Chapter 26 25 Goujian's courage

King Helu of Wu defeated Chu and became the overlord of the south.Wu State has always been at odds with the nearby Yue State (the capital is in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province).In 496 BC, King Goujian of Yue State came to the throne.The king of Wu sent troops to attack the country of Yue when the state of Yue had just suffered a funeral.A great battle broke out between Wu and Yue in the place of 槜李 (now southwest of Jiaxing, Zhejiang, 槜 sound zui). King Helu of Wu thought he could win the battle, but he lost the battle and was seriously injured by an arrow. Coupled with his age, he returned to the country of Wu and died.

After Wu Wang Helu died, his son Fucha came to the throne.When He Lu was about to die, he said to Fu Chai: "Don't forget to take revenge on Yue." Fu Chai remembered this instruction and asked people to remind him often.When he passed the palace gate, his subordinates shouted loudly: "Fu Chai! Have you forgotten the revenge of King Yue for killing your father?" Fu Chai said with tears, "No, I dare not forget." He asked Wu Zixu and another minister Bo Pi (sound pi) to train troops and prepare to attack Yue. Two years later, Fu Chai, king of Wu, personally led the army to attack Yue.There are two very capable doctors in Yue State, one is Wen Zhong and the other is Fan Li (sound li).Fan Li said to Goujian: "Wu has been training soldiers for almost three years. This time, they are determined to take revenge, and the attack is fierce. We might as well defend the city and not fight against them."

Gou Jian disagreed, and also sent a large army to fight the Wu people to the death.The armies of the two countries fought along the Great Lakes.The Vietnamese army was defeated. Goujian, king of Yue, fled to Kuaiji with 5,000 defeated generals, and was besieged by the Wu army. Gou Jian was at a loss for what to do.He said to Fan Li: "I regret that I didn't listen to you and got into this situation. What should I do now?" Fan Li said, "Let's hurry up and seek peace." Goujian sent Wen Zhong to the camp of King Wu to seek peace.Wen Zhong explained Gou Jian's willingness to surrender in front of Fu Chai.Wu Wang Fuchai wanted to agree, but Wu Zixu firmly opposed it.

After Wen Zhong went back, he found out that Bo Chu of the state of Wu was a greedy and lustful villain, so he sent a group of beauties and treasures to Bo Chu in private, asking him to speak well in front of Fu Chai. After some persuasion by Bo Pi in front of Fu Chai, Fu Chai, the king of Wu, ignored Wu Zixu's objection and agreed to Yue's peace request, but he asked Gou Jian to go to Wu in person. Wen Zhong went back and reported to Gou Jian.Gou Jian entrusted Wen Zhong with state affairs, and took his wife and Fan Li to the state of Wu. When Gou Jian arrived in the state of Wu, Fu Chai let the couple live in a stone house next to He Lu's grave, and asked Gou Jian to feed him horses.Fan Li then worked as a servant.Every time Fu Chai went out by car, Gou Jian would pull the horse for him. After two years, Fu Chai thought that Gou Jian had truly surrendered to him, so he let Gou Jian go back to the country.

After Goujian returned to Yue, he was determined to avenge his shame.Fearing that the comfort in front of him would dampen his ambition, he hung a gall on the place where he ate, tasted the bitterness every time he ate, and asked himself, "Have you forgotten the shame of Kuaiji?" He also removed the mat. , using firewood as a mattress.This is what was later chanted as "stealing one's salary and tasting one's courage". Gou Jian decided to make the Yue country rich and strong. He personally participated in the farming and asked his wife to weave cloth by herself to encourage production.Because the country of Yue suffered the disaster of subjugation and the population was greatly reduced, he set up a system of rewarding births.He asked Wen Zhong to manage state affairs, asked Fan Li to train people, and he humbly listened to other people's opinions and helped the poor.The common people all over the country are eager to work harder so that this oppressed country can be transformed into a powerful country.