Su Shi was a literary leader in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty. He made high achievements in poetry, lyrics, prose, calligraphy, and painting.
His articles are free and unbridled; his poems have broad themes, are fresh and bold, are good at using exaggerated metaphors, and have a unique style. Together with Huang Tingjian, they are called "Su Huang"; in terms of lyrics, his poems are He is a representative of the bold and unrestrained style of poetry, and together with Xin Qiji, he is a representative of the bold school, and is also known as "Su Xin"; in terms of prose, his prose writings are grand and bold, and he is called "Ou Su" together with Ouyang Xiu, and is one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties" one. Su Shi's calligraphy was also quite good, and he was one of the "Four Masters of the Song Dynasty"; he was also good at painting, especially good at ink bamboo, strange rocks, dead wood, etc. Really an all-rounder.
Once, the Emperor of Liao sent envoys to the Song Dynasty. Speaking of the Northern Song Dynasty, this was a country with highly developed social civilization. Also because of the founding emperor, this is a country that values ??culture over military affairs. Although the Northern Song Dynasty had a developed economy. The fiscal revenue far exceeded that of the previous dynasty, and most of it was used to support soldiers and officials. However, because the number of troops increased too fast and officials filled their own pockets, they always felt that military expenditures were insufficient, so they allowed the army to engage in business. As this trend persists, military training becomes ineffective. As a country without a strong military, other countries look down upon it.
However, this time when the envoy came to Beijing, the envoy from Daliao was even more arrogant and ignorant. He said that he wanted to write a couplet and asked the court to answer it. At this time, the emperor came to Su Shi, and the envoy from the Liao Kingdom said: "I have a couplet, but it has been difficult to fight with no results. Please ask the teacher to explain it. How about it?" Su Shi said: "Please enlighten me." Then the envoy said: Three lights, sun, moon and stars. This couplet was a difficult couplet in the Liao Kingdom at that time. It looks ordinary, but in fact it is murderous at every step. But Su Shi smiled lightly and said: "Four Poems Ode to Elegance." Suddenly, the envoy was stunned. Before he could recover, he added another sentence: "Brothers from two dynasties." This answer is very clever. It hides the relationship between the Liao Kingdom and the Song Dynasty. It is really a very clever return.
Through Su Shi's answer, the envoy was convinced and resigned.