Chapter 15 Assassins help He Lu ascend to the throne

In the spring of 515 BC, King Ping of Chu's body was still cold, and the State of Wu launched an attack on the State of Chu again.Wu Wangliao's two younger brothers, Prince Jianyu and Prince Zhuyong, were ordered to surround Qiancheng (in today's Anhui Province).Several major military victories in a row before made King Liao of Wu confident. In addition to attacking Chu, he also sent his son Jizha, who had always ignored political affairs, as an envoy to Jin to "see the princes", and he was likely to aspire to the Central Plains. However, he ignored two important issues: first, He Lu had won all the previous military victories for him;

The Chu people took an active defense against Wu's attack.Xie Yinran and Wang Yinyun rescued Qiancheng first, and Zuo Sima Shen Yinxu personally led the elite soldiers as a follow-up, and ordered Yin Nangwa to lead the navy to the east along the river.Just when Jianyu and Zhuyong were hesitating, Chu generals Zuoyin Quewan and Gong Yinshou copied Wu Jun's back route and made them dumplings. When the news reached the state of Wu, Helu's first reaction was "this opportunity must not be missed, the time will never come again".He brought Zhuan Zhu to him and said: "I heard an old saying in the Central Plains, it is better to rely on yourself than to ask for help. If you don't ask for it yourself, you will not get anything. The position of King Wu should have been mine, and now it is time to act." It's time."

Zhuan Zhu said: "For this day, I have been preparing for two years. If you don't do it, I will have to change my career to be a cook. But there is one thing I must remind you, even if I kill him, as long as Ji Zha objects, you will still be a cook." I can't be king of Wu." Ji Zha is highly respected in Wu Guode, and he has more inheritance rights than He Lu. If he has any objections, it is really difficult for He Lu to do so.But for He Lu, this matter has already been considered, and it is not a problem: "Ji Zha? Wasn't he sent to visit Jin? When he came back, the uncooked rice had already been cooked. Destroy me?"

Zhuan Zhu said, "That's good. Another thing. I have an old mother and a young son. If I am gone, who will take care of them?" He Lu said solemnly: "I am you. As long as I live in this world, it is like you live in this world." Speaking of this, Zhuan Zhu couldn't do it anymore.In April of the same year, Helu invited King Liao of Wu to his home for a banquet: "I have recently acquired a cook who is good at cooking, especially good at cooking fish. He is the best in the world. I implore the king to condescend to come to the humble house and taste the Taihu Lake he cooked. Stewed carp is not ordinary delicious!" Wu Wangliao readily agreed.

On the day of the banquet, He Lu ambushed hundreds of dead soldiers in the basement.King Liao of Wu was not a vegetarian either. From the palace to Helu's mansion, the entire road was closed for security; Helu's house was guarded by fully armed palace guards from the door to the steps, from the steps to the indoors, and even the indoor seats. .The cook passed the dishes in, and at the door, he took off his clothes for inspection, then put on the clothes brought by the palace, raised the case with both hands, and walked in on his knees.And there are several guards on each side, holding copper beryllium (a double-edged sword, similar in appearance to a knife) to pinch and send, the blade reaches the cook's skin directly, and if the cook makes a slight movement, he can instantly tear him into tens of thousands of pieces.

When Zhuan Zhu was about to fish, He Lu stepped forward to toast King Liao of Wu, and suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground.Wu Wangliao quickly helped him up.He Lu apologized and said: "Yesterday I accidentally sprained my ankle when I got out of the car. The doctor applied medicine to it, but it hasn't recovered yet. Please forgive me. Your servant will go out and ask the doctor to have a second look. I'll be right back." Wu Wangliao drank a lot of wine, he had already relaxed his vigilance, and said, "Go and have a look." Just as Helu stepped back, a smell of fish wafted from outside, Wu Wangliao twitched his index finger when he smelled the scent, and the fish in his stomach The glutton has been hooked up.I saw Zhuan Zhu changed his clothes, and walked in with vegetables on his knees under the "hostage" of four guards.

