He harbored lofty ambitions to bring peace
and stability to the world.(四方之志)
Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang
Dynasty in China, is recorded in history books.
Li Yuan was born in 566 AD. His father was
a brave and skilled general, and his mother came from a prominent noble family.
He grew up in a politically powerful family.
Following the fall of the Han dynasty,
China entered a period of division and turmoil known as the Northern and
Southern Dynasties. It was not until 581 AD, after the Sui Dynasty was founded
by Yang Jian, that stability began to return to China.
From a young age, Li Yuan witnessed the
fear and hunger endured by the Chinese people due to prolonged war and turmoil.
This inspired in him a desire to unify the entire country.
He harboured lofty ambitions to bring peace
and stability to the world.
In 604 AD, following the death of Yang
Jian, the founder of the Sui dynasty, his second son ascended to the throne.
Yang Jian's second son was named Yang
Guang. He was a highly controversial figure in Chinese history, simultaneously
a tyrant and a great builder. His radical measures plunged the people of the
Sui dynasty into extreme suffering.
Beginning in 617 AD, many generals across
China, who commanded armies, rose up in rebellion against the central
government led by Yang Guang.
Li Yuan was one of these generals.
At the time, Li Yuan's territory roughly
corresponded to present-day Shanxi Province in northern China. He was a leader
known for his strict military discipline.
His intention to rebel was discovered by an
official under his command named Li Jing.
Li Jing was loyal to the Sui dynasty. To
prevent the news from leaking, Li Yuan dispatched his soldiers to hunt Li Jing
down.
In an attempt to evade capture, Li Jing
disguised himself as a prisoner, but his escape failed due to the war. Several
weeks later, he was arrested in Chang'an.
When Li Jing was brought before Li Yuan,
the latter ordered his soldiers to execute him immediately.
At that moment, Li Jing looked straight at
Li Yuan and spoke slowly and resolutely.
'I know why you launched an army against
the central government. You believe that many of the Sui Dynasty's policies are
too cruel and cause suffering to the people. While I agree with your views, as
a Sui Dynasty official, I must fulfill my duty to expose your plot to rebel.
Now that I have been captured, my life is
in your hands.
The Sui Dynasty certainly needs to be
overthrown, but do you think it will be easy to overthrow the central
government? You need the help of many people, and I am one of those who can
help you. If you spare my life, I promise to be loyal to you for life.
Li Yuan looked at Li Jing, admiring his
courage and eloquence. After a moment's thought, his second son said,
"What Li Jing said makes a lot of sense. I also think he is a very capable
person. If you forgive him and let him live, I believe he will be of great help
to us.'
Li Yuan ultimately chose to release Li
Jing.
This idiom translates as "the lofty
ambition to bring peace and stability to the entire realm".
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
have you gained from this story?
If you were Li Yuan, how would you have
dealt with Li Jing? Do you think that Li Jing's actions indicate disloyalty? I
hope this story gives you some new insights.
四方之志(He harbored lofty ambitions to bring
peace and stability to the world.)
李淵出生於西元566年，他的父親是一個勇敢善戰的將軍，他的母親生長在一個非常顯赫的貴族家庭，他生長在一個政治世家。
中國在漢王朝滅亡之後，進入了一個分裂又動亂的南北王朝時代，直到西元581年，由楊堅建立的隋王朝統一中國之後，中國境內才又開始恢復安定。
李淵從小就看到中國各地因為長期戰爭與動亂，百姓們生活在恐懼與飢餓之中，他的內心中萌發了統一整個中國的心。
他有著安定整個天下的遠大志向。。
西元604年，隋王朝的建立者楊堅過世之後，楊堅的次子繼承了王位。
楊堅的次子的名字叫做楊廣，他是中國歷史上一個非常有爭議的領導者，他既是一個暴君卻又是一個偉大的建設者。他的那些激進的措施讓隋王朝的百姓生活在極度的痛苦之中。
西元617年開始，中國的各地很多掌握軍隊的將領開始陸續起來反抗楊廣所領導的中央政府。
李淵是這些起來反中央政府的將軍的其中之一。
李淵當時管理的地區大約是現在中國的北方的山西省，他是一個軍紀非常嚴明的領導者。
李淵準備要反抗中央政府的意圖被他手下的一個名字叫做(李靖)的官員發現。
這個名字叫做(李靖)的官員效忠於隋王朝，李淵為了避免消息走漏就派遣他手下的士兵去追殺(李靖)。
李靖為了逃避追殺所以假扮成一個囚犯，但是因為戰爭的關係，所以李靖沒有逃跑成功，幾個禮拜後，他在長安這座城市中被逮捕。
當李靖被抓到李淵的面前的時候，李淵下令他手下的士兵立刻處死李靖。
但在這個時候，李靖雙眼瞪著李淵，他用很堅定又緩慢的速度大聲地對李淵說。
我知道你為何要發動軍隊對抗中央政府，你的目的是因為你認為隋王朝的中央政府的很多政策過於殘暴，所以造成百姓們的痛苦。我的內心雖然也認同你的想法，但是我同時又身為隋王朝的官員，所以我必須盡我的職分去揭穿你想要謀反的企圖。
現在我被你抓到了，我的生命就掌握在你的手裡。
現在的隋王朝的確需要被推翻，但你認為你要推翻隋王朝的中央政府有那麼容易嗎?你需要很多人來幫你，我就是一個可以幫助你的人，如果你願意留存我的生命，那麼我承諾我會一生都效忠於你。
李淵看著這個李靖，他的心中很佩服李靖的膽量與口才，他思索了片刻，就在李淵思索的時候，他的第二個兒子對他說。
我認為李靖說的話很有道理，我也認為他是一個很有才能的人，你如果原諒他讓她活著，我相信他對我們會有很大的幫助。
李淵最後選擇釋放李靖。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是安定整個天下的遠大志向
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
如果你是李淵，你會怎樣處置李靖呢?你認為李靖的行為是否表示他是一個不忠誠的人呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為舊唐書-卷67-李靖傳
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E8%88%8A%E5%94%90%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B767