As we all know, under the feudal autocratic system of more than two thousand years in ancient my country, the emperor has always been the outstanding representative of the state power, the core of government and society, and enjoyed the highest rights and honors of the country at that time.
For this reason, after Qin Shihuang Yingzheng unified the six kingdoms, he engraved the eight characters "Ordered by Heaven, Live Long and Prosperous" on the jade seal to demonstrate the dictatorship of the Chinese monarchy and the concept of monarchy and divine power. It can be said that under the old feudal ethics, people generally believed that ministers must obey the king and sons must obey their fathers. "If the king wants the minister to die, if the minister does not die, it is unfaithful; if the father wants the son to die, but the son does not die, it is unfilial."
It was under this feudal ethics that countless loyal ministers and good generals lost their lives in vain. For example, Bai Qi, the god of war, shocked the emperor due to his outstanding achievements in his later years. He was jealous of King Zhaoxiang of Qin and was sentenced to death in Duyou, Xianyang. , known in history as "The Killing of Du You". However, in the history of Qin State, in addition to Bai Qi being sentenced to death, there was actually another famous general with an army of 300,000 who was brutally killed. He was General Meng Tian, ??who was deeply favored by Qin Shihuang.
In 210 BC, Qin Shihuang died on the way to parade. As soon as his son Hu Hai came to power, he went on a killing spree. First, he killed his son Fusu, and then imprisoned Meng Tian, ??who held military power. In the end, Meng Tian was sentenced to death for consecutive crimes. Meng Tian, ??who was unwilling to die, also said two heartfelt words before committing suicide, which have become famous throughout the ages. The traitor Cao Cao highly praised them and must read them every time he was wronged!
Speaking of the famous general Meng Tian of the Qin Dynasty, I believe everyone knows more or less about it after watching today's film and television dramas. Although Meng Tian was not included in the "Four Famous Generals of the Warring States Period" , but the reputation is no less than them. Meng Tian was born in a family of famous generals. Although his ancestral home was in Qi State, Shandong Province, he abandoned Qi and joined King Qin Zhao as early as the period of his grandfather Meng Ao. He became a meritorious official of Qin State, reaching the rank of "Shangqing".
His father, Meng Wu, was also a famous general of the Qin State. He once teamed up with the Qin general Wang Jian to defeat the Chu army, beheaded the famous Xiang Yan, and captured the Chu King Fu Chu, completely erasing the Chu State from history. . Influenced by his family environment, Meng Tian has been ambitious since he was a child, determined to charge into battle and serve the country.
In the twenty-sixth year of the First Emperor (221 BC), Meng Tian was named a general by the First Emperor of Qin and led the Qin cavalry to attack Qi. Later, he was worshiped as an internal historian for his great achievements in defeating Qi ( the chief executive of the capital).
Meng Tian became famous in one battle. For this reason, Qin Shihuang admired his military talent very much. According to the "Historical Records·Biography of Meng Tian": "Qin has merged the world, so Meng Tian After Qin Shihuang unified the world, Meng Tian was entrusted with the important task of leading an army of 300,000 people to attack the Xiongnu north and recover the Henan area (today's Hetao area in Inner Mongolia).
At that time, the Xiongnu had been going south to invade the Central Plains many times. After unifying the six kingdoms, Qin finally had the energy to deal with the powerful Xiongnu. Under the leadership of Meng Tian, ??300,000 Qin troops defeated the Xiongnu. He fled in embarrassment and recovered the wealthy Hetao area.
For more than ten years after that, General Meng Tiandu guarded the northern border, making the Huns "dare not go south to herd horses." Not only that, he also led the army to build the Great Wall and the Jiuzhou Straight Road based on the dangerous terrain in the north, effectively curbing the Xiongnu's southward advance. At the same time, it also plays a positive role in promoting economic development and cultural exchanges in the northern region.
As an outstanding general, Meng Tian not only had unparalleled martial arts skills, but was also a loyal minister of the Qin Dynasty. Therefore, Qin Shihuang respected the Meng family very much and trusted and praised Meng Tian's talents. For this reason, Meng Tian's younger brother Meng Yi was also favored by Qin Shihuang, and was promoted to the highest minister. When he went out, he would ride in the same car with Qin Shihuang.
At that time, the two brothers were praised by the world as "loyal and trustworthy". Meng Tian was in charge of foreign affairs and Meng Yi was often an internal conspiracy. Therefore, other generals did not dare to compete with them for favor. "Historical Records: Biography of Meng Tian" records: "Tian is responsible for foreign affairs but is always resolute in internal affairs. He is called loyal and trustworthy, so even though the generals and ministers do not dare to compete with him."
