If King Zhao Huiwen had not died so early, I don’t know how the situation of Zhao and Qin would have changed in the future. Maybe Lian Po would have been trusted and reused and participated in the Battle of Changping on behalf of Zhao Kuo. Maybe the outcome of the war would have been different. A scene. However, history cannot assume that the real situation is already there. King Zhao Huiwen left with full of regrets and unfinished ambitions. This year was 266 BC.
In the Qin State at this time, Fan Ju was unique in politics, and Bai Qi was flourishing in the military. Among the six eastern kingdoms, Zhao was the only one that could rival Qin, but its power fell dramatically to a pair of orphans and widowed mothers.
Before his death, King Zhao Huiwen was also very worried about the future of Zhao. At that time, Lian Po, Lin Xiangru, Zhao She, and Pingyuan Lord Zhao Sheng of the Zhao State were all talented and highly respected people, but King Zhao Huiwen was not assured of completely handing over the power of the Zhao State to their hands. The lessons learned by Li Dui and Gong Zicheng are still vivid in our minds. If the power of the country is handed over to these ministers without restriction, what will happen in the future is unpredictable.
Although he knew that the exclusive power of his relatives might eventually lead to a situation like the Queen Mother Xuan of Qin and Wei Ran taking sole power, King Zhao Huiwen decided to hand over the country to Queen Zhao Wei, also known as the famous Queen Mother Zhao in history. Before his death, King Zhao Huiwen told Zhao Weihou sincerely that he must take good care of the prince, do not let him suffer any suffering, and must preserve Zhao's eternal foundation. Because judging from the situation at the time, Qin was very likely to take advantage of the situation and rob it.
Sure enough, what King Zhao Huiwen was worried about happened. A few days after the death of King Zhao, the Qin army attacked Zhao with lightning speed. As soon as Zhao Wei started to listen to the affairs of the court, he still didn't know much about how to deal with the affairs of the court, so he encountered a big change. In an instant, the entire Zhao Kingdom was in chaos. In desperation, Zhao State could only send envoys to Qi State for help. However, there was an alliance between Qi and Qin at that time, and it was not easy to persuade Qi to attack Qin. But among the eastern countries at that time, only Qi had the strength to assist Zhao. Although he knew that the success of this matter was unlikely, Zhao Guo, who was in a very dangerous situation, decided to give it a try.
What Zhao did not expect was that Qi agreed to this request without hesitation, but only put forward a condition: Zhao must send Chang'an Lord to Qi as a hostage before Qi would send troops. In fact, Qi State had long thought that if Zhao State was attacked by Qin State, it would definitely seek help from Qi State, which was becoming increasingly powerful. After Qin defeated Zhao, the next target must be Qi, so Qi must send troops this time. However, there is no free lunch in the world, and Qi will not act as cannon fodder in the war between the two sides for no reason. That's why Qi Guocai proposed a method of exchanging protons that seemed to have no practical significance, but was actually of vital importance to Zhao Guo.
When King Zhao Huiwen was still alive, he told Queen Mother Zhao to take good care of his son and not let him suffer any hardship. The Empress Dowager Zhao also liked Chang'an Jun very much and doted on him very much. Naturally, she refused to send her beloved son to Qi State as a hostage. The ministers repeatedly warned, but the Queen Mother Zhao remained unmoved. However, the ministers still refused to give up. In the end, the Queen Mother Zhao could only say harsh words: "No one is allowed to mention the matter of sending Lord Chang'an to Qi State as a proton. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude to him and letting his face be stained with my spit." ("Warring States Policy·Zhao Ce")
The Queen Mother Zhao knew that the Qi State had realized that she cared very much about Lord Chang'an and wanted to use him to blackmail the Zhao State. Once the State of Zhao and the State of Qi become hostile, the situation of Lord Chang'an will be very dangerous. There are so many people in Zhao who are eloquent and good at fighting, but none of them can borrow Qi's generals. Sending a child to Qi is like sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth.
