King Zhao stationed troops on the border. After a few days, he did not see any movement in the territory of Yan, so he regretted ignoring the herdsmen and gave up the sneak attack. After withdrawing to Handan, I felt unwilling to return empty-handed, so I was in a dilemma and was very distressed.
One night, King Zhao couldn't sleep, so he got up and walked out of the military tent. When he came outside, he saw the bright moon in the sky and the clear weather, so he quietly walked out of the military camp with a few followers. When the soldiers guarding the camp saw that it was King Zhao, they did not dare to stop him. King Zhao and his entourage came to the border between Yan and Zhao. King Zhao hesitated for a long time, then made up his mind to find out the truth personally, so he took a few followers and walked towards Yan. King Zhao was also smart. He did not take the main road, but only walked through the woods on the roadside. A few people walked forward cautiously, like cats. After walking only a few hundred steps, dozens of Yan soldiers suddenly sprang out from the woods and surrounded them. King Zhao was surprised. He didn't expect to meet Yan Bing. Those Yan soldiers surrounded Queen Zhao and asked what they were doing. King Zhao was panicked for a moment and didn't know how to answer. At this time, a man recognized King Zhao and shouted loudly: "He is King Zhao! He is King Zhao!" The Yan soldiers swarmed up, captured King Zhao and his entourage, and then shouted to see them General.
Zang Tu heard in the Yan State's military camp that the soldiers had captured King Zhao. He couldn't believe it was true, so he asked him to be escorted in. King Zhao was taken into the military tent by the Yan soldiers. When Zang Tu saw that it was really King Zhao, he even scolded King Zhao with embarrassment. Then he prepared a large prison car, loaded it with King Zhao, and asked his son Zang to Yan personally escorted him and went straight to King Yan to ask for credit and reward.
When King Zhao was captured, luckily there was a soldier relieving himself behind. When he saw King Zhao being captured by the Yan soldiers, he hurried back to report. Zhang Er heard that King Zhao was captured by Yan soldiers, but he didn't believe it was true. The sergeant told the detailed story of how King Zhao was arrested when he left the camp. Zhang Er was so shocked that he quickly sent someone to invite Chen Yu. When Chen Yu heard that King Zhao had been captured, he hurriedly came to see Zhang Er and said: "We should use all our troops to fight them to the death and rescue King Zhao!" Zhang Er said: "If that happens, King Yan will definitely kill King Zhao. We can't take this risk!" Chen Yu asked what to do. Zhang Er thought deeply: "First send an envoy to the Yan army to find out where they sent the king, and then make plans." Zhang Er sent an envoy to the Yan State.
In the Palace of King Yan in Jicheng, King Yan was worried about Zhao Jun all day long. He kept sending people to inquire about Zhao Jun's movements. One day someone suddenly came in and reported: "The soldiers in front have captured King Zhao. They have arrived in Jicheng. Listen to your Majesty's remarks." King Yan heard that King Zhao had been captured. He didn't believe his ears and thought he heard wrong. He hurriedly asked: "What? What? What did you say? King Zhao was captured?" the sergeant replied. : "Yes, Your Majesty, the soldiers in front have captured King Zhao." King Yan was stunned and stunned for a while, then he smiled and hurriedly sent an order to escort King Zhao in. After a while, King Zhao was escorted into the hall by the soldiers. The King of Yan personally walked down the steps to watch. It was indeed the King of Zhao. He smiled secretly and said: "My Majesty the King of Zhao, you are not staying in Handan. Why did you come to Yan by yourself? This is called self-surrender." Are you a fool?" King Zhao said disdainfully: "Since you have become a prisoner, how should you deal with it and let it happen?" King Yan scolded: "You know you are a prisoner, what else can you say!" King Zhao smiled slightly and spoke righteously. He said: "You are claiming to be king behind your back. You are really treasonous. I want to catch you and teach you a lesson! Humph!" King Yan asked back: "You are king in Zhaodi. Will King Chen also lead an army to attack you?" You?" King Zhao didn't know how to answer for a while. King Yan said angrily: "Are you still reasonable? Come here! Put him in prison and wait for disposal!" King Zhao was taken out by several guards. After King Zhao was taken away, someone proposed to kill King Zhao. King Yan said: "You can't kill him. If you keep him here to threaten Zhang Er, you will have the capital!"
