The Troubled Hero in the Spring and Autumn Period in China
Even after midnight, seemingly something hadn't been told, mom sent a message 'What if Bo Pi hadn't defamed Wu Zixu, although it is a thought based on already happened historical facts?'
'From the perspective of Bo Pi, it was not unnatural to think that Wu Zixu was unjust and wrong because invading another country out of personal grudge was outrageous; it is a way more critical and important issue unable to be rationalized merely by the massive scale of the personal issue.' I sent her my message, believing it to show that it had some viewpoint of historical objectivity.
But my viewpoint turned out to be not objective at all and rather showed that I didn't truly understand why many historians and people have supported Wu Zixu even to an adoring extent.
Wu Kingdom's invasion of Chu Kingdom was not purely done by Wu Zixu's grudge. It was a war that benefitted the Wu Kingdom in its national interest since earning a hegemony over the larger territory of China at the time was the only governing and political principle in the Spring and Autumn Period. As an extra sake for the concerned invasion, he retaliated to the death of his father and brother which formed his lifetime grudge, employing that chance. Wu Zixu wailed bitterly for several days at the news that King Ping died before he got revenge on him. Who else than Wu Zixu himself would comprehend how grievous he was?
Conquering the capital of the Chu Kingdom, he dug the grave of King Ping to take his corpse out and lashed it with an iron whip three hundred times until the corpse was scattered into the complete pieces. This story was an event for 屈墓鞭屍, an idiom derived from an ancient event. What it means is one goes too far although he has a reason for it.
To the opinion of his once friend Sin Poseo who criticized that what Wu Zixu did was not righteous, he answered although the sun already declined, he had a long way to go so it was inevitable for him to do that way, notwithstanding that he knew that too. This story was the event for 日暮途遠, an idiom derived from an ancient event. As for his act of whipping the corpse, there have been pros and cons, cons stating it was indeed extreme unable to be allowed, and pros stating people understood his motive behind why he had to do that. After all, even Wu Zixu knew what he did went too far but he did it despite his knowledge of it. His willing acceptance of the criticism against his controversial behavior made my mind sadly ache.
Having done his bitterly wished retaliation, it was not the end of Wu Zixu's story. Since there was an unfolding story of his later life, I think, he was not described as a mere revenge-driven lunatic in history but described as a hero who dominated his own time. As a descendant from the family clan which was considered famously righteous, he devoted his everything to Wu Kingdom's gaining supremacy over others. But his last end didn't come as he and we as a later generation of history expect it to.
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