NFBE Chapter 203 The Philosophers
Chapter 203 The Philosophers
After listening to Su Qin's analysis, Duke Wen of Yan called it brilliant. He funded Su Qin to start a self-driving tour of the Seven Kingdoms and asked Su Qin to work with Zhao's teacher He Song to maintain the stability of Britain.
Su Qin lived up to expectations and quickly united the six countries of Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei, Qi and Chu to successfully form a coalition alliance. He himself was appointed prime minister by the kings of the six countries because of his merits, which marked the beginning of his glorious moment as prime minister of the six countries.
Su Qin then delivered the alliance agreement to the King of Qin, which frightened the Qin State so much that it did not dare to leave Hangu Pass for 15 years. Su Qin's influence not only facilitated the cooperation, but he also single-handedly recaptured 10 cities for Britain.
In 333 BC, King Yi of Yan succeeded to the throne, and King Xuan of Qi took advantage of the chaos to seize 10 cities of Yan. Before his death, King Yi of Yan ordered Su Qin to go to Qi to redeem the cities that had been seized.
After Su Qin arrived in Qi, he first offered congratulations and then condolences when meeting King Xuan of Qi. King Xuan of Qi was confused by Su Qin's inconsistent actions, and Su Qin took the opportunity to explain that Yan and Qin were in-laws, and the queen of Yan was the princess of Qin.
The State of Qi has now seized 10 cities from the State of Yan. It seems that it has only offended Britain, but in fact it has also made the State of Qin unhappy.
With the powerful Qin watching closely, Qi was about to face a disaster. Su Qin's actions successfully fooled King Xuan of Qi, who hurriedly asked for advice on how to escape.
Su Qin took the opportunity to propose returning the captured cities to the State of Yan. Just like that, with just one person's words and a trip, these 10 cities returned to the hands of Britain.
Not only that, in 324 BC, for the benefit of Britain, Su Qin also transformed himself into the strongest spy, going undercover in Qi to weaken Qi's national strength and provide Yan with another layer of double insurance. However, it was this trip to Qi that cost Su Qin his life, and he was assassinated in Qi.
In order to catch the murderer, he suggested that the King of Qi make his crime of being a spy for the State of Yan known to the world, and at the same time spread the news that the town should exercise self-control over the King of Qi. The King of Qi followed his advice, and the murderer really fell into the trap.
If Pang Juan and Sun Bin killed each other for fame and fortune, then Su Qin and Zhang Yi worked hard for each other's future. When Zhang Yi had not yet made any achievements, Su Qin invited him to work with him.
However, when Zhang Yi met Su Qin, Su Qin ignored him and even deliberately treated him with contempt. Seeing this, Zhang Yi quickly packed up his bags and fled to the powerful Qin that could overpower the six kingdoms.
Unexpectedly, just after he was appointed as a guest official by King Huiwen of Qin, he got the news that Su Qin deliberately angered him in order to give him a better development. His coming to Qin was so smooth because of Su Qin's secret help. After learning about this, Zhang Yi was grateful to Su Qin.
In 322 BC, under the planning of King Huiwen of Qin, Zhang Yi went to Wei State to serve as prime minister. The purpose of his trip was to persuade Wei State to submit to Qin State. Unexpectedly, after arriving in Wei State, his plan to persuade the King of Wei repeatedly hit a wall.
It was not until 318 BC that the five countries of Han, Zhao, Wei, Yan and Qi joined forces with the Huns to attack the Qin State, but were defeated by the Qin army. More than 8 people were killed in this battle, shocking the six countries.
The following year, Zhang Yi again persuaded the King of Wei to withdraw from the coalition and submit to Qin, and finally succeeded in inciting Wei to rebel. Afterwards, Zhang Yi returned to Qin and continued to serve as prime minister.
In 313 BC, Qin needed to attack Qi. In order to prevent Qi's ally Chu from sending troops to rescue, King Huiwen of Qin decided to send Zhang Yi to Chu. After Zhang Yi arrived in Chu, he painted a big pie for King Huai of Chu.
