After Han Fei arrived in Qin, the King of Qin invited him into the palace several times and discussed with him how to govern the country. Han Fei always had novel opinions. Although he stuttered, the King of Qin still listened patiently and was full of admiration!
But every time when the unification plan was discussed, Han Fei always tried to persuade King Qin to avoid attacking South Korea, but King Qin always avoided talking about it and laughed it off. Han Fei knew in his heart that King Qin would definitely not adopt his opinion in this case, and he felt very upset.
Just at this time, Yao Jia, who was on an envoy to the four countries, came back. Four years ago, Yao Jia volunteered to destroy the alliance of the Shandong states to relieve the crisis in the Qin state. He asked the King of Qin for a large sum of gold and silver and traveled to the states of Chu, Wei, Zhao, and Qi successively. He spent a lot of money to get to know the powerful ministers of various countries and told them the benefits of being close to the Qin State, which greatly undermined the policy of all countries to unite and resist Qin. When he returned, the King of Qin was very happy and rewarded Yao Jia with a thousand households as a place of food. Lord.
When Han Fei learned about this, he thought that bribing the powerful officials of various countries with large sums of money to prevent the alliance was also an important part of Li Si and Wei Liao's plan. If the King of Qin could be made to understand the dangers of doing so, it would undoubtedly weaken his trust in Li Si, thereby weakening his trust in Li Si. Cancel the possibility of attacking South Korea.
So when Han Fei visited the King of Qin, he reported Yao Jia, saying: "The King should not reward Yao Jia. Not only did he not perform any meritorious service, but he committed three major crimes: First, embezzling public funds. He only spent a lot of money given by the King. A small part, most of them were embezzled; secondly, he used the money given by the king for personal gain. He took the money given by the king to please the powerful ministers of various countries, but they only remembered Yao Jia's benefits and did not know the king's generosity; thirdly, he was born in a humble background. Yao Jia He is from the Wei State, and his father was a gatekeeper. He also committed theft. After arriving in the State of Zhao, he was expelled by the State of Zhao. How can such a bad person be entrusted with such a big thing?"
King Qin was very angry when he heard this, but at this time he had learned the lesson from the expulsion incident and restrained his impulse. He called Yao Jia and asked, "Did you use the money given by me to secretly make friends with the princes?" ?”
"Yes!"
When King Qin heard this, he was furious and said, "In that case, how can you still have the honor to come back to see me?"
Seeing that King Qin's attitude towards him had changed so much, Yao Jia guessed that someone had said bad things about him to King Qin, so he replied: "Your Majesty must have believed the slander. Since ancient times, too many loyal and good people have been killed because of slander." If you listen to the slander, there will no longer be loyal ministers loyal to Qin!"
"I don't have to worry about this, but I heard that you are the child of the prison guard, you have a record of theft, and you were expelled from Zhao State. Is this true?"
"Yes, but there are too many people like me who have made great achievements in history! Jiang Shang, who helped King Wen of Zhou, was expelled from Qi; Guan Zhong, who helped Duke Huan of Qi to dominate, was a businessman with a humble background; Duke Mu At that time, Bailixi was obtained in exchange for five sheepskins. None of these people were from noble families, but they all helped their king achieve hegemony.
And who are the so-called Gaoshi? There was a scholar named Bian Sui in the Shang Dynasty. When Shang Tang was attacking Xia Jie, he went to him to discuss the matter. He felt that it was a shame to go to him to discuss the destruction of a monarch, so Bian Sui drowned himself. There was another Xia Dynasty man named Wuguang. After Shang Tang destroyed Xia Jie, Shang Tang wanted to give up the throne to Wuguang. If you don't work hard, you will sink into the water of Lu! These are all high scholars, but can the king rely on such people to unify the world?
Nowadays, the Qin Dynasty governs the country by law, with rewards for meritorious service and punishment for delinquency. How can one measure a person's talent by his birthplace? "
The King of Qin thought that what he said was reasonable, so he stopped pursuing Yao Jia's crime.
After Yao Jia came out of the palace, he learned that Han Fei had sued him, and he was very angry. I have no grudges against you! How dare you accuse me in front of the king!
Yao Jia knew that Li Si was also very dissatisfied with Han Fei at this time and often had tit-for-tat confrontations in the court. Then he met Li Si and hoped to join forces to get rid of Han Fei. After Yao Jia saw Li Si, he said, "Does Ting Wei know why the decision to attack Korea has been delayed again and again?"
"I'm worried that the king is hesitant because of Han Fei's arrival!" Li Si said melancholy.
"Han Fei is Korean after all. I don't think he considers issues from the interests of Qin at all!"
