When Zhang Yi first arrived in Qin, Gongsun Yan was in charge of Daliang. Gongsun Yan was a native of the Yin and Jin Dynasties in the Wei State (now east of Huayin County, Shaanxi Province), and was known as Xishou. The great reformer Shang Yang once served as Daliang Zao, and King Qin Hui asked Gongsun Yan to take charge of it, which shows that he relied heavily on Gongsun Yan.
However, Gongsun Yan advocated alliance and Zhang Yi advocated Lianheng. They had different political opinions. After Zhang Yi entered the Qin Dynasty, his theory was recognized by the King of Qin, while Gongsun Yan was rejected.
The ostracized Gongsun Yan hated Zhang Yi very much and began to look for opportunities to retaliate against him.
In fact, Zhang Yi lived a lonely life. Except for a few followers around him, he had no real close friends. Every time he did something, he fought alone. However, his political opponents united all the forces that could be united, and even did not hesitate to use the strategy of synergy. Just want to exclude him.
Heroes in the world cherish each other, and that kind of feeling is very precious. However, if there is no heroic open-mindedness and the two people meet on the same stage, there is only a fight waiting for them. Chen Zhen and Zhang Yi were officials in the same dynasty, and both worked for the interests of the Qin State. However, their relationship was not good and they were incompatible with each other. If the two of them are literati, it would mean that literati look down on each other.
However, the two of them can only be regarded as half-literati, and their true identity is that they are colleagues. Their fight is that they are peers and look down on each other. Zhang Yi made Gongsun Yanfu stay at home and drink wine, and then quarreled with Chen Zhen. This shows that the political struggle between them was fierce.
Zhang Yi, who had just entered the officialdom, wanted to create her own world with the passion of a young man. But there are only two ways to break new ground, one is to do things, and the other is to eliminate people who hinder you from doing things.
Shang Yang's reforms destroyed the existing order, so the old ministers naturally opposed Shang Yang. The purpose of veterans maintaining the existing order is to safeguard their own interests. As a newcomer, Zhang Yi blatantly took the veteran's job, and the veteran naturally couldn't tolerate it. Therefore, Zhang Yi punished the old ministers, and the old ministers also had to punish Zhang Yi.
Zhang Yi's attacks on others are also out of consideration for her own interests.
After entering the Qin Dynasty, Zhang Yi found that Chen Zhen's talents were no worse than his own. He was worried that over time, the King of Qin would neglect him and favor Chen Zhen, so he looked for opportunities to slander him in front of the King of Qin.
One day, Zhang Yi said to King Hui of Qin: "You often let Chen Zhen travel between Qin and Chu. Nowadays, the relationship between Qin and Chu is not what it used to be. Chu is not as friendly to Qin as before, but it is more friendly to Chen Zhen." As good as ever. It can be seen that what Chen Zhen did was not sincerely seeking benefits for the State of Qin, but for himself. I heard that Chen Zhen had leaked the secrets of the State of Qin to the State of Chu. As a minister of the king, he did so to completely harm the state of Chu. It is for your and Qin's benefit. I don't want to work with this person. Recently I heard that he plans to go to Chu. If this is true, your Majesty might as well cut the roots and eliminate future troubles."
King Qin was very angry after hearing this, and immediately called Chen Zhen. As soon as they met, he said directly to Chen Zhen: "I heard that you want to leave here. Tell me where you plan to go, so that I can prepare a carriage and horses for you."
Chen Zhen was puzzled by King Qin's abrupt question, so he stared at King Qin at a loss. But he soon understood what was going on, so he calmly replied: "I plan to go to Chu State."
Hearing Chen Zhen's answer, King Qin became even more convinced of Zhang Yi's words, "So, Zhang Yi's words are true?"
Chen Zhen immediately understood that it was Zhang Yi who was behind the slander. He explained calmly: "Not only Zhang Yi knows about this, but everyone who passes by knows about it. It is because I am loyal to you that the King of Chu asked me to be his minister." .”
"Then you shouldn't tell Qin State's secrets to Chu State?"
Chen Zhen then said to King Qin: "The reason why I did this is to cater to Zhang Yi's plan and to prove that I am not an ally of Chu State." King Qin was confused.
Chen Zhen continued: "I heard that there was a man from Chu who had two concubines, one older and one younger. One day, a man went to seduce the older concubine, and he was scolded. Unwilling to be reconciled, he went to seduce the young concubine again, and succeeded. After the Chu man died, the good guy asked the seducer: 'If you choose one of those two concubines to be your wife, which one will you choose?' He replied: 'Of course it's the older one.' The troublemaker asked in confusion: 'The older one scolds you, the younger one likes you, why do you want to marry someone who used to scold you?' He said: 'Of course I hoped she would agree to me at that time. But in her position, her scolding me shows that she is loyal to her husband. Of course I also hope that the wife I marry will curse her seducer and be loyal to me. 'Your Majesty, you Think about it carefully, if I, as a minister of the Qin State, often leak my country's secrets to other countries, will the Chu State really trust and reuse me? Your Majesty, you should have thought clearly about whether I will go to the Chu State?"
