At this time, due to its special geographical location, South Korea had little effect on reform. During the Warring States Period, it had always been the weakest country. At that time, South Korea bordered the State of Wei in the east, and became a stumbling block on the Hangu Pass Road of the State of Qin in the west. At the beginning, the three Jin lands united many times, and conquered east and west, and conquered everywhere. Naturally, Wei rarely bullied South Korea. On the contrary, South Korea was able to obtain certain benefits from this alliance. However, with the passage of time, Sanjin's external development has been greatly restricted, and internal disputes have increased. South Korea has naturally been subject to the greatest constraints. If Qin wants to develop to the east, its first priority is to attack South Korea. In this way, South Korea faces the dilemma of being attacked from both sides. Even under such circumstances, South Korea never gave up its expansion. In 375 BC, Han Aihou led an army of tens of thousands and destroyed the Zheng State, the most powerful vassal state in the early Spring and Autumn Period. Since then, South Korea's territory has been greatly expanded. Extension. The capital of South Korea also moved from Pingyang (now Linfen, Shanxi) to Xinzheng, the capital of Zheng (now Xinzheng, Henan), and soon after moved the capital to Yangdi. Not long after Wu Qi's reform in Chu State came to an end, Shang Yang of Qin State also began to reform. At the same time, in South Korea, Shen Buhe also became the prime minister and presided over the reform movement in South Korea. In South Korea, Shen Buhe received strong support from Han Zhaohou and implemented strict politics in South Korea. Although the reform was not complete, there is no doubt that South Korea's national power has been enhanced. But as soon as Shen Buhai died, South Korea suffered more violations. So far, the territory of Korea has Xingshan Mountain (in present-day Yancheng, Henan Province) in the south, Chenggao (now northwest of Xingyang, Henan Province) in the north, crosses the Yellow River to Shangdang (administered in present-day Changzhi, Shanxi Province), and is bounded by Wei River (sourced from Mi, Henan Province) in the east. County, to the southeast of Xinzheng and into the Yingshui River), and to the west of Qin State. There are many mountains in this area, the land is barren and the population is sparse.
In addition to South Korea's small national power and frequent violations, domestic struggles are also endless. One of the more typical ones is Yan Zhongzi from Puyang, South Korea. Some people also call it Yan Sui. At that time, the Prime Minister of South Korea was Xia Lei, who was narrow-minded and jealous of talented people. Because Yan Zhongzi had different political views with him, he even gained the favor of Han Aihou, which aroused Xia Lei's jealousy and wanted to kill him. Helpless, Yan Zhongzi had no choice but to escape from Korea and travel around, while his family was brutally persecuted by Xia Lei. Yan Zhongzi made inquiries in all directions, hoping to find someone who could help him take revenge and get rid of Xia Lei.
Just when Yan Zhongzi was looking for talented people, a figure also came to Qi State, that is Nie Zheng. This man is a famous swordsman in Korea. He just killed someone to prevent his mother and sister from suffering. Due to the disaster in Yuchi, he could only bring the two of them to Qi State after a long journey.
When he arrived in Qi State, Nie Zheng made a living as a butcher, so to speak, he hid in the city. In this way, his troubles were indeed reduced a lot. It's just that this is not the life Nie Zheng wants. If he were not forced to do so, he would rather go around doing chivalry, hoeing the strong and supporting the weak, and taking care of the injustices in the world, even if he lives in the world and is home all over the world.
At this time, Yan Zhongzi also arrived in Qi State. As soon as he arrived here, he heard that there was a chivalrous and brave man in Qi State. In order to avoid his enemies, he lived in seclusion in the vegetable market of Qi State in order to Being a butcher is a profession and does not care about worldly affairs. When Yan Zhongzi heard the news, his heart suddenly lit up. Isn't this exactly the person he was looking for? After further inquiry, it was found that this man's swordsmanship was extremely superb, and he once fought against more than ten swordsmen with ease.
