In 321 B.C., the Qin State sent a small team of men and horses to attack Zigui, and after hearing the news, the twenty-year-old Qu Yuan formed an army, penetrated into the rear of the Qin army, and took advantage of its unpreparedness to grab money and burn grain, forcing the Qin army to withdraw.
It didn't take long for the news of Qu Yuan's defeat of the Qin army to reach the ears of King Chu Huai, who praised this brave and witty young man, and immediately promoted him to the post of Ezhu County Cheng, and two years later to the position of Zuo disciple.
Qu Yuan, whose name is Ping, also has the same surname as Chu Zhi. Knowledgeable and ambitious, clear in the management of chaos, skilled in rhetoric. When entering, he discussed state affairs with Wang Tu and issued orders; When you go out, you will meet the guests and deal with the princes. The king let it go.
Qu Yuan is well-read, knowledgeable, brilliant, upright, and has won the trust of King Chu Huai. With the joint efforts of the monarch and the minister, the state of Chu entered a heyday, and the land was also the most vast among the seven heroes of the Warring States.
However, behind this prosperity and prosperity, there is a deep crisis.
At that time, officials at all levels were hereditary nobles, and there was no way for virtuous people to serve the country. With the support of King Chu Huai, Qu Yuan began to implement drastic reforms. However, when the changes first yielded results, King Chu Huai began to alienate Qu Yuan and eventually exiled him.
So, what did Qu Yuan do to make King Chu Huai's attitude change so dramatically? Qu Yuan was completely excluded in the Chu State, why didn't he leave the Chu State? Why did he finally choose to commit suicide by jumping into the river?
All of this has to start with Qu Yuan's reform.
01
Slander framed
On this day, Qu Yuan was drafting the edict of changing the law in the study, and the servant suddenly came to report that the Shangguan doctor came to visit and was already waiting outside the door. Qu Yuan was shocked, and quickly put away the bamboo slips with the decree written on them, and then welcomed Doctor Shangguan in.
As soon as Dr. Shangguan entered the study, he glanced around, and there was a bamboo slip on the bookcase, and Dr. Shangguan immediately asked, "Did Qu Zi write a new masterpiece?" Can you give me a sneak peek? ”
Before Qu Yuan could agree, Doctor Shangguan reached out and took the bamboo slips on the bookcase and looked at them. Qu Yuan was shocked, immediately snatched the bamboo slip, and replied sharply: "Doctor Shangguan, how can you be so rude!" ”
Seeing that Qu Yuan was annoyed, Doctor Shangguan didn't care, waved his hand and left. After coming out of Qu Yuan's house, he did not return to his house immediately, but rushed to the palace of King Chu non-stop to meet King Huai of Chu.
On the top of the main hall, Doctor Shangguan said bitterly to King Chu Huai: "King, you have been deceived by Qu Zi! ”
King Chu Huai asked suspiciously, "Why did Doctor Shangguan say this?" Qu Zi is dedicated to defending the country, don't be untrustworthy! ”
As a result, Doctor Shangguan began to frame Qu Yuan for being arrogant and arrogant, relying on the trust of King Chu Huai, and publicized the content of the change everywhere, and also told King Chu Huai about the content of the change that he secretly saw in Qu Yuan's mansion.
When King Chu Huai heard this, he immediately became vigilant and asked, "This is a secret, where did you hear about it?" ”
Doctor Shangguan replied respectfully: "I listened to Qu Yuan himself, when every new decree was introduced, Qu Zi was proud, boasting in front of everyone, saying that only he Qu Ping could do such a big thing as changing the law, and he didn't take the king in his eyes at all. ”
After hearing this, King Chu Huai had a trace of doubt about Qu Yuan in his heart, and more importantly, he was also full of contradictions about the change.
On the one hand, King Chu Huai also wanted to change the law to become stronger, and the power in the hands of the old nobles was too great, which led to the loss of royal power. If you want the Qin State to reuse the Shang martingale method, you can conquer the east and the west; The Wei State reused Li Kui's method of change and called for wind and rain for decades.
