"I once dreamed of traveling to the ends of the world with my sword to see the prosperity of the world. The dreams of youth were always a bit frivolous. Now you are at home all over the world..." This ballad has sounded in our young ears many times. , every morning when we are studying, on the campus playground, and at dusk, we will be brainwashed by this song. Whether it is the joy of youth, the dream of hope, a girl from far away, or a trip that just goes away, it is the longing that we once acquiesced in our hearts. Even though it is so far away, it still has endless aftertaste. If we go back in time 1,300 years, in that prosperous age when heroes gathered together, in that era of great splendor and talent, almost everyone was a high-spirited wanderer in Xu Wei's works. They were all so innocent and charming. !

Poetry originated from the Book of Songs, and it was in the Tang and Song Dynasties that poetry was truly developed. As the saying goes, Tang poetry, Song poetry, Yuan music, and Ming and Qing novels. The most comprehensive collection of poems in the entire Tang culture appeared in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and the four heroes of the early Tang Dynasty that we are familiar with, in the transformation of the entire literary style of the early Tang Dynasty, they removed the colorful and complex style that had been popular since the Six Dynasties, and the poetic style of Xingji and Dujue. , injecting the grandeur and flourishing atmosphere that Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty should have. But as far as they are concerned, they mainly focus on parallel prose and fu. Wang Bo is famous for his "Tengwang Pavilion Preface", which is the best parallel prose in the world, while Luo Binwang, Lu Zhaolin, Yang Jiong's "Emperor Capital Fu", "The Ancient Meaning of Chang'an" and "Tingju" "Fu" is also a masterpiece of parallel prose in the early Tang Dynasty. In addition to the four heroes of the early Tang Dynasty, there was another person who was unique in the entire poetry of the early Tang Dynasty. He revolutionized the literary style of the early Tang Dynasty and played a role in setting the tone for the true rise of the entire poetry of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Later, the great masters of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, and Han Yu, who was in the eighth generation of literary works, all highly praised him. He was called the "poetic bone" of the literary sect of his generation. He was Chen Zi'ang. Before the age of eighteen, Chen Ziang was illiterate because he had another dream. Li Bai had this dream, Wang Wei had it, and we have also had it.

Chen Zi'ang, courtesy name Boyu, was born in Shehong, Zizhou, now in Shehong County, Sichuan. From an economic point of view, Chen Ziang was born in a relatively good family, and his ancestors were from the local wealthy gentry. Compared with the Four Heroes of the Early Tang Dynasty, Wang Yang and Lu Luo were full of talents since childhood, and were either prodigies or talents. However, Chen Ziang's childhood seemed to have nothing to do with his future achievements. Chen Ziang was born weak and sickly, so his family asked him to practice martial arts since he was a child to strengthen his body. Although Chen Ziang was not a master of swordsmanship in his youth, he was also a brave and ruthless person. In addition, his father, Chen Yuanjing, was one of the great hermits in Sichuan. He was a righteous man and often generously helped his neighbors. Therefore, he had a distinguished reputation in the neighborhood. As a child, Chen Ziang showed a faintly heroic spirit. As his age and swordsmanship grew, the dream of rivers and lakes he had hidden in his heart began to overflow. Of course, as a rich second generation, his thoughts were very simple. He would carry his luggage and wander around the world, seeing scenery he had never seen before, and seeing things he had never seen before. In the world, listen to the wind and watch the sunset, meet old friends at sunset, and maybe even meet a beautiful girl, and form a heroic couple to travel together in the world. Just like what he wrote later,

Judging from this poem, he traveled at least from south to north, including Hunan, Hubei, and Hebei, a place with strong chivalry. During this period, Chen Ziang Basically, he does two things. One is to draw his sword to help when there is injustice and support justice in the world; the other is to find swordsman masters to compete in the gym wherever he goes, in order to prove his swordsmanship, just like Bruce Lee in the early Tang Dynasty. However, when it comes to pursuing martial arts, he lacks a higher understanding of martial arts. Of course, this is also due to his lack of knowledge at this time. There is infinite joy in the days of letting go and enjoying the grudges, but Chen Ziang soon understood the truth that the world is not about fighting and killing, but about the world. During a knight-errant battle, Chen Ziang had a sword duel with a swordsman. In just three moves, Chen Ziang stabbed the opponent. This shows that Chen Ziang's swordsmanship is comparable to that of the Qinglian Sword Fairy in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. But loyalty is loyalty, no matter how powerful you are, you still have to be under the control of the government. Soon, Chen Ziang got into trouble because of this incident, and his father spent a lot of favors and money to help him. Through this incident, Chen Ziang began to reconstruct his life goals. He also understood why his father had taught him the belief of self-cultivation, family order, country governance, and world peace. The first thing to achieve this goal is to read. Before, Chen Ziang had a sword in his hand, but no sword in his heart, and he didn't know the use of the sword. If he can understand that the sword is used to protect his home and country, then he can also take the path of martial arts, and a famous general of the Tang Dynasty may be born in the future. But what is even more admirable and unimaginable is that the prodigal son who accomplished nothing could turn around and become a scholar. According to what we now call the coming-of-age ceremony at the age of eighteen, his three views and ability to pursue a stable life have already been formed, and it is really difficult to change. But a genius is a genius. With a thought, he puts down his sword and picks up the book on his knees. A prodigal can turn around and become a scholar. After Chen Ziang re-established his ideals and beliefs, he declined his old sword-training friends and began studying hard behind closed doors.