Seeing that the Queen Mother Zhao was determined not to let Lord Chang'an go to Qi to act as a hostage, the ministers of the State of Zhao could only worry. Looking at the talented people in the entire Zhao State, such as Lian Po, who has a straightforward temperament; such as Zhao She, who is seriously ill at this moment; such as Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng, who has more than enough ambition but not enough strength; and Lin Xiangru, to the Queen Mother Zhao, is a clever tongue. A person like Huhuang will naturally not trust him.
As a result, all the civil and military officials could only put their hope in Chuxuan.
Chuxuan was a minister of Zhao State during the Warring States Period. He once served as an official in Zuoshi. His birth and death years are unknown.
The reason why everyone likes Chuxun is because everyone thinks that Chuxun is highly virtuous and has no ambition. She is about the same age as the Empress Dowager Zhao, and should understand the mood of the Empress Dowager Zhao better than ordinary people. Moreover, Chuxuan was also an eloquent person, and Queen Mother Zhao always respected him. It was expected that no matter how angry Queen Mother Zhao was, she would not actually spit on Chu Cun.
I saw Chu Cong tremblingly walking into the Queen Mother's palace, as if a gust of wind would blow him to the ground. The Empress Dowager Zhao knew that Chuxun must be here as a lobbyist. Although he looked pitiful, he was probably pretending.
Chuxuan later recalled that he had made careful preparations before and was determined to sacrifice everything. However, when he saw the unkind look in the Queen Mother's eyes, his heart suddenly lurched and his legs fell apart. Trembling uncontrollably.
Everything that happened afterwards proved that what Chu Xun said was true, and the Queen Mother at that time was full of anger. After waiting for a long time, Chu Cun has not yet come to her. This makes the Queen Mother in a dilemma. It would be inappropriate to go to help Chu Cun, and if she just ignores him, it will appear that she is not being considerate.
When Chu Xun finally walked up to the Queen Mother, he took a deep breath, saluted the Queen Mother and apologized: "I am old and frail, my legs and feet are weak, and now I have lost even the basic ability to trot. Although I have always been thinking I miss the Queen Mother, but I can't come to see you, so I can only use this reason to forgive myself in private. However, I am still worried about the Queen Mother, and I am afraid that the Queen Mother's body may be in bad shape, so I really want to come to see the Queen Mother, and hope that the Queen Mother can forgive me for my abruptness. place."
The Queen Mother looked at Chu Cun, secretly wondering what kind of medicine you were selling in the gourd, so she said perfunctorily: "Isn't it true that I am like this? Now that I have difficulty moving, I have to rely on riding in a car."
Chuxuan knew that he couldn't get straight to the point right now, because the Queen Mother was obviously on guard against him, so Chuxuan continued to say something insignificant but that could bring the two of them closer: "Is the Queen Mother's diet and daily life the same as in the past?"
The Queen Mother looked at Chuxing strangely. She didn't expect that this person was so secretive. In this case, let's see what tricks he played. So the Queen Mother replied: "It's not possible now. I can only drink some gruel every meal."
Chu Xun took advantage of the situation and said: "I used to have a bad appetite, so someone gave me a way to walk three or four miles every day. It really worked. Since then, my appetite has increased a little, and my health has also improved." much better."
The Queen Mother sighed, and then said: "Although Aiqing's approach is advisable, it is not suitable for me."
At this time, the Queen Mother had already relaxed her vigilance towards Master Zuo. But Chuxun knew that to convince the Queen Mother, he still needed to make subtle moves. Chu Xun then thought of an entry point, that is, his child Shu Qi, so he said: "I have a son named Shu Qi. Although he is very young and has no talent, I love him very much. I hope that Shu Qi can be sent to the bodyguard team to do his best to protect the Zhao palace. Even if he is guilty, the old minister must come and report this matter to the Queen Mother."
When the Queen Mother heard this, her resentment was almost half gone. She was moved by Chu Cun's loyalty, so she said directly: "Ai Qing is so loyal. Zhao Guo is grateful. How could he not agree? I don't know how old Shu Qi is. Already?"
"I'm already 15 years old. My health is getting worse day by day. There's only so much I can do for the younger generation. I hope the Queen Mother can help take care of it." Chu Xun replied.
"I thought that only a mother would pamper her little son, but it turns out that the same is true for fathers."
"More doting than a mother."
The Queen Mother finally showed a smile at this time and said: "Most women's families especially love their youngest sons and regard them as their own darlings."