On the other hand, he did not want the pace of change to be too fast, which would provoke contradictions among the old aristocracy and cause civil strife. During the period of King Mourning of Chu, Wu Qi was reused to change the law, and the national strength of Chu became stronger and stronger, but Wu Qi was eventually victimized by the old nobles and failed to change the law.
Therefore, after Doctor Shangguan made a slanderous statement, King Chu Huai's attitude towards Qu Yuan's changes gradually changed. From then on, the draft of the new law submitted by Qu Yuan, King Chu Huai didn't even look at it, and put it aside.
Doctor Shangguan was happy, but Qu Yuan was very worried, the changes could not be continued, and how the Chu State would be strong.
In 313 BC, Qi helped Chu attack Qin and captured Quwo. The Qichu Alliance made King Qin Huiwen feel a huge crisis. So, he wanted to send troops to attack the State of Qi, but he was afraid that the State of Chu would send troops to aid Qi.
So, he summoned Zhang Yi to discuss countermeasures, and Zhang Yi took the initiative to ask the King of Qin for instructions and sent an envoy to the State of Chu to lobby the King of Chu, and the King of Qin readily agreed. When the news of Zhang Yi's envoy to Chu came out, the government and the opposition of Chu were in an uproar.
King Chu Huai naturally didn't know the purpose of Zhang Yi's mission, and was even a little complacent. Since the Shang Dynasty changed the law, Qiang Qin has been empty-eyed, conquering the east and the west, and has never put any vassal state in his eyes, and now, he sent Zhang Yi to visit, but he was afraid of Chu.
Doctor Shangguan understood King Chu Huai's thoughts, so he hurriedly flattered: "The State of Chu is thriving under the leadership of the king, and even Qiang Qin does not dare to underestimate it. ”
King Chu Huai was even more satisfied when he heard these flattering words, and impulsively, he decided to go to the suburbs to greet Zhang Yi in person.
However, King Chu Huai's decision was opposed by Qu Yuan, Zhang Yi was just the prime minister of Qin, and King Chu Huai was condescending to greet him with the respect of the king of a country. Moreover, Zhang Yi's intention is unknown, if Chu is too enthusiastic, it is easy to fall into passivity.
Qu Yuan's words were very unpleasant, which made King Chu Huai a little annoyed, and when Doctor Shangguan saw this, he immediately flattered and said: "The king's personal greeting shows the generosity of the Chu State, and it is also the best way to express the sincerity of peace, and the Qin State will definitely miss the king." ”
King Chu Huai agreed with Dr. Shangguan's words, and he didn't allow Qu Yuan to persuade him anymore, so he waved his hand and said, "Just do what Shangguan says!" ”
During the Warring States Period, there were seven vassal states, namely Qi, Chu, Qin, Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Han. Among them, Qin was the strongest, followed by Qi and Chu. At that time, the diplomatic strategies of various countries could be divided into two types, vertical and horizontal.
The so-called alliance refers to the joint resistance of the six eastern countries to the strong Qin; The so-called Lian Heng is to ally with Qin in order to seek peace. And the purpose of Qin's succession was to destroy the alliance between the six countries, so as to isolate each country and break it individually.
Qin was in the west, Qi was in the east, and Chu was in the south, and Qin and Qi had never dealt with each other, so Chu became the object of contention between the two countries, and Chu was afraid of Qin's strength, and finally chose to ally with Qi.
At that time, the court of Chu was also divided into two factions, and Qu Yuan undoubtedly advocated unity and unity, Qi and other weak countries to resist strong Qin, and the Qi-Chu alliance was promoted by him, and this was also the most fearful place for Zhang Yi, and it was also the purpose of his trip.
On the day Zhang Yi arrived in Chu, King Huai of Chu led the Manchu Dynasty civil and military to greet him in the suburbs of Yingdu, and personally arranged food and lodging. After nightfall, Zhang Yi secretly went to see Dr. Shangguan with a generous gift.
As soon as Zhang Yi saw Doctor Shangguan, he respectfully presented the gift, bluntly saying that it was prepared by King Qin, and when Doctor Shangguan heard it, he felt a little proud in his heart. After that, Zhang Yi expressed his intentions, hoping that Dr. Shangguan could say a few more kind words for him.
