Chapter 18 gou jian

After the recovery of Yingdu, almost all the Chu people had the idea: go straight to Gusu, flatten Wu, capture Helu alive, and avenge the shame.Amidst the anger of the crowd, only Ling Yin Yishen remained calm.He knew that despite the defeat of Wu State, its strength should not be underestimated, and the terrain of Wu State was complex, easy to defend and difficult to attack, so it would be easier said than done to reach Gusu?But Chu State should learn a lesson and strengthen its vigilance to prevent the people from Wu State from invading again.But under the circumstances at that time, he didn't dare to express his opinion. He might be called "Chu traitor" if he said it out, it was not a joke.

Under the guidance of this idea of ​​national revenge, in the summer of 504 BC, King Chu Zhao sent two armies on land and water to crusade against Wu.Helu sent his eldest son finally tired to lead the army to fight, defeated Chu's navy, and captured Chu's commander Pan Zichen, Xiao Weizi and seven doctors.When the news reached the country, even the most belligerent people dared not speak anymore.People in Yingdu City were panicked, and many people packed up their belongings and prepared to flee for the second time.Then came the bad news that the army led by Gongzijie was also defeated in Fanyang (now in Xincai, Henan Province), and the whole army fled.King Chu Zhao hurriedly called a group of ministers to discuss countermeasures. Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, and no one dared to express their opinions.King Chu Zhao had no choice but to turn his head to Yishen, hoping that he would say a few words.Yishen calmly cleared his throat and said two words: "Move the capital."

If he had said these two words half a month ago, Yishen would have been regarded as a lunatic.Saying these two words at this time, almost all the officials breathed a sigh of relief, and King Chu Zhao also showed a relieved smile on his face.But someone immediately asked a new question: "Where to move to?" So all eyes were on Yishen again. "Pang." Yishen said. Pang is located in Yicheng, Hubei Province today. Compared with Yingdu, it is located in the north and farther away from Wu State.In the following hundreds of years, the capital of Chu State will be moved many times, but each time the new capital will be named Ying.Therefore, Pang was also called Beiying in history.

After Chu moved its capital, the relationship between Wu and Chu ceased as expected. Both sides were busy with self-cultivation and economic recovery, and did not use weapons for eight years. In the spring of 496 BC, Dun State, a vassal of Chu State, decided to betray Chu State and defect to Jin State for some unknown reason.King Chu Zhao was furious and sent troops to wipe out the kingdom of Dun.In the summer of this year, there was also movement in the state of Wu. He Lu personally commanded the army to go south, preparing to raze the state of Yue to the ground. The ancestors of the Yue Kingdom are Wuyu. It is said that they are the descendants of Shaokang, the Xia Emperor.Yue State, like Wu State, has been isolated from the Central Plains for a long time, and its economy and culture are very backward. In the eyes of the Central Plains countries, they are like barbarians.

In the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, with the help of the Jin State, the State of Wu rose rapidly and became a great country in the south.The State of Yue was attached to the State of Chu, and the State of Wu fought with the State of Chu several times, and the State of Yue always stood on the side of the State of Chu.Especially when Helu occupied Yingdu in 505 BC, King Yunchang of Yue sent troops to harass the state of Wu in an attempt to contain the Wu army from the rear.To Wu State, Yue State is like a leech on the instep or a fly on the dinner table. He Lu chose this time to attack the Yue Kingdom, which was actually not very kind - Yunchang had just passed away, and his son Goujian came to the throne, it was a time when the state had a great funeral and the new monarch was not yet able to gain a firm foothold.Although the two countries are at war, there is not so much benevolence, righteousness and morality, but it is obviously not the behavior of a gentleman to take advantage of others' danger.

The armies of Wu and Yue met in Zui (zui) Li (now in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province) of Yue State.Wu Jun's armor is bright, well-equipped, neatly lined up, and morale is high.In contrast, the equipment of the Vietnamese army is simply beggars, and the combat experience of the Vietnamese army is not the same as that of the Wu army.But Goujian has his secret weapon.According to "Mozi" records, Goujian was so brave that he spent three years training a death squad. These people are all highly skilled in martial arts, and they can execute Goujian's orders meticulously. Even if they are asked to walk into the fire, they will not blink Roll your eyes; even if you are burned to death, you will not make a sound.