He told King Huai of Chu that if Chu could break the alliance with Qi, he would be willing to let the King of Qin cede 600 li of Shangyu area to Chu. King Huai of Chu was overjoyed and agreed to Zhang Yi's conditions without hesitation.
After he severed diplomatic relations with Qi as agreed, Zhang Yi changed his mind and said that what he had promised to give to Chu was 6 li of land, not 600 li. King Huai of Chu had to suffer in silence.
In 311 BC, King Huai of Chu, who bore a grudge against Zhang Yi, proposed to exchange the Qianzhong region for Zhang Yi with the Qin State. King Huiwen of Qin was hesitant, but Zhang Yi took the initiative to propose to go to the Chu State.
After arriving in Chu, Zhang Yi asked the Chu official Jin Shang to speak to King Huai of Chu's favorite concubine Zheng Xiu, telling her that King Huiwen of Qin wanted to bribe King Huai of Chu with six counties of land and beautiful women to let him release Zhang Yi.
King Huai of Chu valued land and would definitely favor the beauties from Qin, which would cause Zheng Xiu to fall out of favor. Zheng Xiu believed it, and in order to avoid falling out of favor, she persuaded King Huai of Chu to release Zhang Yi.
After regaining his freedom, Zhang Yi not only did not leave Chu, but instead persuaded the King of Chu to make friends with Qin. He then successively lobbied the King of Han, the King of Qi, the King of Zhao, and the King of Yan to abandon the alliance and join Qin to jointly implement the policy of "lianheng".
However, just as Zhang Yi was on his way back to Qin after lobbying, he suddenly heard the bad news that King Huiwen of Qi had passed away and King Wu of Qi had ascended the throne. When King Wu of Qi heard that King Wu of Qi and Zhang Yi were not close, he broke his promise to Zhang Yi.
After Zhang Yi returned to Qin, he was constantly slandered by Qin ministers. In 310 BC, Zhang Yi, who was feared by Qin, decided to apply to King Wu of Qin for permission to go on a business trip to Wei. He told King Wu that the King of Qi hated him and would send troops to attack wherever he went.
Now that he was going to Wei, the King of Qi would certainly attack Wei, and King Wu of Qin could take the opportunity to conquer Han. King Wu of Qin was overjoyed, and Zhang Yi went to Wei again.
After arriving in Wei, Qi really wanted to send troops to Wei. Zhang Yi then sent people to Chu to ask Chu to send envoys to explain Qi's power to the King.
The envoy of Chu told the King of Qi that if the King of Qin attacked Wei, it would fall into Zhang Yi's trap, giving Qin the opportunity to attack the six states through Hangu Pass. Wouldn't this help Zhang Yi gain the trust of the King of Qin? The King of Qi thought it made sense, so he withdrew his troops, and Zhang Yi escaped safely.
[A review of the history of the various schools of thought during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period: Confucius and Mozi]
In the pre-Qin period, there were many schools of thought, and many talented people emerged, leaving countless legacies for Chinese culture. Do you know who the representatives of the various schools of thought are? Why can Confucianism be passed down to this day? In this video, let us go into the various schools of thought.
The first is Guan Zhong, who was not only a famous prime minister of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period, but also a representative of the Legalists during the Spring and Autumn Period and was known as the pioneer of the Legalists. Guan Zhong, surnamed Ji, was named Yiwu, with the courtesy name Zhong and the title Shangren.
His father Guan Zhuang was a doctor in Qi State, but his family fell into decline. When he was young, Guan Zhong lived in poverty and traveled around with his good friend Bao Shuya. Later, Bao Shuya assisted Prince Xiaobai, and Guan Zhong assisted Prince Jiu.
Prince Xiaobai and Prince Jiu were both brothers of Duke Xiang of Qi. Duke Xiang of Qi had an affair with his sister Wen Jiang, and Guan Zhong sensed that Qi would be in turmoil, so he took Prince Jiu to Lu for refuge, while his good friend Bao Shuya took Prince Xiaobai to Ju for refuge.
