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Chapter 289: A General Unknown in History Books

At the same time, Wang Chong also advocated that "the present is better than the past". He believed that the so-called sages in ancient times were not as powerful as described in books. Although people in later generations need to learn from the wisdom of their predecessors, they may not be unable to surpass them.

However, Wang Chong's ideas were not accepted by the mainstream 2000 years ago. First, the emperor could not accept him - the emperor was the "Son of Heaven", the son of God. If there was no God according to Wang Chong, then where would the emperor be placed?

Secondly, the literati and scholar-officials could not accept Wang Chong because the doubts about Confucius and Mencius in "Lun Heng" were also one of the reasons why they could not accept Wang Chong's ideas.

As most of the common people were not well educated, it was even more impossible for them to understand Wang Chong's theory of "treason". In their eyes, Wang Chong was just a rebel.

In fact, for 2000 years, Wang Chong has always been an image of a rebel in the mainstream of society. Until the Qing Dynasty, people still called Wang Chong a rebel and looked down on him.

It was not until modern times that some far-sighted intellectuals realized the value of Wang Chong and were amazed that a man who lived 2000 years ago could have such profound insights.

After the establishment of the new junior high school, as materialistic thought spread widely in China, Wang Chong was gradually recognized. But this recognition came too late, waiting for 2000 years.

In short, although Wang Chong’s atheism was a minority idea in ancient times, it still had a great influence.

As for why Wang Chong is not well-known in later generations, the answer is actually very simple: because almost all feudal dynasties later needed to promote the idea that "the emperor's power is granted by heaven." If Wang Chong's atheism were widely promoted, the legitimacy of the imperial power would be in question.

Being able to objectively think about the truth of the world nearly 2000 years ago, when theology was prevalent, this act itself was a great thing, like a person walking against the tide in the dark.

Wang Chong's "Lun Heng" can be regarded as one of the greatest works in the history of ancient Chinese thought.

[Read all the historical trivia about the tragic hero who quelled the An-Shi Rebellion in one go: Guo Ziyi of the Tang Dynasty]

He is a forgotten hero who was honored in the Lingyan Pavilion with the same fame as Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi. He was the bravest among the three armies and the Anshi Rebellion was finally ended by him. His family was full of loyal and brave people, more than 40 of them died for the country, and his two daughters married for the country.

He was originally a loyal minister, but was forced to rebel, became a traitor, and had a tragic end. He is the tragic hero Pu Gu Huai En. Among the more than 100 heroes in Lingyan Pavilion, if there is a selection of tragic characters, Pu Gu Huai En will undoubtedly be ranked first.

In terms of the contribution to quelling the Anshi Rebellion, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi ranked first and second, and the third place must be Puguo Huai'en.

According to the Old Book of Tang, Pugu Huai'en was often the vanguard, attacking cities and strongholds, and was the bravest of the three armies. In the war to quell the An-Shi Rebellion, 46 members of Huai'en's family died for the country, and two daughters married for the country, which can be called a family of loyal martyrs.

However, such a loyal minister with outstanding contributions was later forced to go to Liangshan and rebel, just like Lin Chong in "Water Margin".

So, what kind of person was Pugu Huai'en in history? How did he go from a loyal minister to a traitor?

Pugu Huai'en was born into the Pugu tribe, one of the nine major surnames of the Tiele ethnic group. After his ancestors surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, they guarded the northwest border for the Tang Dynasty for generations.

When he was young, Pugu Huai'en served under two big names in the Tang Dynasty's military, Wang Zhongsi and An Sishun. With his outstanding abilities, he was regarded as a confidant by the two big names and was quite appreciated.

"Old Book of Tang" commented that he was "good at fighting, understood the customs of various ethnic minorities, and had the talent of a commander", which means that Pugu Huai'en was good at fighting, familiar with the customs of ethnic minorities, and had the talent of a commander.

With the outbreak of the An-Shi Rebellion, Pugu Huai'en's talents were fully demonstrated. He stood at the center of the stage of that era together with Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi.

At the beginning of the An-Shi Rebellion, Pugu Huai'en was under Guo Ziyi's command. When Emperor Suzong went to Lingwu to ascend the throne, Pugu Huai'en followed Guo Ziyi to Lingwu to support Emperor Suzong.

This is very important, because Suzong had abandoned his father Xuanzong and had only about 2000 soldiers and horses around him, which was equivalent to being unarmed, so the support of the military was crucial. It was also because of this that Pugu Huai'en had the merit of supporting him.

The small court had just been established, and the Tongluo tribe of the Tiele tribe attached themselves to An Lushan, acted as the vanguard of the rebels, and invaded the Shuofang Army (now southwest of Lingwu, Ningxia).

At this time, Emperor Suzong, who had just ascended the throne in Lingwu, was in danger. Pugu Huai'en's son Pugu Yin led his troops to fight, but was defeated and surrendered, and then took the opportunity to escape back.

Pugu Huai'en, in order to enforce strict military discipline, killed his own son and beheaded him in public. This move greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers who were suppressing the rebellion. In the end, under the command of Pugu Huai'en, the rebels were defeated and the threat to Lingwu was eliminated.