When the two armies were at war, Gou Jian ordered the death squads to be in front, trying to tear the Wu army's line.Unexpectedly, after Sun Wu's strict training, the Wu army formed a very strict formation. Although the death squads killed and captured some Wu troops, they could not stop the Wu army from rolling in like a stream of iron.Sun Tzu's tactical thinking is very simple, regardless of the superficial loss, to maintain the overall coordination, so that the enemy has no chance to take advantage of it, and make himself invincible.Although Sun Wu was not in the army at this time, Wu Zixu and Bo Pi had won the true biography of Sun Wu.One of them led the left army, the other led the right army, and the central army guarding Helu slowly moved forward, step by step approaching the defense line of the Vietnamese army.

Suddenly, hundreds of ragged and unkempt people jumped out of the Vietnamese army.Holding daggers in their hands, they rushed towards Wu Jun with strange screams, but stopped again, lined up loosely in three rows, and said in unison: "We are soldiers from the Yue Kingdom, because we violated military orders, we deserve to die. " After saying that, they put the short sword across their necks, and waited for the sound of a drum in the Yue army, hundreds of people killed themselves in unison, blood spattered, like hundreds of flowers blooming together.Wu Guoren has experienced hundreds of battles, and has never seen such a way of doing things, and everyone is dumbfounded.At this moment, there was another drum sound on the opposite side, and before the people of Wu Guo came back to their senses, the Vietnamese army had already rushed into the Wu formation, hacking and killing like crazy.Yuejiang Linggufu held a long dagger, neither armor nor car, and walked like flying, going straight to Helu.Helu's guards wanted to stop him, but Ling Gufu leaped over the wall, and the long spear pierced Helu's heart.He Lu hurriedly used his sword to strike.Linggu knew it was a treasured sword, so she withdrew the Changge suddenly, and then swept it at Helu's lower plate.He Lu couldn't dodge it in time, one of his toes and his combat boots were cut off, and he fainted on the spot.

Ling Gufu also wanted to take Helu's life, Wu Zixu rushed to him and stabbed him back with two swords.Wu Zixu held Helu with one arm, and with the sword in the other, he fought fiercely with Linggufu, fighting and retreating.The guards gradually surrounded him.Seeing that the situation is not good, Linggufu picked up the combat boot that Helu had left behind, let out a long roar, and left in the dust. In this battle, the Vietnamese army won a complete victory.Wu's army retreated in a hurry, and when they reached Xingguan, which was less than seven miles away from Xili, He Lu lost a lot of blood, so he let go and went west.

When He Lu was alive, he was the eldest son.Finally tired of both civil and military skills, he could have accomplished a lot, but died of illness a few years ago.Therefore, under the auspices of ministers such as Wu Zixu and Bo Pi, Fu Chai, the younger brother of Zhonglei, was established as the new king of Wu.Wu Zixu was granted the title of chancellor, while Bo Pi was given the title of prime minister. Fucha is a young man with a poor memory, as evidenced by "Zuo Zhuan"—— Fu Chai specially sent a person to stand in the court, and whenever he came in or out, that person would shout loudly: "Fu Chai, have you forgotten the great revenge of King Yue for killing your father?" Fu Chai trembled when he heard this, Respectfully said: "Don't dare to forget!"