Wu Wangliao glanced sideways at Zhuan Zhu: "Are you the fish maker Zhuan Zhu?" Zhuan Zhu lowered his head and said, "Yes." Wu Wangliao asked again, "What's the name of this dish?" Zhuan Zhu said, "It's the Taihu stewed carp created by a villain." As he spoke, he held up the case and showed it to King Liao of Wu for a closer look.This fish was obviously bigger than common carp, although it had been cooked to overflowing with fragrance, it was so lifelike, which surprised Wu Wangliao.The four guards also relaxed their vigilance.It was too late to say it, but it was too late, Zhuan Zhu suddenly flipped his hand, pulled out a shiny short blade from the fish's mouth, and sent it into Wu Wangliao's throat until the handle was gone.

King Liao of Wu died immediately, and Zhuan Zhu was chopped into meat paste by the palace guards.He Lu's ambush soldiers rushed out from the basement, and after a fierce fight, all the followers of King Liao of Wu were killed.Since then, there has been a famous blade in the history of China - "Fish Intestine Sword". When later generations write about this sword, they all describe it as miraculous, and even Yitian Tulong cannot be compared.However, it was just an ordinary sword, and since then it has disappeared without a trace. If someone claims to have discovered the Fish Intestine Sword, it must be a counterfeit product.

If Zhuan Zhuruo knew after his death, he should be gratified that after Helu became king of Wu, he immediately named his underage son Zhuanyi as Shangqing, which is considered to be true.And Wu Zixu was also awarded the title of "pedestrian", that is, an official who assists in foreign affairs.But this pedestrian can freely enter and leave the Helu Palace and participate in military and state affairs, which is obviously not a normal treatment. It is also worth mentioning that, as Helu expected, when Ji Zha returned from the Jin Kingdom, he did not express any opinion on Helu's self-establishment as king. Subversion is my king, what complaints can I have? I can only mourn the dead, serve the living, and obey the destiny's arrangement."

Someone said: "Then Helu's subordinates commit crimes against their superiors, and kill the king and become king, can you accept it?" Ji Zha said: "I didn't kill people. I only know how to obey the current king. This is also the way of the previous kings." So he went to the tomb of King Liao of Wu and returned to his life, and then went to Helu's court to obey his orders. Undoubtedly, this posture of Jizha played an extremely important role in stabilizing the Helu regime. There is another story that has been widely circulated about Helu and the assassin. King Liao of Wu ordered Biyu and Zhuyong to attack Chu, and not only sent Jizha to Jin, but also sent his son Qingji to Zheng, Wei and other countries to seek foreign aid.Later, King Liao of Wu was killed, Qingji didn't know about it at first, and returned home as scheduled after completing his mission.Helu personally led the army to intercept and kill on the banks of the Yangtze River. Qingji realized that something was wrong, so he turned around and ran away, so fast that even the carriage could not catch up.Helu hurriedly ordered the archers to chase after him with random arrows. Qingji took the arrows with his hands without turning his head, but none of them could hit him.

