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Speaking of national heroes, the first person that comes to many people's minds is Wen Tianxiang.

Wen Tianxiang was a famous figure in the late Southern Song Dynasty. He had four identities: top scholar, prime minister, loyal minister, and martyr.

In order to resist foreign enemies for the survival of the country, he refused to surrender after being defeated and captured, and died bravely.

"In the third year of Duanping reign of Emperor Lizong of Song, Wen Tianxiang was born in Jizhou, Jiangxi."

"Wen Tianxiang was the eldest son in the family. When he was six years old, his father began to teach him to read and write. When he was seven years old, he entered a private school."

"After passing the Tongshi exam, Wen Tianxiang studied at home for a year."

"The next year, I went to Bailuzhou Academy to study and became Ouyang Shoudao's disciple."

"Ouyang Shoudao was taught by Jiang Wanli and had a great influence on Wen Tianxiang's thoughts."

"The friendship between teacher and student was so deep that after Ouyang Shoudao passed away, Wen Tianxiang personally wrote an obituary for him."

"It was also here that Wen Tianxiang met Ouyang Jun, the niece of Ouyang Shoudao, and later married her."

"In the same year, the 20-year-old Wen Tianxiang successfully passed the provincial examination and went to Lin'an with his father Wen Yi and his brother Wen Bi to take part in the metropolitan examination."

"The three of them, father and son, arrived in Lin'an in the first month of the fourth year of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty to take the examination."

"On the first day of February, the Ministry of Rites announced the results, and Wen Tianxiang and Wen Bi were admitted as Jinshi."

"On the eighth day of May, the two brothers went to Jiying Hall to participate in the palace examination."

"Wen Tianxiang took the idea of ​​following the will of heaven as his starting point, first expounded his own philosophy and worldview, and then put forward effective suggestions one by one in response to several questions raised by Song Lizong."

“In terms of national governance, we need to reform politics to appease public grievances.”

"Do not allow eunuchs and relatives to participate in government affairs, and strengthen the power of the prime minister."

“In terms of personnel education, we need to cultivate people with real skills and knowledge.”

"In terms of military defense, we must save money, enrich the country and strengthen the military, and strengthen coastal defense to resist the enemy."

"In the end, he wrote the more than 10,000-word "Imperial Examination Strategy" in one go without even making a single draft, and was personally selected as the top scholar by Emperor Lizong of Song."

"After Wen Tianxiang passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar, his father Wen Yi's condition worsened and he died in Lin'an on May 28."

"According to the system, Wen Tianxiang must observe a three-year mourning period before he can be appointed to an official position."

"Wen Tianxiang and his brother Wen Bi left Lin'an on the first day of June, carrying the coffin, and returned to their hometown of Luling in Jiangxi on July 24."

"In the first year of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty, Wen Tianxiang ended his three-year mourning period and began his official career."

"In September, Kublai Khan led the Mongolian army to besiege Ezhou, and the eunuch Dong Songchen persuaded Song Lizong to move the capital."

"At this time, Wen Tianxiang, who was in Lin'an but had not yet taken office, heard about this and firmly opposed moving the capital."

"I then wrote a ten-thousand-word letter, 'The Letter to the Emperor in the Year of Jiwei', begging Emperor Lizong to execute Dong Songchen to appease the people, but I received no official response."

"Wen Tianxiang, feeling disappointed, did not take up the post, but asked to be dismissed and returned directly to his hometown in Jiangxi."

"In February of the following year, Wen Tianxiang was transferred to the post of official secretary of the Zhennan Army Jiedu Judge's Office."

"But he refused to take the position and volunteered to be a temple official."

"A year later, Emperor Lizong of Song issued an edict appointing Wen Tianxiang as the official secretary of the Secretariat."

"He once again refused to take the position on the grounds that he had never served as a local official."

"In the third year of the reign of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty, Wen Tianxiang accepted the court's arrangement and served as a secretary in the Secretariat, starting his first official position."

"Not long after, the court also appointed him as the crown prince's professor in Jingxian Prefecture, responsible for teaching the crown prince the Four Books and Five Classics."

"Song Lizong was very satisfied with the prince's learning achievements and rewarded Wen Tianxiang with a golden bowl."

"In the fourth year of Emperor Lizong's reign, Wen Tianxiang was appointed as the governor of Ruizhou, his first time serving as a local official."

"After more than a year in Ruizhou, Wen Tianxiang was recalled to Lin'an because of his outstanding political achievements."

Zhang Juzheng: Wen Tianxiang's original name was Sun Yunwen. He was the top scholar in the imperial examination in the fourth year of Emperor Lizong's reign.

When Emperor Lizong of Song saw him, he said that this was a sign of good fortune from heaven and auspiciousness for the Song Dynasty.

