freenovelworld Chapter 339 The Real Tang Sanzang
Chapter 339 The Real Tang Sanzang
In 983, 12-year-old Yelu Longxu ascended the Khitan throne, and his mother, Empress Xiao, ruled the country. Zhao Guangyi believed that the Khitan was unstable at the time, so he prepared to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun during this period, and launched a northern expedition with three armies in 986, with Cao Bin as the commander of the eastern army.
At that time, Cao Bin's Eastern Army was relatively close to Youzhou, so it was mainly responsible for pinning down the main force of the Khitan, and then waiting for the other two routes to bypass Youzhou and form an encirclement. However, Cao Bin, who had always been shrewd, made a mistake at this time.
Because his subordinates were greedy for merit and underestimated the enemy, they launched a general attack on the Khitan army. As a result, they fell into the enemy's trap of luring the enemy deep into their territory, and their supply lines behind them were cut off by the Khitan.
Seeing that the battle was going against his will, Cao Bin had no choice but to lead his troops to retreat.
The Khitan troops immediately pursued them. Under this situation, Cao Bin's 10-man army was in great disarray and suffered a series of heavy defeats from the Khitan army, losing more than half of its troops. The Northern Expedition also ended with Cao Bin's failure.
After Cao Bin returned to the court, he was demoted for disobeying orders. It was not until 997 that he was called back to the court by Emperor Zhenzong of Song, but he was already 67 years old at that time. He eventually died of illness at the age of 69.
[He is definitely a famous general, but he is rarely mentioned in history and has a very low sense of existence. Historical trivia and historical figures]
This is a famous general of the Sui Dynasty who is rarely mentioned by later generations. He was brave and good at fighting throughout his life. He defeated rebels several times and was able to survive in desperate situations. He loved the people like his own children. In order to help the victims of the disaster, he risked his life to open the granary to release grain, becoming one of the few court ministers treated well by Emperor Yang of Sui.
He was also a good leader who cherished his subordinates. In order to rescue his subordinates, he was in danger many times and even ended his legendary life for this. In this video, we will learn about Zhang Xutuo, the first famous general in the late Sui Dynasty.
Zhang Xutuo was born in 565 AD in Wenxiang County, Honglong Army, which is today's Lingbao City, Henan Province. His ancestors were officials of the Wu Kingdom as early as the Three Kingdoms period, and his three generations before him also served as court officials during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
During the Sui Dynasty, Zhang Xutuo became a famous general in history and helped the Sui Dynasty quell several peasant uprisings.
According to the "Book of Sui", Zhang Xutuo was brave, resourceful, and had a strong character. He gave people the impression that he was a military general with very strong fighting abilities.
In 597 AD, during the reign of Yang Jian, the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty, the governor of Kunzhou at the time raised an army to rebel against the Sui Dynasty. Zhang Xutuo followed the army to fight against the rebels and was promoted to an official position due to his outstanding performance. From then on, he officially entered the historical stage.
After Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty ascended the throne, King Yang Liang of Han believed that Yang Guang's accession to the throne was illegitimate, so he launched a rebellion in the southern part of today's Taiyuan, Shanxi.
Zhang Xutuo followed Yang Su, the founding minister of the Sui Dynasty, to quell the rebellion and made military achievements during the suppression of Yang Liang. Six years later, at the age of 6, Zhang Xutuo was promoted to the governor of Qi County.
At that time, Emperor Yang of Sui launched a large-scale conscription to conquer Goguryeo. A large number of young and strong men were conscripted, which made it impossible for the people to farm. Food prices rose rapidly, causing serious famine in many places.
Zhang Xutuo then opened the granaries to release grain to help the people. Some people may say that it is understandable for a local official to open the granaries to provide disaster relief, and there is nothing to praise about it.
However, Emperor Yang of Sui had issued a strict order not to open the granaries to release the grain. At that time, Emperor Yang of Sui was on the battlefield of conquering Goguryeo. If Zhang Xutuo wanted to send someone to ask for permission, it would take at least a year. However, the disaster was urgent and there was no time to lose, so Zhang Xutuo decided to kill first and report later, risking his life to release the grain.
This shows that Zhang Xutuo was definitely a good official who loved his people like his own children, and he was ready to die. However, Emperor Yang of Sui not only did not punish him, but rewarded him heavily, which also shows that Zhang Xutuo had occupied an important position in Emperor Yang of Sui's heart at that time.
At that time, the Sui Dynasty was in chaos and many local officials abandoned their cities and fled because of their failure to suppress the rebellion. Some even opened the gates to welcome the enemy. Zhang Xutuo swore allegiance to the country and did his best to protect the interests of the Sui Dynasty.
In 611 AD, in order to avoid conscription, the people in the Changbai Mountain area joined the anti-Sui army in Changbai Mountain.
The leader of the rebel army, Wang Bo, soon had tens of thousands of people and defeated the encirclement and suppression troops sent by the court many times. Zhang Xutuo then led his troops to fight against them personally. Wang Bo was very frightened when he heard about it, and led his people to the south to fight in other areas.