So, Yan Zhongzi came to Nie Zheng's house with Bo Li, hoping to make friends with him. After going back and forth like this, the two gradually became familiar with each other. Yan Zhongzi knew that a swordsman like Nie Zheng should not be arrogant and conciliatory with him. Only by sincere friendship can he gain his respect and support. Therefore, during this period of time, Yan Zhongzi did not mention anything about avenging his own murder. Because he was worried that once he expressed his inner thoughts, Nie Zheng would think that he was befriending him for a purpose.
Finally, the time was right, and Nie Zheng and Yan Zhongzi became close friends who talked about almost everything. Yan Zhongzi arranged a fine banquet at home and invited Nie Zheng and his family to the banquet. In order to show his respect for Nie Zheng, Yan Zhongzi personally drove to Nie Zheng's residence to welcome the three of them. As soon as the food and wine were served, Yan Zhongzi came to Nie Zheng's mother with a wine glass in his hand and toasted her. For a moment, they were all happy, and Nie Zheng's mother was even more happy. She was worried before that her son would be involved in another turmoil because of his friendship with Yan Zhongzi. Now it seems that Yan Zhongzi is indeed a wise and brave man. Being able to respect elders, respect capable people, and having a son interact with them can be regarded as a blessing. After toasting Nie Zheng's mother, Yan Zhongzi took the opportunity to toast Nie Zheng's sister. Naturally, Nie Zheng's sister was also very happy. By mid-drinking, everyone was drunk, and the conversation and laughter were even more lively and cheerful.
In fact, before that, Yan Zhongzi found out that today was the birthday of Nie Zheng's mother, so Yan Zhongzi immediately took out a hundred yi of gold, touched Nie Zheng's mother with both hands, and wished her birthday. As soon as Nie Zheng saw Yan Zhongzi spending a lot of money, he became suspicious. Could it be that Yan Zhongzi really wanted something from him? Ordinarily, based on the friendship between myself and Yan Zhongzi, if I want to help, I really shouldn't say "no". It's just that his old mother is still there, and his sister is dependent on him. It doesn't matter if he goes away, but it won't be justified if he affects his family.
Therefore, Nie Zheng resolutely rejected Yan Zhongzi's large sum of money from the beginning. Naturally, Yan Zhongzi would not miss this opportunity, so he insisted on asking Nie Zheng not to refuse. Nie Zheng could only say thanks: "I am very lucky. My old mother is still alive and my sister is with me. Although my family is poor, it is not a problem to have three meals a day, food, clothing and accommodation. Today, the three of you are staying here. He also has the skill of killing pigs and dogs, and he can earn a lot of money in the morning and evening, and then use the money to buy some sweet and crunchy things for his old mother. The old mother will have enough support, and she can enjoy her old age in peace. Zhongzi's reward is too great It's too generous, and I won't be rewarded for no merit. I really don't dare to accept it."
Yan Zhongzi saw that Nie Zheng had scruples, so he decided to be honest with him. He took Nie Zheng away from everyone, went to a corner and said to Nie Zheng: "I was forced to live in Qi State. I believe you also know that I In South Korea, I had an sworn feud with the current prime minister, Guoxia Lei, but his power was so powerful that in the whole of South Korea, he could cover the sky with one hand. I traveled around the country, always looking for someone who could avenge me. , but unfortunately everything went against my wishes and was never found. By chance, I finally came to Qi State. I heard many people praising you privately, saying that you care about life and death, value loyalty, are generous, and have superb swordsmanship. At the same time, I also heard that you brought your mother and My sister is dependent on each other. How can ordinary people understand the hardships during this period? As your best friend, I can't help you much. I can only offer a hundred gold as the cost of improving your mother's life. I hope to continue Our friendship has absolutely no other requirements or expectations! You must not reject me, otherwise how can I feel at ease?"
