King Lanling, whose name is Gao Su and whose courtesy name is Changgong, is the fourth son of Emperor Wenxiang Gao Cheng of the Northern Qi Dynasty. He was born in 543 AD and died in 573 AD at the age of 30.
Gao Su was born to his father Gao Cheng and a slave in the palace. Due to his humble background and the loss of his father when he was young, Gao Su's situation was not good when he was young. But he studied literature and martial arts very hard since he was a child. When he grew up, he developed a lot of skills. He was both literary, Taoist and martial arts, and his image was surprisingly handsome. It is said that his appearance is as beautiful as that of a delicate and clean woman. In order to frighten the enemy in battle, Gao Su ordered people to make many hideous masks. Whenever he fought, he would wear the mask with a grimace and charge into battle, which greatly shocked the enemy. In March of 560 AD, in recognition of the achievements of King Lanling, Gao Su was canonized as the King of Lanling County in Xuzhou, and the title of King Lanling came from this.
In the winter of 564 AD, Luoyang, an important town in the Northern Qi Dynasty, was besieged by a hundred thousand troops from the Northern Zhou Dynasty. The defenders had run out of ammunition and food, and the situation was precarious. Emperor Wucheng of the Northern Qi Dynasty was extremely anxious and urgently ordered troops from all over the country to relieve the siege of Luoyang. The reinforcements of the Northern Qi Dynasty rushed to the outside of Luoyang City at night and day, and rushed towards the Northern Zhou army that surrounded Luoyang in an iron barrel. After the soldiers of the three armies fought hard to break through the first line of defense of the Northern Zhou army's siege and reinforcements, they were no longer able to advance forward. Seeing the Northern Zhou siege army gradually strengthening their offensive, the defenders of Luoyang City were already desperate. If the Northern Zhou army captured Luoyang City and turned around to deal with the Northern Qi reinforcements, Northern Qi would be facing annihilation. At this critical moment, a fierce general in the Northern Qi army led five hundred soldiers to charge towards the thousands of troops of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Wearing armor and holding a sharp blade, this general stands out among the crowd. However, the most attractive thing is the ferocious mask on his face, which makes people shudder after seeing it. This general was extremely brave, and the ferocious mask on his face gave the enemy a psychological shock. The Northern Zhou army was unable to stop him. He led five hundred soldiers to fight a bloody road and rushed to Luoyang City. At this time, the defenders in the city were suspicious of fraud and did not dare to open the city gate rashly. They asked to see the general's true face, and the general agreed. When he took off his mask, the defenders in the city suddenly burst into cheers, because this masked man The general is none other than Gao Su, King of Lanling. The defenders immediately rushed out of the city gate and joined forces with King Lanling's army to attack the enemy. The Northern Zhou army was defeated. This battle is known as the "Battle of Mangshan" in history. After the victory at Mangshan, the famous general King Lanling became famous and was granted the title of Shangshu Ling by Emperor Wu Cheng. The soldiers also composed the song and dance "The Song of King Lanling Entering the Battle" to praise King Lanling.
If the trees are beautiful in the forest, the wind will destroy them. If the master's achievements are great, misfortunes will fall on them. The pinnacle of life's glory may often be the starting point of tragedy. Although King Lanling was cautious throughout his life and tried every means to avoid disaster and protect himself, he still could not change his tragic fate. One day in 565 AD, when the empress Gao Wei was talking to King Lanling about the victory at Mangshan, he said humanely, "The battle is too deep, and there is nothing to regret the defeat." King Lanling heard that his younger brother Feeling so sorry for himself, he couldn't help but feel excited, and he replied affectionately, "The family affairs are so close, it just happened without realizing it." However, it was these words expressing closeness and loyalty that led to his death. From the perspective of the petty empress Gao Wei, the family affairs belong to me, Gao Wei, and are not something you, Gao Su, can say casually. He began to wonder whether King Lanling, who had military power, wanted to replace him and wanted to turn "state affairs" into "family affairs."
One day in May of the fourth year of Wuping (AD 573), the empress Gao Wei sent an envoy to visit his brother Gao Su, and the gift he sent was a cup of poisoned wine. King Lanling was so sad and angry that he drank all the poisonous wine in one gulp and left this messy world resolutely. At that time, King Lanling was only 30 years old. After his death, he was buried west of the capital Ye (now Linzhang County, Handan City). Four years later, the Northern Qi Dynasty, which had lost its military support, was destroyed by the Northern Zhou Emperor Yuwenjue, and almost all the descendants of the Gao family were slaughtered.
The tomb of Lanling King Gaosu is located 5 kilometers south of Ci County, Handan City. The tomb is tall, surrounded by flower-bedded walls, and has a stele pavilion. In 1920, local villagers dug up the "Stele of Lanling King Gaosu" while collecting soil for road construction. On the front of the stele are four lines of sixteen characters in seal script: "The stele of King Zhongwu in Lanling, the former king of Qi Dynasty, the right master of the right army of fake Huangyue." The inscription truly records the life experience of Lanling King Gao Su and the year when the monument was erected.
Although the handwriting is faded and dim, it still retains its vigor and simplicity. Because of its historical data and calligraphy artistic value, it is known as the first grade of Beibei. In 1988, the Lanling King Monument was listed as a key cultural relic under national protection.