However, Doctor Shangguan also knew that although King Chu Huai was estranged from Qu Yuan, he still trusted Qu Yuan more than him. If Qu Yuan objected, no matter how much he persuaded the magistrate, it would be useless, so he had some excuses.
Zhang Yi couldn't help but be a little curious about Qu Yuan, and asked, "Then why is Qu Yuan so trusted by King Huai?" ”
King Chu Huai has an easy-going temper and soft ears, such a person lacks the domineering spirit of arbitrariness as the king in charge of the court of a country, and when the court discusses with the court, he often can't make up his mind, and it is easy to be bewitched by the courtiers.
As long as he has a strategy that is beneficial to the national economy and the people's livelihood, he will talk like a river and make endless suggestions to King Chu Huai, and finally summarize them into feasible laws and countermeasures.
Therefore, Qu Yuan won the trust of King Chu Huai, and as long as it was Qu Yuan's suggestions and countermeasures, King Chu Huai would follow them one by one. Even if sometimes Qu Yuan fought hard and lost his temper, King Chu Huai also felt that Qu Yuan was very cute.
And more importantly, Qu Yuan facilitated the merger of the six countries, which allowed the national strength and military strength of the Chu State to move forward steadily.
After Zhang Yi heard this, he asked Dr. Shangguan rhetorically: "Why don't you go the other way, break the alliance, help the horizontal, if the six countries are broken, then Qu Yuan can still get the trust of King Huai?" ”
Zhang Yi was originally a native of Wei State, but also a student of Guiguzi, after he finished his studies and went down the mountain, he wanted to hug the thigh of King Chu Huai, but King Chu Huai didn't take a fancy to him, so he switched to Qin State and sat on the position of Prime Minister of Qin State.
At the beginning, when Zhang Yi defected to the state of Chu, he wrote a strategy to recommend himself to Mao Sui, the king of Chu Huai, but the king of Chu Huai did not take a fancy to Zhang Yi. In order to support his family, Zhang Yi reluctantly joined the door of Chu State Ling Yin.
One day, Chu ordered Yin to have a banquet at home, and when the wine was hot, he took out a piece of jade that he had treasured for many years and gave it to everyone to admire. Who knows, there were many people at the banquet, and the jade disappeared after a while.
Yin was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of all the guests. At this time, someone reported to Ling Yin, suspecting that Zhang Yi was the thief who stole the jade.
Taste from Chu Xiang drink, and Chu Xiang is dead, the door means Zhang Yi, and said: "Yi is poor and has no line, and he will steal the king's bi." "A total of Zhang Yi, plundering hundreds, dissatisfied, drunk.
The guests felt that Zhang Yi's family was poor, and they must have bad intentions when they saw the priceless jade, so they stole the jade. When Ling Yin heard this, he directly tied up Zhang Yi and tortured him, but Zhang Yi swore to death, so Ling Yin had to let him go.
After that, Zhang Yi switched to the Qin State and was worshiped as the Prime Minister by the King of Qin. In order to vent his evil anger, he also wrote a letter to Ling Yin of Chu State, bluntly saying that I, Zhang Yi, will come to steal the city of your Chu State one day sooner or later.
Therefore, Zhang Yi's envoy to Chu this time, both public and private, did not have any good intentions.