After hearing what Chen Zhen said, King Qin Hui eliminated his doubts and trusted him even more.
Even though everyone says Jiang is still hotter when he is old, Zhang Yi still disagrees because he is not afraid of Chen Zhen. Zhang Yi studied under a famous teacher. He was trained like hell and acted decisively. Overall, Zhang Yi was indeed slightly better than Chen Zhen. After more than a year of rivalry between the two, King Qin Hui made Zhang Yi his prime minister.
After working hard for most of his life, Chen Zhen gained nothing, and all the benefits were enjoyed by Zhang Yi. Chen Zhen, filled with resentment, decided to join forces with Gongsun Yan to fight Zhang Yi.
After Zhang Yi came to power in Qin, Gongsun Yan knew that he was no match for Zhang Yi, so he retreated and asked to be sent as an envoy to Wei.
Gongsun Yan's life has not been easy these years. He was still ignored in Wei State and stayed at home drinking drunkenly all day long. Due to frustration in his official career, Gongsun Yan closed the door to thank guests, and even Chen Zhen did not see him. Chen Zhen ordered someone to tell Gongsun Yan that he had important matters. If Gongsun Yan did not see him, he would not wait until the next day.
Although the hero is old, the sword is still sharp. Gongsun Yan once worked with Chen Zhen, and he knew that Chen Zhen was smart and capable. As soon as Chen Zhen said that he had something important to do, Gongsun Yan immediately met him. Chen Zhen saw countless wine jars piled around Gongsun Yan, and was very sad to think that Zhang Yi had caused Gongsun Yan to become like this.
In order to stimulate Gongsun Yan's ambition, Chen Zhen deliberately asked Gongsun Yan why he was drinking at home even though he knew the reason. Faced with Chen Zhen's inquiry, Gongsun Yan had no place to complain if he had grievances, so he could only say that he had nothing to do.
Gongsun Yan was very angry, which suited Chen Zhen very well. Chen Zhen promised that as long as Gongsun Yan acted according to his plan, Gongsun Yan would immediately take off and occupy a high position.
During his years in the Chu State, Chen Zhen discovered many secrets of the Chu State, one of which was He Zong. Chen Zhen told Gongsun Yan that Wei Xiangtian needed to gather all the countries to join forces to fight against Qin. Unfortunately, Chu was hesitant and failed to achieve the goal.
If Gongsun Yan was willing to make efforts to promote the unity of all countries, Zhang Yi would definitely be blamed by King Qin Hui. Zhang Yi fell out of favor, Gongsun Yan could not only occupy a high position, but also take revenge.
Gongsun Yan, who was idle at home, was worried about having nothing to do. Chen Zhen pointed out a clear way for him, and Gongsun Yan readily accepted it.
After obtaining Chen Zhen's plan, Gongsun Yan began to implement it with all his strength. Gongsun Yan told the king of Wei that he had good relations with the kings of Yan and Zhao. Seeing that he had nothing to do, these two monarchs sent people to pick him up many times, so they hoped that the king of Wei could send him as an envoy to Yan and Zhao.
The King of Wei thought that since Wei Xiangtian had to lobby the Chu State for such a long time, it was just a waste of time, manpower and money, and no agreement was reached, why not let Gongsun Yan give it a try. Maybe relying on Gongsun Yan's relationship with the kings of Yan and Zhao, he can actually make the willow grow.
King Wei, who didn't think of a better way, could only treat a dead horse as a living horse doctor. He sent Gongsun Yan as an envoy to Yan and Zhao, taking this opportunity to enhance relations with these countries. Wei, who was frightened by Qin, most hoped to achieve unity and unite the power of other countries to jointly resist Qin.
The situation in Wei at this moment had long been predicted by Mencius unintentionally. Mencius once said that if the king only seeks what is beneficial to the country, the officials will only seek what is beneficial to themselves, then the people will only seek what is beneficial to themselves.
This is what the Wei State is like now. The king only wants to preserve the country, the officials only care about their own interests, and the people only care about their own oil, rice, firewood, and salt.
The discord among the people caused the Wei State to fall into a state of disintegration. Gongsun Yan asked the King of Wei for 30 carriages to show off in the market, and finally he displayed the carriages in his yard with great fanfare. Thinking about it carefully, if Gongsun Yan really wanted to benefit Wei State, he would have left long ago and would not waste any more time in Wei State.
The situation at that time was very tense, and all countries were like taut strings. When they heard any trouble in any country, they would react immediately. When the envoys of Yan and Zhao heard that Gongsun Yan was going to their country, they quickly informed the king and asked them to prepare for the reception.
Several countries moved together with great momentum, and the news quickly spread to Chu State.
When the King of Chu heard that General Gongsun Yan was going to Yan and Zhao on behalf of Wei, he became jealous. The King of Chu said that Wei Xiang Tian needed to be friends with him on the surface, but in fact Wei had other plans. He was very angry about this and decided to completely reject Tian Xu's plan to join forces.
When things have developed to this point, Chen Zhen's plan has been realized. Chen Zhen was so shrewd in his tactics that even the King of Chu did not know that he had fallen into the trap. Tian needed even less understood the reason why Gongsun Yan claimed to send envoys to Yan and Zhao, but failed to do so.
