the same mind and body. They "liked each other in the great similarities and in the small differences."
Chen Jitai (1567-1641), courtesy name Dashi and nicknamed Fangcheng, was a native of Pengtian, Linchuan, and was an ancient writer in the late Ming Dynasty. In the second year of Chongzhen (1629), he became Bagong, ranked seventh in the provincial examination in the second year, and won the Jinshi at the age of 68 in the fourth year. He was smart and studious since he was a child. When he was five or six years old, he could recite "The Analects", "Mencius", "Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean"; when he was 10 years old, he saw a book of "The Book of Songs" in the waste paper pile at someone else's house, took it and ran away quickly. , Standing high in the sky and chanting oh, I will never forget it for the rest of my life. He received an official position in his later years, but it was a pity that his ambitions were not realized. In the 13th year of Chongzhen (1640), when he was ordered to protect the coffin of the late Prime Minister Cai Guo and returned south, he fell ill and died on the way to Jining. He is the author of "Four Books Reading", "Five Classics Reading", "The Meaning of the Book of Changes", "Zhouyi Yi's Brief Interpretation", and collected works such as "Taiyi Shanfang Collection", "Jiwu Collection", "Hushan Collection", etc.
Luo Wanzao (?-1647), courtesy name Wenzhi, was born in Tengqiao, Linchuan, and was an ancient writer in the late Ming Dynasty. When he was young, he worshiped Tang Xianzu as his teacher, read a lot of books, and passed the imperial examination in the seventh year of Tianqi (1627). He once served as the magistrate of Shanghang County and director of the Ministry of Rites in Zhejiang Province. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was politically corrupt, the country was weak and the people were poor, chaos broke out everywhere, and Qing troops entered the country. He was worried about the country and the people. He had a close relationship with Ai Nanying. After Ai Nanying passed away, he was deeply saddened. He died of grief and anger a few months later. Luo Wanzao formed the Yuzhang Society with Chen Jitai, Zhang Shichun and Ai Nanying, and was known as the "Four Talents of Linchuan". His knowledge is profound and unparalleled. At that time, the writing was clean and elegant, covering the opinions of hundreds of schools of thought. The article was quite fascinating and able to hit the current issues. His works include "This Guantang Collection" and "Thirteen Classics", which are stored in the "General Catalog of Sikuquanshu".
Zhang Shichun (1575-1644), named Dali, was a native of Jiangang, Linchuan (now under the jurisdiction of Fengcheng County). In the first year of Tianqi (1621), he passed the provincial examination and was awarded the Confucius Institute of the Imperial Academy, which made him famous in the capital. He successively held the posts of Tianchang County Jiaoyu, Imperial Academy Supervisor, and Liuzhou Magistrate. He was loyal to the Ming Dynasty. He once wrote a petition for military service, and strongly advocated "the power of Chongzhou County to control its own people and use its own pay." However, it was not adopted, and the capital of Nanjun was finally destroyed. In the middle age of Chongzhen, Zhang Shichun was seventy years old when he was appointed as the prefect of Liuzhou. Hearing that the capital city had been occupied by the Qing Dynasty, he became ill with grief and anger and died in Liuzhou. Zhang Shichun's articles attack difficulties and differences and create meaningful words. His works include six volumes of "Four Books Left Behind" (included in "Si Ku Quanshu"), twelve volumes of the first and second volumes of "Quan Yi Bao" (included in "Yu Zhang Series"), "Four Collections of Left Books" and "Nothing Left". It is listed in "General Catalog of Sikuquanshu".
Ai Nanying (1583-1646), courtesy name Qianzi, nicknamed Tianmaidzi, was a native of Xinji, Linchuan (now under the jurisdiction of Dongxiang), an essayist and literary critic in the late Ming Dynasty. He was talented and enlightened since childhood and received a good family education. He was able to write at the age of seven and wrote "The Treatise on the Seven Sages in the Bamboo Forest". After he became an adult, he was even more diligent and studious, well-read, and his talent became famous far and wide. He entered the country and studied as a student. In the fourth year of Tianqi (1624), people were elected. He founded Yuzhang Society and became its leader. After the Qing soldiers went south, they entered Fujian to meet the king of Tang Dynasty. Chen "Shi Ke Worry" was appointed as the head of the Ministry of War, and later changed to the censor. He died in Yanping soon. Ai Nanying and Zhang Shichun, Luo Wanzao and Chen Jitai from the same county took it as their own duty to promote simple and ancient articles. They advocated that poems should express true feelings and opposed the imitation of antiquity that "literature must be from Qin and Han Dynasties". They also opposed the imitation of Li Cai from the Six Dynasties and the pursuit of difficult writing. style of writing. These ideas became the forerunners of the Tongcheng School of literary theory in the Qing Dynasty. They also engraved four people's articles for publication, and people at that time called them "Jiangyou Four" or "Chen Luozhangai". His "Tianmaozi Collection" was banned and destroyed during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. "Yugong Illustrations" is a geographical annotation, which is included in the "General Catalog of Sikuquanshu". In addition, he edited more than a thousand volumes of ancient and modern history, but unfortunately they were all destroyed by war.