This battle was a show of justice for Puguo Huai'en, which stabilized the morale of the army, protected the safety of the new Tang government, and laid the foundation for the Tang Dynasty to launch a counterattack later.

In the subsequent battles to suppress the rebellion, Pugu Huai'en fought hundreds of battles and made outstanding achievements. In the battle of Xiangji Temple to recapture Chang'an, the rebels set up an ambush to attack the Tang army, but Pugu Huai'en saw through it.

He led the Uighur cavalry to kill all the rebels and wiped out the elite cavalry that was ambushed by the rebels, allowing the Tang army to gradually gain the upper hand on the battlefield and eventually defeat An Shouzhong and Li Guiren, two powerful generals of the An Lushan rebels.

Originally, Puguo Huai'en had the opportunity to capture these two brave generals alive, but he missed the opportunity due to the indecision of Prince Guangping Li Yu.

It can be said that the victory of the Tang army in the Battle of Xiangji Temple was largely due to Pugu Huai'en. After the Battle of Xiangji Temple, the Tang Dynasty successfully recovered Chang'an, and this battle also became a turning point in the Anshi Rebellion.

Later, Pugu Huai'en followed Li Guangbi as his deputy to fight in Hebei. The history books said that "Pugu Huai'en was the best general in Gongguan", which means that Pugu Huai'en often led the charge and his merits were higher than those of other generals.

However, his other son, Pugurong, was as brave in battle as his father and was known as the "Fighting General" in the army.

This father and son pair fought bravely in many battles and made great contributions.

However, Pugu Huai'en had a fatal weakness. The Old Book of Tang, Biography of Pugu Huai'en, recorded: "Huai'en was a man of great courage and seldom words, and because he was relaxed and resolute, he was also incompatible with the situation when he offended his superiors."

This means that Pugu Huai'en has the temperament of a general, calm and taciturn, but whenever he disagrees with his superiors, he will speak frankly or even curse.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Xun Yu also commented that Tian Feng, a counselor under Yuan Shao, was "rigid and offended his superiors", meaning that Tian Feng was too rigid and always offended his leader Yuan Shao, which also led to his advice not being adopted many times.

Pugu Huai'en was just like Tian Feng, talented and upright, but he did not do a good job in getting along with his superiors.

In his early years, Pugu Huai'en followed Guo Ziyi. Guo Ziyi had a generous character and respected Huai'en, so he turned a blind eye to his behavior.

However, after following Li Guangbi, because Li Guangbi had strict military discipline and severe law enforcement, Pugu Huai'en tolerated Li Guangbi on the surface but was very dissatisfied in his heart.

When following Li Guangbi to recover the eastern capital Luoyang, Pugu Huai'en deliberately disobeyed Li Guangbi's military orders, which led to a rift between the generals and the Tang army, and a tragic defeat. Later, Emperor Suzong of Tang blamed Pugu Huai'en for the defeat at Mangshan, promoted him in name only, demoted him in reality, and removed him from military power.

As the saying goes, "character determines destiny." Pugu Huai'en's rebellious character caused him to inadvertently offend many people, which also laid the groundwork for his later tragic end.

Soon, the rebels began to split. Shi Chaoyi took over the position of leader of the rebels after killing his father Shi Siming. Shortly after Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, Shi Chaoyi used the excuse that the Tang Dynasty was about to collapse to lure the Uighurs to unite with him, hoping to make a fortune in the chaos.

The Uighur Khan Dengli personally led an army of 10 to approach Guanzhong, shocking the Tang court and the people. Pugu Huai'en was sent as an envoy to the Uighurs to make friends with them.

In order to defuse the conflict, Emperor Taizong of Tang re-employed Pugu Huai'en and ordered him to meet his son-in-law (the son of Uighur Khan Dengli).

In the court, Pugu Huai'en witnessed eunuchs and treacherous officials colluding with each other to frame loyal officials, which frightened him. He knew that the meeting with the 100,000-strong Huihe army would undoubtedly be dangerous, so he resolutely refused to go.

In order to dispel his concerns, Emperor Taizong of Tang specially granted him an iron certificate of immunity from death, allowing him to go without worry. In desperation, Pugu Huai'en met with his son-in-law in Taiyuan, explained the pros and cons to him, and successfully persuaded his son-in-law to turn his guns around and assist the Tang army in attacking Shi Chaoyi.

After that, although the Uighur Khan asked for peace and assistance in the attack on Chaoyi, Pugu Huai'en returned to the army and served as the commander-in-chief of the Tang army. Under his command, the Tang army and the Uighur army finally defeated the rebels and recovered Luoyang.

As Shi Chaoyi had no way out, he hanged himself, and the other rebel generals surrendered one after another. The Anshi Rebellion was finally ended by Puguo Huai'en.

At this time, he had made an unprecedented contribution to turning the tide, and his prestige reached its peak. Even Guo Ziyi was willing to play a supporting role for him.