The envoy from the State of Zhao came to the Yan army to inquire. Sure enough, they heard that they had captured King Zhao and sent him to Jicheng. The envoy had no choice but to come to the State of Yan. He came to the palace gate of Yan State and asked for notification. The guards of Yan State joked: "King Zhao has been beheaded." The messenger was so frightened that he lost his mind and followed the guards into the hall. The envoy saw King Yan, and after bowing, he stood at the foot of the steps, not daring to look at King Yan. King Yan scolded: "Are you sent by Zhang Er?" The envoy said yes. King Yan laughed loudly, and then ordered him to be pushed out and chopped. The messenger shouted for mercy. At this time, someone hurriedly tried to persuade King Yan by saying, "If the two countries are at war, the envoys will not be killed." The king of Yan said to the envoy: "You have a great destiny. If I don't kill you today, go back and tell Zhang Er to give half of Zhao's land to Yan before he can let King Zhao go back. Otherwise, I will kill him!" The messenger failed to use any of the words he had thought up along the way, and was beaten out by the guards with sticks. The messenger scurried back with his head in his arms.
The envoy came back and told Zhang Er what King Yan had said. Zhang Er was very angry when he heard that King Yan had to cut off half of Zhao's land before returning it to Zhao. He was very angry and said to Chen Yu: "Our country's land is not vast in the first place. If half of it is cut off, can it still be a country?" Although people were anxious, they could not think of a way to save King Zhao. Zhang Er just regretted and said: "I really shouldn't have let Han Guang's mother go back. If the old woman was here, would I still worry about not being able to save the king?" Chen Yu suddenly exclaimed: "That's right! We used to let King Yan Your mother has gone back. Isn’t this a favor to King Yan? Besides, King Yan is a subordinate of King Zhao. I don’t think King Yan will forget this and harm the king. Now you can write another letter and mention these things again. , I think the King of Yan will definitely consider Qianen and let him go." Zhang Er wrote a very humane letter according to Chen Yu's wishes, and then sent an envoy to Yan to negotiate. But within a few days, news came that the envoy of Zhao State had been killed by King Yan.
Zhang Er was shocked and helpless when he heard the news, so he had to send another envoy, saying that he was willing to give up three cities in exchange for King Zhao. After the envoy left, news came a few days later that the envoy had been killed again. Zhang Er was ready to exchange five cities for King Zhao.
In the military camp of the State of Zhao, there was a cook who carried water and cooked. He was usually taciturn and rarely interacted with others. Apart from making fire and cooking, he just liked reading. Ever since King Zhao was captured by the Yan army, he had been very anxious. Now he heard that all the envoys he sent had been beheaded. The prime minister and the general were helpless, so they said to their companions: "If the prime minister sends me to Yan I will keep the kingdom and rescue the king!" The companions all burst out laughing after hearing this, saying: "You also want to die! The prime minister and the general are both famous figures in the world, and they can't rescue the king. What are you capable of? Can you save the king? You are so bragging that you are not afraid of being exposed!" The cook said: "'Meat-eaters are despicable and cannot plan far!'" The companions could not understand what he said, so they all left in a hurry, and no one took the matter seriously. In the heart.
The cook knew that he was in trouble, so he didn't care about them. He slipped out of the military camp and walked towards the Yan Kingdom that night. He was suddenly knocked to the ground by the Yan soldiers hiding in the woods. The cook hurriedly said: "I am not a spy or a messenger. I have urgent matters to report to King Yan. Don't be too rude to me!" The Yan soldiers took him to see Zang Tu regardless of the situation. Zang Tu questioned carefully. The cook only said that he had something important to report to King Yan himself, otherwise he would die and he did not dare to speak out. Zang Tu grumbled in his heart, so he sent someone to Jicheng to meet King Yan.
When the cook came to Jicheng, King Yan saw that he was wearing ordinary clothes, but he looked like a hero. He regretfully said: "You are a young boy and a poor man. You don't have a few kilograms of meat even after being shaved off! Are you willing to take the place of King Zhao?" Are you going to die?" The cook said: "Your Majesty, why am I here to die? You don't know, I sneaked out from the Zhao camp and I have something important to report to you!" King Yan was confused and asked what it was. Confidential matters. The cook looked around again, indicating that there were too many people. King Yan asked others to step aside. The cook then said: "Your Majesty, do you know what kind of people Zhang Er and Chen Yu are?" King Yan said: "They are in vain, but this time they can only waste their efforts. They cannot be saved." It belongs to King Zhao, hahaha!" King Yan was very proud. The cook said: "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong! You don't know Zhang Er and Chen Yu at all?" King Yan sneered: "Don't they just want to save King Zhao? But listen, kid, it's not that easy. You If you say even half a sentence wrong, I will immediately tell you to move your head!"
