Do you know who Xiao Song is? It’s okay if you don’t know, the history encyclopedia editor will tell you.
During the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, there was a very peculiar prime minister. He was handsome and had a beautiful beard, which made him look like a standard literati and handsome man. However, when he was a scholar and a servant, he was a skilled pillow and skilled at fighting at the border. That’s right, he was Xiao Song.
Xiao Song was the great nephew and grandson of the prime minister Xiao Yu in the early Tang Dynasty. The “Biography of Xiao Song in the Old Book of Tang” describes him as “beautiful with a beard and a majestic appearance.” In the Tang Dynasty, where “body, speech, writing, and judgment” were the standards for official positions, Xiao Song’s image as a handsome man gave him many points. In the early Kaiyuan period, he became a member of the Imperial Secretariat and served as the emperor’s secretary, responsible for drafting edicts.
Once, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang wanted to appoint Su Xun as prime minister, so he asked eunuchs to bring in the on duty eunuchs and have them immediately draft an edict. It was Xiao Song who was on duty that day. Tang Xuanzong looked at the handsome young man and felt very happy, thinking that he had found the right person.
After receiving the task, Xiao Song returned to the office and, referring to the previous appointment edict, quickly wrote a new one for Tang Xuanzong to review. After reading it, Tang Xuanzong was generally satisfied, but there was one sentence that said Su Yue was a “national treasure”. Tang Xuanzong pointed out that Su Yue’s father’s name was Su Gui, and using the term “treasure” to describe Su Gui’s son was not appropriate in terms of etiquette.
Upon hearing the emperor’s words, Xiao Song was about to turn around and return to his office to make changes. Tang Xuanzong told him that with just one word, just go behind the screen and make some changes.
How to make changes without reference materials? This word has made Xiao Song very worried. He has been painting and erasing it for a long time without correcting it.
Tang Xuanzong outside the screen couldn’t wait any longer and decided to go and see what was going on. He found that the edict was covered in sweat and smearing marks, but the edict only changed one place, from “treasure” to “precious treasure”. Tang Xuanzong was suddenly disappointed with Xiao Song. It turns out to be an embroidered pillow, but it doesn’t work.
However, later events changed Tang Xuanzong’s view of Xiao Song. In the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the northwest battlefield was tight, and Tubo and Khazars took turns to attack and plunder the border of the Tang Dynasty. The royal army, which was originally guarding the northwest, was killed by the enemy, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had to send someone else to the battlefield. At that time, Xiao Song served as a deputy minister of the Ministry of War. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang promoted him to the position of Minister of War and Commander in Chief of Hexi, and sent him to stabilize the border areas.
A literati leading troops and charging into battle is definitely not enough, Xiao Song is well aware of his own shortcomings. So, he opened up a second battlefield from the side and used anti foreign tactics against Tubo.
At that time, the general on the front line of Tibet was called Sinoluo Gonglu. This person was very cautious in fighting and the progress of the front line was also very slow. The senior officials in Tibet were very dissatisfied with this. After learning about this situation, Xiao Song had people spread rumors in Tubo that Xinuoluo Gonglu was secretly colluding with the Tang Dynasty. He was actually a cover for fighting on the front line and would soon surrender to the Tang Dynasty.
The Tubo Emperor was very angry when he heard this and issued an order to summon Xinuoluo Gonglu back to his country and kill him. In the autumn of the second year, when the leaders of the Tubo faction invaded Guazhou, the Tang defenders achieved victory relatively easily. In August of the same year, Xiao Song sent his deputy general Du Binbin to fight against the Tubo at the foot of Qilian City, and suffered a great defeat.
The news of victory reached Chang’an, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was very happy. He did not expect that Xiao Song, with his embroidered pillow, would be a skilled warrior. In recognition of the victory, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang appointed Xiao Song as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Since Zhang Shuo resigned as prime minister in the 14th year of the Kaiyuan era, this position has been vacant for four years, indicating Tang Xuanzong’s emphasis on Xiao Song. Not only that, Tang Xuanzong also married his daughter to Xiao Song’s son, and the two became in laws.
In the eighth year of Tianbao, Xiao Song, who was over 80 years old, completed his life. Although Xiao Song’s literary talent was not as good as that of the previous Prime Minister Zhang and later Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling, from his entire life experience, he could still be considered a rising official. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, there were many talented individuals who served as generals and ministers, which was a manifestation of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