On the second day, in the court of the palace of the king of Chu, Zhang Yi tried his best to persuade the king of Chu Huai to form an alliance with the Qin state with his three-inch incorruptible tongue. King Chu Huai was still unclear about Zhang Yi's purpose, so he asked, "What does Prime Minister Qin think of the strength of the three kingdoms of Qin, Qi, and Chu. ”
Zhang Yi pondered for a moment and replied: "Among the three kingdoms, the Qin State is the strongest, if the Qin State is in alliance with Qi, it will be heavy, and if the Qin State is in alliance with the Ex Alliance, it will be heavy. ”
King Chu Huai asked again: "Then why does King Qin intend to be in Chu but not in Qi?" ”
Zhang Yi replied: "The State of Qi is inferior to the State of Chu in three aspects!" First, the country is not as good as Chu. The state of Chu is vast and stretches for thousands of miles, which is admired by relatives, while the country of Qi is narrow and sparsely populated, although it is rich, it is only blessed by the ancestors, and it is difficult for the Qin people to be respected. ”
As soon as King Chu Huai heard these flattering words, he began to be unable to find the north, and replied in a loud voice: "It makes sense! Reasonable! ”
Seeing this, Zhang Yi continued: "Second, Jun is not as good as Chu. After the king was the king of Chuzhuang, he was famous. The king of Qin has told his ministers many times that he respects you the most, and the one he wants to see the most is also the king, and the one he wants to form an alliance with is the king. And today's King of Qi, whether it is governing the country or leading troops, is far inferior to you in courage and prestige. ”
Zhang Yi praised King Chu Huai to the heavens and the earth, which made King Chu Huai very happy and said: "Have vision!" Have an eye! ”
Zhang Yi said again: "Third, Qi Min is not as good as Chu Min. In the past, Qi Feng was pure and elegant, but now the times have changed, and Qi people are cunning and hypocritical, and everyone knows it. On the other hand, Chu Min, who is simple and honest, and treats people sincerely, has long become a beautiful talk in the world, which is the result of the king's discipline. ”
Zhang Yi's words are inseparable from flattery, which makes King Chu Huai very useful, and he is much more cordial to Zhang Yi.
Under Zhang Yi's lobbying offensive, King Chu Huai's attitude seemed to be a little loose, so he took out a trump card. If King Chu Huai is willing to sever diplomatic relations with the State of Qi, the State of Qin is willing to offer 600 li of land with both hands.
The 600 li land from Shangnan County to Xixia County in Henan Province is collectively known as the land of Shangyu, which was once the territory of the Chu State and was later captured by the Qin State, so it has always been the wish of successive Chu monarchs to regain the 600 li of the land of Shangyu.
Qu Yuan saw Zhang Yi throwing such a big bait, and suddenly felt bad, so he asked sharply: "As the prime minister of Qin, why do you want to seek benefits for Chu State, not only take the initiative to ally with Chu State, but also give Chu State 600 miles of land, if it is not for the mediocrity of King Qin, it must be a fraud!" ”
King Chu Huai listened to Qu Yuan's words, and instantly became vigilant: "Qin Xiangkou has no basis for saying it, how can a widow believe in King Qin's promise?" ”
Zhang Yi did not panic in the face of questioning: "If the king is willing to immediately break off diplomatic relations with the Qi State, he can send an envoy back to Xianyang with me and bring back the six hundred miles of land promised by the King of Qin." ”
Zhang Yi's words were not leaky, which made King Chu Huai a little moved. Qu Yuan was anxious in his heart and blurted out: "This is Zhang Yi's conspiracy, the king must not be fooled." The purpose of Zhang Yi's coming is to break up the Qichu Alliance, and then break them down! Zhang Yi can't be trusted! ”
At this time, King Chu Huai still trusted Qu Yuan enough, and seeing that Qu Yuan was suspicious, he didn't dare to make a rash decision, so he continued to ask: "What if the widow doesn't break off diplomatic relations with the Qi State?" ”
Zhang Yi said patiently: "In today's troubled times, the king has three national policies to choose from. The next strategy is to confront the Qin State alone, which can only be a defeat for both sides, and it is useless for the country. In the middle strategy, in alliance with Qi State, Qin State is at odds, and there are endless troubles in the future. The best policy, an alliance with the Qin State, can not only ensure the safety of the Chu State, but also get 600 miles of land in business, when the time comes, you will step on the land of business, whip in Qinchuan, what a majesty! ”
I have to say that Zhang Yi's lobbying skills are very powerful, he can accurately grasp what King Chu Huai thinks, and put what he wants most in front of him in a timely manner. He knew that this temptation was very great, and King Chu Huai must have been moved.
The first battle between Zhang Yi and Qu Yuan also ended. He found that although King Chu Huai was a little dissatisfied with Qu Yuan's tough attitude of speaking out, he still listened to Qu Yuan's opinion, so he did not make up his mind for a long time.