After ending his career as a prodigal son, Chen Ziang, who studied behind closed doors, quickly showed his talent in reading. Spending all day immersed in the Four Books and Five Classics, Confucian classics, in just a few years he has surpassed what his father had learned in half his life. It seems that some people are born with a talent for reading. Chen Ziang has also completely changed from an idler who can only dance a sword in the eyes of others. The martial artist transformed into a talented man who read poetry and books and was rich in knowledge. In 679 AD, the first year of Tiaolu, 21-year-old Chen Ziang was like another sharp sword, sharpened every three years, and its edge was ready to be tested.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty was rising, and Chen Ziang's desire to serve the country also arose in his heart. He decided to go to Chang'an to participate in the imperial examination. He said goodbye to his parents and carried his luggage. At this moment, he had ideals in his heart and light in his eyes. He was no longer confused as when he went out in the past. Since ancient times, the journey from Sichuan to Guanzhong has been long and arduous. It can last for several months. You may encounter a few bad guys on the way, but this is not a problem for Chen Ziang, who is proficient in swordsmanship. . When he left the Three Gorges and reached Jingmen, Hubei Province, he had already walked for half a month. Looking at the sunset and his lonely figure, he felt homesick. At this moment, he was no longer illiterate, so he was moved by the scene and wrote about his life. The first of the more famous homesickness poems.

After one journey after another, heading north, Chen Ziang finally arrived at the then national political, economic and cultural center, Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. At the same time, he officially became a "Northern drifter" in the imperial capital. He was so hungry that he didn't have time to appreciate the prosperity of Chang'an. He immediately rushed into the restaurant and ordered a cold-skinned pork bun and a bubble set meal. After being well fed and drunk, Chen Ziang entered the Imperial College, the highest institution of higher learning in the Tang Dynasty, to continue his studies and studied hard for a year. In 680 AD, he entered the imperial examination room for the first time in his life. But it is a pity that he was not able to be as proud of the spring breeze as Meng Jiao would be in the future. Of course, he also did not enjoy the flowers of Chang'an in spring. After returning to Sichuan, Chen Ziang studied harder and continued to delve into the Classics and History Collection and Hundred Schools of Learning. Later generations once commented that Chen Ziang made great academic progress in this year. "In a few years, I have read hundreds of classics and history. He is especially good at literature, and his elegance has the character of Xiangru and Ziyun." To be compared with great masters of Han Fu like Sima Xiangru, Chen Ziang is indeed not bad.

In Public Security Year 681, Chen Ziang, who had been studying for one year, went north to Chang'an again to participate in the scientific examination. It seems that not everyone is good at taking exams, even Chen Ziang is no exception. Just like teacher Zhang Xuefeng's cross talk famous saying, "What a top student can do is called studying, but what I can do is called taking exams." It still makes sense. As a result, Chen Ziang, who took the imperial examination in World War II, failed again. As for why he failed, there is no detailed record. There were still some problems with the imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty at that time. Whether the person who set the questions chose the subject according to his own preferences? Various factors such as the examiner being petty and secretly accepting financial gifts, or the powerful influence of the powerful people at that time, and the sophistication of the world will affect everyone's performance. Since ancient times, there have been quite a few cases of cheating in the examination room. In any case, Chen Ziang failed the exam again. He was extremely depressed. He had studied hard for many years. Could it be that he would pick up the sword he had put down again and become a playboy that others would hate? Unwilling to be reconciled, he wandered on the streets of Chang'an, thinking about what to do. Suddenly, not far ahead, many people were watching something, and he stepped forward curiously. It turned out that a person was buying the Huqin, but it was too expensive, with a price tag of one million, and he made it clear that there would be no counter-offering. If you have money, buy it. If you don’t have money, get out. Everyone was noisy and loudly talking about what kind of piano you had, and how dare you ask for a million dollars. Chen Ziang took a look and realized that the person who bought the piano had a personality. Chen Ziang stepped forward and stroked the piano, and then said lightly, "Okay, I'll buy it!" At the same time, he also informed everyone that he would have a banquet for everyone in Xuanyangli, Chang'an the next day and play for everyone, please enjoy it. Being rich means being willful, but at this time, Chen Ziang is no longer the willful prodigal he was before he was 18 years old. He has his own unique plans in mind.