Qu Yuan - the first great patriotic poet in the history of literature
A native of Chu State at the end of the Warring States Period, an outstanding politician and patriotic poet. The name is Ping and the word is Yuan. Descendants of Qu Xia, son of Xiong Tong, King of Chu Wu. A native of Danyang (now Zigui, Hubei).
Qu Yuan experienced three periods in his life: King Wei of Chu, King Huai of Chu, and King Qingxiang, and he was mainly active during the period of King Huai of Chu. This period was the eve of China's imminent unification. "Horizontally, he is the Emperor of Qin, and vertically, he is the King of Chu." Qu Yuan was born in a noble family, and was good at managing chaos and adept at rhetoric. Therefore, he was deeply favored by King Huai of Chu in his early years. He was Zuotu and Sanlu doctor. In order to realize the great cause of the unification of the Chu State, Qu Yuan actively assisted King Huai in reforming and strengthening the country internally, and firmly advocated uniting Qi to resist Qin externally, which made the Chu State become rich and powerful, and powerful among the princes. However, due to sharp conflicts between Qu Yuan and the decadent aristocratic group of Chu state in domestic and foreign affairs, and due to the jealousy of Shangguan officials and others, Qu Yuan was later framed by a small group and alienated by King Huai of Chu.
In the fifteenth year of King Huai (304 BC), Zhang Yi traveled from Qin to Chu and bribed Jin Shang, Zi Lan, Zheng Xiu and others with heavy sums of money to act as traitors. "Deceive King Huai, causing Qi and Chu to break off their diplomatic relations. After being deceived, King Huai became angry and sent troops to Qin twice, but was defeated miserably both times. So Qu Yuan was ordered to send an envoy to the state of Qi to restore the old friendship between Qi and Chu.
During this period, Zhang Yi once again traveled from Qin to Chu to disintegrate the Qi-Chu alliance, which failed. In the twenty-fourth year of King Huai's reign, Qin and Chu formed an alliance with Huang Ji, and Chu State completely fell into the arms of Qin. Qu Yuan was also expelled from Yingdu and arrived in northern Han Dynasty.
In the 30th year of King Huai's reign, Qu Yuan returned to Yingdu. In the same year, Qin invited King Huai to meet at Wuguan. King Huai was detained by Qin and eventually died in Qin. After King Qingxiang came to the throne, he continued to implement the policy of surrender. Qu Yuan was expelled from Yingdu again and exiled to the south of the Yangtze River, wandering between Yuan and Xiang. Between two waters. In the 21st year of King Qingxiang's reign (278 BC), Qin general Bai Qi attacked Yingdu. Qu Yuan was so grief-stricken and angry that he sank into the Miluo River, sacrificing his political ideals.
Qu Yuan’s works include "Li Sao", "Heavenly Questions", "Nine Songs" (11 articles), "Nine Chapters" (9 articles), and "Calling the Soul", totaling 23 articles. In addition, there is still controversy in academic circles as to whether the chapters such as "Buju" and "The Fisherman" were written by Qu Yuan. Among them, "Li Sao" is Qu Yuan's masterpiece and the longest romantic political lyric poem in the history of ancient Chinese literature. "Tianwen" is a rare and unique poem in ancient and modern times. It asks 172 questions to the sky in succession, covering astronomy, geography, literature, philosophy and many other fields. It expresses the poet's bold doubts about traditional concepts and his pursuit of truth. Scientific spirit. "Nine Songs" is a set of songs to worship gods based on folk sacrificial songs. A large number of images of gods are created in the poem, most of which are love songs between humans and gods.