In order to let King Chu Huai agree to the alliance as soon as possible, this time he came up with the last killer feature, beauty. Back then, when he went to Gaotang to play, he dreamed of meeting the goddess, who was not only beautiful, but also recommended a pillow to King Chu Huai.
King Chu Huai's lust is well known, and he has moved his mind to the fairy. So, Zhang Yituo Shangguan Doctor told King Chu Huai that if Chu and Qi broke off diplomatic relations, he would marry Qin Nu to King Chu Huai as a concubine.
King Chu Huai had long heard that the women of the Qin State had better skin than snow, gentle and affectionate, and he couldn't wait to see the beauty, so when he thought of this, he agreed.
Qu Yuan learned that the news was there, and he wanted to persuade him again. But King Chu Huai had long been dissatisfied with Qu Yuan, he didn't look at the occasion, and repeatedly contradicted King Chu Huai, not only hurting King Chu Huai's face, but also shattering his self-esteem.
He didn't want to listen to Qu Yuan's advice anymore, so he directly gave an order and sent an envoy Fenghou Chou to follow Zhang Yi to Qin to get back the land of Shangyu, and on the other side, Shangguan Dafu issued a letter of renunciation to Qi State.
After that, King Huai of Chu completely snubbed Qu Yuan, and Qu Yuan suffered an unprecedented exclusion in the state of Chu.
On the other side, Zhang Yi took the envoy of Chu State on the way back to Qin, and he often drank and talked with Fenghou Chou, calling him brother and brother, and coaxed Fenghou Chou very happy.
However, when Zhang Yi's carriage just entered Xianyang, he accidentally fell off the carriage, and then said that he was ill and did not go to court for three months. Feng Hou Chou couldn't see Zhang Yi, so he could only go to King Qin to ask for land.
However, King Qin shirked and didn't know, and he wanted to wait for Zhang Yi to get better and say it in person. Seeing this, Feng Hou Chou had to repair a letter and truthfully report the situation to King Chu Huai. King Chu Huai thought that Qin had some scruples, so he sent an envoy to Qi to scold the king of Qi.
When the news of the severance of diplomatic relations between the State of Qi and the State of Chu spread to the world, Zhang Yi took the initiative to find Fenghou Chou, handed over the six-mile land of his fief to him, and asked him to bring it to the King of Chu Huai.
When Feng Hou Chou heard that it was six miles of land, he was very surprised, it was obviously six hundred miles, how could it be six miles. However, Zhang Yi insisted that what was set at the beginning was six miles of land, and he was just a courtier, how could he decide to stay on six hundred miles of land.
Only now, Fenghou Chou realized that this was a scam set up by Zhang Yi, and he did not get the land, so he could only leave the Qin State in a huff and report the matter to King Chu Huai.
King Chu Huai was furious when he saw Zhang Yi playing with himself, and in order to save face, he sent troops to attack Qin. The Qin army fought a decisive battle with the Chu army in Danyang, and in the end the Chu army was defeated, completely losing control of the Hanzhong region, and 80,000 soldiers were also killed.
At this time, the State of Qi, because of the annoyance of the treachery of the State of Chu, refused to send troops to the rescue, and even united with Han and Wei, taking advantage of the emptiness of the military strength of the State of Chu, and sent troops to capture Deng of the State of Chu.
Only then did King Huai of Chu realize how stupid he was, and he hurriedly summoned Qu Yuan, hoping that he could send an envoy to Qi again, rebuild the friendship between Qi and Chu, and promote the alliance of Qi and Chu to jointly fight against Qiang Qin.
But at this time, Qu Yuan was very embarrassed, thinking that he had been proud all his life, but because of the decision of King Chu Huai, he was betrayed by his treacherous fate, and he had no shame to face King Qi anymore. However, the state of Chu was in danger, and after thinking about it, he still sent an envoy to the state of Qi again.
On this day, at the north gate of Yingdu, Qu Yuan's convoy to envoy Qi slowly left, at this time he was 42 years old, and his temples had a trace of gray hair, but he never forgot his motherland, never forgot the blood of his youth.