After two years like this, in 494 BC, Fu Chai finally led the army of Wu State and returned to Yue State.This time, no matter what tricks the Yue people played, they could not stop Wu Jun's iron hooves.In the first battle of Fujiaoshan (now in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province), the Vietnamese army was defeated.Wu Junchang drove straight in and surrounded Jicheng. At this time, there were only 5,000 soldiers in Kuaiji City.If the Wu army launches a general offensive, it is estimated that it will last for less than a day. Gou Jian had two doctors under him, one named Wen Zhong and the other named Fan Li, who were relied on by Gou Jian as his right-hand men. The three formed the Political Bureau of Yue State and held a meeting to discuss how to deal with the current situation. Fan Li said: "If you want the country to prosper and not decline, you must be modest and prudent; if you want to save the country from danger, you must be humble; if you want to be thrifty and get rich, you must adapt to local conditions..." Gou Jian interrupted him: "Doctor Fan, stop talking about it, what should we do now, let's talk about something practical!" Fan Li said: "There is no other way but to beg for mercy." Goujian said, "Okay! What if I don't agree?" Fan Li said: "Then I can only be his slave." Gou Jian sighed, "Am I finished like this?" Wen Zhong comforted him and said: "Shang Tang was once imprisoned in Xiatai, Zhou Wenwang was imprisoned in Yuli, Jin Wengong fled to the place where the Zhai people lived, Qi Huangong also fled to Ju, but they all became kings later. Judging from what happened to these people, we may also be facing a good thing." Gou Jian thought to himself that Fan Li's idea hadn't come out, and Wen Zhong was talking nonsense. It seemed that he had no other choice but to surrender, so he sent Wen Zhong out of the city to ask Fu Chai for peace. After Wenzhong arrived at the camp of the Wu army, he came to Fucha on his knees, kowtowed and said, "Your subject Goujian sent his servant Wenzhong to tell you that Goujian asked to be your slave, and his wife asked to be your young lady." Concubine." As she spoke, tears flowed out, not acting, but feeling humiliated. Fu Chai's memory is really bad, and his language is pitiful, so he forgot the father's hatred that he reminded himself every day for three years, and wanted to agree to the request of the people of Yue.Wu Zixu persuaded: "Now God is going to give you the country of Yue. How can you give up the whole country of Yue for the sake of a few servants?" Fu Chai thought about it, and it made sense!Order Wenzhong to go back, and will not give a reply for the time being. Wenzhong returned to the city disappointed, and reported what had happened to Goujian.Gou Jian couldn't stand it immediately, and prepared to kill his wife and children, burn the treasures, and fight Wu Jun to the death.Wen Zhong said: "Wait a minute! People haven't completely rejected it, and there is still a chance. I heard that Wu's Dazai Bopi is very greedy. We can bribe him and let him speak for us." The treasure and the beauty went to Bo Chu. Bo Pi's attitude was completely different from Wu Zixu's. He readily accepted the gift, and went to Fuchai with the language. Wen Zhong still knelt down and talked to Fu Chai: "Please forgive Gou Jian's crimes, the king, and he will give you all the treasures of the Yue Kingdom. If you don't agree, he will have to kill his wife and children, burn the treasures, and lead 5,000 people. A decisive battle with you. Although we know that we will lose the battle, Wu has to pay the price, so why bother?" Bo Pi chimed in: "The Yue Kingdom has surrendered to you. If you forgive them, it will be beneficial to the country." Fu Chai was shaken again. At this moment, Wu Zixu broke in.He glanced at Wen Zhong kneeling on the ground, and said to Fu Chai: "If you don't destroy the Yue Kingdom today, you will definitely regret it in the future. Gou Jian is not an idle person. The talents of Wen Zhong and Fan Li should not be underestimated. If you let them go, It will be a disaster." Fu Chai laughed: "You overestimate them. If it's what you said, why would they bow their heads to the widow?" In the end, Wu Guo withdrew his troops from Kuaiji. "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" records that after the Wu army returned to the country, Gou Jian took his wife and Fan Li to the country of Wu to fulfill his promise to be a slave to Fu Chai. When Gou Jian saw Fu Chai, he called himself "a lowly minister of the East China Sea" and said: "Gou Jian, a lowly minister of the East China Sea, was ashamed of the emperor and the land of the queen. Your life is at stake, and this humble minister has the opportunity to serve you with a dustpan and broom, this humble minister is deeply ashamed." Fu Chai deliberately asked: "Don't you remember the grievances and grievances between Wu and Yue for many years?" Goujian said: "How dare you, I don't regret the death of a humble minister, I just ask the king to forgive me." Gou Jian humbled himself to this point, and Fu Chai had nothing to say, so he let Gou Jian and his wife stay in the palace to drive a cart and raise horses for him.As for Fan Li, Fu Chai wanted to use him very much. He once said to him: "The widow heard that chaste women do not marry and settle down, and virtuous men do not become slaves to the subjugated country. Now the king of Yue has no way, the country is almost destroyed, and there is no one to sacrifice to the country. It is ridiculed by others. Isn’t it too unwise for a talent like you to be reduced to this point? I want to forgive your sins, so how about you change your mind and submit to Wu?” Gou Jian was also there at that