Qu Yuan’s works are a true record of his insistence on the ideal of "beautiful government" and his struggle against the decadent aristocratic group of Chu State. His ideal of "beautiful government" is reflected in his works, which is to "promote talents and teach talents, and follow the rules without making mistakes" ("Li Sao"). The so-called "recruiting talents and granting talents" means to select truly talented people to govern the country regardless of high or low status, to oppose the old nobles' monopoly on power and position. He also used the historical deeds of slave Fu Shuo, butcher Lu Wang, and merchant Ning Qi as examples to illustrate the rationality of selecting talents regardless of status. The so-called "following the rope without being too strict" means to clarify the law, that is, the law is not noble and restricts the various privileges of the old aristocracy. Qu Yuan's ideal of "beautiful government" reflected his sharp opposition to the decadent aristocratic group of Chu State, and expressed his progressive requirements to get rid of bad government. Its ultimate goal was to save the motherland from danger and put Chu State on the road to prosperity. Related to this, Qu Yuan's works also profoundly exposed the darkness of Chu State's politics, the decadence of the Chu State's aristocratic group, and the fatuousness of the King of Chu. They showed that he adhered to the ideal of "beautiful government" and integrity, and "even though he died nine times, he still had no regrets." His fighting spirit; at the same time, he showed his concern for the country and the people, his love for the country and his people, and his determination to devote himself to the motherland. Although Qu Yuan was slandered, shunned, and even exiled, he always thought about the rise and fall of his motherland and the suffering of the people. He hoped that the King of Chu would repent, work hard, and become the master of the Renaissance. He knew that loyalty and uprightness would lead to disaster, but he always "beared it and could not give it up"; he knew that he was facing many dangers, and in the era of "Chu materials were promoted and used", he could have gone to other countries to seek a way out, but he He still refused to leave Chu State. It shows his infinite loyalty to the motherland and his personality and will that "can compete with the sun and the moon".
Qu Yuan is the first great patriotic poet in the history of Chinese literature. He is an outstanding representative of romantic poets. As an outstanding politician and patriot, Qu Yuan's spirit of loving the motherland and the people, adhering to the truth, and willing to die unyielding, as well as his majestic personality that "can compete with the sun and the moon", have inspired and nurtured countless Chinese people for thousands of years, especially When the country is in crisis, the inspirational effect of this spirit is even more obvious. As a great poet, Qu Yuan's emergence not only marked the entry of Chinese poetry into a new era from collective singing to individual creation, but also the new poetry style he created, Chu Ci, broke through the expression form of the "Book of Songs" and greatly It enriches the expressive power of poetry and opens up a new world for ancient Chinese poetry creation. Later generations also referred to "Chu Ci" and "Book of Songs" as "Feng and Sao". "Wind and Sao" are the sources of the two fine traditions of realism and romanticism in the history of Chinese poetry. At the same time, the Chu Ci represented by Qu Yuan also influenced the formation of Han Fu.
In Chinese history, Qu Yuan is the poet most admired and loved by the people. According to "Xu Qi Xie Ji" and "Sui Shu Geography", Qu Yuan committed suicide by throwing himself into the river on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Chinese folk customs of making rice dumplings and racing dragon boats during the Dragon Boat Festival on May 5th originated from people's commemoration of Qu Yuan. In 1953, Qu Yuan was also listed as one of the world's "four major cultural celebrities" and was solemnly commemorated by the World Peace Council and people all over the world.
Sun Wu and "The Art of War"
Sun Wu, a native of the late Spring and Autumn Period, was a descendant of the Tian family of the State of Qi. He later went to the State of Wu and was appointed as a general by King Helu of Wu. He led his army to conquer the State of Chu. . "The Art of War" is said to have been written by him, with a total of 13 chapters.
"Sun Tzu's Art of War" formulates relatively systematic strategic and tactical principles based on the objective laws of war. It believes that to achieve victory in war, adequate planning and preparation are necessary. It attaches great importance to political struggle and believes that it is best to "conquer the enemy without fighting." It believes that in the process of war, it is necessary to fully understand and master the enemy's situation. It is said that "knowing yourself and the enemy will prevent you from being in danger in a hundred battles." If "you don't know the enemy and yourself, you will be in danger in every battle." It states that the most important thing in an engagement is to strive for the initiative. It requires the correct use of troops, emphasizing "we are dedicated and the enemy is divided", trying to concentrate one's own troops and force the enemy's troops to disperse, so as to create a favorable situation of "attacking one with ten" and "attacking the few with many". Tactics must be flexible, "attack the unprepared and take them by surprise", and "avoid the real and attack the weak".
