Seven Castles

Su Wu

                                      

September 7, 2006

 

Su Wu was a diplomat and statesman during Han Dynasty, famous in Chinese history for his faithfulness to his mission and his empire.

 

For more than a century the Huns has been growing stronger and troubling the border lands under Han Dynasty rule. Su's specific mission was to solve the problem of indiscriminate detention of envoys by both sides, which had been going on for some time. He was from a military family which had distinguished itself fighting the Huns, and the History of the Han Dynasty, which tells his story, ascribes the origin of his indomitable will to his early strict education.

 

In 100 BC, there was a short-lived détente between long-term adversaries Han and Huns. One year earlier, in 101 BC, there had been a new king who came into power in Huns, who had expressed interest in peace with Han and who, as a goodwill gesture, had allowed some Han diplomats who had been detained by Huns to return to Han, along with gifts from the Huns king.

 

In response, Emperor Wu commissioned Su, then the deputy commander of the imperial guards, to serve as an ambassador to Huns. Su set out with a subordinate named Zhang and some hundred retainers bearing birth gifts for the Huns king. He expected to fulfill his mission successfully and remove the misunderstandings that had accumulated over the years.

 

However, when he reached the north he found that the situation was not what he had expected. The Huns king was overbearing and suspicious. Things became even more complicated when Zhang became implicated in a plot against the Huns leaders. Since the plot took place at the same time as Su's visit, the Huns king naturally suspected that he was behind it.

 

The Huns king ordered Su and his men put on trial and Su made a second attempt on his own life. The Huns king really believed that Su was implicated in the plot and wanted to force him to confess. But Su would not confess even to save his life, for he knew it would have disastrous consequences for relations between Han and the Huns. Aware that the Huns king was planning on forcing him to surrender to Huns, Su tried to preserve his dignity by committing suicide with his sword. The Huns king, impressed with Su's heroism, also sent messengers to care for Su's recovery. The Huns realized that no threat of death could scare him. So they tried to buy him over with the offer of a high position and handsome income. All they received in return were reproaches from Su.

 

Su ended up spending four days and nights in a cold damp cave without food or water. It was midwinter and the cold was terrible. The lack of food and water was beginning to weaken him, so he ate snow to quench his thirst and chewed on a piece of his felt blanket to appease his hunger. Surprised at his strong power of survival, the Huns thought he must be under the protection of a god. Finally they sent Su off to herd sheep on shores of the "northern sea". Indicating some rams, the Huns king said "You will be allowed to return to the land of Han only when these bear lambs," meaning never - unless he would come over to the side of the Huns.

 

During exile, Su faced this new test with dignity. He asked for his staff of office, made of bamboo with tassels of yak hair, the symbol of his authority as a representative of Han, and carrying it he departed with his sheep in the direction of Lake Baikal. He spent nineteen hard years in that cold, uninhabited place. There was not enough to eat, and in winter he had to kill rats for food. But no matter how hard life was, he never for one day forgot that he was the emissary of Han. The tassels wore out and fell off, but Su always kept the staff of office with him.

 

Twice, during exile, the Huns king sent Li Ling, who had surrendered to Huns after being defeated on the battlefield in 99 BC, to visit Su. The first time, Li informed Su that his two brothers had both been accused of crimes and committed suicide; that his mother had died; and that his wife had remarried. He tried to convince Su to surrender, but Su refused. On the second occasion, Li informed him of Emperor Wu's passing, and Su was so despondent that in mourning that he vomited blood.

 

In 81 BC, Han was again in a détente with Huns, when Han ambassadors inquired of Su's fate. The Huns, afraid to reveal the truth, told him that Su had died long before. However, Su's old assistant Zhang secretly informed the ambassadors of Su's exile, and the ambassadors, under Zhang's suggestion, told the Huns king that Emperor Zhao had killed a migratory bird while hunting, and that a letter from Su seeking help was found on the bird's foot. Surprised, the Huns king admitted that Su was in fact still alive, and recalled him and allowed him to go home. In all, he was in exile for 19 years.

 

Su was by then over sixty and his hair had turned completely white. Still holding the staff, he returned to the palace in Chang'an and was received by Emperor Zhao. He was given a position of Director of Colonization as a high-ranking official in charge of border peoples and vassal states. After his death his portrait was hung in the palace in history to preserve his memory forever.

 

Su was often regarded as the epitome of faithful service in light of great odds and trials. His story was often invoked when officials perform acts of great faith or courage. His story often became subjects of drama, poetry, and songs throughout Chinese history. In paintings, he is most popularly depicted as a shepherd tending his sheep, epitomizing his refusal to work for the enemy.

 

【作者: zhangliping】【访问统计:】【2006年09月7日 星期四 06:53】【 加入博采】【打印】