time, looking nervously at Fan Li , for fear that he would agree.Fan Li replied: "The generals of a defeated army dare not speak bravely; the ministers of a subjugated country cannot speak out about politics. The king of Yue overestimated himself and fought against the king, and his subordinates have a great responsibility. Thanks to the great kindness of the king, our monarchs and ministers were able to save their lives." , I am already grateful. I just want to sprinkle water, sweep the floor, and run errands for you, and I am satisfied. How dare I be an official?" Gou Jian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.Seeing Fan Li's resolute attitude, Fu Chai also admired his integrity and appreciated his decent speech, so he stopped pushing. Goujian lived in the state of Wu for three years.For the past three years, Gou Jian’s job has been chopping firewood, raising horses and growing vegetables, while his wife has been watering, removing manure and cleaning. Life is hard, but also very happy. If there is another house facing the sea with spring flowers blooming, it will be more poetic .Fu Chai stood on the stage in the palace and watched from afar, seeing their husband and wife working, and Fan Li sitting beside the horse manure waiting for him. , Fan Li is just a mediocre person, and in such a difficult environment, he still does not lose the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers. I am very sad to see it!" Bo Pi said without losing the opportunity: "May the king mourn the poor and lonely people with the heart of a sage, Let them go." When Wu Zixu heard that Fu Chai wanted to release Goujian, he hurried to dissuade him: "Back then Xia Jie imprisoned Shang Tang, and Shang Zhou imprisoned King Wen of Zhou. They both detained but did not kill them. They let the tiger go back to the mountain, but they seized the world instead. Today the king wants to release Goujian. , Could it be that you want to follow in the footsteps of Jie and Zhou?" Wu Zixu compared Fucha to Jie and Zhou, which sounds ugly, but it did play a role.Fucha put aside the release of Goujian. Then something terrible happened. Fu Chai fell ill and did not recover for three months.When Gou Jian went to ask about his illness, it happened that Fu Chai was defecating, so he sat on the toilet and talked to Gou Jian.After defecating, Gou Jian said: "I have learned some medical skills since I was a child, and I can know the disease from feces." Before Fu Chai could react, he had already picked up a lump of smelly smell with his hands, put it in his mouth and chewed it a few times , and then said: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, your illness has basically been relieved, and you will recover within seven days." Fucha covered his nose and said, "How did you know?" Goujian said: "The smell of feces is related to the weather. Those who go against the weather get sick, and those who follow the weather get better. Now is the turn of spring and summer. The humble minister has tasted the dung of the king. It tastes sour and bitter, which is exactly the time of spring and summer." Qi, so I know that your illness is about to be cured." Fu Chai was very moved.After a few days, his illness really recovered. After this incident, no one could stop Fu Chai from letting Gou Jian go back to China.Fu Chai also personally led a group of officials to send Goujian outside the Shemen, saying: "Although I let you go back, I still don't want to part with you. When you arrive in Yue, I will miss you very much. I will write you often when you have time." Gou Jian kowtowed and said, "The heavens are heavenly, how dare you let the king down!" Fucha let out a long sigh, and said, "I heard that a gentleman doesn't say good things a second time, so go!" He took Goujian's hand and boarded the chariot, then handed the reins to Fan Li, and watched them leave slowly until they saw their backs. Disappeared—this is not sending off prisoners after serving their sentences, it's like sending each other off in a long pavilion, holding hands and looking at tears! When Gou Jian returned to Kuaiji, he did not live in the palace, but lived in a hut.There was no other furniture in the room, only a few bundles of firewood, which were Goujian's bed.Every morning, he carried farm tools to the fields to work with the people, while his wife weaved at home.They eat mainly vegetarian food and rarely eat meat; they mainly dress in linen without any decorations.In the afternoon, when dealing with political affairs, he was respectful to the doctors and treated the visiting guests with great courtesy.There are poor people in the country, and the husband and wife go to visit together; whoever has a funeral at home will also receive his condolences. In Goujian's house, there is a gall hanging.Take a sip when you wake up in the morning, take a sip before eating, and take a sip before going to bed, and ask yourself: "Goujian, have you forgotten the shame of being a slave?"It is generally believed in history that he was afraid that he would indulge in pleasure and forget hatred.I personally think that Gou Jian is fighting Stockholm Syndrome①.Thinking about it, he was forced to be a slave in the Wu Kingdom for three years, and his master, Husband, treated him well, and he was reluctant to leave before leaving. It is not impossible for this master and slave to develop some feelings.He must always remind himself that Fu Chai is his enemy, and the experience in Wu State is the greatest insult in his life, and he must not be softened because of Fu Chai's "goodwill". How to deal with Wu Guo is a difficult task.Even though Gou Jian tried his best to govern and catch up, the state of Wu is still an insurmountable mountain for the state of