I think Qu Yuan is contradictory, he has been proud all his life, but for the sake of the Chu State, he has to bear the infamy of treachery again and again. If he is not so patriotic, he may be able to be like Zhang Yi, turn his head to other countries, and still be prosperous.
However, Qu Yuan couldn't give up his motherland, and he couldn't let go of King Chu Huai, who had the grace of knowing him, and his principles shackled him, so that he had to seek a livelihood for the state of Chu over and over again.
02
Committed suicide by throwing himself into the river
In 311 BC, the Qin state did not want to see Qi and Chu reconciled again, so they proposed to exchange half of the Hanzhong region for the Qianzhong region of the Chu state, as a way to appease the Chu state, hoping to obtain a temporary peace between the two countries.
King Chu Huai realized that the opportunity for revenge had finally come. So, he proposed to the king of Qin that as long as Zhang Yi was handed over to him, the central region of Qianzhong could be presented with both hands.
After the king of Qin learned the news, he wanted Zhang Yi to send an envoy to the state of Chu, but he was also embarrassed to speak, and when he was hesitating, Zhang Yi offered to go to the state of Chu.
Just when Qu Yuan was trying his best to rebuild the Qichu Alliance, Zhang Yi came to Yingdu again, unlike the courtesy he received before, this time he was arrested and sent to death row as soon as he entered the city.
At this time, King Chu Huai had already sharpened his sword, and he wanted to choose a good time to kill Zhang Yi in front of the Taimiao to pay tribute to the souls of the 80,000 soldiers of the Chu State.
Zhang Yi knew that this mission was in danger, and in order to save his life, he invited his friend Jin Shang, the doctor of Chu State, and wanted to send a message to Zheng Sleeve, the favorite concubine of King Chu Huai, through him, hoping that she could persuade King Chu Huai to let him go.
This Zheng Sleeve is a femme fatale, and her mind is very vicious.
According to historical records, King Chu Huai has a peculiar smell, so he cares a lot about other people's opinions. And Zheng Sleeve, in order to compete for favor, deceived King Chu Huai's new favorite Wei Nu to cover his nose and see King Chu Huai, King Chu Huai was furious and cut off Wei Nu's nose.
When a man sees a king, he covers his nose. Wang Wei Zheng sleeve said: 'When the husband and the newcomer see the widow, they cover their noses, why not? Zheng Sleeve said: "The concubine knows also." The king said, "Though evil is spoken." Zheng Sleeve said: "It seems to smell the stench of the king." The king said, 'Great! 'Order 劓 (yì, cut nose), there is no rebellion.
This is the allusion of Wei Nu covering her nose, which is enough to show the viciousness of Zheng Sleeve.
And Zhang Yi and Zheng Sleeve's acquaintance is also a coincidence. Back then, Zhang Yi was still a fledgling nobody, and when he defected to the Chu State, he was framed for stealing jade, and was humiliated by the Chu State Ling Yin, and when he left, he went to see the King of Chu Huai.
King Chu Huai is lustful, and Zhang Yi has always done what he likes, telling him about the beauties of various countries. The two were chatting to Xingtou, Zheng Sleeve suddenly walked in, Zhang Yi saw that Zheng Sleeve was beautiful, and praised Zheng Sleeve as if there was nothing in the sky and no earth, which made King Chu Huai and Zheng Sleeve very happy.
Late that night, an uninvited guest came to Zheng Sleeve's dormitory, this person was Jin Shang, the doctor of Chu State, who came to speak for Zhang Yi. He told Zheng Sleeve that the Qin State would use six counties and beauties to redeem Zhang Yi, and once the beauties entered the palace, Zheng Sleeve would definitely fall out of favor.
Zheng Sleeve listened to Zhang Yi's words, and cried that night to go out of the palace to avoid trouble, King Chu Huai was very strange when he saw this, and asked the reason. Zheng Sleeve cried and said, "King, I heard that you are going to kill Zhang Yi of the Qin State. Now, before you handed over the central Qianzhong region to the Qin State, Zhang Yi came, which shows the sincerity of the Qin State, but if you kill Zhang Yi, the Qin State will not give up, so you still let me go out of the palace to avoid trouble. ”
King Chu Huai listened to Zheng Sleeve's words, and realized that he had almost made a big mistake on the spur of the moment, so he decided to let Zhang Yi go.