When the cook heard this, he was not nervous at all and even laughed twice. King Yan said angrily: "How dare you laugh when you are about to die?" The cook hurriedly knelt down and said: "Please calm down, the King of Laughter. I am the King of Laughter and don't understand the situation! Zhang Er, Chen Yu, and our King, the three of them They were all under the command of King Chen. The three of them went on an expedition together and captured Handan County easily. Isn't it possible that King Zhao is the only one who wants to be king? Don't Zhang Er and Chen Yu want to be king? They two It was just because they had just captured Zhao Di and the people had not yet surrendered, so they were inconvenient to fight for it. They just elected the military minister as the King of Zhao based on his age and position. On the surface, Zhang Er and Chen Yu were loyal to the King of Zhao, but they could That was just to stabilize people's hearts. Now that the State of Zhao has been pacified, the two of them want to divide the Zhao empire equally. They want to be the king themselves, so they want to get rid of the King of Zhao. Now the King of Zhao happens to be captured by the State of Yan, which is very important to them. For people, this is a God-given opportunity! They didn’t want to exchange the city of Zhao State for the King of Zhao at all, so they sent envoys several times just to show off to the army and the people. The real situation is that they want to get rid of them as soon as possible with the help of the King. King Zhao, and then proclaim themselves king. If their conspiracy succeeds, they will first gain a good reputation, and secondly, they will attack the State of Yan in the name of avenging King Zhao. At that time, the angry Zhao army will attack the State of Yan in a large scale , What kind of battle cannot be won? What kind of city cannot be captured? If they get the Yan Kingdom, they will have the whole territory of Hebei they dream of under their control! If your Majesty doesn’t wake up, you will fall into Zhang Er’s scheme. I fell into their trap!”
After hearing this, King Yan woke up from a dream and sighed: "What you said is very reasonable. I almost fell into their trap!" King Yan pondered for a while, then looked at the cook and said: "How do you know?" The cook replied calmly: "I am responsible for cooking for the king and the prime minister. Yesterday when I went to deliver food, I happened to overhear them discussing the matter of becoming king. I privately feel sorry for our king. I didn't want to be plotted by the traitors, let alone see those disloyal and unjust traitors, so I took the risk to expose the conspiracy of the two thieves to the king. Although the two thieves were treacherous, they were famous, and the common people called them wise men. But King Zhao is an honest and generous elder, but his reputation is not as great as the two of them. If King Zhao can kill these two thieves when he returns, King Zhao will definitely have good relations with the State of Yan. Moreover, the State of Zhao is in Yan State. To the south, the State of Zhao is the military barrier of the State of Yan. If the two countries unite, they will be called 'lips and teeth'. Will this still be a disaster for the State of Yan? Please take a closer look!" King Yan was very happy after hearing what the cook said, thinking that King Zhao usually What he relies on is Zhang Er and Chen Yu. If King Zhao returns and gets rid of them, it will be like breaking his right and left arm, and Zhao will no longer be worth worrying about. So he rewarded the cook generously, released King Zhao, told him the truth, and then held a banquet to calm King Zhao's shock.
When King Zhao heard that Zhang Er and Chen Yu wanted him to die, he was so angry that he cursed: "I didn't expect that the two thieves were so ambitious. It's a pity that they almost succeeded in their conspiracy. Now please make the decision for Zhao State and raise an army to attack the rebels. We must do it." Capture Zhang Er and Chen Yu, otherwise you will die alone and you will not be able to rest in peace!" King Yan said: "If Yan State sends out troops to attack Zhang Er and Chen Yu with great fanfare, I am afraid that they will jump over the wall in a hurry, or escape and cannot be caught. Immediately send troops to escort the king back to the country. You can catch them all at once after quietly returning to the camp." King Zhao was overjoyed and immediately said to King Yan: "If you can get rid of Zhang Er and Chen Yu! Zhao will fight with Yan The country will always form an alliance and will never betray its trust." King Yan was overjoyed, and the two shook hands and talked about everything. After the banquet, King Yan specially equipped King Zhao with a gorgeous and tall royal chariot, and sent a hundred cavalry to escort him.
