This seemingly typical love poem is written by a loyal woman who is loyal to her husband and refuses her suitors. If you don't understand the background of this poem, it is easy to interpret it as a confession of a chaste and heroic woman.
The name of this poem is indeed Ode to Women, but the author of this poem did not intend to write about chastity and martyrs, but about loyal ministers and martyrs. He wrote about himself.
The author of this poem is Zhang Ji, so why did he express his loyalty in this way?
Zhang Ji was a figure in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. He is from wujiang town, Anhui and County. Zhang Ji was smart and studious since childhood. He worships Han Yu, a great writer, and is his favorite pupil.
Zhang Ji was an official in the Tang Dynasty. He was the "provost" of imperial academy, the highest institution in the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Ji is valued by the ruling and opposition because of his talent and network, and Bai Juyi and others are his close friends.
Zhang Ji lived in an era when the Tang Dynasty was no longer brilliant. After the Anshi Rebellion, the central authority of the Tang Dynasty was completely lost, and the eunuchs monopolized the power at home and sealed off the region to the outside world. In particular, the generals of the buffer region, separated by one side, support their troops with self-respect, just like a country within a country.
This poem was written against this background.
At that time, the era of Pinglu Ziqing made Li Shidao strong. He formed factions in the imperial court and the Tang Dynasty to win over celebrities in order to improve his influence and strengthen his strength.
Zhang Ji's teacher, Han Yu, dislikes this kind of behavior. Zhang Ji listened to the teacher and refused to woo Li Shidao and others.
When Zhang Ji wrote Fu for Women, he expressed his loyalty to the Tang Dynasty with the image of "one woman does not marry two husbands", because some practical interests depend on others.
In other words, Yin Jiefu's original intention is not to praise chaste women, but to express the author's own integrity.
Although Han Yu's Zhang surname was loyal and principled, there were few examples of them at that time, and most of the officials in the Tang Dynasty colluded with external buffer regions.
The problem of buffer region in the middle and late Tang Dynasty is not a simple military issue, but a political and structural issue.
The era in which the Tang Dynasty lived was an era of strong national strength. Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Turks in the north, Koguryo in the east, Tubo in the south and Tiele, Xueyantuo, Uighur and Tuguhun tribes in the west have risen one after another. If the Tang Dynasty wanted to establish a country in the Central Plains, it had to establish a strong armed force, which was the foundation of the rise of the buffer region.
In order to solve this problem, the Song Dynasty adopted a system of strong cadres and weak branches, and the central government completely controlled the army. However, this has led to a decline in the combat effectiveness of the army, weak national defense in the border areas, and it is very embarrassing to be attacked by foreign enemies.
Later, Xu Jin destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty and attacked the Southern Song Dynasty. Qin Gui made peace with Xu Jin. At first, Xu Jin did not intend to make peace. Qin Gui said: If the Southern Song Dynasty adopts the system of the Tang Dynasty as a buffer region, then the whole Song Jun will become very powerful. At that time, I'm afraid Jin people can't even stay in the north. Hearing this, Jin Wushu immediately agreed to peace talks.
If Zhang Ji and others lived in the Song Dynasty, I wonder if they would miss the buffer region?