After hearing this, Nie Zheng was deeply moved. However, he was forced by the situation and he was not alone, so he could only calm down and said to Yan Zhongzi: "I can understand your painstaking efforts and cherish our previous friendship. But you I also know that the reason why I am now with a humiliated status and low aspirations, working as a lowly butcher among the people in the market, is just to support my mother and take good care of my sister. Now that my mother is alive, how dare I make a private promise to others? I hope you can understand my difficulties. I will not worry about the future, and I will naturally let you drive me and do my best for you." ("Historical Records: Biography of the Assassin")
After saying these words, Yan Zhongzi could only put down the resentment in his heart, but the gentleman promised a hundred gold to Nie Zheng, so Yan Zhongzi absolutely did not want to break his promise and get rich. But Nie Zheng insisted and refused to accept it. No matter how Yan Zhongzi insisted, it could only be useless. Of course, Nie Zheng has already known Yan Zhongzi, and once the time comes, Nie Zheng will definitely help Yan Zhongzi get revenge.
A long time later, Nie Zheng's mother passed away, leaving only his sister with Nie Zheng. After burying his mother, Nie Zheng went to mourn for her. After the period expired, the biggest bond in his heart was no longer there. During this period, Nie Zheng's concern for his sister and his guilt for Yan Zhongzi were like two ends of a scale, constantly swinging from side to side. The longer time goes by, the deeper the guilt for Yan Zhongzi becomes. Nie Zheng knew very well that although he had special skills, he was still just a commoner, a common man, or even a humble pig-slaughterer and dog-slaughterer. Who is Yan Zhongzi? They were Korean nobles, very famous among the princes. However, he didn't care about his identity at all. He traveled thousands of miles to Qi State and condescended to have friendship with him. He was sincere. But because of some matters at home, she repeatedly rejected his kindness. From this point of view, my friendship with Yan Zhongzi is really too shallow and too insignificant. His kindness was something I would never be able to repay, so how could I feel at ease? Previously, Yan Zhongzi even presented platinum to celebrate his mother's birthday. His sincerity and sincerity can be seen everywhere. Although he did not accept a large amount of money in the end, it can be seen that his understanding of himself must be much deeper than his understanding of him.
A virtuous man is terrified by hatred, but thousands of miles away, he regards the remote butcher as his confidant. But he has remained silent, using his mother and sister as a shield. How can this be the behavior of a knight? I have cherished great ambitions for a long time, hoping to be able to fight in the world and fight for justice. Now someone appreciates me so much that they even pay a lot of money to befriend me. How can I sit down with peace of mind after my mother has lived to the end of her life? It’s time to do your small part for those who understand you.
After the plan was decided, Nie Zheng went all the way west to Puyang, where he successfully met Yan Zhongzi.
As soon as they met, Nie Zheng said to Yan Zhongzi: "In the past, because my mother was still alive, I never agreed to Zhongzi's invitation. Now that my mother has lived to the end of her life under my care, I don't have much concern for you anymore. I don't know about you. Can you put aside the enemy's affairs and leave everything to me?"
Yan Zhongzi was overjoyed when he heard this. As long as Nie Zheng is there to assassinate the enemy with all his strength, the enemy will be in the open and I will be in the dark, and the great revenge will definitely be avenged. Then he told the specific situation of his enemy: "My enemy is the current prime minister of South Korea, Xia Lei. The king of South Korea has to call him uncle. He has great power and power, has a strong clan and a large number of people. It must be done through normal channels. Revenge is really difficult to achieve. I have also tried to send assassins to assassinate him. However, the place where Xia Lei lives is very well-defended, so the people I sent to assassinate him failed again and again. Now, thank you for not despising me, I am so heroic. Qian Yun agreed, and there is nothing I can do to help. In addition to introducing him, I can also add a few warriors on horseback, hoping to be by your side to help you."