They left the city, and the cook drove the car himself. King Zhao poked his head out of the car window, patted the cook on the shoulder and said: "Go back and kill Zhang Er and Chen Yu first, and then re-employ you!" Then the cook secretly told King Zhao: "This is my rescue of the king. The plan, the prime minister and the general have no intention of becoming king! I made everything up to deceive King Yan!" King Zhao was stunned when he heard this. He was afraid that King Yan would wake up and send troops to chase him, so he asked the cook to gallop towards the Zhao camp. , panicking like a fish that slipped through the net.
The car galloped all the way and arrived at Zhao Camp. When the soldiers of Zhao State saw that the king was back, they were overjoyed and cheered. The prime minister and the general rushed to greet him. They saw Yan Jun personally escorting him, but they didn't know why. After King Zhao waited for the car to stop, he ordered the Zhao army to surround the Yan army and capture them all. Yan Jun didn't know what was going on, so he was arrested by Zhao Jun. King Zhao then walked into the military camp with a big smile and told Zhang Er and Chen Yu what the cook had planned to deceive King Yan. The two were full of praise after hearing this, praising the cook's talent. King Zhao chatted with the cook. The cook then revealed his life experience and name. It turned out that the cook's surname was Li Zuoche, and he was the grandson of Li Mu. After Qin destroyed Zhao, everyone in his family died and fled, and he also took advantage of the chaos to flee. Later, he hid among the people. When he was herding cattle for others, people called him "Cow Boy". He dared not tell his real name. Later, when the Chu army came to Hebei, Li Zuoche volunteered to join the army and became a handyman, responsible for cooking and cooking, so everyone called him "cook". When King Zhao heard that he was Li Mu's grandson, he was very happy and asked Zhang Er how to reuse him. Zhang Er was afraid that Li Zuoche would surpass him, so he said: "The king is short of a halberd-bearing man. Why not let him serve temporarily, and then he can be promoted when there is a vacancy in the future." King Zhao asked Li Zuoche to be the halberd-bearing man. He also rewarded him with a lot of money and cloth.
After this near-miss experience, King Zhao tasted the feeling of fear, so he ordered to return south and withdrew to Handan. When the news reached Jicheng, King Yan heard that King Zhao had not killed Zhang Er and Chen Yu, so he sent someone to investigate and found out that the cook was Li Zuoche, the grandson of Li Mu, and he had used a trick to rescue King Zhao. King Yan felt very regretful. Seeing that he had lost another hundred knights, he wanted to send troops to attack Zhao. However, he was afraid that he would be as fruitless as King Zhao, so he had no choice but to give up.
After King Zhao returned to Handan, he lived deep in the palace and repented. At this time, General Li Liang had already pacified Hengshan County. King Zhao was very happy and said to Wen Wu: "Li Liang has made great contributions, how should he be rewarded?" Zhang Er said with a strange expression: "Li Liang is violent by nature. Now that he has occupied Hengshan County, I am afraid he will follow Han Guang's example and become king!" Zhao Wang suddenly remembered what Kuai Che said before leaving. He was very surprised and asked Zhang Er what to do. Zhang Er said: "We should transfer him back, seize the seal and ribbon, and make him a sinecure to support him in the court to prevent unexpected events." King Zhao immediately sent an envoy to Hengshan and transferred Li Liang back. Li Liang was a rough man. Hearing that King Zhao wanted to reward him, he didn't think too much and returned to Handan. King Zhao then accepted his general seal, made him a censor, and gave him fine wine and delicacies all day long, as well as maids and concubines, to suppress his ambition and prevent changes.
At this time, King Zhao received another urgent letter from the sergeants, saying that King Chen had sent Zhou Shi as general and had captured Dongjun and Jibei counties. He had stationed troops on the bank of the river, seemingly intending to contain the Zhao army. From then on, the relationship between Zhao State and Chu State broke down, and there was no longer any idea of going west to rescue Zhou Wen. One poem sighed:
The heroes are competing to enter the pass, and their interests are deafening.
The great deeds are destroyed by the small sands, and the ingratitude is the same in ancient and modern times.
