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[Fifty men against fifty thousand, the most powerful intellectual in the Southern Song Dynasty. Xin Qiji, History of the Song Dynasty]

He is the most powerful intellectual in the history of the Southern Song Dynasty and the most hardcore battlefield poet. He can bring peace to the world with his pen and decide the outcome of the world with his martial arts.

He once led 50 men to capture a rebel alive in the camp of tens of thousands of Jin troops, and before his death he still dreamed of regaining lost territory. He was the famous general Xin Qiji, who was known as the dragon of poetry.

In this video, let us understand Xin Qiji's life in chronological order.

Xin Qiji was born in Sifengzha Village, Licheng, Jinan. At that time, northern China had fallen under the rule of the Jin Dynasty. According to legend, Xin Qiji's grandfather Xin Zan was a little fan of the famous Western Han Dynasty general Huo Qubing, so he named his grandson Qiji, hoping that he would be as loyal to the Song Dynasty as Huo Qubing.

Logically speaking, Xin Qiji, who was born in the turbulent times of the Southern Song Dynasty, would have achieved something. But why did he fail in his life and end up dying with regret?

This has to start with the overall environment at that time. At this time, 13 years had passed since the Jingkang Shame, and the Song Dynasty moved south to re-establish its regime, but the Xin family could not move south due to their large family population, so they had to make a living in the Jin Dynasty court.

Despite this, Xin Zan always hoped to have a chance to take up arms and fight the Jin people to the death. In the year Xin Qiji was born, Yue Fei defeated the Jin soldiers in Zhuxian Town and guided Huang Rongfu to recover the lost mountains and rivers. However, he was forced to return to the court by 12 golden medals issued by Song Gaozong and died unjustly in Fengbo Pavilion.

In this dynasty that valued civil officials over military officials, Yue Fei may have been a harbinger of Xin Qiji's unsuccessful life. The 10-year anti-Jin campaign was in vain, and his grandfather had no choice but to take the young Xin Qiji to climb high places to look far into the distance and paint the mountains and rivers.

He witnessed with his own eyes the humiliation and suffering that the people endured under the rule of the Jin people. He also brought Xin Qiji to Yanjing twice under the pretext of taking the imperial examination to investigate the enemy situation and prepare for future uprisings.

This also made Xin Qiji set up the lofty ambition of restoring the Central Plains and avenging his country when he was young, and cultivated the chivalrous spirit of the Yanzhao knights.

When Xin Qiji was 22 years old, the Jin emperor Wanyan Liang launched a massive invasion to the south. The people in the rear could not stand the harsh oppression of the Jin people and began to rise up in resistance.

Xin Qiji, taking advantage of the opportunity, also gathered 2000 people to join a large-scale uprising army led by Geng Jing, and served as a secretary, responsible for recording the army's battle situation and military supplies, and participating in discussions on military secrets. Thus, a great poet with a military background began to emerge.

A year later, civil strife broke out in the Jin Dynasty. Wanyan Liang was killed by his subordinates on the front line, and the Jin army began to retreat northward. Xin Qiji was ordered to go south to contact the Southern Song court, but when he returned after completing his mission, he learned that Geng Jing was killed by the traitor Zhang Anguo and handed over to the Jin army, and the rebel army retreated.

Upon hearing the news, the hot-blooded Xin Qiji immediately led his 50-odd men to raid the Jin army camp of tens of thousands of people. He captured the traitor and brought him back to Jiankang, where he handed him over to the Southern Song court for execution.

Xin Qiji's performance in the rebel army made him famous. With his bravery and decisiveness, the 23-year-old Xin Qiji was appointed by Song Gaozong as the Jiangyin assistant judge, in charge of criminal affairs, and thus began his official career in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Xin Qiji had just arrived and did not understand the cowardice and timidity of the Southern Song court. In addition, Song Gaozong had praised his heroic behavior, and Song Xiaozong, who ascended the throne not long after, also showed a desire to recover lost territory and avenge the humiliation.