"The king probably doesn't agree with his views. He just admires his talent and can't bear to deal with him."
"This is exactly what we ministers should do, help the king make up his mind and make our plan go smoothly!"
"Sir, what you said makes sense. Are you willing to go to Qinian Palace with me tomorrow to persuade the king?"
Yao Jia was very happy to see that Li Si had the same goal as him, and said: "I am loyal to my country, how can I dare to refuse?"
The next day, Li Si and Yao Jia met with the King of Qin. Li Si said: "Han Fei is a young master from South Korea. Judging from his behavior in the past few days, he does not really want to help our Qin State. Your Majesty should have made a decision early. This is one of the most important times in history, and we cannot miss the opportunity to attack Korea!"
The King of Qin sighed and said: "I naturally understand this. Although Han Fei is eloquent and strongly advocates attacking Zhao first, I feel that this is beneficial to South Korea and not good to Qin. In comparison, attacking Han is the most beneficial to Qin. Advantageous! Han Fei’s talent is rare in the world, and I have always hoped that this person can be used by our Great Qin!"
Yao Jia said: "According to what I see, Han Fei is very loyal to South Korea and is difficult for me to use. If this person cannot be used by the king, we must not keep him for a long time, let alone let him go. We must get rid of him, otherwise it will be a disaster for the Qin State. .”
King Qin sighed for a long time and said, "You two can handle this matter!" King Qin actually acquiesced to Yao Jia's suggestion. Soon the King of Qin ordered Han Fei to be thrown into prison.
Li Si and Han Fei were classmates and studied under Xunzi. Although Han Fei stuttered, Li Si knew that his talent and talent were much higher than his own, and he admired and envied him. However, after completing his studies, Han Fei chose to return to South Korea. Even if he was not reused, he still did not go out to seek an official position. He studied hard at home, and he embarked on a completely different path from Li Si.
Li Si was filled with emotion at this time. He came to the prison alone and said to his former brother: "I didn't expect that meeting my brother this time would be like a duel on the battlefield!"
Han Fei knew that his imprisonment was related to Li Si, so he said: "You and I are our own masters. I don't blame you. Use your talents in Qin!"
"I know that my brother is far more talented than me. If my brother had joined the Qin Dynasty with me back then, I am afraid he would have been reused long ago!"
"South Korea is my hometown. I can't bear to see her sinking while I am free outside!"
"But your sacrifice is worthless. No one in South Korea will appreciate your talent. Now you are doing it for South Korea, knowing it is impossible. Do you know that this will cost your life?"
"I know, but a gentleman cannot not do what he should do just because he is afraid of death!"
"Brother, do you think I am someone who is afraid of death? I am not afraid of death at all. What I am afraid of is living a miserable life like a toilet rat. I need to find a platform to display my talents. If a person does not have a platform to display, he will be wasted. Great years! No matter how hard a toilet rat tries, he can never reach the status of a hamster! So I value the platform more than my life!"
"Perhaps this is our difference. I value my justice for my homeland more than my life!" Han Fei sighed and said, "Please give me a bag of poison!"
Li Si was shocked. He originally just wanted to see Han Fei and had not thought about how to deal with the matter. Unexpectedly, Han Fei had seen through everything long ago and understood that with King Qin's character, if he could not be used by him, he would surely die!
Li Sidao: "Brother, why did you say this? Maybe King Qin doesn't want to kill you! There may be room for maneuver in this matter."
"I have made up my mind. No need to say more. Even if King Qin doesn't kill me now, he will never leave me alive in the future. It's better to get rid of him as soon as possible." Han Fei said very decisively.
Li Si actually felt a little pity for Han Fei at this time. Although he didn't want Han Fei to stay in the world, he was moved by his persistence in his heart!
Li Si sighed and said, "I hope my brother will not be born in a place like South Korea in the next life!" After that, he walked out of the cell. Li Si arranged for someone to deliver beef, chicken, a pot of warm wine, and of course, a pack of poison to Han Fei.
Shortly after putting Han Fei in prison, the King of Qin regretted it. First, he felt that it was a pity that Han Fei died. Maybe there would be a chance to persuade him to work for Qin! Second, Han Fei's idea is not completely unreasonable. It is not without benefits for Qin to destroy Zhao first. The King of Qin hesitated again. A few days later, the King of Qin sent an envoy to ask Li Si to release Han Fei!
Li Si hurried to the prison, but was a step too late. Han Fei had already fallen...
After Han Fei's death, Han Qi was deposed, and the King of Han formally requested to become a vassal state of Qin!
Although Han Fei died, his ideas planted seeds in the heart of King Qin. For a long time, King Qin could not make up his mind to destroy Zhao or South Korea first.
