GBP Chapter 265 Fan Ju's Life
Chapter 265 Fan Ju's Life
After Zhao Qian succeeded to the throne, he appointed him as the Grand Tutor, responsible for teaching the crown prince Zhao Qian. Guo Kai used his old tricks again and successfully captured Zhao Qian's trust, becoming the most favored and trusted minister of the two generations of Zhao monarchs.
Force Lian Po to leave
The feud between Guo Kai and Lian Po began with Lian Po's reprimanding of him. Lian Po could not stand Guo Kai's profit-seeking and fawning behavior, and publicly rebuked him. Guo Kai therefore bore a grudge and spoke ill of Lian Po in front of King Zhao Daoxiang many times.
King Zhao Daoxiang believed the slander and dismissed Lian Po from his military power, sending Le Cheng to replace him. Lian Po was furious and led his troops to attack Le Cheng, but eventually he had no choice but to flee to the State of Wei because he disobeyed military orders.
During the time Lian Po lived in Daliang, Wei, Zhao was besieged by Qin many times. King Qian of Zhao wanted to re-employ Lian Po, and Lian Po also hoped to serve Zhao.
So King Zhao sent an envoy, Tang Jiu, to Daliang to visit Lian Po and see if he could still lead troops to fight. Guo Kai bribed Tang Jiu with a large sum of money and asked him to try to sabotage the plan.
When the messenger Tang Jiu met Lian Po, Lian Po ate a bushel of rice in one meal, put on his armor and mounted his warhorse, saying that he was in good health. But Tang Jiu came back and said to the King of Zhao: "Although General Lian is old, he still has a good appetite, but he went to the toilet three times in a short time."
King Qian of Zhao therefore believed that Lian Po was indeed too old to be used, and ultimately did not call him back. Lian Po, a famous general of his generation, was defeated by the villain Guo Kai, and eventually died in depression in the State of Chu.
Killing Li Mu
After losing Lian Po, Zhao State was in danger, but another famous general, Li Mu, stepped forward and built a Great Wall for Zhao State to resist Qin.
Li Mu's military achievements mainly include two aspects: one is that he defeated the Huns and wiped out more than 10 Hun cavalry, which made the Huns dare not approach the border of Zhao for more than 10 years; the other is that he resisted the Qin State and severely damaged the Qin army in the Battle of Fei, for which he was named Wu'an Jun.
In 229 BC, the Qin State sent Wang Jian to attack the Zhao State. The Zhao State sent Li Mu and Sima Shang to fight, and the two sides were deadlocked. The Qin State once again resorted to sowing discord and bribed Guo Kai with a large sum of money.
Guo Kai, for his own selfish interests, spread rumors and falsely accused Li Mu and Sima Shang of treason. King Qian of Zhao believed the slander and dismissed Li Mu from his military power, sending Zhao Cong and Yan Ju to replace him.
Li Mu refused to hand over his military power, so King Qian of Zhao sent people to secretly arrest and kill Li Mu. In this way, the famous general Li Mu died at the hands of his own people.
Although Guo Kai brought disaster to the State of Zhao, there is no clear record of his bad karma in history books. Some say that he was later killed by Qin Shihuang, while others say that he was killed by thieves while moving his family's property after the fall of the State of Zhao. The thieves are said to be Li Mu's former subordinates.
Guo Kai's actions caused the State of Zhao to destroy itself and hastened its demise. Lian Po and Li Mu were remembered in history, but Guo Kai was condemned for eternity.
【History of Confucius, the first person in the Spring and Autumn Period】
He was the first person in the Spring and Autumn Period to advocate freedom of speech and rule of law. He was also a "heaven-sent hero" for a small country, and personally demonstrated how a small country could survive and break through diplomatic difficulties. In this video, let's talk about the first person in the Spring and Autumn Period - Zichan.
Zichan, surnamed Gongsun, named Qiao, courtesy name Zichan, was a native of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn Period. Today we will talk about this political strongman in a small country. His ruling ideology may make many people wonder: There were many famous people in the Spring and Autumn Period, so why do we say that Zichan was the first one?
Because Confucius had Zichan as his teacher, he was highly respected and was also a pioneer of Confucianism and Legalism.
Jiang Bingzhang, who was known as the best scholar in southeast China during the Qing Dynasty, once said: "The first half of the Spring and Autumn Annals was obtained from Guan Zhong, and the second half was obtained from Zichan. Guan Zhong's contribution was to the world, and Zichan's contribution was to the country."
After Guan Zhong's death, Qi fell into chaos; after Zichan's death, Zheng's politics remained clear. Li Yuandu, a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, also called Zichan "the first person in the Spring and Autumn Period", believing that he was "the first person who lost his mind and a political strongman in a small country."
The significance of learning history is to learn from the past and know the future, and to strive for the long-term. The small country governed by Zichan, Zheng, was sandwiched between big countries, and the foreign policy it adopted was also reflected in the current international situation.
For small and weak countries, it is easy to become pawns in the game between big and powerful countries at any time and in any place.