Qingji fled to Weiguo, which became a heartache for Helu.But getting rid of Qingji is a hundred times more difficult than killing King Liao of Wu.After much deliberation, He Lu had no choice but to ask Wu Zixu for help. This time, Wu Zixu was not very happy. The reason is very simple: there is only one Zhuanzhu, and he has already died with King Liao of Wu. Now he wants to kill Qingji. Qingji has the courage of all men, and he is not in the country. How can he kill him? ?So he said to Helu: "The servants used tricks to kill Liao for the king, and today they are discussing to kill his son. I am afraid that heaven will not allow it." Wu Zixu spoke very seriously, but He Lu said indifferently: "When King Wu of Zhou destroyed Shang, killed King Zhou, and later executed King Zhou's son Wu Geng, who in the world thinks that he did something wrong? Qingji will not die for a day , the widow is restless all day, and I have to prevent him from coming back to snatch the throne at any time, how can I avenge you?" These words hit Wu Zixu's deathbed.He thought for a moment, and said to Helu: "Your Majesty must kill Qingji, and the minister will recommend another person." "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" records that Wu Zixu is like a Doraemon with a big killer in his pocket. He Lu came to ask for it.This time the killer he recommended was named Yaoli. Yaoli is from the state of Wu.But to introduce Leaving, we have to start with a person named Jiao Qiuxin. Jiao Qiuxin is a native of Donghai, and was sent to Wu State by the order of Qihou.When passing the Huai River ferry, he ordered people to lead the horses to drink water in the Huai River.The official guarding the ferry kindly reminded: "There are gods in the water, and they especially like to eat horses. You'd better not drink horses here until you cross the Huaihe River." Where do you dare to do it?" So he insisted on drinking the horse.Unexpectedly, just as the horses touched the water, a strange wind suddenly blew up and swept the four horses away and sank into the river.The official said: "Look, if you don't listen to me, it's all right now, the horses have been taken away by God!" Jiao Qiuxin was furious, took off his clothes, entered the water with a sword, and faced God for a decisive battle.For a while, there was a strong wind and huge waves on the river, which lasted for three days and three nights, and did not subside until Jiao Qiuxin came out of the water. People asked with concern: "How is the outcome?" Jiao Qiuxin proudly said: "It was a tie. I cut off one of his hands, and he stabbed my eye." Only then did people notice that Jiao Qiuxin was blind in one eye. Jiao Qiuxin came to Wu country with one eye open and one eye closed.One day when I was having dinner with a group of friends, and talking about the story of the battle against the god of water in the Huaihe River, Jiao Qiuxin was very proud and domineering, and his words offended the gentlemen of Wu.Yaoli was also present at that time, with a look of disdain on his face, and said to Jiaoqiuxin: "I heard that warriors are like this. They fight the sun without changing their face, fight ghosts and gods without weakness, and fight people silently. Or Victory, or death in battle, not to be humiliated. Now you are fighting with the river god, your horse is lost, your eyes are blind, and you are crippled. You are worthless. A real warrior looks down on you. I really don’t understand, Why didn't you fight to the death with the God of the River, instead you have the nerve to brag in front of us?" Jiao Qiuxin blushed and was about to fight to leave on the spot, but was persuaded by everyone, the banquet broke up unhappy. Yaoli returned home and said to his wife: "I offended a madman today, he can't swallow this, and he will definitely come to trouble him at night. Don't close the door, it will show that I am afraid of him." That night, Jiao Qiuxin really felt the need to leave home.I saw that the main door was open, the second door was not closed, even the door of the bedroom was not closed, and Yaoli was sleeping soundly on the couch.Jiao Qiuxin drew out his sword, pressed it against Yaoli's throat, and said, "You have three reasons why you must die. Now I'm here to take your head. Are you still here pretending to be asleep?" To leave the corner of his mouth with a smile, he opened his eyes and said, "Which three?" Jiao Qiuxin said: "First, you insulted me in front of everyone; second, you don't close the door at night; third, you don't guard against sneak attacks when you sleep. These three reasons are enough for you to die a thousand times. Don't blame me." Yaoli is still not in a hurry: "I have three reasons why I must die, but you have three unworthy things, do you want to hear it?" Jiao Qiuxin snorted, and said, "The sword is in my hand, it's up to me when to kill you, just say it!" Yaoli said: "First, I insulted you in front of so many people, but you didn't kill me on the spot, you are timid; second, you sneaked into my door without coughing at the door, and you didn't deliberately Let me know with your heavy footsteps, you are like a thief; third, I am unarmed, and you dare to talk to me even if you hold a sword to my throat. With these three reasons, do you dare to say