In the eleventh year of the Qin Dynasty, shortly after Han Fei came to Qin, Zhao sent general Li Mu to attack Yan and captured Licheng and Yangcheng.
The Zhao army continuously used troops against the Yan State within a few years and captured many cities. The King of Qin believed that if Zhao was allowed to develop, it would soon become a strong enemy of the Qin State. Therefore, the King of Qin wanted to take advantage of the Zhao State to attack Yan, and the domestic troops were empty. At this time, the attack weakened Zhao State.
So the King of Qin divided his troops into two groups to attack Zhao. One group was led by Wang Jian to attack Yanyu, and the other group was led by Huanqi and Yang Duanhe to attack Yecheng.
The Qin army dispatched troops quickly, but the Zhao army was poorly prepared, so the Qin army quickly captured nine cities including Yanyu and Yecheng. Soon, the Zhao army, under the command of Li Mu, adjusted its tactics and defended the city from danger to avoid a decisive battle. The two armies quickly entered a stalemate. This stalemate lasted for two years.
In the thirteenth year of the Qin Dynasty, King Zhao Daoxiang died, and King Zhao Qian succeeded to the throne.
Zhao Qian's biological mother was originally a prostitute. Later, she was favored by King Zhao Daoxiang and made her his queen, and gave birth to Zhao Qian. King Zhao Daoxiang deposed Prince Jia and made Zhao Qian the crown prince. Zhao Qian had always had bad conduct. Everyone in Zhao knew that he was a playboy and hated him very much. When the King of Qin heard about this, he wanted to destroy the State of Zhao in one fell swoop when the King of Zhao moved to the new throne and his foothold was not stable. So he ordered the 300,000 Qin troops stationed on the north bank of the Zhang River to be unified under the command of Huan Qi and attack Zhao.
Huan Qi commanded the army to prepare to cross the river and attack south. Zhao Huzhu, the commander of the Zhao army, confronted the Qin army across the water, and the Qin army was unable to cross the river head-on.
One day, Huan Qi checked the military situation along the river and found that the Zhao army and the Qin army on the opposite side were just facing each other. Zhao Jun's deployment could be clearly seen from the other side. So Huan Qi sent a large number of spies to find weak links in Zhao Jun's defense.
On the second day, a spy reported that there was a wide river forty miles away from here on the lower reaches of the Zhang River. It was originally difficult to cross, but it happened to be the dry season of the Zhang River and it was possible to cross the river on foot. Zhao Jun was unprepared here. Huan Qi then personally led 50,000 elite troops and rushed to the ferry to cross the Zhang River overnight.
At dawn, the Qin army across the river launched an attack. At this time, the troops crossing the Zhang River also began to attack the Zhao army from the side. The Zhao army was attacked from both sides and could not resist, so it retreated hastily. In the chaos, the main general of the Zhao army, Hu Zou, was killed in battle, and 100,000 Zhao soldiers were beheaded!
The news spread to Handan, and the whole country was shocked. The battle to defend Handan was inevitable again! However, Zhao Huzhuang was killed at this time, and the Zhao army was most critical without a commander. At this time, Zhao Wangqian thought of the veteran general Lian Po and the famous general Li Mu who defended the Huns.
When Lian Po was there, the Qin army often attacked Zhao, but Handan was never besieged. He always found a way to retreat from the enemy! Li Mu defended the Huns for decades and never lost a battle. So on the one hand, Zhao Wangqian planned to send people to Wei to visit the old general Lian Po to see if the elderly Lian Po could still fight; on the other hand, he sent a special envoy to ask Li Muhuo to speed his army south to relieve the siege of Handan.
The news that someone was sent to invite Lian Po reached Jianxin Mansion. At this time, Marquis Jianxin was Guo Kai, Guo Lian's eldest son, and Guo Kai hated Lian Po very much, and the two had a deep grudge.
Guo Kai used to be the companion of King Zhao Daoxiang. He learned from his father the ability to be afraid of horses and slippery beards since he was a child. He was also very greedy for money and lustful. He often took Zhao Yan, who was still the prince, out to fool around, and the two became very good friends.
After King Zhao Daoxiang came to the throne, he immediately promoted Guo Kai as prime minister, which made the always upright Lian Po very uncomfortable. Lian Po once advised King Zhao that using people like Guo Kai would harm the country! King Zhao did not listen and told Guo Kai about it, so Guo Kai was very jealous of Lian Po.