But just when he was careless, Zhang Xutuo appeared again and beheaded thousands of his soldiers.
Wang Bo was powerless to resist Zhang Xutuo's attack and could only lead the remaining soldiers to cross the Yellow River to the north. Zhang Xutuo did not stop there and beheaded 5000 enemy soldiers in Linyi before stopping the pursuit.
In 613 AD, Emperor Yang of Sui launched his second eastern expedition to Goguryeo, and Yang Xuangan, the son of Yang Su, took the opportunity to rebel.
In the end, the rebellion failed and Yang Xuangan committed suicide. Emperor Yang of Sui then ordered the investigation of more than 3 people, of whom more than 2 were unjustly killed, and all the people who had received relief from Yang Xuangan were buried alive.
However, Emperor Yang of Sui's massacre made uprisings in various places more serious, and Wang Bo and other rebels rose up again. Later, Zhang Xutuo was ordered to suppress the uprising. He first blocked their supply with navy, and then personally led 2 infantry to attack the rebels.
The Wang-Bo coalition suffered heavy losses and fled in defeat. Zhang Xutuo obtained countless spoils of war, so Emperor Yang of Sui specially ordered someone to paint his portrait.
Zhang Xutuo not only had outstanding military capabilities, but his own martial arts skills were also very powerful.
After the Wang-Bo coalition retreated, the 2 rebels in alliance with them attacked Licheng again in the same year. Zhang Xutuo was caught off guard by the suddenness of the situation and fought against the rebels with only five cavalrymen. Although he was surrounded in the end, he dragged his reinforcements into the city despite being seriously injured.
Historical records show that he was wounded several times, but his courage was even stronger. Although there is no clear record of his killing, the fact that he was able to delay the arrival of reinforcements with just a few people is enough to show that his martial arts was unparalleled.
Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin, two famous generals of the Tang Dynasty, were once Zhang Xutuo's subordinates. At that time, the rebels in Beihai County rose rapidly, and Zhang Xutuo believed that only by sending cavalry could they win.
However, the rebels were so powerful that no one under Zhang Xutuo was willing to fight. When no one dared to speak up, the unknown Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin volunteered to select some elite soldiers to launch a surprise attack on the rebels. As Zhang Xutuo had expected, the rebels were defeated without any preparation.
In November 614 AD, Zhang Xutuo led his troops to encircle and suppress the rebels of Zuo Caixiang who occupied Dungou Mountain. Under the pressure of the Sui army, Zuo Caixiang led his people to surrender. Zhang Xutuo was so powerful in Dongxia that he was appointed as the ambassador of the twelve counties of Henan Province.
The Henan Dao here is not HEN Province, but includes the entire province of Henan and Shandong during the Sui Dynasty, as well as parts of Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. Therefore, Zhang Xutuo's jurisdiction was quite broad and he had the power to promote and demote officials. Qin Qiong also began his legendary life under Zhang Xutuo.
Lu Mingyue was also a hero of the peasant uprising. After more than a year of traveling around, his team had grown to more than 10 people, including many surrendered troops from the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, Lu Mingyue's team had rich combat experience and sufficient accumulated supplies.
In December 614 AD, Lu Mingyue's 12 troops were stationed in Dong'e. Zhang Xutuo led 10 troops to attack, but the battle was very difficult and the two sides fell into a stalemate for more than ten days.
This situation was very unfavorable for Zhang Xutuo's army, because his army had already run out of food and grass. What was worse was that most of Zhang Xutuo's army was infantry, while half of Lu Mingyue's army was cavalry. Zhang Xutuo was completely at a disadvantage in terms of mobility, so he was facing a dangerous situation where he could neither advance nor retreat.
Zhang Xutuo had no choice but to resort to a risky move. He sent Qin Qiong to lead a thousand elite soldiers to hide in the woods, and then led his own troops to pretend to flee and lure the enemy to pursue. Lu Mingyue's army was fooled and led a large number of troops to pursue.
Qin Qiong immediately attacked the rebel camp and set it on fire. Lu Mingyue found out that he had been tricked and immediately went back to rescue them. However, he was attacked by Zhang Xutuo again and Lu Mingyue managed to break through with only a few hundred cavalrymen.
In 616 AD, Li Mi, who had followed Yang Xuangan in the rebellion, joined the Wagang Camp. The leader of the Wagang Camp, Zhai Rang, seized the granary of the Sui Dynasty at the suggestion of Li Mi, thus rapidly expanding his power. Emperor Yang of Sui then appointed Zhang Xutuo as the governor of Xingyang and led more than elite troops to attack the Wagang Camp.
In fact, Zhai Rang himself was very afraid of Zhang Xutuo. With his ability, he was no match for Zhang Xutuo. But at this time, Li Mi was already in Wagangzhai.
Zhang Xutuo pursued Zhai Rang relentlessly because of his repeated retreats, but he did not expect that Li Mi had already deployed more than a thousand ambushes. As a result, he was suddenly attacked from both sides by the Wagang Army and suffered heavy losses.