that you are not a child?" Jiao Qiuxin was ashamed, threw the sword on the ground and said, "I am brave enough to be brave, and no one dares to face me. Your courage is still greater than mine!" Wu Zixu told He Lu the story of his divorce, and He Lu felt that this person was the best candidate to assassinate Qingji——Qingji's martial arts are world-class, and it is unrealistic to find a master to kill him. There is no chance.It's better to leave this kind of mediocre martial arts, bold and careful, very likely to be close to Qing Ji, and can kill him by surprise. But when He Lu saw that he was about to leave himself, he still had doubts about whether he could complete the task.Because Yaoli is really too thin, and looks very weak.Yaoli saw Helu's worry, and said, "Your subject is thin. If you stand facing the wind for a while, you will become stiff, and if you turn your back to the wind, you will be blown down. But as long as the king orders, I will definitely be able to complete it." Helu laughed dryly and remained silent for a long time, saying, "Qingji's martial prowess is world-renowned, and there is no one to do it. Mr. is willing to relieve my worries, and I understand, but this matter may be too difficult for you." Yaoli said: "It's not difficult to say, as long as you make up your mind, there is nothing impossible." He Lu said: "Qing Ji is not only brave, but also intelligent and very vigilant. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to get close." Yaoli said a sentence that will be infamous for thousands of years: "I heard that a person who is content with family happiness and does not serve the king is an unfaithful and righteous person. Please let me pretend to offend you, you killed my wife and children, beheaded Cut off my right hand, and then let me run away, then Qingji will definitely believe me." After reading the history so far, I took a deep breath. He Lu was very happy.For rulers, isn't this kind of "loyal man" who treats his wife and children like nothing?He walked down the hall, made a deep bow to Yaoli, and said, "Then please, sir." Soon after, Yaoli had his right hand cut off and was expelled from the country because of his disrespectful remarks against Helu in court.His wife and children were also arrested and "burned in the city". Yaoli walked all the way, told others about his grievances, came to Weiguo, asked to see Qingji, and said: "He Lu is innocent, everyone knows, I just persuaded him a few words in person, and I ended up like this .” Qing Ji saw that this man was ruined by He Lu, his family was ruined, half of his body was crippled, it was really miserable, so he left him.After a while, Qingji trusted Yaoli more and more, and let him stay by his side, never leaving. One day Qingji crossed the Yellow River by boat, taking Yaoli and a few guards with him.Qingji stands on the bow of the boat to enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Yellow River, so he should stand in the upper wind position intentionally or unintentionally.Taking advantage of the unpreparedness, he quietly picked up the short spear and pierced Qingji's body viciously with the help of the wind.Qingji was hit so hard suddenly that he could not fall down. He pulled out his short spear with his backhand, and blood gushed out, quickly staining the board of the ship red.You want to grab the handle of the spear tightly, and want to stab again.With one hand, Qingji lifted Lilianren and the spear, dipped them into the river, dipped them three times, then lifted them up and threw them on the deck.At this time, Qing Ji also lost too much blood and was almost unable to hold on.The guards rushed forward, holding their knives against him and wanting to leave.Qingji turned pale, smiled instead of anger, and said to the left and right: "I'm afraid this is the only person in the world who dares to assassinate me!" The guards wanted to kill and leave, but Qingji stopped him and said, "This is a warrior. Kill two warriors in one day? After I die, you must not embarrass him and let him return to his life." After Qingji's death, Yaoli was let go, and Qingji's guards escorted him all the way south.When crossing the Yangtze River by boat, Yaoli stood at the bow of the boat, silent and thoughtful.When the boat arrived in the middle of the river, he was half talking to himself, and half talking to others: "It is unkind for me to sacrifice my wife and children to serve the king; it is disloyal to kill the son of the old king for the sake of the new king; It is unrighteous to live by chance because of the favor of others. With these three crimes, how can I have the face to live in this world?" After saying that, he jumped into the river and died. The story of Yaoli stabbing Qingji has been widely circulated in Chinese history, and is often cited as credible history, but serious historians generally believe that it is mostly fabricated, and may even be completely fabricated. In any case, Helu finally eradicated domestic opposition forces and potential threats, and secured the throne of King Wu.Wu Zixu also made meritorious service and became He Lu's confidant. It is said that He Lu once asked Wu Zixu: "I want to make Wu stronger and dominate the world. What advice do you have?" Foreigners who came in exile