In 1971, in order to cooperate with the construction of farmland water conservancy near the Zhaoling Tomb in Xianyang, Shaanxi (the joint burial tomb of Li Shimin and Changsun), coupled with the fact that the tomb of Wei Chigong had long been excavated, archaeologists excavated it for rescue. Among the excavated cultural relics, the most valuable is The epitaph of Wei Chigong, the content recorded in the inscription, unveiled the true face of Wei Chigong, so that some scholars lamented that although it subverted traditional cognition, it could explain many historical mysteries.
In the Qing Dynasty's "Complete Biography of The Tang Dynasty", Wei Chigong (i.e. Wei Chi Jingde) was a mangy man who came from an iron striking background. The Song Dynasty's Taiping Guangji records a story of a scholar borrowing money from Wei Chigong.
There is a Lieutenant Chi Jingde, Fang Zhilu Pengshou....... (Shusheng) said: "A certain poor person, rich and noble, wants to beg for money for five hundred." Yes or no? Wei Chigong was furious: "A certain iron man, is there wealth in Peace?" Insult my ears! ”
Although neither the old and new Tang Dynasty books state Wei Chigong's origins, only "Wei Chi Jingde, a native of Shuozhou Shanyang." At the end of daye, he joined the army in Gaoyang, hunted down a group of thieves, and used Wu Yong as a martial artist to give the chaoshan dafu a record, but when Li Jiancheng co-opted Wei Chigong, Wei Chigong personally said something, which corroborated the record of the Taiping Guangji.
Jingde rises from a humble place, and whenever he encounters Sui's death, the world collapses, he has nothing to do, and he has been in rebellion for a long time, and his sins are beyond reproach. King Hui of Shihe Qin took his life, and now he is also known as the Domain Residence, and he should repay the favor with his body.
Wei Chigong's self-described words such as "from the humble", "sneaking around", and "falling against the earth for a long time" all show that Wei Chigong came from a humble origin and was extremely consistent with his identity as a striker. Therefore, even if Wei Chigong was not born in iron, it is estimated that he would not be much better.
Since the origin of Wei Chigong is not recorded in the old and new Tang Books, it is speculated that people have reason to think that Wei Chigong was born in a humble place.
As we all know, Li Shimin is very fond of Wei Chigong, and his evaluation of him is "I hold the bow and arrow, and the public executioner follows each other, although millions of people are like me..... The heart of the public is as lush as a mountain".
As a result, Wei Chigong in traditional culture has become very legendary: from a blacksmithing or other humble profession, step by step to an imperial general, ranking seventh among the 24 heroes of Ling Yan Pavilion, a typical grassroots counterattack, is a rare inspirational legend!
However, the archaeological discovery of Wei Chigong's epitaph reveals the true face of Wei Chigong, who turned out to be not only from a rich family, but also at least the "fourth generation of officials".
On Wei Chigong's epitaph, the official experiences of great-grandfathers, grandfathers, and fathers are recorded in more detail, which makes archaeologists stunned.
Great-grandfather Benzhen, Later Wei Zhonglang general, champion general, the founding duke of Yuyang County, gifted the military of the six states in China and abroad, and was known as Mao. Great Father Yidu (grandfather Wei Chi Mengdu), Northern Qi Zuo Bing Lang Zhong, Qianjin Ziguang Lu Dafu, Into the Zhou, Jeju Military, Jeju Assassin History. Kao Jia (father Wei Chi Jia), with the teaching of Yi Tongsan Si and Wei Wang Ji Room, the imperial dynasty posthumously awarded the title of Duke of Changning An, and gave the Fenzhou Assassin History and the Governor of Youzhou.
It can be seen that Wei Chigong's family lineage is extremely prominent, from his great-grandfather to his father, he has always been a high-ranking member of the dynasty. After three generations of accumulation, the Wei Chi clan is definitely one of the top rich families in the country. As for whether Wei Chigong was above his great-grandfather and whether he was an official, this is unknown, but even so, Wei Chigong was at least born in the "fourth generation of officials".
Therefore, Wei Chigong could not have come from a blacksmith or other humble profession, but grew up with a golden key. Under the influence of such a family, it is not surprising that Wei Chigong is strong in martial arts and proficient in military strategy. As for the words used in Li Jiancheng's story of "from the humble", "sneaking around and having nothing", and "falling against the earth for a long time", it should be just self-humility.
In the tomb of Wei Chigong, the epitaph of his wife Su shi also unearthed also corroborates the identity of Wei Chigong.
Lady Zhen, Jing ZhaoShiping people. (Great-grandfather Su Yi) Later Wei Jin Zi Guanglu Dafu, Taifu Qing, gifted jizhou military, jizhou assassin history, and the founding duke of Anding County. (Grandfather Su Yuanji) Qi secretary Cheng, Dai Prefecture Military, Dai Prefecture Assassin History, Luo Chuanzi. (Father Su Qian) Qi Nan'an Wangfu Xi Cao Sacrifice Wine, Sui Yi Tong Ersi, Danzhou Military, Tanzhou Assassin History, Pillar State, Leling County Founding Marquis.
If Wei Chigong was born in a humble background, how could he marry such a wife? Obviously impossible, the story of the poor boy marrying a powerful woman exists only in the novel, and reality almost does not exist. Judging from the records on these two epitaphs, Wei Chigong and his wife Su Jiao can be described as a door-to-door match.
In short, Wei Chigong has not been a cold boy, but a rich man, well-educated, with rich connections and extraordinary vision.
In fact, with the continuous "coming forward" of underground cultural relics, the true face of many historical celebrities has been revealed, such as Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong. In the history books, Cheng Yaojin was born in a humble background and was a reckless man, but the Cheng Yaojin recorded in the epitaph was born into a rich family; Qin Qiong in the rendition was born into a famous family, but the epitaph shows that he was only a descendant of a middle-level and low-level civilian official.
Although a person's origin cannot determine the future 100%, in the Sui and Tang Dynasties that advocate the door valve clan, people from rich families are destined to have more opportunities. Although Wei Chigong's success is inseparable from his efforts, his identity as a giant is an important foundation.