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The Li Ling incident was a historical event that occurred during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

In the second year of Tianhan, during the war between Han and Xiongnu, Li Ling was defeated and captured. All the officials said that Li Ling was guilty, but Sima Qian was the only one who defended him.

In a rage, Emperor Wu of Han threw Sima Qian into prison and then sentenced him to castration, an incident known in history as the "Li Ling Incident."

In the second year of Tianhan, Emperor Wu of Han ordered General Li Guangli to lead 30,000 cavalry from Jiuquan to attack the Huns.

After the battle started, Li Ling took the initiative to ask to lead 5,000 infantrymen out of the Juyan Sea and go north deep into the Shanyu royal court.

Thirty days later, Li Ling's troops met 30 Xiongnu cavalry at Junji Mountain.

Li Ling stationed his troops between two mountains, fighting one against ten, and won victory after victory. Within ten days, he killed more than 10,000 Xiongnu cavalry.

According to the pre-arranged plan, he fought and retreated, leading the Xiongnu Chanyu all the way to the Han-Xiongnu border in the south.

When the Han army was only a hundred miles away from the Han Dynasty's border barrier, the Xiongnu blocked their retreat and ran out of ammunition and food. At midnight,
Li Ling led a dozen warriors to break through, but was discovered by the Huns. Thousands of cavalrymen pursued him, and finally Li Ling surrendered to the Huns.

Sima Qian suffered an indelible pain in his life due to being castrated because of the Li Ling incident, and this incident has become an important clue for later generations to interpret the tragic meaning of "Records of the Grand Historian".

"Li Ling's grandfather was Li Guang and his father was Li Danghu;"

"Li Danghu died early, and Li Ling was his posthumous son."

"When Li Ling came of age, he served as the Palace Attendant and Jianzhang Supervisor. He was good at riding and shooting, and loved his soldiers."

"Emperor Wu of Han thought he had the style of Li Guang and ordered him to lead 800 cavalrymen."

"He once penetrated more than 2,000 miles into the Xiongnu territory, crossed Guyan to scout the terrain, and returned safely without encountering the enemy."

"He was later promoted to Cavalry Commander, commanding 5,000 soldiers and stationed in Jiuquan and Zhangye to guard against the Xiongnu."

"A few years later, the Han Dynasty sent General Li Guangli to conquer Dayuan and ordered Li Ling to follow him with five schools of soldiers."

"When they reached the border, Emperor Wu ordered Li Ling to leave his soldiers behind and lead only 500 light cavalry out of Dunhuang to Yanshui to welcome Li Guangli back to the army, and then continue to stay in Zhangye."

"In the second year of Tianhan, Li Guangli led 30,000 cavalrymen from Jiuquan to attack the Right Wise King who was active in the Tianshan area."

"Emperor Wu summoned Li Ling and wanted him to deliver food and fodder to the army."

"But Li Ling asked Emperor Wu for permission to let his army be independent and not just a transport team for General Ershi."

"But the emperor sent too many troops and had no extra horses to give to Li Ling. Li Ling asked for no horses and only needed 5,000 infantry to defeat the enemy with a small force. So the emperor gave Li Ling 5,000 infantry."

"Afterwards, Emperor Wu ordered Lu Bode to serve as Li Ling's reserve army, because Lu Bode was originally General Fubo."

"So I felt ashamed to be Li Ling's reserve army, so I reported to the emperor that it was not suitable to go to war at this time, and hoped to wait until spring to lead troops with Li Ling to attack the East and West Junji Mountains."

"The emperor thought that Li Ling regretted not wanting to send troops and had sent Lu Bode to write this letter, so he ordered Lu Bode to lead his army to attack the Xiongnu."

"At the same time, he ordered Li Ling to send troops in September. So Li Ling led 5,000 infantrymen to station at Junji Mountain."

"Li Ling encountered the main force of the Chanyu at Junji Mountain and was surrounded by more than 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry."

"Li Ling's army camped between two mountains with large carts, and arranged the soldiers in battle formation outside the camp. The front row of soldiers held halberds and shields, and the back row was equipped with archers;"

“We used this to repel several attacks by the Huns and killed thousands of enemies.”

"The Chanyu summoned more than 80,000 cavalrymen to besiege Li Ling."

"Later, Li Ling's infantry fought with the enemy cavalry in the woods, but suffered heavy casualties."

"Li Ling found out because there were wives and daughters of exiled soldiers in the army who became their wives, which affected the morale of the soldiers,"

"So he killed all those women, and the battle resumed the next day, killing more than 3,000 enemies."

"Afterwards, Li Ling led his army to the southeast. The Xiongnu army set fire, and Li Ling also ordered his soldiers to set fire to create an isolation zone to save themselves."

"The Chanyu then sent his own son to lead an army to attack Li Ling. Li Ling's army engaged him in a battle in the woods and killed several thousand more of the enemy."

Li Shimin: That summer, Emperor Wu sent General Li Guangli, the brother of his favorite concubine Lady Li, to lead troops to attack the Huns. He also sent Li Guang's grandson, General Li Ling, to accompany Li Guangli in transporting supplies.

