The story of Su Wu, who held the Han Festival for nineteen years and did not surrender to the Xiongnu, has been a household story among Chinese people for generations. His best friend, Li Ling, was a brave and warlike man, and the son of Li Guang, the Flying General, but he surrendered to the Xiongnu and lived in peace.
The story of the farewell of this pair of friends became a classic art subject, which has been celebrated by writers and writers for thousands of years. What is the story behind it? Here’s the story ……
In 99 B.C., the army of Han Dynasty attacked Xiong Nu in two ways, and the general Li Guangli was defeated by Xiong Nu. On the other side, the general Li Ling led 5,000 infantry to meet the main force of 80,000 Xiong Nu’s army. He fought bravely and killed more than 10,000 Xiongnu cavalrymen, but he was outnumbered and eventually ran out of food and ammunition and was wiped out.
When Li Ling was captured and surrendered, Emperor Wu wanted to pardon him for his crime, considering that he was in a critical situation and had no choice but to suffer, but at that time, the frontline general Gongsun Ao reported that Li Ling was training for the Xiongnu. This was an unforgivable crime of treason, and Li Ling’s family was punished by ambush.
Shortly before Li Ling went to war, Su Wu went to Xiongnu as a diplomat, but he was detained in the Xiongnu internal rebellion. The Xiongnu sent Wei Li, a surrendered general, to persuade him, but he was cursed by Su Wu and returned. Su Wu was then confined to a cellar and deprived of food and drink, and lived on snow and felt on his clothes for days. The Xiongnu thought it was a miracle, so they banished Su Wu to the North Sea (today’s Lake Baikal).
After more than ten years in the North Sea, Su Wu remained unchanged and spent his days shepherding sheep with a staff, a symbol of the Han ambassador. One day, Li Ling came to visit Su Wu, and set up a banquet to drink and enjoy with him.
He told Su Wu that.
“Shan Yu heard that we have a deep friendship, so he sent me to convey his intention to reappoint you. Who knows your loyalty when you suffer in vain in this uninhabited land?
“Your brother became a minor official of the chariot, and once while driving in the palace, he committed a great disrespect and died of shame and suicide, and Emperor Wu gave two million dollars for his burial. Your brother was ordered by the emperor to arrest criminals, and died of shame and poison because he could not complete his task. Your mother died before I came here, and I buried her in Yangling Mountain. Your wife was heard to have remarried, and your relatives have not been heard from for more than ten years, and it is not known whether they are dead or alive.
“When I first surrendered I was so disillusioned that I was going mad, and was pained that I had betrayed the Han Dynasty. Even if you don’t surrender, your official position will not surpass my previous one. Besides, Emperor Wu is old, the decree is unpredictable, and there are dozens of ministers who have been copied for no crime, for whom do you suffer so much? Better listen to me, don’t insist any more!”
Su Wu replied, “My father and I have no merit or virtue, and all our achievements were given by Emperor Wu of Han. Our family often wanted to sacrifice ourselves to repay the kindness of the emperor, even if I had to chop the soup with an axe, I would be willing to do so. A minister serving his king is like a son serving his father. The son died for the father, there is nothing to hate, please do not say it again. If I must surrender, I would rather die at once.”
Li Ling and Su Wu drank wine for a few more days, and he said to Su Wu again, “O you! Listen to my advice again!”
Su Wu said again, “I have wanted to die for a long time! If you repeatedly ask me to surrender, I will die in front of you after today’s joy!”
Seeing his sincerity, Li Ling exclaimed, “You are a righteous man! The surrender of me and Wei Lu persuade you to sin is so great that it is through the sky!” So with tears in his eyes, he said goodbye to Su Wu and left.
In the second year of the Western Han Dynasty (85 B.C.), the peace between Xiongnu and Han Dynasty improved and Su Wu was able to return to his country.
Li Ling hosted a banquet to see Su Wu off, but with the same scene but a different mood.
He said, “Now you have made a name for yourself in Xiongnu and a name for yourself in the Han Dynasty. Even the ancient records and the heroes painted by painters are no match for you! Although I am not learned, if the Han dynasty had not punished me, I would have hoped to redeem myself by hijacking the monarch like Cao Mo Jing Ke did. But the emperor strictly condemned me and my family, and I have nothing left to live for. I’m just saying this to let you know my heart. From now on we are people of a different country, and once we part today, there will be no more days to see each other.”
Li Ling thought back to his ancestor, Li Guang, the flying general, who had fought more than 70 battles in his life, but killed 800 surrendered soldiers of the Qiang tribe to create a great cause, his sons died one after another, his family was killed for the crime, but he died of anger without being crowned a marquis.
One mistake and a thousand hatreds! Li Ling was in a dilemma, and a thousand words could not describe his complicated feelings at this time. He raised his sleeve and started to dance and sing: “I was a general fighting against the Xiongnu in the desert. I was a general fighting against the Xiongnu, but I had no way out after my arrows were shot, my sword was broken, my army was wiped out by the enemy, and my reputation was ruined. My mother is dead. I want to repay my kindness, but how can I do so? After he finished the song, he whistled several times and left with his face covered.
Song Yu, the writer of rhetoric, once said, “Song is to sing, dance is to express the meaning.”
Dancing is the best way to express one’s heart. In the dance, Li Ling shows his history from the army to the present, and tells his inner regret. The moment of dramatic contrast between the two best friends, one a traitor and the other a loyal subject, becomes an eternal historical image.
After Su Wu’s return to China, Emperor Zhao of Han granted him a generous gift of land, and appointed him as a “subordinate state” (an official in charge of minority affairs), which was a great courtesy. However, Su Wu still lived a simple life and gave most of his wealth to others.
Su Wu died peacefully at the age of 83, but the faithfulness he left behind in shepherding the sheep in the North Sea has been passed down to the present day.
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