It can be seen from this incident that King Chu Huai is greedy for money and lustful, does not distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and is not a virtuous monarch, but his concern for the people is also from the heart.
One year, it snowed heavily in Chu and the weather was cold, King Huai of Chu sat in front of the stove in a leather jacket and felt unbearable, he remembered the people of Chu, so he ordered to send charcoal for the people to warm up, which is the origin of the idiom sending charcoal in the snow.
Originally, he wanted to kill Zhang Yi to vent his anger, but after Zheng Sleeve's reminder, he was worried that after killing Zhang Yi, he would lead the Qin army to attack and harm the people of Chu, so in a flash, he released Zhang Yi again.
However, Zhang Yi, who was released, did not leave Chu State immediately, but entered the palace again to lobby King Chu Huai.
He expressed his willingness to persuade the King of Qin to give up the central Qianzhong region, send the crown prince to the state of Chu as a hostage, and give the princess to the king of Chu Huai as a concubine. And the state of Chu only needs to send the crown prince to the state of Qin as a hostage, and the two countries have become fraternal neighbors and have been friends for generations.
Zhang Yi's lobbying made King Chu Huai believe it again. As a result, he once again turned his back on the alliance and chose to form an alliance with the Qin State in order to keep the central Guizhou region.
When Qu Yuan successfully persuaded the King of Qi to form an alliance with the Chu State again and hurried back to the Chu State, what he got was the news that Zhang Yi had been released.
When King Chu Huai came to his senses and sent troops to pursue him, it was already too late, and Zhang Yi had already returned to Qin safely.
From 311 BC to 305 BC, in just six years, the Qin state changed two monarchs in succession, and the domestic situation was turbulent. At this time, Zhang Yi, who had twice defrauded the State of Chu, had passed away, and the State of Qin once again extended an olive branch to the State of Chu.
In the face of Qin's overtures, King Chu Huai hesitated again.
At this time, Qu Yuan made a statement to King Huai of Chu, saying that the King of Qin had just ascended the throne, and the civil strife was not stopping, and if he formed an alliance with the State of Qi at this time, dispatched thousands of chariots and hundreds of thousands of troops, he would definitely be able to take back the lost land of the State of Chu and dominate the world, which would be just around the corner.
However, Xiong Zilan, the son of King Huai of Chu, believed that the military strength of the Qin State was strong, and the Chu army had suffered heavy losses in the previous battle of Danyang.
The main battle faction headed by Qu Yuan and the main peace faction led by Xiong Zilan quarreled, and King Chu Huai had a headache.
At this time, the newly succeeded King of Qin sent a letter of state to the state of Chu, declaring that half of the land of Hanzhong would be returned to the state of Chu, and inviting the king of Chu Huai to go to the border between the two countries to sign an alliance.
King Chu Huai saw that the Qin State lowered his posture to sue for peace, and forgot about the things he had been deceived before. However, Qu Yuan was still worried that this was a conspiracy of the Qin State, and tried his best to dissuade King Chu Huai from going to Huangjiao.
Qu Yuan believed that the internal instability of the Qin State had accelerated the pace of the joint efforts, and the fact that the Qi State sent envoys to Chu was the best proof of this. In order to destroy the alliance, the Qin State will definitely destroy the Qi-Chu alliance again, so he came to offer land at this time to show goodwill.
After listening to Qu Yuan's analysis, King Chu Huai was already a little impatient, but Qu Yuan still insisted on his opinion, and said in a hurry: "The heart of Qin State will not die, and the king will definitely be more auspicious when he goes, and it will be too late to regret it." ”
Qu Yuan's words directly angered King Chu Huai, and he angrily reprimanded: "Qu Ping, are you cursing the widow to death when you say this?" ”
Qu Yuan was speechless when asked by King Chu Huai, so he had to lower his head and stop talking.
