Chapter 14 6. The law of aggressive generals, Fan Ju resolves the shortcomings of internal affairs

When King Qin Zhao was in power, the country was powerful.The Qin army attacked the state of Chu in the south, pulled out the two important towns of Yan and Ying, and killed King Huai of Chu in Qin; , Han Erjun bowed his head and obeyed.King Qin Zhao lives deep in the palace, surrounded by powerful officials and relatives, and there are so many advisers and lobbyists active in the political arena of the Warring States Period, it is inevitable that good and evil are mixed together, good and bad.Therefore, King Qin Zhao didn't have a good impression of the guests and debaters from all over the world, thinking that most of them were unbelievers.Therefore, Fan Ju, who fled from Wei State to Qin State, tried his best, but it was difficult to join the Qin court, and presented to King Qin Zhao the plan of governing the country in Anbang.

One day, Fan Ju begged someone to report to King Qin Zhao: "There is a man named Zhang Lu in the state of Wei. He is very resourceful and the most eloquent person in the world. He asked to see the king. He claimed that the current situation of the state of Qin is like a tired egg. , the situation is very dangerous, if you can listen to his strategy and take corresponding measures, you will be able to turn the crisis into safety. But what he said is confidential and cannot be reported on his behalf, he can only talk to the king directly in person." Fan Ju deliberately made people say this, just to attract the attention of King Qin Zhao.However, King Qin Zhao thought that he was just an ordinary strategist and debater, and there was nothing special about him, because this kind of thing happened too much before, so he ignored it.

In this way, Fan Ju lived in a low-class guest house, and spent two years in anxiety and irritability.In the forty-five years of King Zhou Nan (270 BC), the Prime Minister of Qin, Ranghou Wei Ran, sent troops to Yuehan and Wei to attack Qi, and captured Gang and Shou in order to expand his fief and further strengthen his strength.This provided Fan Ju with an opportunity to attack his political opponents.Based on his understanding, analysis and judgment of King Zhao's inner world over the past year, he resolutely and boldly wrote a letter to King Zhao again, clarifying righteousness, directly attacking current problems, and firmly grasping King Zhao's heart disease.

Fan Ju said in a letter to King Qin Zhao: "I heard that when a wise monarch is in power, he rewards those who have made contributions to the country, and entrusts those who are capable with important tasks; the greater the merit, the more salary, and the talented People can enjoy honors like titles. Therefore, those who are incapable cannot be competent, and those who are capable will not hide. But fatuous kings are different. They act according to their personal likes and dislikes, rewards and punishments, and their emotions. I heard It is the princes who can make the country prosperous, not the king of a country. But if there is a wise monarch in the world, then the princes cannot monopolize patents. Why? Because a wise monarch is good at dividing the power of the princes. A famous doctor can predict the patient life and death, and a wise monarch can predict the success or failure of state affairs... Some things, I am not in a position to say in this letter, I hope that the king can sacrifice a little time for playing, and allow me to face advice. If what I said is about governing the country If the karma is not fruitful, I am willing to accept the king's punishment."

At this time, King Qin Zhao was in a state of panic.After reading Fan Ju's letter, I was overjoyed and wanted to call Fan Ju to meet and talk in detail immediately.Helpless, there are many eyes and ears in the palace, and if there is anything wrong, his whereabouts will be revealed.After thinking hard for a long time, he finally came up with a solution.He met with the person in charge of the kitchen in the palace, and asked him to secretly pull Fan Ju into the palace with a car when he went out to buy vegetables. When Fan Ju entered the Qin Palace, he had already made up his mind.But he pretended not to know, and went straight into the forbidden area of ​​the palace.Seeing King Qin Zhao being surrounded by people coming from the opposite side, he deliberately did not avoid it.King Zhao's followers saw it and said angrily, "Your Majesty has arrived, why don't you avoid it!"

Fan Ju was not afraid, and sarcastically said: "When did the Qin Kingdom have a king, isn't it only the queen mother and the minister?" After finishing speaking, he continued to move forward. Fan Ju's actions took a lot of risks. However, Fan Ju's seemingly offensive words just hit the vital point of King Zhao and had the effect of surprising victory. Hearing the meaning behind the words, King Zhao was not only not angry, but instead invited him to the secret room of the inner palace, withdrew the attendants around him, and met alone with the etiquette of a guest. King Qin Zhao asked respectfully: "What teaching do you want to tell me, sir?"

Fan Ju said: "Your Majesty is afraid of the Empress Dowager, and has no right to control treacherous officials who are officials. Living in the palace, you can't do without people who serve you. If you do this, you will sink for the rest of your life. I'm afraid you won't even be able to tell good from evil in the end. If things go on like this, the life of the little king will be lost, and the foundation of the big Qin may be handed over to others." In fact, what is mentioned above is not the top priority of Qin.The reason why Fan Ju wants to talk about this matter is to use "strong stems and weak branches" to cater to King Zhao.At the same time, he can also overthrow his political opponents who will gain a foothold in the court in the future, thereby establishing his position in the court.As long as the position is stable, everything else can be logical.

King Qin Zhao said with emotion: "Qin is located in a remote place, and the widows are very stupid. I am really lucky to hear the teaching of my husband today. From now on, everything is fine and small, whether it is about the queen mother or the ministers. , are willing to ask the master to enlighten me." Fan Ju knew that although he had gained the trust of King Qin Zhao, he was new to the court after all, so he could not interfere too much in internal affairs, and could only talk about some political and foreign topics, reminding King Qin through metaphors. This meeting with Fan Ju made King Qin Zhao both happy and sad.The sad thing is that he is indeed a puppet king, but he only has the title of emperor in vain. He doesn't have much authority, and he doesn't get the respect of his officials, which makes people look down on him.Happily, Fan Ju's brief words were like enlightenment, allowing him to release the pain and anger that had been suppressed in his heart for decades, and he clearly realized that he had to do something substantively.

