In the last years of the Qin Dynasty, the people could not bear the tyranny and revolted one after another. Despite the large number of princes who raised the army, in the end there were only two overlords left, that is, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu.
The story of the Chu-Han struggle for hegemony is all too familiar to us. Despite being hanged by Xiang Yu in the early days, Liu Bang still achieved the final victory. Embattled, Xiang Yu wolf ran away. Eventually fleeing to the shores of the Wu River, Xiang Yu chose to give up and eventually killed himself, and the Chu-Han War ended in Liu Bang's victory.
Later generations have different views on Xiang Yu's self-destructions. Some people think that self-killing is correct and Xiang Yu has dignity; some people think that self-killing is wrong, Xiang Yu glass heart. Among them, the most representative are the two poems of the two poets, that is, Du Mu's "Title Wujiang Pavilion" and Li Qingzhao's "Summer Sentences". Today, we will discuss why these two poets have two completely different views.
Du Mu's "Title Wujiang Pavilion"
The poem said: "The victorious and defeated soldiers are unexpected, and the shame and shame are boys." Jiangdong's sons are multi-talented, and their comeback is unknown. The last two sentences of this poem are quite famous, have been passed down through the ages, and are also the sentences that many people will quote when opposing Xiang Yu's self-destruct.
In fact, most people think that Xiang Yu's self-murder is somewhat undeserved, and even feel that he has a glass heart. The vivid example was in front of his eyes: Liu Bang was beaten several times, and even the lives of his children could not be taken care of, but he never gave up, and came back again and again, and finally defeated him Xiang Yu. Why can't Xiang Yu make a comeback? After only one failure, he drew his sword and killed himself, and his heart was too fragile.
Looking further ahead, during the Spring and Autumn Period, King Gou of Yue was defeated by King Wu and made a prisoner. This is already very shameful, and Gou Jian also takes the initiative to serve Lu Lu, and even helps him check his body by tasting Lu Lu's stool. In the end, Lu Lu let down his guard and let go of Gou Jian. After ten years of practicing underpaid wages, he finally destroyed the State of Wu and became one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period.
Why does Du Mu have such a view? First of all, we must know what kind of a person Du Mu is.
Du Mu was born in the Jingzhao Du clan and was a descendant of the shijia clan, and his grandfather Du You was a famous politician of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, since he was a child, Du Mu's family has been very well-off.
Moreover, Du Mu has had great ambitions since he was a child, and he is also a young genius, who has learned from ancient times to the present. When he was only 23 years old, Du Mu wrote the famous article "A Fang Gong Fu" that has been passed down through the ages, which is famous all over the world. At the age of 26, he entered the army again, which can be described as full of spirits.
However, at the age of 31, Du Mu worked as an official in Huainan and lived in Yangzhou. During his time in Yangzhou, he began to let loose, and when he had nothing to do, he went to the Qinglou, interacted with the red dust woman, and drunkenly dreamed of death. In addition to his own hobbies, he did so, but more in the political arena, he was depressed and could not find spiritual sustenance, so he took advantage of this pastime. Inside him, it was still hot.
Therefore, Du Mu wrote the famous poem "Sending Nostalgia" for thousands of years, which said: "Falling into the rivers and lakes is on the line, and the waist of Chu is slender and light in the palm." Ten years of Yangzhou dream, won the Qinglou Bo fortunate name. "This poem is not only ridiculing yourself, but also encouraging yourself to continue to stick to your dreams and contribute to the country."
Later, Du Mu became an official elsewhere, and although his official position was not high, he was honest and honest and adhered to his integrity. Therefore, he was not only admired by posterity in terms of literary creation, but also a model for future generations in terms of serving officials and being a person.
Judging from his life experience, "Title Wujiang Pavilion" is a microcosm and portrayal, and it is also his criterion. Although it has experienced twists and turns, as long as you dare to "make a comeback", you can still achieve something. Therefore, when I think of Xiang Yu again, I can't help but feel sorry for him. If Xiang Yu could also understand this truth and return to Jiangdong to re-recruit the army, with his powerful force, he would still be able to compete with Liu Bang.
This may be a bit absolute, because Xiang Yu has other shortcomings, and perhaps re-antagonizing Liu Bang may not be able to win. However, even at that time, it is not too late to kill yourself, so why give up just after failing?
However, a different point of view was raised.
Li Qingzhao's "Summer Sentence"
The poem says: "Born as a master, death is also a ghost." Still thinking about Xiang Yu, he refused to cross Jiangdong. ”
Xiang Yu killed himself, not only because he had failed, but also because he felt that he had no face to see Jiangdong's father and elder.
The "Chronicle of History" records that when Xiang Yu was cornered, the head of Wujiang Pavilion drove a boat to greet Xiang Yu and said: "Although Jiangdong is not vast, it is also thousands of miles around, with hundreds of thousands of people, enough for you to be king." ”
Xiang Yu said, "God wants to destroy me, even if I cross the river, what can I do?" Moreover, I originally crossed the river with eight thousand disciples and soldiers from Jiangdong, and now none of them have returned home alive, even if Jiangdong's father and elder pity me and honor me as king, what face do I have to meet them? Even if they don't mention it, am I not ashamed in my heart? ”
This sentence exposes Xiang Yu's three weaknesses, the first of which is to blame his own failure on the Mandate of Heaven and not to find the reason from himself; the third point is the fragility of the heart and the benevolence of the woman, both of which we have introduced in the previous article.
The second point is that he feels that he has killed eight thousand Jiangdong disciples and soldiers, and he has no face to see his father and elder in his hometown. There is some truth to this, but how can a war not kill a person? If you dare not make a comeback because of this, it is really a bit unreasonable.
So, why did Li Qingzhao praise Xiang Yu for killing himself?
This is because Li Qingzhao lived in a different era background, that is, the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty. At that time, the Jin soldiers went south and captured Hui Qin Erzong, and the Northern Song emperor had no way to cross the south and hid in Lin'an to establish the Southern Song Dynasty regime. Moreover, from then on, the emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty spent most of his time in a quiet corner, did not want to make progress, and did not want to restore the Northern Song Dynasty.
As a delicate woman, Li Qingzhao's heart is stronger than that of a man, and she can't see the practices of the Southern Song Dynasty court, so she will have such a sigh. If the Emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty could have such a shameful heart as Xiang Yu, he would not have been able to guard half of the country and mountains in Lin'an and still sing and dance, drunkenly dreaming of death.
summary
The fundamental reason why a thousand people have a thousand Hamlets in their hearts is that each person has his own unique life experience and life situation, which creates their different vision. It is not wrong to say that Xiang Yu should commit suicide, and it is also true to say that Xiang Yu should not commit suicide. The key is to find the path you should take and persevere in order to see the last light.