Chuxun replied: "I think the Queen Mother is different from other women. Others love their sons more, but the Queen Mother loves her daughter Queen Yan more."
The Queen Mother said strangely: "My love for you is wrong. I love Lord Chang'an more than I do Queen Yan."
Chu Xun paused for a moment and explained: "Parents who love their children will make complete plans for their children's future. When the Queen Mother sent Queen Yan off to get married, she held her and cried for her. The old minister secretly thought that it was because of the Queen Mother. She was afraid that Empress Yan would never come back after this farewell, so she felt sad. After seeing off Empress Yan, the Queen Mother's longing for Empress Yan must not have diminished at all. Because everyone saw it, every time there was a sacrifice , the Queen Mother must pray for her, and pray not to let her return to the Kingdom of Zhao. Everyone also understands the Queen Mother’s thoughts, which is that Queen Yan’s incense will be spread forever, and her descendants will be rich and powerful in the Kingdom of Yan. This is actually for Consider Empress Yan’s future.”
The Queen Mother was touched after hearing this, and then said: "What Aiqing said is very reasonable. This is indeed what I think."
Chuxuan continued: "Rong Laochen asked the Queen Mother, counting three generations from now to the time when the Zhao family establishes the Zhao Kingdom, if the descendants of the Zhao Kingdom monarch are ennobled, how many of their descendants will be able to inherit the title? ?”
"No one," said the Queen Mother.
"This is the case in Zhao State, but what about other countries?"
"I am ignorant and ignorant. I really haven't heard of it yet."
After laying the foundation for this topic, Chuxun began to discuss his own point of view: "Actually, other countries don't have it either. According to my humble opinion, the reason why they don't have it is because they don't know how to avoid disasters, and they end up harming themselves in the near future. , if you go too far, you will hurt your own children and grandchildren. This is of course not to say that the king's children and grandchildren are not good, but that he has a superior status but has no convincing achievements. His salary is particularly generous but he is often indolent and indolent. More than others. This is just like the current Lord of Chang'an. The old Queen Mother granted him a rich and fertile place and gave him a large number of treasures, but did not give him the opportunity to make some achievements for the country. Although the Queen Mother is now in good health Everything is fine, but what will happen a hundred years later? Without the protection of the Queen Mother's wings, how can Lord Chang'an stand in such a turbulent and troubled time? From this point of view, the Queen Mother really does not think about Lord Chang'an, so the veteran minister Say, you love Queen Yan even more than you love Lord Chang'an."
In fact, long before Chuxun arrived, Queen Mother Zhao had already made up her mind to let Lord Chang'an go and experience it. She believed that according to the development of the situation at that time, Qi State did not dare to do anything to Lord Chang'an for a while. Moreover, the State of Zhao has deployed a large number of intelligence personnel in the State of Qi, who can report the situation of Lord Chang'an to the Queen Mother at any time. Once something changes, we will try to rescue him and return him to his country. Currently, the war between Qin and Zhao is about to break out. Zhao has no time to hesitate any longer, otherwise Zhao will face catastrophe once the opportunity passes. However, most people in power who are in a position like Empress Dowager Zhao care about face very much, so there is a saying of "gold words and jade words". The Empress Dowager Zhao once said that she was not allowed to send Lord Chang'an to Qi as a hostage. These words were still ringing in her ears. If she overturned her words immediately, it would appear that she did not keep her word. And Chuxun's reasoning just gave her a step down.
So, the Queen Mother followed suit and said: "What Ai Qing said makes sense. I will leave it to you to handle the affairs of Lord Chang'an." Hearing this, Chu Xun was overjoyed and finally relied on her sharp tongue to solve the problem. Let the Queen Mother be willing to let Lord Chang'an go to Qi.
In order to demonstrate the national strength of Zhao and the importance it attached to Lord Chang'an, Chuxuan specially arranged 100 horses and chariots for Proton. After Chang'an Jun arrived in Qi State, Qi State sent troops.