Later, Duke Xiang of Qi died. Prince Xiaobai and Prince Jiu returned to their country to compete for the throne. Guan Zhong assassinated Prince Xiaobai, but Xiaobai fell to the ground and pretended to be dead to avoid being hunted down. He traveled day and night and returned to Qi before Prince Jiu to succeed to the throne, and became Duke Huan of Qi.
Bao Shuya advised Duke Huan of Qi to employ Guan Zhong, who, despite past grudges, appointed him as prime minister. Guan Zhong reorganized the military and developed the economy. He believed that "when the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they know honor and disgrace." Only when people are well fed and well clothed, and have a prosperous life, can they talk about etiquette and morality.
The emperor of Qi used the banner of "respecting the king and expelling the barbarians" to punish those who disrespected him. With the assistance of Guan Zhong, Duke Huan of Qi became the hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period. Later generations regarded Guan Zhong as the first prime minister of China, and his words, deeds, and political thoughts were recorded in the book "Guan Zi".
The second is Laozi, the founder of the Taoist school. His birth and death years are unknown. He was born in the State of Chen in the late Spring and Autumn Period. His real name is Li Er, and his courtesy name is Dan. In 551 BC, Laozi managed the collection of books for the Zhou emperor. What happened?
Later, he fled to Lu because of being excluded by the powerful. While in Lu, a young man asked Laozi about etiquette. This young man was called Kongqiu, also known as Confucius. The life trajectories of the two greatest thinkers in Chinese history intersected here.
Soon, Laozi returned to the Zhou royal court as a librarian, and Confucius went to the Zhou royal capital to study with Laozi again. After leaving Laozi, Confucius sighed to his disciples: "Today, I saw Laozi just like I saw a dragon."
Later, seeing that the Zhou Dynasty was declining, Laozi decided to leave his homeland and travel through Hangu Pass. At that time, Yin Xi, the commander of Hangu Pass, respected Laozi very much. When he heard that Laozi was going to travel, he left behind a book, Tao Te Ching, and left without a trace.
The "Tao Te Ching" he left behind, also known as "Laozi", is the embodiment of Laozi's Taoist thought. Later generations regarded Laozi as the founder of the Taoist school.
The third is Confucius, whose surname is Zi, name is Qiu, and courtesy name is Zhongni. He was born in Lu in 551 BC. His ancestors were nobles of Song, descendants of the Shang Dynasty. When they came to the area of Confucius' father Shulianghe, they fled to Qufu, Dongshan today, to avoid the war and settled there.
Shuliang He and Yan Zhengzai gave birth to Confucius for their concubine. Because Yan Zhengzai had prayed at Mount Ni, they named their son Qiu. Soon after Confucius was born, his father died, and Confucius and his mother were driven out of the house and lived a poor life.
Confucius was well-read and polite since he was young. When he grew up, he was tall and went to Lu, Qi, Song, Wei and other countries to seek a job. In the end, only Lu treated him well. So he returned to Lu. At this time, Confucius was already quite famous and began to accept disciples and teach.
Later, civil unrest broke out in Lu, and Confucius left Lu again for Qi, where he was appreciated by Duke Jing of Qi. However, he was envied by his colleagues, so he had no choice but to return to Lu once again.
At that time, the state of Lu was ruled by the nobles. Confucius felt very uneasy about Yang Hu, a retainer of the Ji family, controlling the government of Lu by controlling the sacrifices, so he retired to study poetry, books, rituals and music, and taught his disciples.
After Yang Hu's downfall, Duke Ding of Lu appointed Confucius to check the power of the Three Huan noble families. So Confucius took measures to destroy the three capitals and demolished the castles of the Three Huan families.
Unexpectedly, the Qi army showed up halfway. It turned out that Qi saw that Duke Ding of Lu employed Confucius and would surely achieve hegemony in the future, so they deployed their troops again.
During his travels around the country, the monarchs of various countries had heard of Confucius' reputation and asked him about politics, but none of them were willing to use him. Later, Ji Kangzi, a minister of the Three Huans of Lu, welcomed Confucius back to Lu to organize documents and give lectures. In 479 BC, Confucius died of illness at the age of 73.