The next day, when everyone was waiting for Chen Ziang to play in Xuanyang, he broke the huqin in half in front of everyone, and then loudly said: "Chen Ziang, a man from Shu, has hundreds of texts and is unknown to anyone. , you should not pay attention to this pleasure of cheap work." To put it bluntly, this is a performance planned by Chen Ziang to market himself. The reason why he repeatedly failed in the examination room before was because he was not famous enough and had no background in Chang'an. Almost all of the early Tang poets we are familiar with were child prodigies from childhood and became popular in the Tang Dynasty in their childhood. Chen Ziang only started studying at the age of 18, which was a relatively late start, so he came up with a clever idea. First, he made the headlines in Chang'an that day by buying a harp for millions, successfully attracting a group of celebrities from Chang'an to watch, and then broke the harp after breaking it. After that, he sent his works to them, similar to the way of self-recommendation. Sure enough, he became popular in Chang'an that day. Of course, he was also extraordinary in strength. After reading it, King Sigong of Jingzhao exclaimed in amazement: "This person must be the Wen Zong of China." Go!"

As the saying goes, it is not easy to become famous. Chen Ziang took advantage of his own marketing hot spots. In 684 AD, the first year of Guangzhai, he took the scientific examination again in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and finally passed the imperial examination. After entering his official career, Chen Ziang actively commented on current hot topics, cared about national affairs, was upright and upright, and spoke outright about political affairs many times. However, the court at that time was in the midst of the "Struggle between Wu and Li", and the center of power gradually moved to the Queen Wu Zetian, so there was no choice. People care about his petition for the country and the people. Instead, he offended many colleagues in the officialdom. In the same year, as Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty passed away from illness, Wu Zetian, who held great power, prepared to return Emperor Gaozong west to Chang'an and bury him in Qianling. As the Guanzhong area suffered from famine at that time and people's livelihood was relatively poor, Chen Zi'ang petitioned for the people and wrote the "Letter of Remonstrance to the Ling Jiao to Beijing". Wu Zetian admired his talent very much after reading it. Although she did not adopt his opinion in the end, she still buried Emperor Gaozong in Qianling. , but she also promoted Chen Zi'ang to Lintai Zhengzi, and was promoted to Youshiyi, the eighth rank, similar to the Assistant to the Procuratorate.

Chen Ziang, who was reused by the Queen, felt that he had an opportunity to realize his political ambitions, so he continued to write letters to Emperor Wu, criticizing the current ills, stating the strategy of governing the country, etc., but these were not worth it in the eyes of the real politician Wu Zetian After mentioning that Chen Ziang also targeted her Wu Group at every turn, she was very dissatisfied and gradually alienated Chen Ziang. At the same time, in order to combat the power of Li Tang and consolidate her own power, she reused cruel officials, which made everyone feel in danger for a while. Chen Ziang was also fabricated on charges and imprisoned. It seems that imprisonment was the worst thing for a writer in the early Tang Dynasty. Tong, Wang Bo, Luo Binwang, and Chen Ziang are no exception. In prison, Chen Ziang was neither humble nor arrogant, and never gave in. In the end, due to insufficient evidence of guilt and Chen Ziang's reputation in the capital, he was forced to be released. During his two years in prison, he left behind his famous thirty-eight poems.

From then on, the Tang Dynasty truly had its own poetic style, which was majestic, profound, and powerful. The extravagant writing style of the Six Dynasties suddenly collapsed under Chen Ziang's writings. This is why he was honored as the "Poetic Bone" by later generations. reason.