When the Queen Mother was furious and resolutely refused to remonstrate, Chu Xun did not directly attack the Queen Mother Zhao's defense line. He chose a roundabout way, starting with himself, and then pointed out that the Queen Mother's love for her youngest son was not as deep as her love for Queen Yan. This aroused the Queen Mother's interest, and then brought the topic to Chang'an Jun. The insinuating attack made Queen Mother Zhao suddenly wake up. Chuxun's move not only settled a domestic dispute, but also solved Zhao's dilemma.
In fact, Zhu Xun was able to successfully persuade the Queen Mother. On the one hand, it shows that he is indeed eloquent and resourceful. On the other hand, it also shows that the Queen Mother Zhao is wise and wise. If the Queen Mother is a person who has no regard for the overall situation and is ignorant, no matter how eloquent Chuxuan is, she will not change her original intention. The fact that Chu Xun talked about the Queen Mother just proved that the Queen Mother Zhao had both her own independent opinions and an open-minded style of accepting advice.
Unfortunately, two years later, the last outstanding political talent of Zhao State, the Queen Mother Zhao, passed away. In the next 40 years or so, although Zhao State once had legendary figures like Li Mu in the military, there was no one who could lead Zhao State to glory politically.
When the Queen Mother Zhao came to power in the State of Zhao, she not only maneuvered politically, but also came up with new ideas in diplomacy.
Once, an envoy from the State of Qi came to the State of Zhao to express condolences to the Queen Mother Zhao. As soon as the Queen Mother Zhao saw the envoy from Qi, she asked him three questions. They were: Is Qi's harvest this year good? Are the people of Qi living well? How is the king of Qi doing? (Are you all well in Sui? Are the people well? Are you well, too?)
The Empress Dowager Zhao could take the initiative to greet Qi's harvest, people, and monarch. The envoy from Qi should have been happy, but the Empress Dowager Zhao deliberately disrupted the order of the three, and put the superior monarch in the last position. The envoy from Qi couldn't help but think that the Queen Mother Zhao looked down on Qi and deliberately belittled the people of Qi. Therefore, the Qi envoy's face darkened and he expressed his doubts to the Queen Mother Zhao.
Empress Dowager Zhao shook her head and said: "You have misunderstood. Please think about it. If Qi has no harvest, how can the people live? If Qi has no people, what can the monarch rely on? ? So there is no reason to abandon the original and ask about the end?)"
Although what Empress Dowager Zhao said was reasonable, it was inappropriate at the time, because the Warring States Period was a period of transformation in ancient China when centralization of power continued to strengthen and royal power gradually overrode all rights. The State of Qi is naturally no exception. The status of the King of Qi is the first priority whether it is for the maintenance of centralized power or the consideration of the entire State of Qi.
The reason why the Empress Dowager Zhao said this actually showed that the relationship between Zhao and Qi was relatively close at that time, so the Empress Dowager would make such an unscrupulous joke. At that time, the economic strength of Qi State was the first in the East, and the military strength of Zhao State was also the first in the East. Their alliance was tantamount to a strong alliance, which served as a deterrent to Qin State. The good relationship between Zhao and Qi continued even after the death of Queen Mother Zhao. The most typical thing was that Zhao invited Tian Dan, the number one general from Qi, to help Qi recover.
When the Queen Mother Zhao passed away, the people of Yan took the opportunity to lead the entire country's troops to attack the border cities of Zhao. What makes people laugh is that the new King Zhao does not trust Zhao's generals, thinking that once they gain military power, they will betray him. Therefore, King Zhao Xiaocheng left Lian Po and other generals with rich combat experience and clever strategies and tactics unused, and turned to Qi for help. Of course, King Zhao alone cannot make up his mind to handle this matter. There is another instigator of this matter-Pingyuan Lord Zhao Sheng. In order to protect the interests of their uncle and nephew, King Zhao did not hesitate to cede 57 cities including the three cities of Jidong, Gaotang, and Pingling to Qi.
Zhao She was very dissatisfied with this, which was intolerable. Zhao Guo has millions of soldiers and famous generals. He actually asked Qi for help because of the small Yan State. It was just a matter of asking for help, but King Zhao actually betrayed his country to seek peace. Isn’t this the act of drinking poison to quench thirst?