But Nie Zheng also had his own considerations. The person he wanted to assassinate here was the current prime minister of South Korea. He and the king of South Korea had a kinship relationship, so there really couldn't be any mistakes. According to his speculation, there will definitely be a lot of people here. The so-called people are talking too much. If you bring people and horses there, accidents will inevitably happen and the news will be leaked. In that case, Yan Zhongzi will become enemies with the entire Korean people. This is not a wise move. . So Nie Zheng declined everything arranged by Yan Zhongzi and went to South Korea alone. The wind was rustling, the water was cold, and the heroic spirit of a strong man never returned.
Nie Zheng's assassination of Xia Lei is recorded in "Historical Records" and "Qin Cao", but the reasons and process of the assassination are different.
The narrative in "Historical Records" is relatively simple. Nie Zheng came to South Korea with his sword and walked directly to the lobby. He saw Prime Minister Xia Lei sitting there upright. Xia Lei felt uneasy in his heart, as if something was about to happen. Looking around, there are elite armored soldiers, each holding a sharp knife and a sharp halberd. If someone has evil intentions, he will definitely die before he can escape.
But Nie Zheng was not an ordinary person. In addition to his extraordinary courage and soaring chivalry, his swordsmanship was also top-notch in the world. Therefore, in Sima Qian's account, Nie Zheng walked up the steps with almost no suspense. Before the guards could react, Nie Zheng assassinated Xia Lei.
There was chaos in the lobby. Countless guards from inside and outside the hall swarmed in, vowing to avenge Xia Lei. Unexpectedly, Nie Zheng's swordsmanship was too superb. With three strikes, five divided by two, dozens of people fell to the ground. fell under Nie Zheng's sword. Seeing that Nie Zheng was about to break out of the encirclement, unexpectedly more people came outside, fighting with Nie Zheng with swords, guns, swords and halberds. In the end, Nie Zheng gave up. He knew that he could not escape the enemy's siege no matter what. When he came this time, he had completed the task of assassinating Xia Lei and had given instructions to Yan Zhongzi. He was determined to die. While killing as many enemies as possible, in order to prevent them from recognizing him, he decided to disfigure his face.
So, Nie Zheng swung his sword to twist his own face, and did not stop until his face was blurred. At the same time, after taking one last look at the world, Nie Zheng cut off a pair of his own eyes, crumpled them into a ball in his hands, and finally swung his sword again. He broke open his chest and abdomen, exhausted his energy and died.
Cai Yong of the Eastern Han Dynasty gave another account in his article "Qin Cao". At that time, Nie Zheng was not unknown. His father was a master who specialized in making swords for Han Aihou. However, during one mission, his father exceeded the deadline but still did not complete the task. King Han was furious and wanted to kill him as punishment. Nie's father prepared to escape, but was eventually caught and killed by the King of Han.
At this time, Nie Zheng was still a child who was ignorant of the world. Many years later, Nie Zheng finally grew up and learned the cause of his father's death from his mother's mouth. From then on, a seed of hatred grew in Nie Zheng's heart. Assassinating the King of Han and avenging his father became Nie Zheng's biggest motivation for living.
In order to take revenge, Nie Zheng chose to become an assassin, practice swordsmanship and martial arts every day, and used the identity of a mason as a cover, and finally successfully sneaked into the palace of South Korea. However, things did not progress as smoothly as expected. Nie Zheng's first assassination failed because the plan was known to the King of Han in advance. Fortunately, he had superb martial arts skills and finally escaped from the siege. Legend has it that he then went to Mount Tai and became a disciple of a highly skilled luthier, learning piano skills from him. When Yicheng went down the mountain, he still held on to his ambition to assassinate the King of Han. It's just that he has exposed himself before, and it is really difficult to get close to King Han again. In order to enter the Korean palace smoothly, Nie Zheng painted himself tough, swallowed charcoal and changed his voice. What's more, he even pulled out his own teeth and changed his description.
At this time, it was already ten years later.
