Li Gang

Li Gang

Li Gang (July 27, 1083 - February 5, 1140), a native of Wuxi, Changzhou, was born in Shaowu, Fujian Province. During the Song Dynasty, he was a famous minister and national hero.

In 1112, the second year of the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Li gangdeng became a scholar, and he became an official to Taichang Shaoqing. During the reign of emperor qinzong of the Song Dynasty, he was given the title of minister of the Ministry of war and Minister Youcheng. In the first year of Jingkang (1126), when the Jin soldiers invaded Bianjing, he served as the garrison envoy of the four walls of the capital, uniting the army and the people to repel the Jin soldiers. But it was soon rejected by the capitulators. At the beginning of his accession to the throne, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty used to be Prime Minister for a time. He tried to reform his internal affairs, but he was dismissed within 77 days. In the second year of Shaoxing (1132), he was reappointed as Xuanfu envoys and zhitanzhou envoys of Hunan Province, and was immediately removed. Many times, he complained about the grand plan of resisting the Jin Dynasty, but it was not adopted. Shaoxing ten years (1140) died of illness, after the teacher. Chunxi 16 years (1189), special gift Longxi County founder, posthumous title "Zhongding.".

Li gangneng wrote many patriotic chapters in his poems. His poems on history are vivid in image and vigorous in style. He is the author of Mr. Liangxi's anthology, Jingkang biography and Liangxi's Ci.

(source of picture in overview)

Life of the characters

Early experience

Li Gang, whose ancestral home is Shaowu, has moved to Wuxi County (now Wuxi, Jiangsu Province) since his grandfather's generation. His father, Li Kui, is well versed in military affairs. He made great contributions to resist the invasion of the Western Xia Dynasty with LV Huiqing. He went to LongTuge to wait for the system and appease the envoy on the Southwest Road of Beijing.

Li Gang was born in Huating, Xiuzhou (now Songjiang, Shanghai) on July 27th, the sixth year of Yuanfeng, Shenzong of Song Dynasty.

In the second year of Zhenghe (1112), Li Gang was a Jinshi. In the fifth year of Zhenghe (1115), the official came to supervise the censor and serve the censor in the palace of power. Soon after that, he was dismissed from the office of admonishing the official because of discussing the faults of the imperial government, and was transferred to the office of minister wailang and Minister Shoulang.

In the first year of Xuanhe (1119), in Dashui, the capital, Li Gang Shangshu asked the imperial court to pay attention to internal and external problems. Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, thought that the discussion was inappropriate, and he was relegated to Shaxian County of nanjianzhou as a tax supervisor.

Resist the golden soldiers

In July 1125, the seventh year of Xuanhe, Li Gang was recalled to the imperial court and was appointed as Chang Shaoqing. In the winter of that year, Jin soldiers attacked Song Dynasty, and Wanyan zongwang led the eastern army to Kaifeng. In the panic of the Song court, Li Gang proposed to pass the throne to Prince Zhao Huan to call on the army and the people to fight against the Jin Dynasty.

After Zhao Huan (emperor qinzong of the Song Dynasty) ascended to the throne, he was promoted to Youcheng, the Secretary of the Shang Dynasty, and took up the post of personal camp envoy, responsible for the defense of Kaifeng. Li Gang led the army and people of Kaifeng to complete the defense deployment in time, personally boarded the city to supervise the battle, and repulsed the Jin soldiers. When Jin Shuai wanyanzong saw that Kaifeng was hard to attack by force, he turned to the strategy of inducing surrender. The Song court was filled with the atmosphere of humiliation and surrender. Li Gang was dismissed by Emperor qinzong of Song Dynasty for his firm opposition to seeking peace from the Jin Dynasty. Because of the angry demonstration between the army and the people in Kaifeng, song qinzong was forced to take back his life, and Li gangcai was used again. Wanyan zongwang was unable to conquer Kaifeng. After the Song court agreed to cede three towns in Hebei, he withdrew his troops in February 1126, the first year of Jingkang. The Kaifeng guard war won under the organization of Li Gang.