Yue.On this point, Goujian himself has a clear understanding.He pessimistically said to several trusted ministers: "The widow is humiliated outside, and worries inside. I am ashamed of courtiers and princes outside. I am confused in my heart and empty in spirit. I don't know how to take revenge." The doctor Wenzhong said: "I have nine strategies that can help you realize your ambitions." Goujian said, "Impossible?" Wen Zhong said: "The nine strategies of my ministers are extraordinary. Shang Tang and King Wen of Zhou relied on them to win the world, Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Mu of Qin relied on them to dominate the princes. It is easy to take off your shoes if you use them to attack cities and territories." Gou Jian thought to himself, it's coming again, let's just listen to it. Wen Zhong presented his "nine skills": first, respect the heaven and earth, respect ghosts and gods, and seek blessings; second, give gifts to Fu Chai and the ministers of Wu to make them happy; third, satisfy Fu Chai's desire , to expand his appetite and exhaust the common people of Wu; fourth, to give Fucha beautiful women to confuse his mind; First, buy corrupt officials headed by Bo Pi; seventh, alienate good ministers like Wu Zixu; eighth, develop the economy of the country of Yue, enrich the people and strengthen the country; Gou Jian accepted Wen Zhong's suggestion.In the next few years, Gou Jian kept sending gold and silver, pearls and jade, strange wood, musical instruments, craftsmen, and of course the well-known beauty Xi Shi to Fu Chai. It is said that after seeing Xi Shi, Fu Chai was astonished.Wu Zixu thought it was unacceptable, saying: "I heard that wise men are the treasure of the country, and beautiful women are the disaster of the country. The Xia Dynasty was destroyed because of Meixi; the Shang Dynasty was destroyed because of Daji; the Zhou Dynasty was destroyed because of praise. Si." Fu Chai was very unhappy, thinking that this old man is always talking and comparing Lao Tzu with Xia Jie and Shang Zhou, which makes Lao Tzu angry, and he is good-looking! In contrast, Bo Pi is much smarter.He always stood on the side with a smile, whatever Fu Chai wanted to do, he said what was good, and always praised Gou Jian for being filial and a good cadre.Fu Chai was very happy to hear that. He didn't know that Gou Jian gave Bo Pi more financial gifts every year than he gave him.One year, there was a famine in the state of Yue, and people were sent to ask the state of Wu for support. Wu Zixu strongly opposed it, and Bo Pi strongly supported it. Finally, they lent grain to the state of Yue.The next year, when the harvest was good, the people of Yue steamed and dried the grain and returned it to Wu.When Fu Chai saw him, he thought it was due to the good soil and water in Yuedi, and the varieties of grain were good, so he ordered people to distribute those grains as seeds to farmers for planting. The result can be imagined. Just when Wu and Yue were fighting each other, Chu also came to their senses.In 494 BC, the state of Chu sent troops to surround the capital of the state of Cai to avenge the invasion of the state of Cai by following the state of Wu. After many failures, the Chu people became more cautious.They built a two-foot-high wall one mile away from the city, and built a fortress, preparing for a protracted war.Cai Guoren saw it and knew that the Chu people were serious, so all the men and women in the city tied their waists with long ropes, supported each other and went out of the city to surrender.King Zhao of Chu occupied the state of Cai and ordered the people of Cai to migrate to the north of the Yangtze River and the south of the Ru River to open up wasteland and cultivate land to find another way of life.Cai Zhaohou promised on the surface that as soon as the Chu army withdrew, he would send someone to ask Fuchai to move the Cai people to the territory of Wu.Of course Fu Chai was happy, but Cai Guoren did not agree to do so.Cai Zhaohou discussed with Fu Chai and secretly let Wu Jun in. When Cai Guoren reacted, Wu Jun had already controlled the situation.In this way, Cai Guoren was kidnapped and brought to Wu State, where he was placed to live in Zhouzhou. In the autumn of the same year, Wu's army invaded Chen State. The reason was that when Wu State attacked Chu State, he had asked Chen State for help in the war, but Chen Guoren refused.When the ministers of Chu State learned that Wu Jun had entered Chen, they were very worried. They said in the court hall: "Back then, Helu Xiong had a great plan and almost destroyed our Chu State. I didn't expect his son to be more powerful. What should we do!" Ling Yin Yishen heard, Said: "Everyone is worrying too much. Back then, He Lu only ate one dish for meals, and only slept on a heavy mat. The utensils he used were not carved with patterns, the palaces were not built with pavilions, and the vehicles and boats were not decorated. All clothes and items were only for practical use. He does not ask for fancy. In the country, he personally patrols to appease the people; in the army, the cooked food must be eaten by the soldiers after they have eaten it; if he eats delicacies from mountains and seas, the soldiers also have a share. Willing to die for him. Now I heard that Fu Chai lives in a magnificent palace and sleeps with beautiful women from the Yue country. He must get whatever he likes, and he doesn't care how much the people have to pay for it. He is doomed to fail, you guys You don’t have to worry about any threat he can pose to the Chu State, but you have to worry about the harm that your disunity will bring to the Chu State.” It should be said that Yishen has completely seen through Fu Chai's weakness.