Therefore, Xin Qiji wrote many proposals on the anti-Jin Northern Expedition, such as "Ten Essays on Beautiful Plans" and "Nine Proposals" during his first tenure in the Southern Song Dynasty. Although these proposals were highly praised and even widely circulated at the time, the court was indifferent and was only interested in the practical talents shown by Xin Qiji in the proposals.

He was successively sent to Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and other places to serve as an important local official, responsible for governing famine and rectifying public order.

Reality was cruel to Xin Qiji. Although he had outstanding talents, he could no longer fight on the battlefield and had to be shelved after Emperor Gaozong's death. His ambition to fight against the Jin Dynasty could no longer be realized.

He served as a civil servant for 20 years, but his bold and stubborn character and his passion for the Northern Expedition made it difficult for him to gain a foothold in the officialdom. In addition, the awkward status of Qing officials also hindered his career development, so that Xin Qiji's highest official position was only the fourth rank.

In order to completely stop Xin Qiji's idea of ​​a northern expedition, the court, which was dominated by the pursuit of peace, often jointly wrote letters to impeach Xin Qiji, and he seemed to have already sensed the arrival of this day.

In 1180 AD, when the 41-year-old Xin Qiji was serving as the mayor of Anfu County, Jiangxi Province, he began to build a manor in Shangrao to accommodate his family.

According to the topography around Daihu Lake, he personally designed the layout of the manor with construction on high ground and cultivation on low ground, and said to his family, "Life is all about hard work, and establishing farmland should be the first priority." Therefore, he named Daihu Manor Jiaxuan, and called himself Jiaxuan Jushi, and prepared to retire.

Sure enough, within a few months, Xin Qiji was impeached and dismissed from office. At this time, his new residence in Daihu was completed, so Xin Qiji returned to Shangrao and began his idle life after middle age.

In the following 20 years, Xin Qiji spent most of his time in seclusion in the countryside, except for two years when he served as an official. When he was 57 years old, the Daihu Manor caught fire, so Xin Qiji moved his family to Piaoquan, where he lived a carefree life of traveling, drinking, and writing poetry.

The tranquility of the Piaoquan countryside and the simplicity of the local villagers deeply moved Xin Qiji. His thoughts flowed like a spring, and he wrote a large number of poems describing the four seasons of Piaoquan, the world and customs, and the garden scenery.

But when he was 64, this comfortable life was broken again. Han Tuozhou, who advocated the Northern Expedition, began to recruit people who advocated war, which boosted the spirit of the elderly Xin Qiji. He was successively appointed as the prefect of Shaoxing and the prefect of Zhenjiang.

A year later, Xin Qiji met with Emperor Ningzong of Song and said that the Jin Dynasty would inevitably fall into chaos and perish. Han Tuozhou seemed to be influenced by this and appointed Xin Qiji as the governor of Zhenjiang Prefecture.

When Xin Qiji was in Zhenjiang Prefecture, he climbed Beiguting Pavilion and lamented his disappointment that he had no chance to serve his country. He looked into the distance from the height and recalled the past, so he wrote "Yongyoule·Reminiscence of the Past at Beiguting Pavilion in Jingkou", a work that has been sung through the ages.

Under the attack of some opportunistic officials, Xin Qiji was demoted again. Frustrated, he declined several times and when the court appointed him again, the 68-year-old Xin Qiji was already seriously ill and bedridden.

Soon after, Xin Qiji passed away. It is said that he shouted "Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy!" when he was dying. After Xin Qiji's death, his family had no money left, leaving only his life's poems and works.

After the court learned of his death, Song Ningzong posthumously awarded him the titles of Guanglu Dafu and Shao Shi, and gave him the posthumous name of Zhongmin.

——"Neither Yue Fei nor Xin Qiji had the good fortune of Huo Qubing, and they did not meet a wise ruler."

——"I look at my sword by lamplight while drunk, and dream of blowing the horn in the camp."

