In the thirty-sixth year of King Nan of Zhou Dynasty (279 BC), the King of Qin sent envoys to the State of Zhao to ask King Zhao to meet in Mianchi outside Xihe (now in Mianchi County, Henan) to discuss the reconciliation between the two countries.
The meeting in Mianchi made King Zhao Huiwen particularly worried, because the events of King Huai of Chu in the past were still vivid in his mind. The deeds of the predecessors are the lessons of future generations. The State of Qin has always been a country that does not speak faith. King Zhao was worried that if he went to attend the appointment this time, he would be detained by the State of Qin and repeat the mistakes of King Huai of Chu, ending up as a guest in a foreign land. end. Therefore, King Zhao Huiwen had to consider this matter carefully.
In fact, King Zhao's worries were unnecessary. Firstly, the Qin State took the initiative to make peace at this time, and would definitely not use weapons rashly at the Mianchi meeting, which would incur the jealousy of the Zhao State; secondly, as long as the Zhao State was well prepared, strengthening defense militarily and strengthening united front politically, Zhao State would The country is in a well-prepared position. The above two points can prevent Qin from rashly initiating troops.
Many civil and military officials in the court also saw this clearly, so someone suggested to King Zhao: "The King of Qin invites you to meet in Mianchi. If the king goes, the country's prestige will be preserved; if the king does not go, it will appear that Zhao is weak and weak." I'm timid. It's better to go." Lin Xiangru also requested the king of Zhao and requested to meet the king of Qin with him. At this time, in the State of Zhao, there was Lin Xiangru in the civil service and Lianpo in the military. All civil and military ministers suggested that King Zhao should move forward, so King Zhao naturally could not hesitate any longer.
When King Zhao and Lin Xiangru reached the border of Zhao State, King Zhao became worried again: What if the Qin army takes the opportunity to attack Zhao State and Zhao State is leaderless?
Lian Po had already thought about this, so he advised King Zhao: "This time the king is going to Mianchi. According to my estimation, the round trip, plus the time for the Mianchi meeting, will not exceed 30 days. If the king If he has not returned after 30 days, please allow me to establish the crown prince as king, so as to eliminate the Qin State's idea of detaining the king and threatening the Zhao State, and also to avoid the danger of chaos in the Zhao State due to the leaderless leader."
When the King of Zhao heard this, he felt deeply justified, so he ordered Lian Po to be prepared to take charge of Zhao's military affairs and prevent the Qin army from attacking. Therefore, Lian Po was stationed at the border of Zhao State, and at the same time ordered the troops from other places in Zhao State to quickly come to rescue and jointly guard the entrance of Zhao State.
In addition, Lian Po also suggested sending thousands of soldiers to accompany him and stationing troops thirty miles away from Mianchi in case anything unexpected happened to King Zhao. However, who to send to lead those thousands of soldiers became a problem. At this time, Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng, brother of King Huiwen and one of the "Four Young Masters of the Warring States Period", proposed that Zhao She could be selected as a general.
Who is Zhao She, and how can he be appreciated by Zhao Sheng?
Zhao She, a native of Zhao, had the same clan as the Zhao royal family and was a noble at that time. He was one of the eight generals of the Six Eastern Kingdoms during the Warring States Period. Historical records of Zhao She's early life are unclear. Among them, "Warring States Policy·Zhao Ce" records: "Excessive taste is worth the crime of living in Yan, and Yan regards luxury as the upper valley (it is Yan County, the seat of governance is Huailai, Hebei, and it governs the east of present-day Zhangjiakou. North of Changping), Yanzhi Tonggu Fortress, She Xiu knows it." From this point of view, when King Zhao Wuling carried out the reform of Hufu cavalry and archery, Zhao She was very likely to participate in it. In the fourth year of King Huiwen (295 BC), the "Sand Dune Rebellion" occurred in Zhao State, which gave Zhao Cheng and Li Dui exclusive power. Zhao She was a close minister of King Wuling of Zhao. In order to avoid being persecuted by Zhao Cheng and others, he was forced to flee the country of Yan. He gained the trust of King Yan and was appointed as the county governor. In the twelfth year of King Zhao Huiwen (287 BC), Li Dui lost power. Zhao She missed his homeland and returned to Zhao.
When Zhao She returned to his country and worked as a field official (a minor official who collected land taxes), he became acquainted with Zhao Sheng, the king of Pingyuan.