The fourth is Mozi, the founder of the Mohist school. His real name was Mo Di. He was born in the State of Song. His ancestors were descendants of the royal family of the Shang Dynasty. But by the time of Mozi's generation, they were no different from ordinary people.
When he was young, Mozi worked as a shepherd boy and learned carpentry. When he was young, he traveled around and became a disciple of Confucianism. However, Mozi did not fully agree with the Confucian philosophy, so he established his own school called Mohism.
The Mohist school advocated the concepts of universal love, non-aggression, respect for the virtuous, and respect for equality. It advocated peace and did not support unjust wars.
Mozi was not only a theorist, but also a doer and scientist, who was well versed in geometry, physics, and optics. His work "Mozi" recorded the manufacturing methods of various weapons and buildings, which had a profound influence on later generations.
The fifth is Guiguzi, the founder of the school of diplomacy. Guiguzi's life is extremely mysterious. No one knows his name or when he was born. All we know is that he lived in seclusion in Guigu, Yunmeng Mountain, so he called himself Mr. Guigu.
Guiguzi's disciples included Su Qin, Zhang Yi and other influential figures. His vertical and horizontal thinking became the guiding ideology of diplomacy and military of various countries during the Warring States Period. The so-called vertical and horizontal means to unite the countries in the north and south to deal with the strong countries, and the horizontal means to unite the strong countries to attack the weak countries.
This was an idea that emerged during the Warring States Period due to the strength of the Qin State. The six eastern states could not resist Qin alone, so Gongsun Yan, Su Qin and others persuaded the six states to unite to resist Qin, which was called the Hezong; while Zhang Yi persuaded the various countries to help Qin attack other weak countries.
The vertical and horizontal strategies became the main theme of the disputes among the countries in the late Warring States period. As Qin Shihuang unified the world, the school of vertical and horizontal strategies lost its place.
[Small historical knowledge of countries in the Warring States period other than the Seven Kingdoms]
Legend has it that there were 800 vassal states in the Zhou Dynasty. Why did only Qin, Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, and Wei remain in the Warring States Period? In addition to these seven states, which other small states survived in the Warring States Period?
In this video, let us enter the Warring States world beyond the Seven Kingdoms.
The first is the small hegemon Zheng State in the Spring and Autumn Period. The ruler of Zheng State, Ji You, was the son of King Li of Zhou and was granted fiefdom in Hua County, Shaanxi by his brother King Xuan of Zhou.
In 771 BC, the Quanrong captured Haojing, and Ji You was killed along with King You of Zhou. His son, Duke Wu of Zheng, Ju Tu, escorted the King of Zhou to move eastward, and moved the capital of Zheng to Xinzheng. In this way, the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was protected. Duke Wu of Zheng's wife, Wu Jiang, gave birth to the crown prince Wusheng and the youngest son Duan. Duan was born naturally, so he hated Wusheng and doted on Duan.
In 743 BC, Wusheng ascended the throne and became Duke Zhuang of Zheng. At his mother's request, he granted his younger brother Duan the title of Grand Duke of Jingcheng and called him Uncle Jingcheng. At that time, the minister Ji Zhong objected, but Duke Zhuang of Zheng believed that those who did evil would eventually perish, so he should wait and see.
Later, Duan and his generals rebelled, and Duke Zhuang of Zheng suppressed the rebellion, thus eliminating a major threat to himself. Duan's son Gongsun Hua fled to Wei, and Duke Huan of Wei took the opportunity to attack Zheng, and the two countries became enemies from then on.
Later, Duan became a close friend with Zhou Yu, a prince of Wei who failed to seize power. After Zhou Yu usurped the throne, he united with Song, Chen, Cai and other states to attack Zheng and cut off Zheng's crops.
Soon Zhou Xu died. In order to seek revenge, Zheng attacked and defended itself against Song, Wei and Lu. Its power grew day by day and it could even challenge the Zhou emperor.
In 707 BC, King Huan of Zhou joined forces with Wei, Cai and other countries to attack Zheng. Unexpectedly, he was defeated by Duke Zhuang of Zheng. King Huan of Zhou was also shot in the shoulder by a general of Zheng, and his prestige was completely destroyed.