Ups and downs of official life

After the withdrawal of Jin soldiers, Li Gang was rejected and framed by the capitulators of the Song Dynasty. In the first year of Jingkang (1126), in May, song Tingqiang ordered Li Gang to be the Xuanfu envoy of Hedong and Hebei, and drove him out of the court. After Li Gang took office, the Song court restricted everything, so that the Xuanfu apostles had no name and had no power to control the army. Li Gang was forced to resign in September of the first year of Jingkang (1126). He was charged with "specializing in war discussion, losing his division and money". He first accused Jianchang Army (now Nancheng of Jiangxi Province) of resettlement, and then relegated to Kuizhou (now Fengjie of Chongqing).

Soon after Li Gang was demoted, the Jin soldiers went south again and besieged Kaifeng. On the eve of being captured, Emperor qinzong of the Song Dynasty thought of using Li Gang to appoint him to be the Grand Master of zizhengdian and lead the affairs of Kaifeng government, but it did not help. When Li Gang learned of this fate in Changsha, the Northern Song Dynasty had already perished.

After the royal family of Song Dynasty went south, Zhao Gou (song Gaozong), king of Kang, established the Southern Song Dynasty in yingtianfu, Nanjing (now Shangqiu, Henan). On May 5, the first year of Jianyan (1127), Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty once appointed Li Gang as the minister's right servant and minister (right Prime Minister). Yan Qi, the censor Zhongcheng, said: "Li Gang was hated by the Jin people, so he should not be prime minister." Fan Zongyin, the right advisor, said: "Li Gang's name is floating in reality. It has the power of shaking the Lord and can't be compared."

Li Gang was on his way to Kaifeng. When he received his appointment, he rushed to Nanjing. He did his best to plan for Emperor Gaozong's reorganization of the imperial program, organize anti Jin struggle, and launch a sharp struggle with Wang Boyan, Huang Qianshan and other capitulators around him. He opposed to surrender, advocated "all peace negotiations" and severely punished Zhang bangchang and other officials of the Song Dynasty who worked for Jin Bing to encourage Shangjie. In order to strengthen the anti gold struggle, he recommended Zongze, a resolute Anti Japanese Minister, to stay in Tokyo and repair the defense facilities in Kaifeng. He also advocated the establishment of Hebei's appeal department and Hedong's economic system department to support the two rivers' army and people's anti gold struggle, and recommended Zhang Suo and Fu Liang to be Hebei's appeal department and Hedong's economic system deputy. In view of the military and political corruption and unclear rewards and punishments since the Northern Song Dynasty, he also promulgated 21 new military regulations and started to rectify the military and political affairs. He also proposed to build Shuai Fu along the Yangtze River, the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River for in-depth defense.

Li Gang's rectification of military and political facilities helped the Song court to support the situation, which was still acceptable to Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty. However, song Gaozong, Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan did not agree with him for his firm resistance to Jin and his opposition to capitulation. Therefore, they tried to expel Li Gang. First of all, Li Gang was transferred to be the minister's left servant and his servant (left Prime Minister), and Huang Qianshan was appointed to take over the right servant and his servant to contain Li Gang. After that, Zhang Suo and Fu Liang were removed, Hebei's Department of appeasement and Hedong's Department of economic control were removed, and Li Gang's anti Jin deployment was deliberately destroyed, forcing him to resign. Li Gang was in power for only 75 days. On August 18, the first year of Jianyan (1127), he was dismissed. He was a Bachelor of Guanwen palace and promoted Dongxiao palace in Hangzhou.

Retired to Fuzhou

On October 8, the first year of Jianyan (1127), he was impeached by Zhang Jun, the imperial censor of the palace. He was dismissed as a Bachelor of Arts in the palace of literature, and remained in the office of promoting Dongxiao palace. He lived in Ezhou.

In October of the second year of Jianyan (1128), the imperial court ordered him to move to Lizhou (now Lixian County, Hunan Province). On November 4 of the same year, he was relegated to Wan'an Army (now Wanning, Hainan).

On November 25, the third year of Jianyan (1129), Li Gang and his son Li Zongzhi went south to Qiongzhou. On November 29, they were pardoned and released. The next year, Li Gang lived in seclusion in danxiayan, Taining.