As an official, Zhao She was selfless and not afraid of the powerful. At that time, Lord Pingyuan was the pillar of the Zhao Kingdom and had great power in both the government and the public. However, there were people in his family who disobeyed the law and evaded state taxes. In order to show the fairness of the law and clear the obstacles to tax collection, Zhao She made a prompt decision and killed nine people in charge of the Pingyuan Jun family. For a time, Zhao She became a famous figure in the Zhao Kingdom at that time.
Although Lord Pingyuan has a reputation as a virtuous man, the person Zhao She killed was a relative of Zhao Sheng's family. This made Lord Pingyuan Zhao Sheng have murderous intentions. When Zhao She saw this, he said to Lord Pingyuan: "Your Majesty. Zhao is your noble son. If you indulge your family and do not serve the public, then the law will be weakened. If the law is weakened, the country will be weak. If the country is weak, the princes will increase their troops. There is no Zhao. How can the king be so rich? With the king's virtue, serving the public is as equal as the law. , if the top and bottom are at peace, the country will be strong, and if the country is strong, Zhao Gu will be strong, and the king is a noble relative, how can he be lighter than the evil in the world?" ("Historical Records: Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru")
After hearing this, Lord Pingyuan not only did not continue to be angry, but also appreciated Zhao She very much, and took the opportunity to recommend Zhao She to King Zhao. At that time, the State of Zhao was in the process of employing people. King Zhao listened to Lord Pingyuan's recommendation and appointed Zhao She as the official of the Chinese army. He led thousands of elite soldiers to accompany King Zhao, Lin Xiangru and others to the Mianchi appointment.
When it came to Mianchi, King Qin, as the host of this meeting between the kings of Qin and Zhao, was naturally very enthusiastic. Especially when King Zhao first arrived, King Qin also received him with state gifts. This made King Zhao couldn't help but murmur in his heart, not knowing what King Qin was doing. What's the purpose.
Lin Xiangru could see clearly that although King Qin treated Zhao with courtesy on the surface, deep down he showed contempt for Zhao. At this time, Qin was only superficially dealing with Zhao. However, the State of Zhao did not dare to start a war without authorization against the State of Qin, because the State of Qin already had millions of armored men and thousands of chariots. Although Zhao State is only slightly inferior to Qin State in terms of national strength, it shows obvious military disadvantages.
The reason why King Qin took the initiative to ask for peace with Zhao was just to delay the war. After hearing Lin Xiangru's analysis, King Zhao was enlightened. While he and King Qin were exchanging cups and chatting happily, he could not help but feel vigilant in his heart.
When the wine was in the middle of the tour, King Qin showed his domineering momentum and said to King Zhao: "I heard that King Zhao likes to play the harp. I happen to have a harp here. Why don't King Zhao play a song to cheer up the wine?" ?" King Zhao was troubled when he heard this, because if King Zhao plays for King Qin, it means that King Zhao considers his status to be lower than King Qin. If he follows this, wouldn't he be humiliating himself? And if he didn't obey, it would be true that King Zhao was unreasonable. In desperation, King Zhao had to straighten his clothes, walked to the middle of the banquet, and played a song casually. But the King of Qin did not give up. He actually asked the historian to come forward and record in the history of Qin: On a certain day of a certain month in a certain year, the King of Qin and the King of Zhao had a banquet in Mianchi, and the King of Zhao played a zither for the King of Qin.
When Lin Xiangru saw this, he naturally knew that the King of Qin had done this intentionally, intending to humiliate the State of Zhao and show the strong position of the State of Qin, so he stepped forward and said to the King of Qin: "The song played by the King of Zhao is like the sound of nature. However, although the sound of the psalm is good, But there is no one to respond. King Zhao heard that King Qin is also good at hitting the fou. There happens to be a fou here. He also asked the king of Qin not to be stingy and hit the fou to cheer up everyone. I think that although there are many people here, only the king of Qin is qualified. , and make peace with King Zhao."
Seeing the displeasure on the King of Qin's face and the anger among his ministers, Lin Xiangru simply carried the fou over to the King of Qin and presented it to the King of Qin. In order to preserve his majesty, the King of Qin naturally dismissed Lin Xiangru's actions and sneered. I saw Lin Xiangru saying righteously and sternly: "When the strong man was angry, blood spattered five steps. Now I am only five steps away from the king. If the king agrees to strike the fou, everyone will be safe. If the king does not agree, Lin Xiangru will die." , even if I fight to the death, I will splatter you with blood!"