Wen Tianxiang was deeply grateful for the emperor's praise, so he changed his name to Wen Tianxiang.

From then on, Wen Tianxiang began his eventful life.

After retiring, he could not stand the eunuch Dong Songchen who was close to Emperor Lizong of Song and the famous treacherous minister Jia Sidao who had absolute power in the court.

Because he was at odds with the two, he was hated and excluded by them, and was demoted for a while.

The Southern Song Dynasty was just a small court in a corner. In the eyes of the powerful Mongol Empire, the weak Southern Song Dynasty was just a piece of fat meat that was within easy reach.

The Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty in the north and soon marched south with the intention of destroying the Southern Song Dynasty.

The Yuan Dynasty's army's offensive became more and more fierce, and the Southern Song Dynasty was about to collapse.

Under such circumstances, Wen Tianxiang was appointed as the right prime minister and privy councilor.

Even with a talented man like Wen Tianxiang in important positions, he still couldn't change the Southern Song's declining trend on the battlefield.

When Lin'an fell, Empress Dowager Xie Daoqing led the young Emperor Gong of Song out of the city to surrender.

The Southern Song Dynasty was legally destroyed, and its history came to an end only after Wen Tianxiang was executed.

After Emperor Gong of Song surrendered, his elder and younger brothers managed to escape from the city.

In Fuzhou, Wen Tianxiang supported Song Gongdi's brother Zhao Bing as the new emperor of Southern Song.

Later, under the relentless pursuit of the Yuan army, he had no choice but to continue fleeing south and arrived in Leizhou, Guangdong.

At this time, Zhao Bing died due to being unable to endure the bumpy road ride. Wen Tianxiang and others then enthroned another young emperor, Zhao Bing, and retreated to Yashan.

The Yuan army attacked Yashan fiercely and Lu Xiufu was defeated.

He turned to the young emperor Zhao Bing and said, "Now that things have come to this, Your Majesty has no choice but to sacrifice his life for your country."

So he jumped into the sea and died for his country, carrying the young emperor and more than 800 members of the Southern Song royal family.

"Wen Tianxiang's career in officialdom was not smooth. Before he officially took up the post of Langguan of the Ministry of Rites, he received an imperial decree to transfer him to the post of Jiangxi Provincial Justice Commissioner."

"Soon after Wen Tianxiang took office, he was impeached by Taiwan official Huang Wanshi and subsequently dismissed from his post as judicial official."

"In a letter to a friend, Wen Tianxiang recalled his experiences in the officialdom over the past decade, and he was upright and incorruptible."

"But they were seen as courting their own destruction, and were even framed, ostracized and suppressed."

"In the third year of Emperor Duzong of Song's Xianchun reign, Wen Tianxiang was recalled by the court again and appointed as the official of the Shangshu Zuosi."

"After being impeached again and dismissed from all official positions, Wen Tianxiang returned to Luling on the winter solstice of the same year."

"The court once again appointed him as the chief judge of Fujian, but before he could take up the post, he was dismissed by the imperial censor Chen Maoqin."

"He was repeatedly appointed and dismissed until the seventh year of Emperor Duzong of Song, when he was dismissed from office five times in total."

"In the tenth year of Emperor Duzong of Song, Kublai Khan ordered Bayan to lead an army of 20 troops, divided into two routes, water and land, with the goal of heading directly to Lin'an."

"Grand Empress Dowager Xie Daoqing saw that the Yuan army had already arrived at the gates of Lin'an and the situation was critical."

"So he issued a "Sorrowful Edict", calling on ministers and soldiers to fight against foreign enemies together and save the Song Dynasty."

"When Wen Tianxiang received the imperial edict, it was already the first month of the first year of Emperor Gongdi of Song."

"In addition to the "Edict of Mourning", there was also an edict issued to him personally, ordering him to quickly mobilize the righteous men to defend the king."

"Wen Tianxiang held the imperial edict and wept. Three days later, he began to recruit volunteers, and many people responded."

"Wen Tianxiang ordered Chen Jizhou to recruit loyal soldiers in Ganzhou. A new army of tens of thousands of people was quickly organized under Wen Tianxiang's call."

"Wen Tianxiang asked experienced soldiers to actively train new soldiers and sold all his property to use as military funds."

"In August, Wen Tianxiang led his army to Lin'an and stationed at the edge of West Lake."

"At this time, the commander of the Yuan army, Bayan, had led his troops from Jinling to attack Changzhou."

"Wen Tianxiang sent 3000 of his important generals to Zhang Quan's command to support Changzhou together."

"However, Zhang Quan fled without paying attention to the righteous troops including Yin Yu who were fighting in the front."