In the second year of Shaoxing (1132), Li Gang became a Bachelor of Guanwen temple, a Xuanfu envoy of Huguang, and a scholar of Tanzhou. At that time, there were tens of thousands of victims in the area. After Li Gang took office, he tried his best to deal with it.

In the first month of the ninth year of Shaoxing (1139), the song and Jin Dynasties negotiated peace, and Gaozong wanted to rise again. Li Gang was the pacifying Ambassador of zhitanzhou and Jinghu South Road, but his words were not accepted. He was only a Bachelor of Arts in the temple of literature, and was promoted to the title of Dongxiao palace in Lin'an Prefecture.

Mourn the death

Li Gang's younger brother, Xiao Shulang, Li Jing, died early, which he deeply regretted. On the 15th day of the first month of the 10th year of Shaoxing (1140) (Shangyuan Festival), Li Gang personally paid a memorial ceremony to Li Jing. He was very sad, so he suddenly fell ill. On the same day (February 5), Li Gang died at the residence of Yan jingshe in Cangqian mountain at the age of 58. After hearing the news, Gaozong pursued Shaoshi and ordered his younger brother Li Wei to be responsible for the funeral.

In 1188, Li Gang's family applied for his posthumous title to the imperial court. The Prime Minister Zhou Bida mentioned that song Xiaozong gave Li Gang the title of "Zhongding" in 1189.

Main achievements

For the safety of the people, Li Gang effectively organized the city defense in the Tokyo defense war and repeatedly repelled the Jin soldiers. Although the imperial court didn't use his advice, or used it and soon abolished it, his loyalty and loyalty won high prestige among the people.

At the beginning of song Gaozong's accession to the throne, Li Gang was used as Prime Minister for a time. He tried to reform the internal affairs and achieved great success. But he was dismissed after only 77 days.

personal works

Li Gang wrote many works in his life. His posthumous works were compiled into 180 volumes of complete works of Liangxi by his scholars and published in the world. In addition, he wrote ten volumes of the internal and twelve volumes of the external chapters of the book of changes, ten volumes of the Analects of Confucius, more than 100 volumes of articles, poems and memorials, as well as Jingkang zhuanxinlu, fengyinglu, Jianyan shizhengji, Jianyan jintuzhi, Jianyan Zhizhao Biaozhi, Xuanfu jingguangji and zhizhizhijiang Youlu. Among them, "Jingkang biography", "Jianyan advance and retreat" and "Jianyan Shizheng Ji" are the records of Li Gang's personal experience and personal experience when he was in the imperial court in the late Northern Song Dynasty and the early Southern Song Dynasty, which are valuable materials for studying the history of this period. Liu Xizai commented in the general introduction of art that "Li Zhongding (Li Gang) wrote memorials and commentaries on things, and pointed out that he painted Minghuo. His talent seems to come from Lu Xuangong (Lu Zhi)".

Table reference:

Character evaluation

Chen Dong: Li Gang is a minister in the imperial court who bravely ignores and assumes the responsibility of the world.

Zhao Gou: the minister should be like this.

Zhu Xi: he who knows that he has a father but not a body, knows the safety of the world but not a chronic disease of the body, though he is on the verge of death by slander, but his patriotic ambition to worry about the king can not be seized, can be said to be a great man!

Zhao Min: he is a disciple of Zhang Jun who has broad ambition and few talents.

Ye Shi: Mr. Gong Ziqi and Mr. Lang spoke highly of the flood in the capital city, denouncing it as a kind of supervision, but the voice of anti Zhi shocked the whole world. Nai'u couldn't do without Lai Kou. He was at a loss in the imperial court. He would go out from Chengyu. He asked dugong to argue with the ruling party, so he seized the capital and retreated In the resurgence of Emperor Gaozong, Zhang bangchang first ordered the public to assist himself, so Zhang bangchang killed him with blasphemy. First of all, those in Hebei and Hedong sent Zhang Suo and Fu Liang to help them. They begged for the support of Xing Xiang and Deng, but did not go to the southeast

Chinese PinYin : Li Gang