After being released from prison, Chen Ziang was extremely disappointed with his official career. Continuing to stay in this nominal official position had already caused him to lose his true identity. Just when he was confused, the recruitment advertisement on the streets of Chang'an once again attracted people. He, King Luo Bin, was still preparing to join the army when he was more than fifty years old, but he was only twenty-seven years old. In the first year of Tongtian, the Khitan cavalry rebelled and invaded the border. Wu Zetian decided to send troops to suppress it. Chen Ziang's desire to serve the country was rekindled and he decided to join the army and follow Wu Youyi, the king of Jian'an County, another powerful force of the Wu family at that time. Chen Ziang, who talks with his fists and has a pure heart, does not know that this seemingly war to resist foreign enemies and protect our mountains and rivers is also mixed with the flavor of power and politics. Wu Zetian, who had just come to power, was eager to consolidate her power and establish the prestige of her Wu clan in the court, so she dispatched more than 50,000 people at all costs to kill Yingzhou. Chen Ziang, as the emperor's dispatcher, was of course the shogunate he fought for. The staff officer is responsible for advising Wu Youyi on military affairs in the army.

Wu Youyi, who was born into a noble family, lived in fine clothes and fine food since he was a child. He was careless and unskilled, let alone the art of war and the way to be a general. Due to his willfulness and command errors, 50,000 cavalry and more than 10,000 forwards were quickly trapped. This made Wu Youyi, who was as timid as a mouse, stop moving forward. Moreover, he did not seek merit but no fault, so he placed his army in Youzhou and stopped moving forward. This made Chen Ziang, who was a young swordsman and familiar with military art, very dissatisfied. If he gave up the 10,000 forwards, it would be even more dangerous to wait for the Khitans to eat them and then turn around to deal with them. So he proposed to Wu Youyi and volunteered to lead 10,000 troops to rescue the vanguard. But Wu Youyi, who was timid and did nothing, not only failed to adopt his advice, but demoted him to a sergeant and was not allowed to participate in any decision-making. Chen Ziang's enthusiasm suddenly dropped to freezing point, and his ignited heart to serve the country was extinguished.

The double disappointment in his official career and on the battlefield made him gradually lose faith in his heart, and he became more helpless and lonely towards reality. During the days when the army was stationed in Youzhou, one day he came to Youzhou Terrace, also known as Youzhou Terrace. On the golden platform, here he looked at himself alone in the world, and couldn't help but shed tears.

Later generations’ evaluation of this poem was also extremely ancient. Huang Zhouxing once said this in "Tang Shi Kuai": "There is an eternity in my heart, and there is no one in my eyes." Indeed, in Youzhou at that time, No one can understand Chen Zi'ang's heart. It is a kind of sadness that is worse than the death of a heart. It is a kind of disappointment that there are many talents in the heart but no one cares about it. It is the helplessness and loneliness of shattered ideals and loss of faith. He looked at everything around him, wishing to return to that era of turbulent times, an era when talents were longed for and respected. Through the clouds of history, King Yan Zhao, in order to revitalize the Yan State, bought horse bones here with thousands of gold, and asked Le Yiju Xin to join him one after another, so that he could revitalize the Yan State. It's a pity that in such a prosperous Tang Dynasty, no one was King Yan Zhao. He was in pain, he was helpless, and he finally shouted out the eternal masterpiece!

In 698 AD, the first year of Wu Zetian’s holy calendar, Chen Ziang, who failed to join the army, gave up the struggle for power in despair and the turbid officialdom, returned to his hometown in Shehong, Sichuan, to serve his elderly father and provide for him until his death. At the same time, during this period, like other poets, he returned to the mountains and forests, returned to nature, and prepared to spend the rest of his life in this pastoral landscape. But the dangers of officialdom and people's hearts caught up with him again. Duan Jian, the magistrate of Shehong County at the time, was so greedy for the wealth left behind by his father after his death that he colluded with a Wu family relative who Chen Ziang had offended in the capital at that time to accuse Chen Ziang and put him in jail. Many years ago, Chen Ziang persisted in his true feelings in Chang'an Prison and refused to give in to the evil forces. But this time, although he has given up his ambition to become an official, his noble ambition and aloof soul cannot be tarnished. But he failed to bear it, and eventually died of grief and anger in prison in Shehong at the age of 38.

Throughout Chen Ziang's life, he was a swordsman who was obsessed with martial arts when he was young. When he became an adult, he regretted it, turned back as a prodigal son, and studied hard. Although his career was disappointing, the ending was also very sad. But in the end he became a literary sect renowned throughout the ages. The rarest thing in life is the prodigal son turning back. If you are still confused and dissatisfied with your current self, you must make changes like Chen Ziang. When you change, you will find a different version of yourself.

The process of change is painful and the journey may be long, but this is the meaning of looking back: that is to keep trying to find your true self!