Below, the history encyclopedia editor brings you the story of Ge Shuhan. Interested friends can continue reading.
I believe many people are sensitive to the term surrender, and they always think that those who surrender are somewhat shameful, because many people assume that in war, they would rather fail and die in battle than choose to surrender. Because once surrendering, it proves the weakness of this side and will be looked down upon by others. If it is some ordinary people, surrendering is understandable because they are not famous and do not have such good character. However, for some big figures, such as monarchs and generals, surrendering is hard for many people to believe because they carry beliefs that represent many people. If even they surrender, there is really no chance left. So if these people surrender, they will be particularly despised by people.
We will find that there are some celebrities who may have a loud reputation and receive more benefits, but at the same time, they are also highly regarded by many people. Once they make some mistakes, they are likely to be despised or condemned by people. If you have always been an unknown person, no matter what you do, everyone will not think there is anything wrong. However, once you have made outstanding contributions and later encountered problems, everyone will instinctively condemn you. During the Tang Dynasty, there was a great general who encountered such a situation. Of course, this was also his own problem and he couldn’t blame anyone else. Let’s first take a look at who this general is, this general is Ge Shuhan, who was very famous in the Tang Dynasty at that time.
Many people may wonder why not so many people have heard of this name? It was because of something he did in his later years that wiped out most of his life’s achievements, making people unwilling to mention him again. So what did he do in his later years? Let’s start from the beginning. He was a great general of the Tang Dynasty, with great strength and fame. In order to praise him, Li Bai even wrote poems to flatter him, proving that he was really powerful at that time. It is understood that he is a general specialized in fighting against Tubo, and has achieved victory in every confrontation with Tubo, making him a highly trusted and powerful figure among the masses. It can be said that as long as he exists, there is no need to fear attacks from Tubo.
But we also know that heroes also have their twilight years. Ge Shuhan made many great contributions to the Tang Dynasty, so when he got older, he began to withdraw from the front line and spend his remaining years in the rear. At this time, he did not need to go through war, so for a long time, he also developed many flaws, and his whole person no longer had the courage and prestige he used to have. Unlike many generals, he persisted in practicing martial arts and physical fitness from beginning to end, so even as he grew older, he still had a good body. After coming down from the front line, he felt that he didn’t need to go to the battlefield again in his life and began to enjoy life. As a result, his figure gradually changed, and his strength in all aspects was not as good as before. He even had serious health problems.
But he did not expect that later on, the Tang Dynasty would encounter a critical moment. Originally, they could resist foreign invasion, but unexpectedly, internal turmoil broke out in the Tang Dynasty, and the cause of the turmoil was An Lushan’s rebellion. At that time, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang did not believe in this matter until An Lushan led his troops to attack the capital, and everyone discovered it. However, by this time, Emperor Xuanzong had no way to counterattack anymore. The two generals at that time were killed by An Lushan’s people, so Emperor Xuanzong had no choice but to urgently recall Ge Shuhan. At that time, Ge Shuhan’s physical condition was not as good as before, and his overall strength had completely declined. However, there was no other way. Since Tang Xuanzong urgently summoned him, he must also go to the front line.
However, Ge Shuhan is also very aware of his own strength. He knows he cannot defeat, so his strategy is to defend. Only by defending the city well can An Lushan not attack and cannot be consumed for a long time. The first to retreat will definitely be An Lushan. His strategy is very good. With the experience he left behind, he has always been successful in defending the city. However, there are always people around Tang Xuanzong who deceive him and believe that he cannot just cower like this and should take the initiative to attack. So Tang Xuanzong ordered Ge Shuhan to immediately send troops and not passively defend. Ge Shuhan had no choice but to suffer a disastrous defeat shortly after leaving, and he himself was also captured by the enemy.
It can be said that he also cannot escape the fate of death, but Ge Shuhan, who has not been to the battlefield for many years, has long been afraid of death and no longer has the courage of the past. Therefore, he chose to surrender in the face of the danger of death. If it were Ge Shuhan back then, he might not have been able to make such a surrender, but by this time he was already old and had been eroded by various pleasures of life for a long time, so he could not restore his strength and courage back then. Therefore, he chose to surrender for his own life.