"Finally, the reinforcements were defeated due to being outnumbered, and the Yuan army captured Changzhou." "After Changzhou was captured, Dusong Pass was in danger, and the Song court dispatched Wen Tianxiang from Pingjiang to reinforce."

"But before the reinforcements arrived, Dusong Pass had been breached, Pingjiang was also occupied by the Yuan army, and Wen Tianxiang was ordered to retreat to Yuhang."

"In the second year of Emperor Gongdi's Deyou reign, Boyan led his army to Gaoting Mountain, which was only thirty miles away from Lin'an. Wen Tianxiang had just been appointed as the prefect of Lin'an."

"On the 19th, Wen Tianxiang was appointed as the right prime minister and privy councilor, and the next day he was sent to the Yuan camp to negotiate surrender."

"Wen Tianxiang and Boyan argued at Gaoting Mountain, and Boyan was furious and detained Wen Tianxiang in the Yuan camp."

"After reaching Zhenjiang, Wen Tianxiang and Du Hu and twelve others took advantage of the lax defense and fled to Zhenzhou at night."

"Miao Zaicheng, the governor of Zhenzhou, came out of the city to greet him and proposed a plan to restore the Song Dynasty."

"We will divide into three groups and attack Yangziqiao, Wantou and Zhenjiang on the same day. The Yuan army will be distracted and unable to rescue them. The Song army can take advantage of this opportunity to capture Guazhou."

"Then use the troops in the east to attack Jingkou, and the soldiers in the west to attack Nanjing, threatening Zhejiang's retreat route. In this way, we can capture the Yuan army commander alive."

"Wen Tianxiang praised this highly, and immediately sent letters to the two governors and envoys to make contact in all directions."

Wang Yangming: Leaving a Loyal Heart to Shine in History, Wen Tianxiang's Last Years

Zhang Shijie led the remaining Southern Song warships in a fierce battle with the Yuan army. Suddenly, a hurricane arose on the sea, sweeping the remaining troops of the Southern Song Dynasty to the bottom of the sea along with their ships.

Wen Tianxiang witnessed this scene with his own eyes, and was defeated and captured soon after.

The Yuan Dynasty had just been established at this time and was in urgent need of talent.

The great hero Kublai Khan valued Wen Tianxiang very much.

I not only appreciate his talent, but also admire his perseverance and determination.

Many people were sent to persuade him to surrender, including the prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty, the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, relatives of Wen Tianxiang, and even the emperor of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Gong of Song.

When Wen Tianxiang met Emperor Gong of Song, he bowed and just said, "Your Majesty, please return."

Emperor Gong of Song, who was only 10 years old, was also silent. He was filled with melancholy and went back without saying a word.

Seeing this situation, Kublai Khan personally participated in the operation to persuade the enemy to surrender, using both soft and hard tactics.

Not only did he ask his daughter Liu Niang to write to him, telling her about the sufferings in prison, but he also used this as a threat.

He was also promised the position of prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty as a lure if he surrendered.

Even in such circumstances, Wen Tianxiang remained unmoved.

During the more than four years of imprisonment, Kublai Khan tried his best but to no avail.

Just when he was about to give up, Wen Tianxiang said these words.

The country is destroyed, and I am doomed to die. If I am given a leave of absence, I can return to my hometown and serve as an advisor in the future.

Kublai Khan was overjoyed when he heard this, but as a powerful hero, he soon discovered the clues in this sentence.

What he wanted was for Wen Tianxiang to be an official in the Yuan Dynasty, to work for him, and to keep him under his own supervision.

"Because Wen Tianxiang had always opposed surrender, the pro-peace forces in the country bore a grudge against him and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"Miao Zaicheng also received an order to kill Wen Tianxiang, but he couldn't bear it, so he sent people to escort Wen Tianxiang and his group to Yangzhou."

"At the gate of Yangzhou, I heard the people waiting for the gate to be opened say that we must be on high alert against Wen Tianxiang."

"So the group headed east and encountered the Yuan army again, but fortunately they were not discovered."

"When they reached Banqiao, the Yuan army came again. Du Hu and Jin Ying were captured. They were only released after they handed over all their belongings to the Yuan army."

"Yu Hou Zhang Qing was shot in the eye once and in the body twice."

"Wen Tianxiang escaped undetected twice, and finally the group took a boat to Wenzhou."

"Wen Tianxiang heard that Prince Yi Zhao Bing had not yet been enthroned, so he submitted a petition to persuade Zhao Bing to take the throne."

"Wen Tianxiang's troops were defeated by the Yuan army in Kongkeng, and his wife and three children were also captured by the Yuan army. His subordinates suffered heavy casualties, but fortunately Wen Tianxiang managed to escape."

"The Yuan Dynasty also learned of the new king's accession to the throne, and in October of the same year, it sent troops on several fronts, intending to completely destroy the Southern Song's anti-Yuan forces."

