Creation background There are two views on the background of this poem. One point of view is to satirize the use of troops by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty against Tubo (see Shan Fu’s “Reading Du Fu’s Poems and Getting Foolish” Volume I). “Du Yi” said: “The old note said that the Ming emperor used troops to fight Tubo, and the people worked hard. It is also true. This is regarded as the middle age of Tianbao.” At that time, the Tang Dynasty continued to use troops against ethnic minorities in the southwest. Volume 216 of Zizhi Tongjian: “In April of the 10th year of Tianbao, Jiannan envoy Xianyu Zhongtong defeated Nanzhao barbarians in Lunan. At that time, Zhongtong had 80000 generals and 60000 soldiers, and Zhongtong had to save himself. Yang Guozhong concealed his defeat and still recounted his military achievements. He raised soldiers from Beijing and northern Henan to defeat Nanzhao. People heard that Yunnan was plagued with malaria, and the soldiers were killed before the war, so they were not willing to enlist. Yang Guozhong sent the imperial historian to arrest people in different ways, and flail was sent to the army. So the travelers worried about their grievances, The parents and wives gave it away, and the place cried loudly. ” Another view is that it satirizes the use of troops against Nanzhao in 751 AD (the 10th year of Emperor Xuanzong’s Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty). At this time, Yang Guozhong was autocratic and lied about the military situation, which made people angry (see Qian Qianyi’s Qian Zhu Du Shi Volume I). Both of the above statements are applicable.
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