have abandoned their father and brother, leaving them dead without a burial place, and their souls without sacrifices. If you were convicted and humiliated in Chu State and came to join the King, you will be lucky if you don’t blame them. How dare you participate in political affairs?" He Lu I thought to myself, stop pretending, you dreamed of using the power of Wu to avenge yourself, why did you suddenly become humble?But he still spoke very politely: "If it weren't for you, I would still be under others. I sincerely ask you for advice today, why are you retreating?" People seem to be beautiful, but they are actually dangerous. As long as the problem is solved, they will be abandoned by the king." He Lu was a little impatient when he heard this: "Don't worry, the widow is not that kind of person. To be serious, the country of Wu is located in the southeast of the country. , the traffic is inconvenient, there are many swamps, there are frequent floods, the country has no danger to defend, the people have nothing to rely on, there are few grains in the warehouse, and the fields are abandoned there, what should we do?" Wu Zixu didn't dare to talk nonsense, and answered honestly: "The way to govern the country is to govern the people with peace and security. The country of Wu started late, and the infrastructure is not perfect. It must first repair the city, strengthen the defense, develop the economy, and rectify the arsenal." He Lu was very happy: "The widow has entrusted you with the task, so go ahead and do it boldly!" Wu Zixu presided over the construction of the capital of Wu State, which was later Gusu City.What is special about this city is not its size, but its adaptability to local conditions, coincident with Feng Shui, and deter neighboring countries with the spirit of heaven and earth.According to "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" and "Yue Jue Shu", the Gusu City built by Wu Zixu was actually two cities, one big and one small.The circumference of the big city is forty-seven li, and there are eight city gates and eight water gates.The circumference of the small city is twelve miles, and there are three gates, all of which have gate towers, located in the west, south and north directions.The west gate of the small town is called Chang (Chang) Gate, named after the legendary Tianmen Changhe, also known as Pochu Gate (Chu State is to the west of Wu State); the south gate is called Snake Gate, with a wooden snake on the gate and its head on the The north tail is in the south, which symbolizes the surrender of the State of Yue to the State of Wu (the State of Yue is in the southeast of the State of Wu). After the completion of Gusu City, the State of Wu finally had a decent capital.He Lu also invited famous craftsmen to forge weapons for him.The go-getter is from the state of Wu and is famous for being good at forging swords. His wife Mo Xie is also a master at forging swords.The husband and wife accepted He Lu's entrustment to build him an unrivaled weapon.They use high-quality iron, collect the essence of the sun and the moon, gather the essence of the heaven and the earth, and refine it for seventy-seven forty-nine days, but they can't reach the boiling point and can't melt the iron. The go-getter was very depressed, thinking that he had encountered a ghost, it was impossible!Mo Xie was also puzzled, and said: "You are famous all over the world for being good at making swords. Your Majesty asked you to make swords, but it took three months. Could it be that God deliberately obstructed it?" The go-getter said dejectedly, "I'm also skeptical." Mo Xie said: "I heard that since ancient times, when gods appeared in the world, someone had to enlighten them. Have you forgotten this?" The general slapped his head: "Yes! My master made swords in the past, and encountered such a situation. In the end, both of them, husband and wife, were thrown into the smelting furnace, using their bodies as fuel to melt the gold and iron. Should we put less What happened?" As he spoke, a strange smile appeared on his face, and he stared straight at Mo Xie. Mo Xie felt uncomfortable when he looked at him, and said, "Why is this so difficult?" He picked up a pair of scissors, brushed off a piece of hair, cut off his fingernails, and threw them into the furnace.Strange to say, the fire "hot" up all at once.Go-getters take a look, there is drama!Quickly drove 300 boys and girls to add charcoal and blow the wind.Seeing the flames jumping higher and higher, the lump of black metal finally began to melt.The husband and wife were overjoyed, they struck while the iron was hot, rushed to work day and night, and finally forged a pair of swords.People have husband and wife, and swords have yin and yang. The pair of swords are named Ganjiang and Moxie respectively.Ganjiang is slightly longer, and the sword body is decorated with Yang characters; Moye is slightly shorter, and the sword body is decorated with Yin characters. Ren Ganjiang kept his eyes open, and offered Jian Moxie to Helu, and secretly kept Jian Ganjiang.He Lu is a man of knowledge, and he fell in love with the sword as soon as he saw it, so he wore it on his body.But what is puzzling is that one year Jisun Yiru, a powerful minister of the State of