Chapter 28 27 Mozi breaks the ladder

In the early years of the Warring States Period, King Chuhui, the king of Chu State, wanted to restore the hegemony of Chu State.He expanded his army to attack the state of Song. King Chu Hui reused one of the most capable craftsmen at that time.He was from the state of Lu, and his name was Gongshu Pan, who was later called Lu Ban.Needless to say, Gongshu Pan is the most dexterous with an axe, and anyone who wants to compare his ability with an axe will be overestimated.So later there was an idiom called "banmen make axe". Gongshu Pan was invited by King Hui of Chu to become a doctor of Chu State.He designed a siege tool for the king of Chu, which was taller than a building car, and looked so high that it could touch the clouds, so it was called a cloud ladder.

King Hui of Chu ordered Gongshu Pan to make ladders quickly, while preparing to attack Song State.As soon as the news of Chu's manufacture of ladders spread, the princes of all countries were a little worried. Especially Song State, when he heard that Chu State was coming to attack, he felt that disaster was imminent. The fact that Chu State wanted to attack Song State also aroused opposition from some people.Mozi was the one who opposed it the most. Mozi, named Zhai (sound di), is the founder of the Mohist school. He opposed extravagance and waste, and advocated economy; he asked his disciples to wear short clothes and straw sandals, to participate in labor, and to bear hardships as a noble thing.If you don't work hard, it is a violation of his proposition.

Mozi also opposed the kind of melee that caused disasters to the people in order to fight for the city and land.This time, when he heard that the state of Chu was going to use the ladder to invade the state of Song, he hurriedly ran to the state of Chu himself. The soles of his feet were blistered and bleeding, so he tore off a piece of his own clothes and bound his feet. Walk. After running like this for ten days and ten nights, they arrived at Yingdu, the capital of the state of Chu.He first went to see Gongshu Pan and advised him not to help King Chu Hui attack Song State. Gongshu Pan said, "No, I have already promised the King of Chu."

Mozi asked Gongshu Ban to take him to see King Hui of Chu, and Gongshu Ban agreed.In front of King Hui of Chu, Mozi said sincerely: "The land of the Chu State is very large, with a radius of five thousand miles, and the land is rich in resources; the land of the Song State is only five hundred miles, the land is not good, and the products are not rich. Why is the king so luxurious? Why are you throwing away your embroidered silk robe and stealing an old jacket from someone else?" Although King Hui of Chu felt that what Mozi said was reasonable, he refused to give up his plan to attack Song.Gongshu Ban also believed that using ladders to attack the city was very sure.

Mozi said bluntly: "You can attack, I can defend, and you can't take advantage." He took off the belt that was on his body, surrounded the ground as a city wall, and took a few small wooden boards as siege tools, and asked Gongshu Pan to practice and compare his skills. Gongshu Pan used one method to attack the city, and Mozi used one method to defend the city.One used a ladder to attack the city, and the other used rockets to burn the ladder; Gongshu Pan used nine sets of attacking methods, and used up all the methods of attacking the city, but Mozi still had many clever moves to defend the city that he had not used.

Gongshu was stunned, but he still didn't accept it, and said, "I have figured out a way to deal with you, but I won't say it now." Mozi smiled and said, "I know how you want to deal with me, but I won't say anything." King Hui of Chu was puzzled by the two talking like a riddle, and asked Mozi, "What are you talking about?" Mozi said: "The intention of Gongshu Ban is very clear, but he just wanted to kill me. He thought that if he killed me, no one in Song State would help them defend the city. In fact, he made a wrong idea. Before I came to Chu State, Qin Huali and other three hundred disciples have already been sent to guard Song City, and each of them has learned my method of defending the city. Even if I are killed, Chu State will not be able to take advantage of it."

King Hui of Chu heard Mozi's words and personally saw Mozi's ability to defend the city. He knew that there was no hope of defeating Song, so he said: "What you said is right, I decided not to attack Song." In this way, a war was prevented by Mozi.