One time when King Zhao hosted a banquet for his ministers, Guo Kai provoked Lian Po and said, "I heard that Lord Xinping had a unique trick to deal with the Qin army, known as the turtle strategy! As soon as the Qin army comes, as long as our Zhao army hides immediately, the Qin army will be defeated." There’s nothing you can do about it, haha…”
King Zhao also laughed. Guo Kai was talking about the fact that Lian Po had been unable to defend himself several times and forced the Qin army to retreat. Hearing this, Lian Po retorted and said: "Fighting requires the use of brains. You have to analyze and judge whether it is possible to go to war based on the situation of both sides. This is not It’s as simple as flattering a horse and smoothing the beard, all you have to do is talk the talk! Some people’s achievements are achieved by talking the talk!”
Guo Kai knew that Lian Po was ridiculing him, and was quite embarrassed. He could only laugh twice and said: "The general deserves more credit! Haha... Come on, let's drink..."
After being publicly humiliated by Lian Po, Guo Kai became even more jealous of Lian Po and vowed to get rid of him. At this time, Lian Po was ordered to lead an army to attack the Wei State, and had captured Fanyang north of the Yellow River in the Wei State. Guo Kai was afraid that he would make another meritorious service, so he said to King Zhao Daoxiang: "Now there is an uproar outside, and there are rumors about Lian Po everywhere. He is quite arrogant and has disobedient behavior. If he leads his troops to rebel, the king will be unable to control him. It is better to remove him from military power to avoid future troubles."
King Zhao Daoxiang originally had no good impression of Lian Po, but now after hearing what Guo Kai said, he was even more worried that Lian Po would rebel. He immediately decided to remove Lian Po from military power and ordered Wu Xiangjun Le Cheng to lead three thousand soldiers to the front line to take it back. Lian Po's military talisman replaced Lian Po in commanding the frontline troops.
Lian Po was furious when he heard the news. He had been a general of Zhao for more than forty years and fought hundreds of battles, and had made great military exploits for Zhao. Now that the new king had just come to the throne, he was about to be deposed from military power. How could he swallow this sigh of relief. In anger, he refused to surrender his military power and led his army to attack Wuxiangjun Lecheng. Lecheng was so frightened that he led his army and fled back to Handan. Lian Po knew that his actions had offended King Zhao, and he was afraid that his life would be in danger if he returned to Zhao, so he defected to Wei alone.
The king of Wei treated Lian Po as a guest, but did not use him seriously. Lian Po still longed to return to Zhao.
At this time, Guo Kai heard that King Zhao planned to re-enable Lian Po, and was very worried, fearing that Lian Po would seek revenge on him after returning to Zhao. Then he went to see King Zhao and said, "Lian Po is nearly seventy years old. He is old and frail. He can't even mount a war horse. How can he lead troops to fight?"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the court immediately stood up and said: "The Prime Minister is just guessing. I have a relative who came from Daliang recently. He said that the old general is strong and his prowess is still the same as before. Please send someone to investigate and find out. It’s not too late to make a decision on the details!”
Another minister also agreed: "Now is the time for the country to employ people. If the old general can still go to war, it will be of great benefit to our country, Zhao!"
Zhao Wangqian originally wanted to listen to Guo Kai's words, but the Qin army was advancing day by day and there were no good generals in the court. After some thought, he decided to send a special envoy to Daliang to visit General Lian Po, and at the same time brought a pair of famous armor and Four good horses.
Guo Kai didn't want Lian Po to return to Zhao at any cost, so he secretly invited the envoy into his home, gave him four hundred taels of gold, and said, "Lian Po is indeed old and weak. You know how to report to the king when he comes back?" Are you ready?" The special envoy accepted Guo Kai's money and was afraid of his power, so he quickly promised: "Don't worry, Prime Minister, everything will be done according to your old man's instructions."
Lian Po heard that King Zhao had sent an envoy and knew that King Zhao wanted to re-enable him. He was very happy, so he ate a dou of rice and ten kilograms of meat in front of the envoy. You can still fight on your own.
A few days later, the special envoy returned from Daliang and reported to King Zhao: "Although General Lian Po is old, he still eats a lot. He ate a bushel of rice and ten kilograms of meat in one meal. But I only sat with him for a cup of tea. In that time, the old general went to the toilet three times." After hearing this, King Zhao Youmiao shook his head repeatedly and said: "How can you lead troops to fight with such a body? Don't mention this matter again in the future."
Lian Po is old, can he still make a living?
From then on, Lian Po never returned to the State of Zhao, and the State of Zhao also lost a generation of famous generals!
Finally, the veteran general Lian Po went to Chu State, where he died alone.
sad! sad! A generation of famous generals died in a foreign country like this. It can be seen that the demise of Zhao State is a historical necessity, and Lian Po's situation is just like that of Li Mu later, but Li Mu's situation is more regrettable than Lian Po.