Li Ling led 5,000 infantrymen out of Guyuan, and went deep into Junji Mountain alone, where he encountered the Chanyu. The Xiongnu besieged Li Ling with 80,000 cavalrymen.

After eight days and nights of fighting, Li Ling killed more than 10,000 Xiongnu, but because he could not get support from the main force,
As a result, he ran out of ammunition and food and was unfortunately captured. He then surrendered. Sima Qian interceded for him and he was sentenced to castration.

When the news of Li Ling's defeat reached Chang'an, Emperor Wu originally hoped that he would die in battle, but when he heard that he had surrendered, he was furious.
All the civil and military officials in the court observed Li Ling's words and expressions and tried to curry favor with the powerful. A few days ago, they were praising Li Ling's bravery, but now they echoed Emperor Wu of Han and accused Li Ling of his crimes.

Emperor Wu of Han asked the Grand Historian Sima Qian for his opinion. On the one hand, Sima Qian comforted Emperor Wu, but on the other hand, he hated those ministers who changed their attitudes according to the wind and tried his best to defend Li Ling.

He believed that Li Ling was filial to his mother, trustworthy to his friends, humble and courteous to others, kind and faithful to his soldiers, and often risked his life to help the country in times of crisis, showing the demeanor of a patriot.

Sima Qian hated those ministers who only cared about protecting themselves and their families. Now that they saw that Li Ling's military campaign was unsuccessful, they simply added insult to injury and exaggerated his crimes.

Sima Qian praised Li Ling to Emperor Wu of Han for leading only 5,000 infantrymen deep into the Xiongnu territory, fighting alone, killing and wounding many enemies and making great contributions.

Even when reinforcements were not coming, ammunition and food were running out, and there was nowhere else to go, he still fought bravely. Even the famous generals in ancient times were no better than this.

Although Li Ling himself fell into failure, the number of Huns he killed and wounded was enough to make him famous throughout the world.

The reason why he did not die but surrendered to the Xiongnu was that he must have wanted to find an appropriate opportunity to repay the Han Dynasty.
Sima Qian seemed to mean that General Li Guangli did not fulfill his responsibilities.

His outspokenness angered Emperor Wu of Han, who thought he was defending Li Ling and satirizing Li Guangli, who had led a long expedition and returned defeated, so he ordered Sima Qian to be thrown into prison.

After Sima Qian was imprisoned, the case fell into the hands of Du Zhou, a notorious cruel official at the time.
Du Zhou interrogated Sima Qian severely, and Sima Qian endured all kinds of cruel physical and mental torture.

Faced with cruel officials, he never gave in or admitted his guilt.

Soon, rumors spread that Li Ling was training troops for the Huns.

Emperor Wu of Han believed it to be true and hastily executed Li Ling's mother, wife and son.

According to the criminal law of the Han Dynasty, there were two ways to reduce the death penalty: one was to pay 500,000 coins to redeem the sin, and the other was to undergo "castration".

Sima Qian was a low-ranking official and his family was poor, so of course he could not afford to pay so much money to atone his sins.

Castration not only cruelly destroys the body and spirit, but is also a great insult to human dignity.

Sima Qian was certainly unwilling to endure such punishment, and he was so heartbroken that he even thought about committing suicide.

But then he thought, everyone will die one day, but "death can be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather", and the weight of death has different meanings. He felt that if he just "died by execution", it would be like a cow losing a hair, which is worthless.

He thought of Confucius, Qu Yuan, Zuo Qiuming, Sun Bin and others, and thought of the humiliation they suffered as well as the remarkable achievements they achieved.

Sima Qian suddenly felt full of strength, and he resolutely chose castration.

Faced with the most cruel punishment, Sima Qian was in extreme pain, but he had no resentment or fear at this time.

He had only one belief, that is, he must survive and finish writing the Records of the Grand Historian.
It was precisely because he had not yet completed the Records of the Grand Historian that he survived with humiliation and hardship.

"Li Ling's army is marching and fighting, and will soon be out of the mountains, only 40 to 50 miles away from the plain;"

"The Xiongnu army is also preparing to make a final stand and withdraw if Li Ling's army reaches the plain."

"But at this time, a general in the Han army defected to the Xiongnu because he was humiliated by the captain, and informed the Xiongnu that his army had no backup and that they had run out of arrows."

"After the Xiongnu Chanyu learned of this military situation, he launched an even more fierce attack on Li Ling's army."

"Li Ling's army used up 500,000 arrows in one day, and then abandoned their chariots and fled. At this time, only more than 3,000 soldiers were left;"

"When they reached the valley, the Xiongnu soldiers threw stones at them again, causing heavy casualties to Li Ling's army."

"That night, Li Ling tried to kill Chanyu alone, but failed;"

"Afterwards, he organized his soldiers to break out, but because he was outnumbered and felt ashamed to face Emperor Wu, he surrendered to the Xiongnu."

"Of the more than 3,000 soldiers, only 400 escaped back to the Han Dynasty."

