News of an Official's Virtuous Rule Travels Far and Wide

 

Zhang Fangping (1007 – 1091 AD) was a man from Nanjing who lived during the Northern Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 AD). Zhang Fangping was known to be generous, forgiving, and loyal to his friends. Maintaining a lofty character and faith in Buddhism, Zhang Fangping was a noble and highly respectful gentleman.
 
In the autumn of 1054 AD, the first year of the Zhihe Era during Emperor Renzong's reign, a rumor came from Sichuan Province, that a neighboring enemy state was about to invade. The rumor caused the army stationed in Sichuan to wake up in the middle of the night in a panic. People living in Sichuan all started to flee. Bandits began to roam the region. Sichuan entered into a state of chaos.
 
When the news traveled to the capital city of Kaifeng, it shocked the entire royal court. Emperor Renzong decided to send the appropriate officials and generals to Sichuan to end the crisis. He declared to the royal court, "Do not cause a disaster. Do not make things worse than they are already. Despite this talk of an imminent invasion, I have already made up my mind how to respond to the rumor. The enemy state may or may not invade Sichuan, but a disaster will surely rise from within if we are not careful. This issue requires both diplomatic and military skills to solve the problem. I need one or two officials to end the crisis appropriately. I shall appoint whoever is capable of pacifying the army and the people in Sichuan."
 
The entire royal court of officials recommended Zhang Fangping. The emperor agreed and sent Zhang to Sichuan. Thus, Zhang left the capital city and arrived in Sichuan in November.
 
Zhang Fangping did not seek to raise funds for the war or supplies, and neither did he bring more regiments to Sichuan to repress the local troops like other government officials might have done. On the very day of his arrival, Zhang ordered the regiments that had caused quite a commotion among the civilians to return to their respective bases. In addition, he ordered the removal of the defense structure and sent the patrol back to its quarters.
 
Zhang told the local officials and residents, "I will be responsible for facing the enemy in case of any attack. It's not for you to worry." He told everyone to return to their normal daily lives and regular business. He promised that there was no need to panic. Every day, Zhang governed the region diligently and enabled the people and the stationed regiments to relax.
 
Soon peace was restored in Yizhou--the capital city of Sichuan at the time--and people resumed their normal and peaceful lives. On the first day of the Chinese New Year the following year, people in Sichuan celebrated the holiday as usual. Everything went well. The following year the people in Sichuan began to talk about having Zhang Fangping's portrait placed in a Buddhist temple to express their gratitude to him. They went ahead and did it despite Zhang's protests.
 
Su Xun, one of the most famous literati in Chinese history, told the people in Yizhou, "It is easy to govern a region before a disaster. It is also easy to govern a region after a disaster has happened. The most difficult challenge is to put a stop to a disaster when it is about to break out. One must not do anything rash or cast a blind eye when it is on the verge of a disaster.
 
The rumor of an invasion in the first year of the Zhihe Era can be compared to a lopsided object that is about to collapse. Zhang Gong (a revered name for Zhang Fangping) is the only man that is able to sit confidently next to a looming disaster or a lopsided object and rectify it slowly. Once he had righted the situation, he returned to his seat calmly without any air of hubris. Your revered Zhang Fangping is the kind of government official that governs the people on behalf of the emperor diligently. Zhang Fangping has saved your lives. In a sense, he is now like a father figure to you all.
 
There is one more thing I should tell you about him. Zhang Fangping once said to me, 'Public sentiment is not static. It all depends on how they are treated. There are those that say rebellions occur often in Sichuan. Hence, government officials tend to treat people in Sichuan as though they were incorrigible bandits. They tend to apply harsh criminal laws to prevent people in Sichuan from committing crimes. People living in this region are already living in fear and worry about possible invasions. The harsh laws will only drive people to throw away everything and join the bandits and thieves. This is the reason why there have been so many rebellions in Sichuan. If government officials would only treat people in Sichuan with respect and reason and govern them with reasonable laws, Sichuan would become the easiest state to rule. If you make their lives difficult, they will be driven to start a rebellion. In fact, even people living in regions near the nation's capital will be driven to rebel if you treat them like bandits and thieves. When I treat people in Sichuan in the same respectful and trusting way that people in the capital city are treated, they will behave exactly like people living in the capital city. I will never treat people with disrespect or force them to behave by keeping them on a tight leash.' There had never been an official that cherished and respected people in Sichuan as such before Zhang Fangping!"
 
Everyone bowed when they heard Su Xun's comment on Zhang Fangping. They kept nodding and said, "That's exactly the kind of man Zhang Fangping is."
 
Su Xun said, “Zhang’s virtuous rule will be remembered in your hearts and in the hearts of your future generations. His performance and credit will be recorded in the historiographer’s official records. There is no need for a portrait, and it is against Zhang’s wish.”
 
The people replied, “Even though Zhang Gong is not concerned about leaving his name in history, we feel restless without properly honoring Zhang Gong. A portrait has its merits, as it will help all the people to remember Zhang Gong more vividly.”
 
Su Xun could not argue. Thus, he wrote for the people the famous “Tale of the Portrait of Zhang in Yizhou.”
 
Shortly before Zhang Fangping returned to Kaifeng, people in Yizhou had a portrait of him made and hung it in a Buddhist temple to show Zhang their respect and adoration for him. Eventually news of Zhang Fangping's virtuous rule in Sichuan spread all over China. People often commented, "Zhang Fangping is the man to trust when it comes to solving national emergencies."
 