Raining is not terrible. What is terrible is the dark clouds and thunder and lightning before it rains. Gongsun Yanguang's purpose of thundering but not raining was to create great momentum.
Momentum, in positive political terms, is public opinion, and in negative political terms, it is rumors. The rumor itself is not terrible. What is terrible is that some people believe it and are even willing to die for it.
With Gongsun Yan's great momentum, Qi State took the first opportunity to act for its own benefit and handed over the prime minister's seal to Gongsun Yan. The reason why history is irrational is that people do not believe in themselves, but act based on the behavior of others. There is a Chinese idiom called "rushing like a bird", which is used to describe this phenomenon. Qi State became the first wild duck. Yan State and Zhao State were not convinced and hurriedly sent Xiangyin to Gongsun Yan.
It is said that "being famous is beneficial." Gongsun Yan sat at home and did nothing, but ended up in a high position. All this just confirms this sentence. Chen Zhen used a trick to let Gongsun Yan get the seals of Qi, Yan and Zhao, and he was reused by Wei. This move was really clever.
With great momentum, Gongsun Yan regained his position of high authority, and Chen Zhen, who had gained an extra foreign aid, returned to Qin with peace of mind.
Wei has already formed an alliance with Qi, Yan, and Zhao, so it doesn't need to care about Chu. Since Chu State was isolated and helpless, Chen Zhen could profit from it and persuade Chu State to attach itself to Qin State.
The year Chen Zhen returned to Qin from Chu State coincided with the great war between Han and Wei. Although these two small countries are not strong in national power, they are eager to win. The two countries fought for more than a year, causing casualties on each other, but in order to determine the final outcome, the two countries continued to fight.
It is said that unification is difficult because people's hearts are deceitful, and each country only wants to survive for itself. The example of the war between Han and Wei is obvious. When Han and Wei fought, each other weakened the other, and Qin would surely take advantage of the opportunity. However, the courtiers had different opinions. Some proposed sending troops, while others disagreed. King Hui of Qin refused to make a decision, and Chen Zhen happened to return to Qin.
If it were normal, King Qin Hui would consult Chen Zhen for his opinion, but now he was a little hesitant because he didn't know who Chen Zhen's heart was toward.
As the saying goes, if you don't see each other for a long time, your feelings will fade away. King Qin Hui thought so too. King Qin Hui summoned Chen Zhen and asked Chen Zhen: "Have you ever missed Qin after you have been in Chu for so long?" ("Historical Records·Biography of Zhang Yi") The implication of King Qin Hui was, are you Chen Zhen or Qin? A minister of the country?
The biggest doubt is nothing more than the words of King Qin Hui, and the biggest temptation is nothing more than these words. This sentence is very flexible, and King Qin Hui left a way out for himself. King Qin Hui used a very difficult sentence to test. Chen Zhen did not answer directly, but told a short story. The protagonist of the story was Zhuang Xi, a Yue man.
The story goes like this: Zhuang Xi was a man of humble status in the Yue State, but he was very capable. He assisted the Chu State in becoming an official and achieved the title of Gui. Zhuang Xi fell ill, and the King of Chu wanted to know if he missed his hometown. Zhong Xie said that if a person who misses his hometown gets sick, he will definitely speak the accent of his hometown. Just send someone to inquire and see what Zhuang Xi's accent is. Through this little story, Chen Zhen wanted to say that he spoke with the accent of Qin and was loyal to Qin.
He Zhizhang, a Tang Dynasty man, said: "When a young man leaves home and returns home, his local pronunciation remains unchanged and his hair fades." (He Zhizhang's "Odd Book on Returning to Hometown") Chen Zhen has already told a story. The local pronunciation has not changed, and King Qin Hui naturally knows it.
King Qin Hui, who had cleared up his doubts, asked Chen Zhen about the war between Han and Wei. Chen Zhen then told a story about Bian Zhuangzi stabbing a tiger.
There were two big tigers, one big and one small, eating a cow. When Bian Zhuangzi saw it, he took up his sword to kill the tiger. A boy in the hotel stopped Bian Zhuangzi and said: Two tigers are eating cows. After eating the taste, they will definitely fight to monopolize the beef. The fight between two tigers is very cruel. The fierce one will be injured and the weak one will be killed. When one of them is dead and one of them is injured, you can seize the opportunity and stab the injured tiger to death easily. Two tigers are dead. Outsiders don't know the process. They will definitely praise you and say that you killed two tigers.
The tiger is fake, but the symbolic meaning represented by the tiger is real. King Qin Hui asked about national affairs. The two tigers Chen Zhen pointed to, one represented South Korea and the other represented Wei. Chen Zhen used the fight between two tigers to allude to the war between Han and Wei, and used this to tell King Qin Hui that he should wait until both Han and Wei were injured, or even one was dead and one was injured before intervening. At this time, the interests would be the greatest.
The vassal states are killing each other, and Qin needs such a "good thing". All bad things done by the enemy are good things for Qin. King Qin Hui readily accepted Chen Zhen's suggestion and quietly watched the two tigers fight. He also treated Chen Zhen favorably.
