China News Service, Beijing, April 6 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) In Bigong Village, Wuquan Town, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, there is a solemn and majestic ancestral hall. This is the Ma Yuan Temple, which is regarded as a clan sacred place by many Ma tribesmen at home and abroad.
This year's Qingming Festival, Ma Yuan received special attention from people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Who is Ma Yuan? Why do people with the surname Ma consider him their ancestor? In fact, Ma Yuan was the famous Xinxihou during the Eastern Han Dynasty. A lot of golden sayings that have been passed down through the ages are related to him.
A young man determined to become something great
Video: Who is Ma Yuan? "Shrouded in Horse Leather" turned out to come from his mouth!
Source: China News Network
Ma Yuan was a native of Maoling, Fufeng at that time. This famous general with outstanding military exploits spent his whole life fighting in the north and south, and became the word-of-mouth General Fubo, known as "Ma Fubo" in the world. He left behind many famous sayings that are still heart-wrenching to read.
His ancestor Zhao She was once a general of the Zhao State and was known as Ma Fujun. Later generations of descendants took "Ma" as their surname.
He had been particularly ambitious since he was a child, and he proposed to his brothers to go to the border counties to cultivate fields and graze cattle, so as to have a good time. At the end of Wang Mang's new dynasty, many heroes came together. Ma Yuan felt that it was difficult for Kui Xiao, who was separatist in Longxi, to achieve anything, so he defected to Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu.
Liu Xiu knew that Ma Yuan had outstanding military talents and thought highly of him. Later, he made Ma Yuan the governor of Longxi. Ma Yuan did not disappoint Liu Xiu. After taking office, he quickly reversed the situation and pacified the Xiqiang. He was very strategic and used both kindness and power, "so Longyou was peaceful".
Since then, Ma Yuan has led his troops on many expeditions, often winning battles as if he was in trouble.
One year, Zheng Zhi and his sister Zheng Er rebelled, causing quite a stir. Emperor Guangwu appointed Ma Yuan as General Fubo and ordered him to lead the army to conquer Jiaozhi in the south. Ma Yuan assessed the situation and defeated the enemy.
With his outstanding achievements, he was granted the title of Marquis of Xinxi, with a household of 3,000 households. After becoming famous, Ma Yuan did not settle for pleasure, but continued to fight and write his own story.
Statue of General Fubo Ma Yuan. Photo by Chen Wentao
According to records, "Wuwei General Liu Shang attacked the Wuxi barbarians in Wuling and penetrated deeply, and the army was wiped out." After hearing the news, Ma Yuan, who was 62 years old at the time, asked himself to lead troops to conquer. The emperor felt sorry for his old age and did not agree at first.
In order to seize the opportunity, Ma Yuan put on his armor and mounted his horse. His heroic appearance impressed the emperor. Before leaving for the expedition, when others came to see him off, he said to his friends, "Now that I have achieved what I wanted, I am willing to rest in peace."
For Ma Yuan, age is not a problem and there is no need to fear life or death. Serving the country is his lifelong wish and he should remain committed to it.
General Fubo is an "all-rounder"
Nowadays, when people mention Ma Yuan, the first thing they think of may be his military exploits. In fact, this general who was good at conquering and fighting also had another side: he was strict in managing his family, and he also contributed many famous quotes, which are still often mentioned by everyone.
In his early years, Ma Yuan relied on his intelligence and talent to accumulate a considerable fortune. But he did not value money and material things, and insisted that if a person gets rich, he must be able to give relief to others, otherwise he is just a miser.
So, Ma Yuan did something that surprised everyone: he distributed money to others, did not pay attention to food and clothing, and lived a simple life. He always adheres to one point of view, "A husband is a man of ambition, a poor man will be strong, and an old man will be strong."
Video: During the Qingming Festival, pay a visit to the tomb of Ma Yuan, a famous general.
Source: China News Network
This means that a real man must have lofty ambitions. The more difficult the situation, the firmer his will. Even though he is older, his ambitions must be higher and his energy must be greater.
This sentence seems simple, but it is very popular and has been passed down to later generations. There is a sentence like this in "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng": "When you are old and strong, you would rather move your heart with a white head; when you are poor and strong, you will not fall into the clouds."
Not only that, another heroic idiom "shrouded in horse leather" is also related to Ma Yuan. According to records, he said, "Nowadays, the Xiongnu and Wuhuan are still harassing the north, and they want to attack them on their own. The man must die in the wilderness and be buried with his ears wrapped in horse leather."
People who can say such things are obviously very strategic and ambitious.
There are also many famous sayings related to Ma Yuan, such as "You cannot carve a swan to resemble a swan", "You cannot paint a tiger to resemble a dog", "Be modest and thrifty, honest and dignified" and "Worry about others' worries, enjoy others' joy" and so on.
Ma Yuan was indeed very smart. When he analyzed the battle situation for Liu Xiu, he once "gathered rice to form a valley and pointed out the situation" and used rice to make a "military sand table" to clearly explain the current situation between the enemy and ourselves. Later, the battle was won.
His talents don't stop there. Perhaps because he once made a living by herding, Ma Yuan was also good at riding and looking at horses. It is said that he once cast bronze into "horse style". The emperor issued an edict to place the bronze horse at His Highness Xuande as a model of famous horses.
Ma Yuan, who was good at fighting, was also unambiguous in managing his family. When he was on an expedition, he did not forget to patiently teach his nephews, telling them that they must abide by the law, be careful in their words and deeds, be humble and low-key, and not talk about other people's faults casually.
Super strong military quality is the basis for Ma Yuan to achieve great military exploits; various famous quotes and family management strategies outline another side of General Fubo.
The feelings of family and country of a generation of famous generals
From a personal perspective, Ma Yuan's experience can be described as "legendary".
Ma Yuan Temple. Photo by Chen Wentao
He spent his whole life trying his best to serve the country. Unfortunately, Ma Yuan's last troop dispatch did not go smoothly. Due to various factors, he fell ill, but he still dragged his weak body to observe the enemy's situation. Many people were moved to tears when they saw this situation.
In the end, Ma Yuan died of illness in the army, fulfilling his vow of "shrouding his body in horse leather" with his actions. In his magnificent life, he aspired to serve the country, quelled the rebellion and maintained national unity, which greatly helped stabilize the political situation of the Eastern Han Dynasty at that time.
After his death, people commemorated the well-known Fubo General in different ways and expressed their gratitude for his achievements. Those "Fubo Temples" are the best proof.
Some people believe that Ma Yuan had great ambitions as a boy, was modest and prudent, and still cared about the country in his later years. These are all manifestations of his feelings for his family and country. Ma Yuan's story has been passed down through the ages, and his indomitable spirit is still revered by future generations.
Years go by, but the spirit is immortal. Ma Yuan's ambition to serve the country with his own life, and his positive and enterprising outlook on life and values are exactly the embodiment of the spirit of the Chinese nation. They have always shined brightly over a long period of time and inspired people to move forward bravely. (over)