——"The Northern Song Dynasty had no generals, and the Southern Song Dynasty had no prime ministers. What a pity. The Song Dynasty was not worthy of having Yue Fei, Xin Qiji and others."

[The most talented poet in history, understand the patriotic poet Lu You in one breath. Lu You's Song Dynasty history]

He is the poet with the most surviving poems in ancient times, and he created nearly 60 poems in 4 years. He served emperors, but was never able to serve his country. His patriotic feelings, courage and last words before his death are all reflections of his unfulfilled life.

In this video, let us understand Lu You's life in chronological order.

Lu You was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. He was born into a prominent family in Jiangnan and a family of book collectors. His father, Lu Zai, was a local official in charge of transportation affairs. When he was summoned to the court to report on his work, he was blessed with his third son on a boat on the Huai River, and therefore named him Lu You.

After the Jin army invaded Bianjing, the Northern Song Dynasty fell, and Lu Zai had to move south with his family to Shaoxing, Zhejiang. When Lu You was 5 years old, the Jin army crossed the river again and invaded the south. Song Gaozong led a group of ministers to flee south, and Lu Zai and his family fled to Dongyang instead. The family began to settle down gradually.

Because Lu You was born at the turn of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, and grew up in the peaceful Southern Song Dynasty, the ethnic conflicts, national misfortunes, and family displacement left an indelible mark on his young mind.

Lu You was very smart since he was young. He could write poems and essays at the age of 12. Because his elders used their merits to grant him an official position, he was granted an official position by the court. At the age of 29, Lu You went to Beijing to participate in the imperial examination for current officials and children of imperial relatives, and won the first place.

Qin Xun, the grandson of Qin Hui, also took part in the exam. Qin Hui was furious because his grandson was ranked under Lu You, and even wanted to punish the chief examiner. A year later, when Lu You took the Ministry of Rites exam, Qin Hui instructed the chief examiner not to admit Lu You, and Lu You was hated by Qin Hui from then on.

His official career was not smooth until Qin Hui died when Lu You was 31 years old. Lu You was able to enter the official career and was transferred to the capital soon after.

After Lu You entered the court, he was upright and incorruptible. He first suggested that people who were not relatives of the royal family should not be given official titles arbitrarily even if they had made contributions. Later, he took advantage of Song Gaozong's love of rare toys, believing that this was a loss of virtue, and suggested that the emperor should be strict with himself.

In 1162, Emperor Xiaozong of Song, Zhao Shen, ascended the throne and granted the 38-year-old Lu You the title of Jinshi and a high-ranking official. Lu You's upright character did not change, and he wrote a letter suggesting that the administration and military discipline be rectified, Jianghuai be defended, and the Central Plains be conquered.

At that time, Song Xiaozong was enjoying himself in the palace and did not pay attention to Lu You's suggestion. Seeing that Song Xiaozong had not responded, Lu You told the minister Zhang Jun about the matter. Zhang Jun then went to the palace to question Song Xiaozong and dismissed Lu You from his official position.

A year later, Song Xiaozong appointed Zhang Jun as the governor to lead the Northern Expedition, but due to the discord between the generals and the commanders, the expedition was defeated. For a time, the argument of partial peace was prevalent in the court, and Zhang Jun had to admit his guilt and was demoted to the post of Jianghuai Xuanfu Envoy.

It was at this opportunity that Lu You met Zhang Jun and offered advice on the Northern Expedition. As the Longxing Peace Agreement was about to be signed, Lu You suggested that the emperor should use Lin'an as a cover to receive the Jin Dynasty envoys after the signing of the agreement, but actually station them in Jiankang, on the grounds that Lin'an was close to the sea, it was inconvenient to transport grain and it was easy to be attacked.

All these strategies showed Lu You's ambition to recover his homeland. However, at that time, treacherous officials were in power in the court. Lu You accused them of abusing their power to form close ties and confuse the court, which would cause endless troubles. After hearing this, Song Xiaozong was furious and demoted Lu You to Jiankang Prefecture.

