Birth determines future - Scholars in the Tang Dynasty were secretly priced by fate
This article talks about Hebei, as well as Gaoshi, from a more macro perspective.
When writing this book, in the process of constantly digging into the historical truth, I became more and more in awe of this magnificent and magnificent history before the Anshi Rebellion.
That's right, it's awe.
Because ignorant people always think that they know everything, and what they know is the truth, but in fact, the stories written in black and white in the "New Book of Tang", "Old Book of Tang", and "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" are also likely to be
It was compiled by the scholar-bureaucrats of the Song Dynasty.
So I want to talk about my own understanding by sorting out the historical context.
Words and phrases in history books can be falsified, but historical context, countless corresponding cultural relics, and folk customs cannot.
What this article is about is:
Gao Shi was the epitome of the scholars of Hebei at that time. In fact, his fate, to a certain extent, was closely connected with the fate of the Tang Dynasty.
Everyone knows that Hebei was discriminated against during the Kaiyuan Tianbao period and even in the early Tang Dynasty.
This kind of discrimination is comprehensive, long-lasting and institutional.
It started during the Zhenguan period of Emperor Taizong.
Why is this? Because the Guanlong nobles are the foundation of the ruling class of the Tang Dynasty. Although there are many powerful people in Shandong around Taizong, the final result is that they are "absorbed" into the Guanlong nobles through marriage.
For example, Yan Zhenqing’s ancestors.
Although brothers Yan Zhenqing and Yan Gaoqing worked hard in fighting the Anshi rebels in Hebei, I have to remind you again: their family's ancestors for more than five generations were already out-and-out Chang'an bureaucrats.
Putting aside their personal feelings, if they served as governors in Hebei and did not fight against the Anshi rebels, could they still be colluding with them?
Even if I want to, my family background won’t allow it!
The same thing applies to Gao Shi.
Twenty-three years ago in Kaiyuan, Gao Shi's life was rough and he had no official career path, so he could only go to Youyan to gain qualifications. In fact, there were many Hebei scholars like him, and many of them became traitors to Anshi.
They were the figures who made plans for the army, and even the Jiedu mansions in the three towns of Heshuo were also active.
After all, not every literati is a poet or has poetic talent. But every literati has to make a living and eat. There is no place for them in the Li and Tang Dynasties, so they can only hang out with An Lushan and his gang.
The scholars at that time were already divided into "Qingliu officials" and "Zhuoliu officials". Scholars from Hebei could still enter the Zhuoliu officials, and they did not have to pass the imperial examination. But they would not even think about entering the Qingliu officials.
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The so-called Qingliu officials have great power, few affairs, and are close to the emperor through words. These official positions were clearly recorded by the scholar-bureaucrats of the Song Dynasty when they were compiling history books.
On the contrary, most of the huge number of Zhuoliu official names have been lost and have not been recorded in the classics. Only through modern archeology in later generations have some of them been gradually unearthed.
These people often do very specific and technical jobs and are attached to the governor or Jiedushi. Once the governor is transferred, these people will immediately lose their jobs. They have official rank, but they are despised and rejected by the officials of the Qing Dynasty.
In the early days of Gao Shi, he was rotated through such official positions. I don't know how many official positions he held. Anyway, the nobles in Chang'an didn't care much.
Gao Shi was talented in poetry. He began to take the imperial examination in the 23rd year of Kaiyuan, but it was obvious that he could not pass. This is exactly the same reason why Fang Chongyong, the protagonist of this book, could pass the imperial examination even if he lay down in the future.
At that time, a person's origin had already determined his future. God may see the futility of his efforts, but it may not change his destiny.
One's birth determines one's destiny, and one's skills influence one's structure. It's just so realistic.
I especially despise those historical novels of the Tang Dynasty, in which the protagonist can climb up by his own ability without any background. The harshness and meanness of this era far exceed the imagination of future generations.
To put it more cruelly, for a slave in a noble family, even if he pushes the stone mill until it smokes, and the flour milled out piles up like a mountain. Even if such efforts can change his fate as a slave? Probably not.
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People at that time took this matter for granted, but in the eyes of our descendants, it was actually too cruel.
Fang Chongyong was like running on a high-speed rail, while Gao Shi was running on his own legs. The result was doomed.
He is from Hebei and comes from a noble family in Hebei. This is enough.
From the following time until the eighth year of Tianbao, Gao Shi continued to expand his network of contacts and squeezed into Chang'an's circle, but he did not cause any commotion.
Until this year, Zhang Jiugao, the prefect of Suiyang, recommended Gao Shi to be a member of Youdao Ke. He went to Chang'an in Sanfu and was awarded the title of Qiuwei.
The county captain is the starting point for scholars to become high-ranking officials. Of course, it is a relatively poor starting point. When Bai Juyi entered the official position, the "Xiao Shulang" was a high starting point. The officials in the capital were noble and noble, and they would not be punished if they had less work and more vacations.
It was regarded as a reserved area for the gentry class, and they strictly controlled the distribution of the position of school secretary.
Of course, this was when Gao Shi truly became an official, but he had a low starting point and was despised (if it’s hard to understand, just think of him as a wild dog that picks up the lost bones of noble people), and all he cared about were "vulgar things."
Gao Shi, who had a keen observation of the political situation and current situation, resigned and returned to Chang'an, where he went to the Hexi shogunate to look for opportunities, and was appreciated by Ge Shuhan.
Having said that, despite all the fuss, Gao Shi has always been spinning around outside the circle. He has never touched the core of the ruling class, and he has never even touched the road.
Be cruel.
The turning point in Gao Shi's fate came from the Anshi Rebellion.
That's right, if there hadn't been the Anshi Rebellion, it can be said bluntly that he would have been like that in his life, and there would never be any chance, not even the slightest chance.
Gao Shi began his political investment.
Those who worked desperately at the grassroots level in the past were far inferior to kneeling down when Li Longji and Li Heng and his son were in trouble.
This is not funny, but it is sad and pitiful.
Li Heng saw the "united front value" of the Hebei gentry, and the example of Gao Shi could offset the legitimacy of the rebel rebellion to the greatest extent. At the very least, it was to raise a banner calling on the Hebei gentry not to cooperate with the Anshi rebels. On the court's side
A place was left for the Hebei gentry.
The power of role models is great.
This is perhaps the only thing worth talking about in Gao Shi, from my perspective.
The development of the middle and late Tang Dynasty after the Anshi Rebellion all confirmed that one after another Hebei "high-tech" people stood up.
The "Chang'an Dream" of the Hebei aristocratic families, to a certain extent, did come true. In Chang'an in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the descendants of the Hebei aristocratic families took turns to serve as prime ministers.
Of course, in order to be easily taken over by Huang Chao in the future, they all moved to live near Chang'an and Luoyang.
These people reached a strategic cooperation with Tang Ting, so they would naturally lose the support of the grassroots in Hebei. So Hebei began to have a proliferation of associations, the rise of tooth soldiers, and grassroots mutual protection, and by the way, the Jiedushi envoys were sidelined in the struggles.
Not only did the Tang court fail to rule Hebei, but it actually isolated the Hebei aristocratic families from the grassroots in Hebei and lost the right to speak locally in Hebei.
Gao Shi's personal efforts are so insignificant in the face of the great tide of the times and are not worth mentioning.
On the contrary, it confirms the iron law that "if you move with the trend of the times, you will prosper; if you move against the trend of the times, you will perish."
As for Li Bai's fate - the business class talks about his official career. Since he was unwilling to be Li Longji's hard-core licking dog, he blocked his own official path and didn't mention it.
Feudal society, you can just think about it, but don't aspire to it.