Lu, visited the State of Wu.What was even more unbelievable was that when Ji Sun Yiru pulled out the sword and examined it carefully, he discovered that there was a defect the size of a grain of millet on the blade!But this incompleteness did not affect the shock that Mo Xie brought to Ji Sun Yiru. He sighed: "Even the most brilliant sword master in the Central Plains cannot make such a good sword! When this sword is born, the country of Wu will become the hegemony. It's just that the sword has Incompleteness is a sign of the country's ruin. Although I can't put it down, how can I dare to accept it?" He returned the sword to Helu. The story written in "Wuyue Chunqiu" is already quite weird. In comparison, the records in "Sou Shen Ji" are even more bizarre. In "Sou Shen Ji", the generals and Mo Xie became Chu people. They did not cast swords for Helu, but for the king of Chu (I don't know which one). It took three years to cast a male and female. handle.At that time, Mo Xie was pregnant and was about to give birth. The general said: "I know the king of Chu is a man. He will kill me to prevent me from making swords for others. After the child is born, if it is a boy, let him give it to him when he grows up." I take revenge." The general took the female sword and went to see the king of Chu.The king of Chu asked someone to check it carefully.The person who tested the sword was a master. He saw the problem and said: "There are two swords, one female and one male. The female sword has been brought, but the male sword has not been brought." The king of Chu was furious and killed the general. Mo Xie gave birth to a son named Chi.Later, when he grew up, he heard his father's story from Mo Xie, and he wanted to seek revenge from the King of Chu all day long.Coincidentally, the king of Chu had a strange dream. He dreamed of a man with wide eyebrows, about one foot wide (really enough for face), holding a sword made by a general, and wanted to seek revenge from him.After waking up from the dream, the king of Chu offered a huge reward for arresting the man.When Chi heard about this, he fled to the mountains (no way, this honor is too easy to recognize). Chi met a knight in the mountains.When the knight heard about his experience, he expressed deep sympathy.The knight said: "I also heard that the king of Chu bought your head with a reward of a thousand pieces of gold. It will be difficult for you to get close to him. But if you give me your head and sword, I will surely avenge you." Chi thought Without even thinking about it, he said: "That's great!" He committed suicide with a sword, holding his head and sword in both hands, and handed it to the knight. The knight went to see the king of Chu with Chi's head in his hand.The king of Chu saw that it was the man in his dream, and he was very happy.The knight said: "This is the head of a warrior. It should be boiled in a big soup pot. It won't cause trouble if it is boiled." The king of Chu did as he said, but it was not boiled for three days and three nights.The other end jumped out of the soup pot from time to time, staring at him angrily, so scary!The knight said: "Please go to the pot and have a look, and it will be boiled." The king of Chu believed it, and when he came closer to see it, the knight suddenly pulled out his sword and chopped off the king's head from the pot.The two heads bit each other in the pot.Before the guards stepped forward, the knight cut off his own head again.After biting the three heads for a while, they were all boiled and it was impossible to tell them apart.People had to divide this pot of broth into three parts and bury it, which is generally called the "Tomb of the Three Kings".It is said that during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the tombs of the three kings were still there.Let's just listen to such a story. "Wuyue Spring and Autumn" also records that after He Lu got Mo Xie, he was not satisfied, so he ordered people to make golden hooks in the country, which is the famous Wu hook.He ordered that anyone who can make a good hook will be rewarded with a hundred gold.For a time, all the people in Wu State made hooks, which was as strong as steelmaking in the past. There was a man who was particularly yearning for success. He took a slanted sword and killed his two sons. They sacrificed their blood to the furnace, made two hooks, and presented them to Helu, asking for a reward of a hundred gold.He Lu said: "There are so many people offering hooks to the widow, but you are the only one who dares to ask for a reward. Is there anything special about your hook?" The man said, "I killed my own son to make this pair of hooks. Don't you think it's special?" He Lu took the hook in his hand and looked left and right, but he couldn't see the name.The man let out a long cry, and called out the names of his two sons to the hook: "Wu Hong, Hu Ji, I am here, let the king see your magic." , flew towards the man, and stuck to his chest.He Lu was shocked and said: "Oh, I am really sorry for you." So he rewarded the man with a hundred gold, and put the two hooks on his waist, and never left his body. The above stories are absurd and are for reference only.What I want to say here is that the Chinese are actually not that unscrupulous.