The vicissitudes of the sea, the true colors of heroes, the more turbulent the period, the more heroes can appear! In the last year of the Western Jin Dynasty, the Rebellion of the Eight Kings first broke out, followed by the Wuhu Chaos, which led to great chaos in the world, swords and soldiers, and the north entered the chaotic Sixteen Kingdoms period. At this time, there was a top strategist in the north who was "not vain and had no exhaustive strategies", and his talent could even be compared with Zhang Liang and Chen Ping! So who is this person?
He was Zhang Bin, who was later known as the "First Counselor of the Sixteen Kingdoms"! According to historical records, Zhang Bin was a native of Zhongqiu County, Zhao County, which is today Neiqiu County, Hebei Province. Zhang Bin was born into a family of officials and eunuchs, and he was eager to learn since childhood, reading the history of the classics, and "having a big festival in a wide range". Zhang Bin often said to his brothers: "My wisdom is not inferior to Zhang Liang's, but now I have not met a figure like Han Gaozu." During the Western Jin Dynasty, Zhang Bin served as the governor of Zhongqiu Under the King, but he was depressed and resigned his official position on the grounds of illness.
After the outbreak of the Yongjia Rebellion, Zhang Bin did not flee to the south, but waited to see the changes in the situation. At that time, Shi Le was a general under Liu Yuan and was ordered to go out to the Shandong region. After careful observation, Zhang Bin said to his family: "I have seen many generals, and General Duhu can achieve great things together." Therefore, Zhang Bin "raised the sword to the military gate and shouted to see you", but it did not attract Shi Le's attention. After a period of time together, Shi Le discovered that Zhang Bin was a wizard and "led to the master".
At that time, Shi Le's strength was not strong, and he faced many strong opponents, the first of which was his colleague Wang Mi! Although Wang Shile had a good relationship with Wang Mi on the surface, in fact, "Shi Le was evil and brave, and he was often secretly prepared for it." Zhang Bin believes, "Wang Mi is a master of man, and he will definitely become a scourge to us!" So Shi Le adopted Zhang Bin's strategy, first sending troops to support Wang Mi, soliciting him, and then feasting on Wang Mi and killing him at the banquet.
In 312, Shi Le led his army to march south, but as a result, it encountered heavy rain in the Jianghuai area, and an epidemic broke out in the army, and the army suffered heavy losses and could not retreat. Shi Le hurriedly held a military meeting to discuss the next plan of action. Some even advocated surrendering to the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Shi Le was not satisfied with the suggestions of the counselors, and at this time Zhang Bin spoke, and he first criticized the proposal of surrender, believing that Shi Le was the main general who destroyed the Western Jin Dynasty, and even if he surrendered, it would be difficult to die well.
Zhang Bin then pointed out the direction of Shi Le's development, "Yi has three solid platforms, west of Pingyang, four saishan river, there is a throat, and it is advisable to migrate to the north." Cut down the rebellion, Heshuo is established, and there is no one on the right of the general. Finally, Zhang Bin also analyzed the situation in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, believing that they would not launch a pursuit, "From the north province, the army to Shouchun, the heavy army, the large army Xu Hui, he was afraid of advancing and retreating without a place." ”
After listening to Zhang Bin's words, Shi Le suddenly became enlightened and appointed Zhang Bin as the Right Changshi and Zhonglei General, "The Right Marquis". After Shi Le occupied the Xiang state (i.e., Xingtai), he was challenged by Wang Jun, the Assassin of Youzhou in the Jin Dynasty. A fierce battle ensued between the two sides, and Shi Le listened to Zhang Bin's advice to repel Wang Jun's army and defeat him completely. With the assistance of Zhang Bin, Shi Le basically unified the northern region. In 319, Shi Le ascended the throne, and Zhang Bin was made a major law enforcer and responsible for taking charge of the imperial government.
Shi Le had a lot of trust in Zhang Bin, "Ren met Youxian, favored at that time". And Zhang Bin did not bully others, he was still a clean official, "purging hundreds of officials, and screening private nicknames." Three years later, Zhang Bin fell ill and died. Shi Le was very sad and wept bitterly. When sending a funeral for Zhang Bin, Shi Le said to the people around him: "Heavenly desire is not an evil thing for me, and he will rob my right marquis early!" "The relationship between Shi Le and Zhang Bin was like that between Jian Jian and Wang Meng later.
References: 1. Book of Jin, 2. Zizhi Tongjian