After a lot of fighting, he managed to break through the siege, but his subordinates were still under siege. In order to rescue his subordinates, Zhang Xutuo rushed into danger four times, but was killed by Li Mi, Zhai Rang and others the last time.
The death of Zhang Xutuo made Emperor Yang of Sui lose his last layer of armor, and he no longer had generals who could suppress the rebellion. So Emperor Yang of Sui was executed by a coup two years later.
[The real journey to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures was 50,000 miles long, and Sun Wukong did have a prototype. Small historical knowledge and historical figures]
In Journey to the West, he is weak and compassionate, and extremely stubborn, and his literary image is deeply engraved in people's impression. However, in history, Xuanzang is a tough man with a strong will.
In 19 years, he traveled through 110 countries, covering a total distance of 5 miles. His achievements were well known in all the countries in the Western Regions. In this video, we will learn about what stories Master Xuanzang experienced on his journey to obtain Buddhist scriptures, and whether there is a prototype of Sun Wukong in history.
Xuanzang's real name was Chen Xi, and he was from Luoyang Goushi, which is today's Goushi Town, Yanshi, Henan. Many people thought he was from the Tang Dynasty through "Journey to the West", but in fact he was born in the Sui Dynasty in 602 AD and lived for 17 years during the rule of the Sui Dynasty.
After that, he experienced the change of dynasties during the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, so Chen Xi's life spanned two dynasties. He experienced the rule of six emperors: Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian, Emperor Yang of Sui Yang Guang, Emperor Gong of Sui Yang You, Emperor Gaozu of Tang Li Yuan, Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin, and Emperor Gaozong of Tang Li Zhi.
The Yingchuan Chen family was a prominent family at the time, but after Chen Xi was born, his family had fallen into poverty and he experienced two tragedies in life at a very young age: he lost his mother at the age of 5 and his father at the age of 10.
As Buddhism was popular in the Sui Dynasty at that time, the 13-year-old Chen Xi went to the Pure Land Temple in Luoyang with his brother to become a monk in order to survive, and his Buddhist name was Xuanzang.
During this period, Xuanzang showed great comprehension like a child prodigy, and after nearly 10 years of domestic study after the fall of the Sui Dynasty, he had already mastered the various schools of Chinese Buddhism at the age of 25.
Moreover, while he was studying Buddhism, he also learned Sanskrit, which was crucial to his future achievements.
The different understandings of Buddhism by different schools began to confuse him. His desire for the truth grew stronger, so he decided to go to the birthplace of Buddhism, that is, the ancient Indian kingdom of Tianzhu, to seek the true scriptures.
However, the Tang Dynasty had just been established and the political situation was unstable. In addition, Li Shimin was preparing for military action against the Turks, so he strictly prohibited people from leaving the country. As a result, Xuanzang did not get the necessary permit to leave the country and stayed in Chang'an for three years.
Xuanzang, who was devoted to seeking the Dharma, decided to sneak to India. When he arrived in Liangzhou in the Hexi Corridor, he preached the sutras for more than a month and was well received by the local monks. However, some people reported that he intended to go abroad. Therefore, he was ordered to return by the local governor.
Fortunately, with the help of a monk, he was able to leave the city.
Yumen Pass is located on the bank of the Shule River. It is known as the Golden Monkey Pass of the Western Jin Dynasty and is the only way out of the west. After dealing with the officers and soldiers, Xuanzang arrived at Guazhou, 50 miles southeast of the Shule River. He stayed there for more than a month to preach the scriptures.
However, an arrest warrant issued by Liangzhou also arrived soon after. Fortunately, there was an official who was a devout Buddhist, and with the help of this official, Xuanzang successfully left the city again.
In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong escorted Tang Monk to obtain Buddhist scriptures. So did Sun Wukong exist in real history?
In a cave in Dunhuang, there was once a painting of Xuanzang's journey to the West. In the painting, there was a monkey-like figure, and next to him was a monk who was bowing.
After Xuanzang left Guazhou, he stayed in a temple near Dunhuang, where a Hu man named Shipantuo respected him very much, so Shipantuo worshipped Xuanzang as his master.
After research by scholars, it was found that Shi Pantuo was the monkey-man on the journey to obtain Buddhist scriptures, so he is considered to be the historical prototype of Sun Wukong.
Xuanzang bypassed Yumen Pass under the escort of Shipantuo. There were five beacon towers in the desert at that time, and Xuanzang needed to resupply each time he passed one. But Shipantuo suddenly changed his mind and tried to harm him. Xuanzang had to go alone.
When he was about to pass the fifth beacon tower, someone told him that he could bypass this place and reach Yiwu State, and there was also Yemaquan for supplies along the way.
Xuanzang then entered the 800-li long Moheyan Desert. According to the Biography of Tripitaka, the Moheyan Desert is more than 800 li long, with no birds flying above, no beasts running below, and no water or grass. The sand river in this record may be the Quicksand River in Journey to the West.
In this boundless desert, there was only one man and one horse walking with difficulty. Water was an important item for them to maintain their lives, but Xuanzang's last water bag accidentally fell off, causing him to not drink a drop of water for 5 days and 4 nights, and finally collapsed weakly in the desert.