"When the news of Li Ling's surrender was brought back to the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu was furious, and his ministers began to blame Li Ling."

"But Sima Qian believed that Li Ling defeated many enemies with a small force and killed several times his number. His military exploits were outstanding, and even the famous generals in ancient times were no better than him."

"The reason why he didn't die was that he wanted to make meritorious deeds to atone for his sins and repay the court."

"But Emperor Wu of Han believed that Sima Qian was defending Li Ling and using it to falsely accuse Li Guangli, the general who had no military achievements in the battle, so he imprisoned Sima Qian and subjected him to castration."

"Later, Emperor Wu realized that Li Ling's defeat against the Xiongnu was due to the lack of rescue, so he sent envoys to comfort and reward Li Ling's remaining troops;"

"More than a year later, General Yinqiu Gongsun Ao was sent to lead troops deep into the Xiongnu territory to bring back Li Ling."

"Gongsun Ao returned without success and reported that according to the captives, Li Ling helped the Xiongnu Chanyu to defend against the Han army."

"So Emperor Wu killed all of Li Ling's family. Later, Li Ling learned about this and told the Han Dynasty's envoys that it was the surrendered general Li Xu who helped the Xiongnu Chanyu with his military operations."

"Afterwards, Li Ling sent people to kill Li Xu. Da Yanshi wanted to kill Li Ling, so the Chanyu hid him in the north and waited until Da Yanshi died before returning."

"The Xiongnu Chanyu married his daughter to Li Ling and made him the Right School King. He valued him very much and consulted with him on all matters, big and small."

"In the second year of Houyuan, Emperor Zhao of Han ascended the throne."

"The assistant general Huo Guang and the left general Shangguan Jie were both good friends of Li Ling, so they sent three people including Li Ling's old friend Ren Lizheng to the Xiongnu to invite Li Ling back to the Han Dynasty."

"Li Ling refused to return to the court because he was afraid of being humiliated again after returning to the Han Dynasty. In the first year of Yuanping, Li Ling died of illness after more than 20 years in the Xiongnu."

Li Longji: The world is bustling with people, all for the sake of profit; the world is in turmoil, all for the sake of profit.

Sima Qian was originally an official of the central government. After he was castrated,
He became a eunuch who was not a eunuch. This was a huge blow to Sima Qian because his identity had changed.

First of all, he became an alternative to men, he was not a man.

Second, he became an outlier among the scholar-officials, and it was impossible for him to be accepted by the scholar-official class.

Third, he became an alternative cultural person, that is to say, Sima Qian was originally a cultural person, a scholar, and a bookworm.

However, the group to which he originally belonged expelled him and did not recognize him as a man, a cultural person, or a scholar-official.

Second point, lifelong humiliation.

Sima Qian said some very sad words when talking about the pain of castration.

He said, there is no uglier act than humiliating one's ancestors, and no greater disgrace than castration.

The biggest mistake a person can make in life is to insult his ancestors.

When a person lives in society, the biggest fault you can be accused of is that you have been castrated.

So Sima Qian later talked about this in a very famous letter called "Letter to Ren An" or "Letter to Ren Shaoqing", in which he talked about the pain he felt after being castrated.

He said that "the intestines turn nine times a day," meaning that one does not know how many times the intestines turn in a day.

"When I am at home, I feel dazed, as if I have lost something; when I go out, I don't know where to go." He said that when he sits at home, he feels dazed, as if he has lost something; when he goes out, he doesn't know where to go.

"Whenever I think of this shame, cold sweat would break out on my back and soak my clothes." Whenever he thought of the pain of castration, cold sweat would immediately break out on his back and soak his clothes, especially the clothes on his back.

So he felt that after accepting castration, this shame would accompany his life. So Sima Qian felt that this shame was too great.

The third point is that talent and destiny are contrary to each other.

Sima Qian was a very talented man, but the fate of Li Ling's disaster caused a sharp conflict between his talent and his own destiny.

So he said that even if he had talents like the Heshi jade and the Suihou pearl,
Even if I am as noble and virtuous as the ancient sages Xu You and Boyi, how do others see me? They see me as worthless.

The reason is very simple, because human beings are social animals, and human sociality is a fundamental difference between humans and animals.

As a social person, he must be recognized by society.

The biggest problem Sima Qian suffered after being castrated was that he was not recognized by society.

Therefore, the price Sima Qian paid to save his life was his dignity as a human being, which was a painful price.

So after accepting castration, Sima Qian died as a man, and Sima Qian also died as a feudal scholar-official.
However, the Sima Qian who wrote inspiring words in the Records of the Grand Historian was reborn. This was a historic transformation of Sima Qian.

After suffering both mental and physical torture, Sima Qian, who was about to enter his fifties, had a new understanding of life and society.

After accepting castration, Sima Qian was forced to look at people from the perspective of a person at the bottom of society who was looked down upon by others.

Looking at life and history changed Sima Qian's view of life and death. He fully affirmed the legitimacy of people's pursuit of wealth. (End of this chapter)