When we often hear the expression "a great man sent from heaven", it mostly refers to outstanding leaders who are clear-headed and change the status quo of their country. Zichan was such a "great man sent from heaven" in Zheng.
How can small countries break through diplomatic dilemmas?
As a small country, Zheng was bordered by Jin to the north, Chu to the south, Qin to the west, and Cai, Song, Chen and other countries to the east. It can be said that it was surrounded by various vassal states.
Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Mu of Qin, Duke Wen of Jin, King Zhuang of Chu and other great rulers rose and fell, especially the two great powers in the north and south, which often invaded each other. It was not easy for Zheng State to survive in the gap.
As a small country, Zheng used to adopt a one-sided foreign policy. The king of Zheng often knelt down to pay homage to Chu, then to Jin, trying to please both sides and compromise.
After Zichan came to power, he adopted a diplomatic policy of playing both sides and being neither humble nor arrogant, based on the fact that Zheng was surrounded by powerful countries, allowing Zheng to survive with dignity among the powerful countries.
Article 1: A foreign policy that plays both sides
On the historical stage of the Spring and Autumn Period, the struggle for supremacy between Jin and Chu is a topic that cannot be avoided.
In order to compete for hegemony, the two sides fought a series of wars, and the small and medium-sized countries between the two superpowers were busy switching sides. Zheng State, located in the central plains, became the key to the competition between the two sides.
After Zichan came to power, facing the embarrassing diplomatic situation of his country, he abandoned the previous one-sided diplomatic policy and instead adopted the diplomatic policy of "following Jin and Chu".
No one should be offended, and everyone who comes is a guest. The diplomatic strategy is based on the interests of Zheng State and is very flexible and diverse.
This made an important contribution to the realization of Zheng's national strength, which can also be said to be the political wisdom of small countries to survive in the international environment of the survival of the fittest. It is still applicable today.
As the saying goes, "Huskies are the dogs, and Turkey is the country." In fact, this is not really a disparagement of Türkiye. As the intersection of the Asian and European continents, Türkiye is also a place where various forces intersect.
Turkey relies on its diplomatic policy of playing both sides, walking a tightrope between China, Russia and the West, and safeguarding its own interests.
Turkish leader Erdogan is known as the "world's biggest political chameleon". As a small country, his strong stance is in line with the reality. He is a person with the political wisdom of Zichan, while Ukraine is obviously superior.
Article 2: A diplomatic approach that is neither humble nor overbearing
Han Feizi once said: "A country is small but does not humble itself; a country with little strength does not fear the strong." Faced with the complicated international situation at that time, if Zichan kept pretending to be a good person, not only would Zheng become a fence-sitter, but Jin and Chu would also erode Zheng.
In fact, when dealing with Jin and Chu, Zichan always maintained his country's rights with dignity and never gave in. In addition, Zichan did not show weakness when facing the powerful Chu in the south.
In times of crisis, he not only exposed Chu's conspiracy to attack Zheng, but also refuted Chu's unreasonable accusations head-on, making full use of international public opinion to force the other side to give up.
Thoughts on governing the country
Zichan once said, "It is more difficult to guard against the people's mouths than to guard against rivers." There is a story recorded in "Zuo Zhuan": During the Spring and Autumn Period, when the people of Zheng had nothing to do, they would often go to the local school to discuss the gains and losses of governing.
A minister named Ranming said to Zichan: "How about we destroy the village school? Then people will have no place to discuss things."
Zichan said: "Why? People come back from work in the morning and evening, gather here and discuss the pros and cons of the policies. We implement what they like and correct what they don't like. This is our teacher, why should we destroy it?"
Minister Ran Ming advocated suppressing people's freedom of speech, while Zichan advocated "doing what the people like and changing what the people hate", which means listening to the people's opinions and modifying policies if the people have opinions.
Because he understood that "it is more difficult to guard against the people's mouths than to guard against rivers", under the feudal exploitation system, the fundamental interests of the ruling group and the people are in opposition, and they have very little in common. It is particularly rare for Zichan to put forward such a view, and his thoughts have far-reaching influence.
But one thing that must be understood is that even some relatively enlightened rulers, such as Zichan, could only give the people a little chance to speak without harming the fundamental interests of the ruling class.
Zichan "cast the criminal code on a tripod". As the ruler of Zheng State, Zichan took the lead in casting the legal provisions of Zheng State on a large tripod that symbolized royal power, and announced it to the public so that the people of the country knew about it.
Zichan's move was the first time in Chinese history that a written law was officially promulgated. Before the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the rulers believed that "if the punishment is unknown, the power is unpredictable", the common people had laws but did not know them, the power of legal interpretation was in the hands of state officials, and the authority of the rulers was naturally lofty.
Zichan's move negated the secret law and instead determined the content of the criminal law, showing the legislator's firm determination to enforce the law, so that the people could grasp the right and wrong standards established by the rulers in advance, so that the rules would not change from day to day and the people would not know. The people could predict the consequences of their personal actions.
"Zichan cast the criminal code on a tripod" has epoch-making significance both in legal history and in social history.