"The army stopped for lunch at Wupoling, Haifeng, and was ambushed by Yuan troops disguised as villagers."

"Wen Tianxiang fought hand-to-hand with Wang Weiyi, a captain of the Yuan army who suddenly rushed into the tent, but was defeated and subdued to the ground."

"Wen Tianxiang wanted to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to commit suicide, but he became dizzy and failed to do so, and was eventually captured."

"After Wen Tianxiang was captured, he was first escorted to Chaoyang, where Marshal Zhang Hongfan persuaded him to surrender and ordered him to write a letter to persuade Zhang Shijie to surrender."

"Wen Tianxiang refused to surrender and even wrote the popular poem "Crossing the Lingding Ocean" in response to Zhang Hongfan's request for surrender."

"At this time, Wen Tianxiang was imprisoned on the ship and witnessed the naval battle, in which 200,000 compatriots died and the Song Dynasty was completely destroyed."

"After his victory, Zhang Hongfan persuaded Wen Tianxiang to surrender again, and also hinted that if Wen Tianxiang could be as loyal to the Yuan Dynasty as he was to the Song Dynasty, he could also be made prime minister."

"Wen Tianxiang said with tears in his eyes that the country was ruined and there was no way to save it. As a minister, he deserved death, so how could he dare to have two hearts and live in disgrace?"

"Zhang Hongfan was moved by his kindness and righteousness and did not kill him. In accordance with Kublai Khan's order, he sent Shi Song, the governor of the capital, to lead a team of troops to escort Wen Tianxiang to Dadu."

"In October of the same year, Wen Tianxiang was taken to Yanjing, and Yuan Prime Minister Boluo began to persuade him to surrender."

"At first, Liu Mengyan was arranged to lead the charge, but as soon as Liu opened his mouth, he was scolded by Wen Tianxiang."

"Then Boluo asked Wen Tianxiang's former master Zhao to come. Wen Tianxiang went north to pay his respects and begged the emperor to return to the throne, but his former master failed to persuade him to surrender."

"Later, Yuan Prime Minister Boluo personally came out to persuade him to surrender, but Wen Tianxiang vowed to die rather than surrender."

"Wen Tianxiang stayed in Yanjing for three years. Kublai Khan knew that Wen Tianxiang had never yielded, so he discussed with the prime minister to release him."

"Some people used the fact that Wen Tianxiang started an uprising in Jiangnan West as an excuse, and they were not released."

"In the 19th year of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan summoned Wen Tianxiang to the palace and asked him whether he had changed his mind and was willing to submit to the Yuan Dynasty."

"Unexpectedly, Wen Tianxiang still said with great righteousness that the only option was death, not life."

"On December 9, Wen Tianxiang was taken to the Chaishi execution ground. He bowed to the south and was executed calmly. He was 47 years old."

Xu Guangqi: The national hero Wen Tianxiang was loyal and courageous. When the nation was in danger, he would rather die than surrender.

In this way, not only could he gain a capable helper, but he could also deal a heavy blow to the remaining anti-Yuan forces instead of letting him go.

With his influence, if he was let go, it would be easy for him to form another anti-Yuan team, which would be tantamount to letting a tiger return to the mountain.

At this time, Liu Mengyan, a surrendered official of the Southern Song Dynasty, was also causing trouble. This man had always been at odds with Wen Tianxiang and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Under his instigation and attacks, Kublai Khan realized that it was unlikely to persuade this man to surrender, and finally decided to kill Wen Tianxiang.

After four years of imprisonment, Wen Tianxiang could no longer tell the directions.

On the day of the execution, countless people came to see him off.

On the execution ground, Wen Tianxiang asked them which direction south was, and someone immediately pointed it out to him.

Then he bowed towards the south, knelt down, and performed the whole set of movements smoothly.

Then he said to the executioner, "You can do it now," and finally went to his death calmly.

Kublai Khan regretted his decision shortly after issuing the order to kill him. When he wanted to issue another decree to stop the execution, it was too late.

When Wen Tianxiang's wife Ouyang was collecting his body, she found his suicide poem in his pocket.

Wen Tianxiang studied hard, became the top scholar at the age of 20, became prime minister at the age of 40, and was famous both at home and abroad.

But there are only two words that make him feel worthy of himself: guilt-free.

As long as one reflects on oneself and has no guilt, no matter how bad a person's situation is.

Look up at the sky and look down at the earth, and you will see a bright and clear world.

From this we can see that Wen Tianxiang is a great national hero.

The wheel of history rolled on, and the demise of the Song Dynasty was an inevitable trend, which was not something that Wen Tianxiang alone could resist.

In the end, all he could do was to kill the thief with all his heart, but he was powerless to save the situation. (End of this chapter)