Emperor Taizong of Tang also praised him and Guo Ziyi for their contributions in quelling the Anshi Rebellion, and even gave up his throne to him.

However, the Huihe were both his success and his failure. The iron certificate of immunity from death granted by Emperor Taizong of Tang became a death warrant. As Pugu Huai'en expected, this incident later became the beginning of his suspicion and slander.

As the An-Shi Rebellion was put down, the drama of "after the rabbit dies, the dog is cooked" began to unfold. Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi were either marginalized or ignored, while the Minister of War Lai Zhen was framed by the eunuchs and stabbed to death by Emperor Daizong of Tang.

At that time, Xin Yunjing, the governor of Hedong, had always been very disgusted with the Huihe, and therefore had no good feelings towards Pugu Huai'en. So Xin Yunjing and the eunuch Luo Fengxian teamed up to frame Pugu Huai'en for treason.

Pugu Huai'en also started a lawsuit with them, writing to the court to accuse the two of framing loyal officials. However, facing the conflict between the two sides, Emperor Daizong of Tang did not investigate it carefully, but instead tried to smooth things over, which made Pugu Huai'en very disappointed.

Pu Gu Huai En was worried that he would follow in the footsteps of Wen Zhong and Wu Zi Xu, so he went to the palace to write a letter to state his past achievements. He thought that heaven and earth could bear witness to his deeds, but Emperor Daizong ignored him.

At this time, Pugu Huai'en was full of grievances. Later, Tang Daizong sent the prime minister as a special envoy to appease him. When he saw the special envoy, Pugu Huai'en was like a wronged child meeting his relatives. He hugged the special envoy's thighs, cried loudly, and agreed to go back to Beijing with him.

However, his subordinates poured cold water on him: the rift between him and the imperial court had already formed, and he was afraid that he would never return. Lai Zhen's death was the best warning. Pu Gu Huai En was helpless and started a rebellion.

When the news of Pugu Huai'en's rebellion reached the capital, the court and the people were shocked. Since the Shuofang soldiers led by Pugu and his son were all former subordinates of Guo Ziyi, the court appointed Guo Ziyi to suppress the rebellion.

This strategy of cutting off the firewood from under the cauldron really worked immediately. When Guo Ziyi's former subordinates saw their old leader, they all surrendered. At this time, Pugu Huai'en's son Pugu Rong was angry because the war was not going well. He whipped the general, arousing public anger and was beheaded by his subordinates.

When Puguo Huai'en's mother learned the news, the old lady, who had originally opposed Puguo Huai'en's rebellion, was so angry that she chased him around the yard with a knife, shouting "Killing the thief for no good of the country."

Faced with his mother's lack of understanding, Pugu Huai'en could only flee in embarrassment. Later, his mother surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, and the emperor gave her generous treatment and took care of her until her death.

Faced with unwarranted injustice, his son's death in battle, and his mother's breakup with him, one can imagine the resentment inside Pugu Huai'en.

However, all this was caused by the emperor, who knew that he had embarked on a road of no return and could only go down this road to the end. Therefore, Pugu Huai'en united with the Huihe, Tubo and others, and led hundreds of thousands of troops to march straight to Chang'an.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty was facing another major crisis after the An-Shi Rebellion. Fortunately, Guo Ziyi stepped forward and dissuaded the Huihe, and the situation eased slightly.

However, another major event happened soon after: Pugu Huai'en died suddenly on the way to Chang'an. In this way, a generation of famous generals fell, which made people sigh.

Looking at Pugu Huai'en's life, he was both a meritorious official and a traitor, full of tragedy. In Zizhi Tongjian, Sima Guang included him in the biography of traitors for the purpose of maintaining imperial power, which is obviously not objective.

At that time, famous generals such as Li Guangbi were unwilling to lead troops to defend the emperor because of the slander of eunuchs, and eventually died of depression. As the saying goes, "the dog is cooked after the rabbit dies", at that time, Pugu Huai'en had no choice.

Is it necessary for him to pay the price of his life for such foolish and unfair loyalty? Pugu Huai'en's answer is "not necessary".

In an era when imperial power was supreme, the emperor's will seemed to have to be obeyed, but "if the emperor wants his subject to die, the subject must die" was not a self-evident principle.

Mencius once said: "The ruler regards his subjects as grass and the subjects regard their ruler as an enemy." The relationship between ruler and subjects advocated by sages has always been a mutually beneficial relationship, rather than the servile relationship created by power scholars in later generations.

For Pugu Huai'en, his entire family of loyal heroes was abandoned after their death, and he could not even preserve his last bit of innocence. This was his tragedy, and also the tragedy of the Tang Dynasty's decline from prosperity.

——“I was forced by those people.”

——"They were all brought up by Wang Zhongsi. What a pity."

——"Yes, and Geshu Han, they are all considered Wang Zhongsi's younger brothers."

——"Wrong, Li Guangbi should be ranked first, and Guo Ziyi second. They are both meritorious officials with outstanding military achievements."

——"Wang Xianzhi is also very powerful. I remember he is also Wang Zhongsi's younger brother."