Seeing that their king was being coerced by Lin Xiangru, the guards of King Qin all looked angry and drew their swords to kill Lin Xiangru. It's just that Lin Xiangru has long been known as a desperado, so the guards really didn't dare to act rashly. Sure enough, after Lin Xiangru stared and shouted loudly, the guards became frightened and backed away in fear. King Qin was naturally unhappy, but he had no other choice but to knock the fou a few times. When Lin Xiangru saw this, he hurriedly called the historian of the State of Zhao and asked him to write a heavy note in the history books of the State of Zhao: On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, the King of Zhao and the King of Qin had a banquet in Mianchi, and the King of Zhao ordered the King of Qin to knock the fou. To add to the fun, the King of Qin happily followed it.
When King Qin saw this, he knew that he had been fooled, and he was very depressed. The ministers of the State of Qin followed the King of Qin all day long. Naturally, they easily understood what the King of Qin was thinking, and they all made plans to challenge Lin Xiangru. Among them, someone else said to King Zhao: "Please don't be stingy, King Zhao, and donate 15 cities as a blessing to King Qin!" Lin Xiangru would not show weakness, so he dismissed: "Then, please give King Qin Xianyang as a blessing." Blessings from the King of Zhao!" Seeing Lin Xiangru's fearless attitude, King Qin suddenly thought: Could it be that the Zhao country is fully prepared? Looking at the thousands of troops accompanying King Zhao, although the general is a little-known figure, the soldiers are all fierce and energetic. It is expected that everyone must be as good as ten. After some thought, King Qin immediately changed his attitude and no longer targeted Zhao Guo verbally.
Just as Lu Zhan of the Jin Dynasty said in "Reading Ancient Poems": "At the meeting in Mianchi, the two masters failed to make love. Zhao and Xiang wanted to lose their strength, so Xiangru broke their ends. The blood on the canthus was stained with Jin, and the angry hair rushed up to the crown! The Western Fou is struck twice, and the Dongse is not only played. Isn't it easy to sacrifice one's life? It's difficult to execute Cheng alone!" A banquet at Hongmen turned the crisis into invisible amidst Lin Xiangru's chatting and laughing; a meeting at Mianchi also saw the exchange of cups between the monarch and his ministers. In the blink of an eye, it became a good story.
In fact, the Mianchi meeting between Qin and Zhao at this time was not just a battle of wits and courage between a few wise men, but a mutual competition and compromise between Qin and Zhao in terms of military and national power. Due to the pressure from Chu and Qi, the two great powers must reach some kind of tacit understanding to prevent Qi and Chu from resurrecting and becoming stronger again. Just imagine, if Qin and Zhao were at war at this moment, Qi and Chu would have a chance to breathe and recuperate. Then the balance of power among the six eastern countries will undergo huge changes, and the situation in each country will become even more changeable in the future. Therefore, the Mianchi meeting was actually inevitable due to the situation and the times.
The king of a country must not only learn to weigh the general trend of the world, put the people first, and work hard to govern, but also learn to select the best talents in the world and balance the differences between the king and his ministers. "Zi Chengzi" said: "What is not biased is called the middle; what is not easy is called the mean." The middle is the right way of the world; the mean is the rule of the world. If a king wants to control his ministers, he must adopt the golden mean, and the key to this golden mean is to learn to balance all parties.
Therefore, Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty had Liu Yong and He Shen; Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had Changsun Wuji and Yuchi Gong; Liu Bang had Han Xin and Zhang Liang; and the current Zhao State had Lin Xiangru and Lian Po.
There should be no bias between civil and military officials, so that civil and military ministers can be like the two wings of the king, helping him to fly thousands of miles. Therefore, after King Zhao returned to Handan, the first thing he did was to reward Lin Xiangru as Shangqing, which was slightly higher than Lian Po. First, it was because Lin Xiangru had indeed made outstanding achievements; secondly, King Zhao recognized Lin Xiangru as a talent; thirdly, it was because Lian Po's military power was growing day by day, and his high achievements would inevitably shock his master. That's why Lin Xiangru was very honest in his position. However, because of his long-standing reputation for integrity, his prestige in Zhao was still far higher than that of Lin Xiangru. The smart King Zhao naturally did not break the balance between civil and military affairs.
It is a pity that Lian Po is a warrior after all. Although he is brave and resourceful in strategy and tactics, he is a layman when it comes to political intrigue. So when he learned that Lin Xiangru was a senior official, he couldn't help being furious.