Soon after, he was dismissed from his official position. It was not until he was 45 that Lu You was summoned by the court to serve as a scholar and agricultural official. He and his family went upstream from Shanyin and wrote "Records of Entering Sichuan" based on the local customs and folkways along the way.

Two years later, Lu You was recruited by Wang Yan, who was stationed in Nanzheng, to join the shogunate. Lu You was delighted to learn about this and went to Nanzheng alone to write "Ping Rong Ce", a strategic plan for the Song army to expel the Jin people and recover the Central Plains.

It was proposed that in order to recover the Central Plains, Chang'an must be taken first, and in order to recover Chang'an, Longyou must be taken first, food must be stored, soldiers must be trained, and if there is strength, then attack, and if there is no strength, then defend. However, the court rejected the "Ping Rong Strategy" of the Northern Expedition plan, transferred Wang Yan back to Beijing, dissolved the shogunate, and the plan of the Northern Expedition was ruined.

Lu You felt extremely sad. This military life was also the only time in his life that he personally went to the front line to fight against the enemy and tried to realize his patriotic aspirations. Although this period of life lasted only 8 months, it left him with unforgettable memories.

In 1172, 48-year-old Lu You was appointed as the pacification envoy of Chengdu Prefecture. Lu You rode a donkey into Sichuan, but was very frustrated. During his tenure in Sichuan, Lu You visited local scenic spots such as Cuiwei Garden, Baita Courtyard, and Daming Temple. He fell in love with this land of abundance and had the idea of ​​spending his old age there.

When he was 50, Lu You reviewed the troops in Shuzhou and wrote "Shuzhou Dale" to attack the Southern Song Dynasty for maintaining troops but not using them and living in peace. The Southern Song Dynasty's peace-loving forces slandered Lu You for not following etiquette and laws, and the commander of Shuzhou was forced to dismiss Lu You under pressure.

The unemployed Lu You opened a vegetable garden on the banks of Huanhua Creek near Du Fu's Thatched Cottage, worked as a farmer in Shuzhou, and called himself Fangweng to fight back.

At the age of 54, Lu You's poetry became more and more famous, and he was summoned by Emperor Xiaozong of Song and was reappointed to a post. In the following 10 years, Lu You was in and out of the officialdom because of his incompatibility with the peace faction. After Emperor Guangzong of Song ascended the throne, the court finally dismissed him from office for mocking his romantic poems.

The 66-year-old Lu You was filled with grief and indignation, so he left the capital again and named his residence Fengyuexuan.

Thirteen years after Lu You was dismissed from office, the court summoned Lu You to Beijing again to preside over the compilation of the national history, the records of the two dynasties and the history of the three dynasties, and exempted Lu You from the etiquette of paying respects to the court.

During the compilation of national history, Han Tuozhou advocated the Northern Expedition, which was highly praised and supported by Lu You. Lu You wrote poems many times to encourage Han Tuozhou to resist foreign humiliation and make contributions to the country.

A year later, the compilation of the national history was completed, and the 79-year-old Lu You resigned from his official position and returned to Shanyin.

Shortly after Lu You returned home from his resignation, Han Tuozhou asked the emperor to issue an edict to send troops to the north. Lu You was overjoyed when he heard the news. However, as the war went on, Han Tuozhou was deserted by his friends and relatives. He eventually launched a coup and killed Han Tuozhou. He signed the Jiading Peace Agreement with the Jin Kingdom, and the Northern Expedition was declared a complete failure. Lu You was extremely sad when he heard the unfortunate news.

In 1210, Lu You became ill due to worry and anger, and was bedridden. He died soon after at the age of 85. Before his death, Lu You left a last word, "To My Son", as a will: "I know that everything is empty after death, but I am sad that I cannot see the whole country united. When the king's army conquers the Central Plains in the north, don't forget to tell your father during the family sacrifice."