Zhao She couldn't bear it and rebuked Lord Pingyuan fiercely: "Zhao State has a vast land and rich resources, and it is only a Yan State. You have to rely on treason to maintain temporary peace. In doing so, how can you be worthy of the Zhao State's ancestors and the people of Zhao State?" , How can I be worthy of the loyal civil and military officials of Zhao State?"
Zhao She then questioned Lord Pingyuan: "If the State of Zhao cannot find suitable young generals, it is obligatory to send veteran generals. I remember that in those days, the old minister had paid off his crimes in the State of Yan and served as the guard of the Shanggu of the State of Yan. The Tonggu Fortress of the State of Yan, The veteran knows every plant and tree, so why bother Tian Dan to take action? The veteran will issue a military order here. Within a hundred days, before the princes of the world have time to react, the veteran can lead the good men of the Zhao Kingdom to capture the Yan Kingdom."
Lord Pingyuan was also furious at first, fearing that his power would be weakened after the death of the Queen Mother, and even King Zhao's power would be emptied out. At this time, hearing Zhao She's question, Pingyuan Jun was speechless. He had no choice but to put all the blame on King Zhao and assured Zhao She that he would report all the facts to King Zhao, and King Zhao would also seriously consider it. In his opinion, please be patient and calm.
In fact, Pingyuan Jun's move is called borrowing strength to fight. He transferred all the resentment and resentment in Zhao She's heart to King Zhao, and he did not bear any responsibility. Not to mention this, Lord Pingyuan told Zhao She that King Zhao insisted on using Tian Dan.
Although Zhao She is a military general, he also knows a lot about the intrigues in the officialdom. Although the officialdom was very difficult, Zhao She was not afraid because his achievements on the battlefield were enough to give him political confidence. Throughout the history of the Warring States Period, Zhao and Qin went to war hundreds of times, with Zhao losing more than winning. In the State of Zhao at that time, only Zhao She had achieved a complete victory in a battle with the Qin army. Such combat experience made him one of the best generals in the State of Zhao. Even the State of Yan, which was said to be invincible in defeating the Xiongnu, would still Back off and let him score three points.
Lord Pingyuan sighed. The reason why he asked Tian Dan to attack Yan State was not only to restrain the power of Zhao She, Lian Po and others, but also for a deeper reason: At that time, Yan State and Qi State were competing for the Central Plains. In the northern lands, there were continuous battles, thus forming a long-standing feud. As long as Tian Dan participates in the war, the entire Qi State is likely to participate, and then Zhao State will be able to reap the benefits.
Lord Pingyuan has his own considerations, and Zhao She also has his own judgment. In fact, there are only a handful of people in the court who can understand Lord Pingyuan's intention, and Zhao She happens to be one of them. But Zhao She did not agree with Pingyuan Jun's approach and said to him: "I understand your thoughts, but you only speculate on the development trend of things based on subjective wishes, but you have not thought that if Tian Dan is incompetent, then Zhao She will The country will inevitably end up losing its troops and territory; if Tian Dan is wise and brave, he will definitely take the opportunity to consume Zhao's national and military power and start a war of attrition with Yan. By then, the fisherman may not be Zhao but Qi ”
It can be seen from this that Zhao She can be regarded as an all-rounder in both civil and military affairs, but it is a pity that he was born at the wrong time. When King Zhao Huiwen was still alive, the State of Qin exchanged 15 cities for He's Bi. The two sides had a battle of wits and courage, which eventually became a good story. Now, King Zhao Xiaocheng actually did not trust Zhao She and others, so he was willing to exchange three cities with Heshibi for a field Dan that was a threat to Zhao. In the end, although the Yan State was defeated heartily, Tian Dan occupied three cities, but those three cities were very small, only as high as a hundred pheasants.
Zhao She is very smart, and he has a clear understanding of the war situation and the future development of Zhao State. Sadly, King Zhao Xiaocheng is incompetent, and he is close to villains and far away from virtuous ministers, and has no awareness of the situation Zhao State is facing. The subsequent development of things completely confirmed Zhao She's original prediction, but this result was not what Zhao She wanted, so he was not proud of this battle.
Such a waste of manpower, material and financial resources, no attention to the use of talents, no adjustment of foreign strategies according to the actual situation, and blindly following the teachings of the late king, the future of Zhao is really worrying.