As a famous figure in the history of the Qin Dynasty General Meng Tian can be said to have driven the Huns from the north for the Qin Empire, opening thousands of miles of Yuzhong and making great contributions to the security of the northern border.
However, it is really sad that such a virtuous minister and good general did not end well!
In the thirty-seventh year of the First Emperor (210 BC), Qin Shihuang Ying Zheng died of illness on the sand dune while visiting Kuaiji. Immediately, the situation in the world changed drastically. Zhao Gao, the commander of the CRRC Mansion, was afraid that Fusu would reuse him after he succeeded to the throne. Meng Tian was unfavorable to himself, so he withheld the edict and conspired with Hu Hai to usurp the throne. According to the "Historical Records·Biography of Meng Tian": "Because of his treacherous intentions, he conspired with Prime Minister Li Si and the young master Hu Hai to make Hu Hai the crown prince. After the crown prince was established, he sent envoys to convict the young masters Fusu and Meng Tian to death."
< p> After Zhao Gao let Hu Hai succeed to the throne, the first major thing he had to deal with was to solve the hidden dangers around him. At that time, in Zhao Gao's view, the biggest hidden danger, besides his son Fusu, was the famous general Meng Tian who held a heavy army.He asked Hu Hai to issue an imperial edict and fabricated many charges to send envoys to kill Fusu and Meng Tian. The young master Fusu was known for his resoluteness and bravery. After hearing that his father doubted him, he committed suicide with hatred. . After Fusu's death, Meng Tian asked for a retrial, but what disappointed him was that "there are too many kings, and Qing's brother Yi has committed a serious crime, and the law does not extend to the internal history." In the end, the king wanted his minister to die, but he couldn't. If he doesn't die, the famous general Meng Tian can only commit suicide by taking medicine.
But just before his death, Meng Tian, ??who was unwilling to let go, was still explaining. Before committing suicide, Meng Tian uttered two last words that have been passed down for more than two thousand years: "From my ancestors to my descendants. , I have accumulated merits in the third generation of Qin. Now I have more than 300,000 soldiers. Although I am imprisoned, my strength is more than double. However, those who know that they will die and uphold their righteousness dare not insult the teachings of their ancestors so as not to forget their ancestors. "
This means that my Meng family has been fighting for the Qin State for three generations. Now I command an army of 300,000 people. Although I am imprisoned, I am powerful enough to betray. But I would rather uphold justice and die to prove my innocence than live up to the late emperor's love and the teachings and glory of my ancestors.
The heartfelt words of the famous general Meng Tian on his deathbed can be said to be a vivid display of the ethics and moral concepts of ancient feudal loyalty to the emperor. However, Hu Hai had already made up his mind to kill Meng Tian, ??and as a result, Meng Tian could only commit suicide with poison. Perhaps even Meng Tian himself did not expect that these two loyal words he cried out before his death would be highly respected by a generation of hero Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period hundreds of years later. Cao Cao would read them once when he was wronged, and often every time. Just cry once!
It turns out that in the fifteenth year of Jian'an, after Cao Cao completed the great cause of unifying the north, he planned to unify the whole country. However, at this time, he was politically questioned by the officials, who criticized him as "pretending to be a Han prime minister, but in fact "Being a traitor to the Han Dynasty" and "wanting to destroy the Han Dynasty and establish self-reliance", Cao Cao specially wrote a "Shu Zhi Ling" to express his intentions.
In "Shu Zhi Ling", Cao Cao first introduced his life and achievements, and then emphasized that others suspected that he had the ambition to usurp the throne, which often made him feel uneasy. He then cited the examples of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin, saying that after these two men dominated the world, they still respected the Emperor of Zhou, and so did he himself. Later, when he wrote that Hu Hai, the second emperor of Qin, wanted to poison Meng Tian, ??Cao Cao was even more moved and said: "Every time I read these two people's books, I shed tears with sadness."
Indeed, Meng Tian What he said before his death could arouse the treacherous Cao Cao's screams. The reason why Cao Cao shed tears when he saw Meng Tian's last words was that they were in the same situation. Without Meng Tian building the Great Wall to attack the Huns in the north, the northern border of the Qin Dynasty would never have peace.
Finally, we want to say that the two eternal sayings uttered by the famous general Meng Tian before committing suicide are bound to make people cry. On the one hand, Meng Tian’s integrity itself is awe-inspiring, and his ironclad iron His integrity and flawless loyalty are touching. On the other hand, Cao Cao's respect for this actually indirectly reflects Cao Cao's loyalty to the Han Dynasty. However, this loyalty may be the reason why Cao Cao did not proclaim himself emperor until his death!