In war command, one must be calm, yet decisive and brave. In addition, "The Art of War" puts forward some important principles in various aspects of terrain, reconnaissance, and military discipline and education.
"The Art of War" is an excellent military work with a simple dialectical perspective. It not only plays an important role in the military history of our country, but also has a high reputation in the military history of the world.
Xiang Yu - the anti-Qin leader in the late Qin who proclaimed himself the Overlord of Western Chu
One of the important anti-Qin leaders in the late Qin Dynasty, he proclaimed himself the Overlord of Western Chu after the death of Qin. A native of Xiaxiang (now southwest of Suqian, Jiangsu Province). Famous book, character Yu. His grandfather Xiang Yan was a famous Chu general in the late Warring States Period, but was killed by Qin general Wang Jian; his uncle Xiang Liang. After the unification of Qin, Xiang Liang killed people, avoided Wuzhong with Xiang Yu, and secretly organized and trained the guests' children with military skills. Xiang Yu can carry a cauldron and is extremely talented.
In the first year of Qin II (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang led an uprising against Qin and immediately established the Zhang Chu regime. After hearing the news, the nobles of the original six countries also raised troops. In September of the same year, Xiang Yu and Xiang Liang killed Kuaiji to defend the pass, and raised troops from Wuzhong to rebel against Qin. Xiang Liang made himself the governor of Kuaiji, and Xiang Yu became his assistant general. After Chen Sheng died, his general Zhao Pingjiao ordered Xiang Liang to be the King of Chu in Shangzhu Kingdom. In March of the second year, Xiang Liang led his troops to cross the river, and Dongyang ordered Shi Chen Ying to return with the rebel army. After crossing the Huaihe River, General Yingbu and General Pu joined forces with each other. The number of troops temporarily reached 60,000 to 70,000, becoming the main force of the anti-Qin armed forces at that time. . In June of the same year, Xiang Liang established Sun Xin, King Huai of Chu, and was still called King Huai of Chu. Xiang Liang called himself Wu Xinjun. After that, Xiang Liang led the rebel army to defeat the Qin army in Dong'a and Dingtao. Xiang Yu and Liu Bang also captured Chengyang and captured the territory as far as Yongqiu. Soon, Xiang Liang was attacked by Qin general Zhang Han. Xiang Liang was killed in battle, and Xiang Yu and Liu Bang surrendered to Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu) and Dang. Zhang Han crossed the river to attack Zhao again, and together with Qin general Wang Li and Shejian's army, they surrounded Julu. King Huai of Chu appointed Song Yi as the general and Xiang Yu as the second general to lead his troops to rescue Zhao. Xiang Yu attacked and killed Song Yi in the name of Song Yi conspiring with Qi to rebel against Chu. King Huai immediately appointed Xiang Yu as the general to lead the entire army to rescue Zhao. Xiang Yu personally led his entire army across the river, burned cauldrons and boats, and attacked the Qin army. After many fierce battles, the Chu army defeated the Qin army. When the Chu army rescued Zhao, all the princes and armies stood on the sidelines and watched. After the war, all the princes and generals came to see Xiang Yu. They all walked forward on their knees. No one dared to look up. They all obeyed Xiang Yu's command. Then, Xiang Yu defeated the Qin army on the sewage and recruited Zhang Han to surrender. He was afraid that Qin's soldiers would not obey, so he killed all 200,000 soldiers who had surrendered.
When Xiang Yu led his army into Guanzhong, Liu Bang had already entered Xianyang in advance. Since King Huai of Chu had an agreement in advance, "the one who enters the pass first will be the king", so Liu Bang should be the king of Guanzhong. After Xiang Yu entered the Pass, he relied on his 400,000 troops in an attempt to destroy Liu Bang and dominate the world. Due to Liu Bangbei's conciliatory words, the two parties temporarily reconciled. Xiang Yu immediately led his troops to the west to massacre Xianyang, and the Qin people were greatly disappointed. In the first year of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), Xiang Yu took King Huai as his righteous emperor and established his capital in Chen. He also divided the feudal lords and established himself as the overlord of Western Chu. He occupied 9 counties in Liang and Chu lands and made his capital Pengcheng. Liu Bang was granted the title of King of Han. Soon, Tian Rong, Chen Yu, Peng Yue and others raised troops to rebel against Chu. Liu Bang also targeted the Three Qin Dynasties and invaded Western Chu, so the Chu-Han War broke out which lasted for more than four years. At the beginning of the Chu-Han War, Liu Bang took advantage of Xiang Yu to detain Qi, and in April of the second year of Han Dynasty, he captured Pengcheng. Xiang Yu immediately returned to rescue and defeated the Han army, and Liu Bang retreated to Xingyang.