"Is there any way, sir?" Qin Zhaowang asked urgently. "I think that Qin's terrain is so dangerous that other countries can't compare it. Qin has millions of soldiers and thousands of chariots. With the bravery of Qin's soldiers and the number of chariots, they are used to coerce foreign countries, just like a good dog fighting a rabbit. But why the great cause of the Qin State has not been realized, could it be that the schemes of the generals of the Qin State did not work?" Fan Ju said with emotion. King Qin Zhao knew that Fan Ju must have a countermeasure, so before Fan Ju finished speaking, he interrupted and said, "Mr. must have a good strategy to defend against the enemy. Please explain it clearly."

Fan Ju said unhurriedly: "I heard that Xiangbang Wei Ran is going to cross Han and Wei to attack Qi. This approach is really stupid. If you send too few troops, you will not hurt Qi, and if you send too many troops, you will harm Qin. Your Majesty might as well attack from far away, and if you get an inch of land, it will be an inch of Qin for us." "What do you mean?" King Qin Zhao seemed to understand, but he still wanted to ask Fan Ju to explain in detail. "First, according to geographical location, Han and Wei are the closest to Qin. We can attack Han and Wei first, and then we can take advantage of the situation to occupy the territory of Han and Wei. Second, seek Zhao in the north and Chu in the south to support weak countries. Strengthen their strength to restrain the powerful countries, strive to seize the middle ground, and hold back the development of all countries. Third, Han, Wei, Zhao, and Chu are attached to Qin, and we will join hands with the forces of the five countries to threaten the most farthest from us. 1. Qi is the most powerful country among the six countries, so that Qi can avoid competition with Qin. Fourth, with the advantage of overwhelming other countries, we will start from weak countries and eliminate them one by one, and finally destroy Qi and unify the world .” Fan Ju said.

King Qin Zhao happily patted his thigh after hearing Fan Ju's strategy.But in an instant, his complexion turned down, and he said: "Mister's analysis is clear and logical, without any flaws. It is a very good idea. But with the current ability of the widow, these are impossible." After finishing speaking , showing a sad face. Fan Ju hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I have a way to solve the current predicament." "What way?" King Qin Zhao couldn't believe his ears. Fan Ju said: "Your Majesty first removes Wei Ran from the position of Xiangbang and sends him back to the State of Wei. Then he removes the title of 'Four Nobles' and expels him from the country. In this way, the power of the Queen Mother will collapse immediately. .Your Majesty does not need to seize power, she will obediently hand over the power to you." King Qin Zhao nodded understandingly, he had fully comprehended what Fan Ju said, and thought to himself that it was imperative to eliminate internal troubles. A few days later, King Qin Zhao summoned Xiangbang Wei Ran on the grounds of discussing state affairs.As soon as Wei Ran entered the hall, he saw several strong warriors rushing out from the left and right sides of the hall door. Before Wei Ran could react, he was tied up by Wuhuada. "Your Majesty...you...what are you doing?" Seeing this situation, Wei Ran felt a little scared in her heart, and her mouth was a little awkward. "Are you guilty?" King Qin Zhao asked sharply. "Convicted? I don't know what crime I committed?" Wei Ran calmed down for a moment and said. "Hmph! You want to hand over the Qin Kingdom to others. Isn't that a crime?" King Qin Zhao's tone was unquestionable. "This... the king's words, I don't know where to start, I really don't understand." Wei Ran's voice trembled a little. "You want to attack Qi, how many troops are you going to send?" "About four hundred thousand." "400,000 is equivalent to two-thirds of Qin's army, and less than one-third of the troops are left to defend. Do you think it is appropriate?" King Qin Zhao asked back. Wei Ran didn't say a word, and beads of sweat began to trickle down his face. Seeing the tense situation of Wei Ran, who has always been arrogant, King Qin Zhao secretly smiled in his heart, his face gradually calmed down, and he said in a deep voice: "You should have been sentenced to a broken car because of your crimes. But I think you are Qin's son He has made many achievements in development, so he will be spared the death penalty and sent back to Wei State!" After Wei Ran was removed from the position of Xiangbang, King Qin Zhao's power increased sharply. He appointed Fan Ju as Xiangbang, and then listened to Fan Ju's suggestion to remove the remaining three of the "Four Nobles" and expel them from the country.Seeing the situation, the Empress Dowager Xuan was afraid of causing trouble again, so she obediently handed over the power to King Qin Zhao. Fan Ju's remonstrance expresses two thoughts that are quite valuable.First, he strongly advocated selecting talents and appointing talents, rewarding military merits, and opposing nepotism.This is undoubtedly a shining point in the early society where blood ties were thick and long.Second, he criticized the phenomenon of aristocratic monopoly, pointing out the dangers of numerous branches and weak branches. This is undoubtedly very insightful for strengthening the centralization of power and consolidating the ruling position of the king. King Qin Zhao was surrounded by his clan and noble relatives, and the aristocrat's private wealth was becoming more important than that of the royal family. King Zhao had long felt like a thorn in his back, so he was naturally very concerned about such remonstrance.It can be seen from this that Fan Ju not only hides the strategy of governing the country in his chest, but also works in scheming.