No one could recognize Nie Zheng, so he came to South Korea again. When he was playing the piano by himself on the side of the road, there were countless people watching, and even the horses and cows stopped after hearing this. Since then, Nie Zheng became famous, and the King of Han declared that Nie Zheng should be admitted to the palace. After ten years of sharpening a sword, Nie Zheng was waiting for this time. After experiencing the assassination incident ten years ago, the King of Han became more cautious, and the defense and inspection in the palace were also tighter. In order to avoid the guards, Nie Zheng After searching, the sharp blade was hidden inside the piano.
A lot can change in ten years. During these ten years, Nie Zheng did not give up his swordsmanship, and his proficiency in piano skills was better than his proficiency. At the same time, his temperament and mentality became more indifferent. From the outside, he is an authentic luthier, and no one would think that he could be an assassin.
Facing the King of Korea, Nie Zheng seemed calm and composed. Perhaps he knew that this was the last time he would play the piano in his life, so Nie Zheng finally reached the highest state that he and his master had been pursuing. The entire Korean palace was filled with fairy music. He walked around the beam for three days without stopping. The King of Han and the guards, whether they were proficient in piano skills or tone-deaf, were all intoxicated. Nie Zheng looked up to the sky and smiled. He finally lost all worries and raised his sword to stab King Han. Unexpectedly, King Han was stabbed to death on the spot.
Later, Nie Zheng's ending was similar to that described in "Historical Records". He also committed self-mutilation before his death, making it impossible for his enemies to identify him. Later generations even passed down "Nie Zheng's Song of Assassinating the King of Han", which has become an eternal song. Judging from historical records, Nie Zheng in "Qin Cao" combines the dual deeds of Yu Rang and Nie Zheng, which is the imagination of later generations about knights.
After Nie Zheng's death, the whole country of South Korea was shocked. However, Nie Zheng's face was damaged and unrecognizable, so South Korea posted a notice to the world, claiming that anyone who could reveal the identity of the person who killed Xia Lei would be given a thousand pieces of gold as a gift.
But dozens of days have passed, and still no clues have been found.
Finally, the news reached the ears of Nie Zheng's sister Nie Rong. She sobbed and said: "This person should be none other than my brother. Yan Zhongzi knows my brother. Is his suspicion true? "So, Nie Rong hastily packed his luggage and set off for the Korean capital. When he arrived at the place where Nie Zheng's body was buried, he found that the man was his brother. Regardless of South Korea's plan to pursue the murderer, Nie Rong immediately lay on the body and cried bitterly, muttering: "This is my brother." However, few people on the street sympathized. Some of them believed that Nie Zheng brutally killed the Prime Minister of South Korea, and the whole country was searching for his relatives to find out his identity and see if he had any backing. Nie Rong was so bold that he dared to risk the world's disapproval to claim the body.
How could Nie Rong not know these situations? But she knew better that the reason why Nie Zheng was willing to bear the insult and become a humble pork dealer was simply because his old mother was still alive and his sister was unmarried, so he couldn't ignore them. Later, my mother lived her whole life and traveled to Hexi, and she had someone to rely on for the rest of her life. Nie Zheng then went to fulfill his promise to Yan Zhongzi. As a swordsman, you must have the courage to die for your confidant, so Nie Zheng chose this path of no return. In order not to implicate himself, Nie Zheng did not hesitate to destroy his face layer by layer, making him extremely miserable. If you don't know how to be grateful and choose to protect yourself wisely, you will bury your brother's reputation forever. So, Nie Rong shouted "Oh my god" three times and finally left with Nie Zheng due to excessive grief.
Nie Zheng's death, coupled with his sister's righteousness, made the siblings a strange pair in troubled times, and they became famous all over the world for a while. Soon their reputation spread to other countries. Everyone believed that although Nie Zheng was chivalrous and had extraordinary swordsmanship, his sister was also a woman.