After that, the Chu and Han sides had a long-term stalemate on the Xingyang and Chenggao lines. Although Xiang Yu won a series of battles, his political and military weaknesses were increasingly exposed. He was not in Guanzhong but in Pengcheng. He lost the favorable strategic terrain and was unable to establish a solid rear. He was always in the unfavorable situation of fighting on two fronts. Xiang Yu enfeoffed the princes with improper and unfair measures, which promoted those who were not satisfied in the enfeoffment. The princes and kings turned to Liu Bang, making him increasingly politically isolated. In addition, although Xiang Yu was brave in battle, he was not good at employing people, and even made many political mistakes. In December of the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, the Chu army was besieged in Gaixia (now southeast of Lingbi, Anhui), with few people and no food. The Han army sang songs of Chu from all sides, Xiang Yu and Yu Ji drank with each other and sang tragic songs. Immediately, he and more than 800 of his followers broke through the encirclement. They lost their way to Yinling and returned to Dongcheng. Only 28 of their followers were left. Han general Guan Ying led 5,000 cavalry to pursue him, and Xiang Yu led his troops eastward to Wujiang (now Hexian County in Anhui) and committed suicide. Liu Bang, the king of Han, buried Xiang Yu in Gucheng with the rites of Lu Gong.
Introduction to Han Feizi
Han Fei (approximately 280 BC - 233 BC) was a Korean aristocrat. He was a "study of magic" and later generations called him Han Feizi. He and Li Si were both disciples of Xunzi. At that time, South Korea was very weak and was often bullied by its neighboring countries. He repeatedly proposed strategies for becoming rich and powerful to the King of Han, but was not adopted by the King of Han. Han Fei wrote a series of articles such as "Gu Anger" and "Five Worms", which were later collected into the book "Han Feizi". King Yingzheng of Qin read Han Fei's article and admired it very much. In 234 BC, Han Fei came to Qin as an envoy from South Korea and wrote to the King of Qin, urging him to attack Zhao first and delay the attack on Han. Li Si was jealous of Han Fei's talent and worked with Yao Jia to frame him. Han Fei was forced to commit suicide by taking poison.
Han Fei pays attention to the study of history and believes that history is constantly developing and progressing. He believed that if today's people still praise "the ways of Yao, Shun, Tang, and Wu", "the new sages will surely laugh." Therefore, he advocated "do not revise the ancients, and it is always possible to break the law", "when the world changes, things will change" and "when things change, prepare for changes" ("Han Feizi·Five Worms"), and policies should be formulated based on today's reality. His view of history provided a theoretical basis for the reform of the landlord class at that time.
Han Fei inherited and summarized the thoughts and practices of Legalism during the Warring States Period, and put forward the theory of centralized monarchy.
He advocated that "things in the four directions must be in the center; when the saints insist, the four directions will respond" ("Han Feizi: Property Rights"), the power of the country must be concentrated in the hands of the monarch ("sage"), and the monarch must have the right to have Only with power can the world be governed. "The lord of thousands of chariots is the king of thousands of chariots. Therefore, those who control the world and conquer the princes use their power and power" ("Han Feizi: Renzhu"). To this end, the monarch should use various means to eliminate the hereditary slave-owning nobles, "disperse their parties" and "seize their assistants" ("Han Feizi·Zhudao"); at the same time, select a group of feudal officials who have been trained in practice to replace them, "The prime minister must be from the state department, and the fierce general must be from the army" ("Han Feizi Xianxue"). Han Fei also advocated reform and the implementation of the rule of law, calling for "abolition of the teachings of the previous kings" ("Han Feizi·Wen Tian") and "taking the law as teaching" ("Han Feizi·Wuzhe"). He emphasized that when "laws" are formulated, they must be strictly implemented, and no one should be exempted from them, so that "the law is not noble", "the ministers will not be spared from punishment, and the good will be rewarded" ("Han Feizi·Youdu"). He also believed that only by implementing severe punishments could the people obey, society be stable, and feudal rule be consolidated. These ideas of Han Fei reflected the interests and demands of the emerging feudal landlord class, and provided a theoretical basis for ending the feudal separatism and establishing a unified centralized feudal state. Many of the political measures taken by Qin Shi Huang after he unified China were the application and development of Han Fei's theory.