In short, Zhang Fangping ended the chaos in Sichuan that began one autumn by calming and trusting the people. He did not treat people in Sichuan like bandits or thieves. Instead, he treated them with respect and trust. As a result, peace and order was restored by January of the following year.
 
This story prompts us to think about whether we have pushed people who have erred and strayed from the righteous path to the wrong side by being judgmental and cruel. When people need help the most, have we ever relinquished our responsibility as a fellow human being because it would cost us a lot of time and effort? Have we treated people in need of help with affection and tolerance? If we can treat people straying from the righteous path with kindness, perhaps all problems will cease to exist.
 
施行仁德　美名远传
 
张方平，北宋时期南京人，为人宽厚重义，有高尚节操，信奉神佛，雅量高致。
 
宋仁宗至和元年秋天，四川一带人传说，敌寇将要侵犯边界，驻边军士夜里惊呼，四野百姓全都逃光，盗贼四起，社会秩序大乱。
 
消息传到京城，朝廷上下大为震惊。天子准备选派将帅前往，说道：「不要酿成祸乱，不要助成事变。虽然众人传说纷起，但我的主意已定，外患不一定会酿成，事变却会从内部兴起。这事既需文治又需武功，需要我的一、二个大臣去妥善处理。谁能够处理好这件事情，我就派他去安抚我的军民。」于是众人推荐说：「张方平就是这样的人。」天子说：「对，就派他去！」
 
张方平于是动身出发，冬季十一月到达蜀地。
 
他没有像其他人那样，筹粮筹款，各方调集军队去镇压，到任的那一天，就命令骚乱的驻军各回防地，并撤掉那些防御设施和如临大敌的守备人员，告诉郡县官员和百姓：「敌寇来了由我负责，不必劳苦你们。」让大家像照常一样各司其职，士农工商，各乐其业，不必人心惶惶。他每天勤于政事，安抚军民。
 
不久，益州地区就恢复了往日的平静，人民从新过上了安定的生活。到了次年正月初一早上，蜀地百姓像往年一样庆贺新年，于是一直相安无事。再到了次年的正月里，百姓相互商量要把张方平的像安放在净众寺里，张方平阻止不了。
 
苏洵向众人说道：「祸乱没有发生，这是容易治理的；祸乱已成，这也容易治理；有祸乱的苗子，没有祸乱的表现，这叫作将要发生祸乱，祸乱将发未发之际最难治理。既不能因为有祸乱苗子而操之过急，又不能因为还没有形成祸乱而放松警惕。
 
这至和元年秋季的局势，就像器物虽已倾斜，但还没有倒地。只有你们的张公，却能在它旁边安坐，面色不改，慢慢的起身扶正。扶正之后，从容退坐，没有一点骄矜自得之色。替天子管理黎民百姓，孜孜不倦，这就是你们的张公。你们是因张公而得生，他就是你们的再生父母。
 
再者张公曾对我说道：‘百姓没有不变的性情，只看上面如何对待他们。人们都说，蜀地人经常发生变乱。所以官员就用对待盗贼的态度去对待他们，用管束盗贼的刑法去管束他们。对于本来已经战战兢兢、连大气也不敢出的百姓，却用严酷的刑法去号令他们，这样百姓才忍心不顾自己这父母妻儿所依靠的身躯，而沦为与盗贼为伍，所以常常发生大乱。倘若以礼义来教化他们，用法律来约束他们，那么只有蜀人是最容易管理的。至于逼急他们而发生变乱，那么即使是齐鲁的百姓也会如此的。我用对待齐鲁百姓的方法对待蜀人，那么蜀人也会把自己当成齐鲁之人。假如任意胡来不按礼法，用淫威胁迫平民，我是不愿干的。’啊，爱惜蜀人如此深切，对待蜀人如此厚道，以前还没有像张公这样的。」
 
大家听了，一齐再从新行礼，并说：「是这样。」
 
苏洵又说：「张公的恩德，记在你们心中，记在你们子孙心里。他的功劳业绩，载在史官的史册上，不用画像了。而且张公自己又不愿意，是吧？」
 
众人都说：「张公怎么会关心这事？虽然张公不图名留青史，可是我们心里总觉不安。如今平时听得有人做件好事，一定要问那人的姓名及他的住处，一直问到那人的身材长短、年龄大小、面容美丑等情况；更有甚者，还有人询问他平生的爱好，以便推测他的为人。而史官也把这些写入他的传记里，目地是要使天下人不仅铭记在心里，而且要显现在眼前。音容显现在人们面前，所以心里的铭记也就更加真切久远。由此看来，画像也不是没有意义的。」
 
苏洵听了，无法答对，就为他们写了著名的《张益州画像记》
 
在张方平离任返京之前，益州人民为他画像，供于净众寺，表达对他的敬仰与爱戴。张方平善待蜀民的事蹟传遍天下，人们都说：「国家有重大的事情，张公是可以托付的。」
 
张方平对于益州地区发生的骚乱，对蜀民采用了安抚的政策，他并没有把蜀人「弃之于盗贼」，而是用「待齐鲁之民」的方法来对待他们，信任他们，结果次年正月就恢复了秩序。
 
由此我们想到：对于那些一时犯了错误而迷失自己的人，我们是不是由于自己的观念不正而不能善待他们，是拉一把还是推一把？在别人最需要帮助的时候，我们是不是因为难度大而放弃了自己的责任，是否真正做到了爱之深、待之厚？用善心和拿出最好的方法，相信再棘手的问题也会迎刃而解。