Lian Po achieved his current status through his own efforts. When he was in the army, he sacrificed his life countless times and fought hard, gradually growing from a centurion to a general, and the experience in the process was quite tortuous. In the 20th year of King Zhao Huiwen (278 BC), Lian Po attacked the Qi State eastward. His lone army penetrated more than a thousand miles, and at the risk of having his tail cut off and being trapped in a tight siege, Lian Po risked his life and survived. Destroy his army. It is no exaggeration to say that without King Zhao, the State of Zhao would still have green mountains and green waters; however, without Lian Po, the State of Zhao would inevitably fall into a precarious situation surrounded by powerful enemies.
During the many years of following King Zhao, Lian Po made great military exploits, and finally rose to prominence and became a figure inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. It can be said that there are only a handful of people in the Zhao Kingdom who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Lian Po. Zhao Sheng, one of the four princes of the Warring States Period, was able to convince Lian Po even if he was superior to Lian Po in terms of status, because he was not only the younger brother of King Zhao, but also extremely virtuous, but for Lin Xiangru to be superior to him out of thin air, Lian Po could not be convinced.
Therefore, Lian Po decided to find the right opportunity to humiliate Lin Xiangru. Lian Po would say to anyone he met: "I, Lian Po, are invincible, invincible in every battle, and have made great military exploits. He, Lin Xiangru, is useless, but with just a mouth, he actually climbed up to the head of this general. Others look at his face and act." , I don’t buy his fault at all, don’t let me meet him, otherwise, I will definitely give him a hard time!” Lian Po’s words soon reached Lin Xiangru’s ears. In order to avoid meeting Lian Po, As a result, unnecessary conflicts occurred, and Lin Xiangru repeatedly asked for sick leave and refused to go to court.
But the more tolerant Lin Xiangru was, the more Lian Po felt that Lin Xiangru was afraid of him. Not long after, King Zhao also felt that something was wrong between Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. Wherever Lian Po could be seen, Lin Xiangru was nowhere to be seen. Wherever Lin Xiangru was active, Lian Po was always unable to get together. The King of Zhao granted Lin Xiangru the title, just to balance the civil and military ministers in the DPRK and maintain the stability of the DPRK. He did not expect that it would cause such discord among the civil and military ministers.
And the situation is still getting worse. One day, Lin Xiangru was riding out in a carriage. As soon as he stepped out of the gate of his mansion, he saw Lian Po coming on a tall horse from a distance. In order not to have a direct conflict with Lian Po, Lin Xiangru quickly asked the driver to drive back.
People were puzzled by Lin Xiangru's behavior, so they asked Lin Xiangru: "You and Lian Po are both ministers of the court. Even your official position is slightly higher. Why do we always hide when we see Lian Po?" Holding him? We can't stand it if this continues."
At this time, Lin Xiangru calmly replied: "Everyone, please think about it. King Qin is famous for his cruelty and cunning. Compared with King Qin, how much better can General Lian be than him?" The crowd said, "I dare not say anything else, but when it comes to talking about it, How can General Lian Po compare with the King of Qin in his treachery and cunning?" Lin Xiangru heard this and said sternly: "I am not afraid of the King of Qin who is so cruel and evil, but General Lian is so generous and righteous, will I be afraid of General Lian? Everyone only knows me and General Lian Po had a rift, but he didn’t know that the reason why King Qin did not dare to attack our Zhao State was because Zhao Guo had Lian Po in the military and Lin Xiangru in the civil service. Although we are two people, we are actually a whole. If we are in harmony, Zhao Guo will be strong. Peace will weaken the power of the State of Zhao. The State of Qin is strong and the King of Qin is treacherous. If he knows the news of our discord, he will definitely take the opportunity to attack us. Then the State of Zhao will probably fall into an irreversible situation. For the survival of the State of Zhao, , safety, honor and disgrace, I avoid General Lian, so why not?"
Lin Xiangru's words quickly reached Lian Po's ears. Although Lian Po was a warrior, his righteousness still existed, especially when it came to the overall safety of Zhao State, Lian Po was unambiguous. Knowing that Lin Xiangru was such a noble person, Lian Po couldn't help but feel extremely ashamed: In order to gain a breath, he actually ignored the interests of the State of Zhao. How is this what a pillar of the country should do?
In order to express his deep guilt for Lin Xiangru, Lian Po took off his shirt, put on a thorn stick on his back, and walked to Lin Xiangru's house bare-chested, asking Lin Xiangru to whip him with a thorn stick. Lin Xiangru quickly threw the thorns on the ground, lifted Lian Po up with both hands, took his hand and asked him to sit down. From then on, the civil and military forces of Zhao State worked together as one, and Qin State no longer dared to bully Zhao State.