Zichan's achievements in governing the country
According to the Records of the Grand Historian, many changes took place in Zheng after Zichan became prime minister: a year later, there were no more vagrants on the streets, the elderly no longer had to carry heavy loads, and children no longer had to plow the fields;
After two years, there will be no price gouging in the market and transactions will be fair; after three years, doors will be left unlocked at night and lost items will not be picked up on the roads; after four years, farm tools will not be lost if left on the fields after finishing farm work; after five years, men will not have to perform military service and funerals will be conducted consciously according to funeral rites.
Zichan's thoughts on governing the country and legal concepts also became the source of Confucianism and Legalism in later generations. Zichan's evaluation even surpassed Guan Zhong.
[Read all the historical facts and historical figures about Yinghou Fan Ju in one go]
He made friends with distant countries and attacked nearby ones, helping Qin to unify the world. His words were like swords, killing the famous general Bai Qi of the Warring States Period. In this video, let's talk about Fan Ju. Fan Ju, also known as Shu, was also called Fan Shu in ancient times. He was from Wei State and was also written as Fan Ju.
One thing needs to be said here. Some people often confuse "雎" and "雎", but after much research, Fan Ju is the correct pronunciation.
During the more than 100 years of the rise of the Qin Dynasty, three prime ministers made great contributions. Shang Yang's reforms made the Qin Dynasty stronger and started a desperate counterattack; Zhang Yi's strategy of uniting the world helped the Qin Dynasty break the siege and compete for the Central Plains; Fan Ju pointed out the direction for the Qin State and made plans to unify the world.
Li Si also spoke highly of Fan Ju: "Yanghou Zhuhuayang strengthened the royal family, closed private doors, and eroded the princes. He is the first meritorious minister of Qin."
As one of the important prime ministers of Qin in the late Warring States period, Fan Ju advocated "making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby countries, and focusing on both winning hearts and conquering territories", which enabled Qin to gradually erode the princes and achieve the imperial cause. To a certain extent, Fan Ju's importance to the unification of Qin was no less than that of Bai Qi, or even higher than that of Bai Qi.
Although Fan Ju's historical evaluation is not low, he left an image of a vindictive person in "Records of the Grand Historian", which led many people to believe that Fan Ju was a narrow-minded villain and therefore ridiculed him.
In fact, after truly understanding Fan Ju, you will find that he will avenge his enemies and repay his kindness, which is quite a gentleman.
After entering Qin, Fan Ju found many problems in Qin, such as Wei Ran's attack on other countries from afar for his own personal gain. After carefully analyzing the situation in Qin, Fan Ju proposed a strategy of annexation to King Zhao of Qin.
The key point is to "make friends with distant countries and attack nearby countries". Only in this way can the territory acquired be truly digested. This strategy not only consolidated the land captured by Qin, but also destroyed the six countries' alliance and accelerated the pace of Qin's unification.
As the saying goes, "If you gain an inch, you will destroy it; if you gain an inch, you will lose it." Fan Ju suggested that the focus of the struggle should be placed on the nearby Han and Wei, and the more distant Qi and Yan should be temporarily ignored in order to stabilize Chu and Wei.
The second is "attack the land and attack the people", because this is the only way to destroy the enemy's military force while conquering the land. Bai Qi's sophisticated tactics are the powerful implementation of Fan Ju's "strategy of attacking people", one focuses on the inside and the other focuses on the outside, complementing each other.
Fan Ju's planning outside the battlefield also contributed to the victory of the Battle of Changping. The cooperation between Fan Ju and Bai Qi enabled the strategy of "attacking the land and attacking the people" to be implemented efficiently, and the Qin State was able to develop rapidly under their hands.
Although "The Art of War by Sun Tzu" says "The best military operation is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to defeat their alliances, and the next best is to attack their troops," it emphasizes the use of strategies and tactics and the struggle for victory, with attacking the enemy's plans being the best strategy, while attacking their troops and cities being secondary.
But at this time, Qin wanted to destroy other countries to complete the unification, so "attacking land" and "attacking people" were the best strategies. In contrast, during the reign of King Xuan of Qi, Qi's national strength even surpassed Qin.
Although King Min of Qi was very successful in his foreign wars, he failed to inflict heavy damage on the enemies or to digest the occupied lands. Instead, he made enemies on all sides and consumed the national strength.
After King Min of Qi annexed Song, the five states attacked Qi, and Qi never recovered. This shows that Qin's "making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby countries" was an overall strategy, which made it clear what Qin should do and how to fight, and how to gradually erode the princes and unify the world in the situation of the seven states competing for supremacy.
Later, King Ying Zheng of Qin unified the world, basically following the strategy of "making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones", and carried out wars to annihilate the countries in the order of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi.
Before the expulsion of the "Four Nobles", the Qin State seemed to be thriving, but in fact it was slow to develop on the road to unification. The situation of the Four Nobles' monopoly of power not only threatened the rule of the kingship, but also undermined the foundation of the rise of the Qin State.