In 304 B.C., the King of Qin solemnly welcomed King Huai of Chu in Huangjiao, an important town on the border of Qin, and hosted a state banquet. The warm and thoughtful reception of the Qin State made King Chu Huai very satisfied, and the Yellow Thorn Alliance proceeded smoothly.
At this point, the relationship between Qin and Chu had reached its peak, and King Huai of Chu, who had obtained the land, ignored Qu Yuan's painstaking management of the Qi-Chu Alliance, and sent a document to the King of Qi again.
In fact, Qu Yuan's analysis was not wrong, Qin State was suffering from internal and external troubles at this time, which was a good time for Chu State to counterattack. However, King Chu Huai, who was reluctant to steal peace, did not seize this opportunity, but repeatedly believed in the Qin State, and it seemed that he had taken the land, but in fact it was in crisis.
After King Huai of Chu returned to Yingdu, in order to show off the great achievements of the Yellow Thorn Alliance, a grand celebration banquet was held in the palace of the king of Chu. In the bursts of compliments from everyone, King Chu Huai was proud, only Qu Yuan drank alone and didn't say a word.
Seeing Qu Yuan like this, Xiong Zilan began to provoke: "Doctor Qu, you tried your best to prevent your father from going to the alliance, but now you still regret it?" ”
Qu Yuan was not to be outdone, and replied loudly with the strength of wine: "What is there to congratulate on this? Half of the land in Hanzhong returned by the Qin State originally belonged to the Chu State, and now they are still rightfully returned. Besides, even if I return Hanzhong today, I can still take it tomorrow, what is there to be happy about? ”
Qu Yuan no longer paid attention to Xiong Zilan, but saluted King Chu Huai, and then said: "Great King, the minister could have pleased you, but what is the use of the minister in the country if he does this?" What's in it for the people? What the minister said was for the king's hegemony, please listen to a minister's contrary words! ”
Qu Yuan's words annoyed King Chu Huai again, and he sighed and said: "Qu Zi's kindness is unbearable, and you don't have to be in the same stream with the widow anymore, Qu Zi is virtuous and wise, and the widow is beyond his reach, and he doesn't dare to drive you, you should not be this official." ”
After this incident, Qu Yuan was expelled from Yingdu by King Chu Huai and began his wandering life.
In fact, with Qu Yuan's talent, if he didn't enter politics, he could also be a poet, and he would definitely become a bright star among the hundreds of sons, but Qu Yuan's patriotic feelings made him unable to let go of his responsibilities.
In 303 BC, because King Huai of Chu was friendly with Qin, he betrayed the Hezong Alliance. The three kingdoms of Qi, Wei, and Han discussed and jointly attacked Chu, but Chu was defeated, so they had to ask Qin for help.
Although the State of Chu promised to send troops, it was conditional, that is, to let the crown prince Xiong go to the State of Qin as a hostage. King Huai of Chu was greatly angered by Qin's request, and he knew that once the crown prince entered Qin, Qin would take the opportunity to dominate Chu.
Just when King Chu Huai was about to refuse, the favorite concubine Zheng Sleeve bewitched King Chu Huai again, causing him to finally change his mind and send the crown prince Xiong Heng to the Qin State.
But who would have thought that in the second year of Prince Xiong's arrival in the Qin State, he actually killed the doctor of the Qin State on the street, and then fled back to the Chu State. Therefore, the Qin State took this opportunity to unite the three kingdoms of Qi, Wei, and Han to jointly attack Chu, break the Chu army, and occupy Chongqiu.
At this point, the northern gateway of Chu was wide open, and this was the famous battle of the weeping sand.
At this time, King Chu Huai suddenly realized that everything before was a deception set up by the Qin State, and now the Chu State has become fat on the chopping board, to be slaughtered. He suddenly remembered Qu Yuan, so he hurriedly recalled Qu Yuan to Yingdu.
After Qu Yuan returned to Yingdu by order, King Chu Huai personally met him, and he looked at Qu Yuan carefully for a while, only to see that his face was withered, his body was thin, and he had lost his previous vigor.
He regretted his previous misunderstanding of Qu Yuan, and hoped that Qu Yuan could stay in Yingdu and serve the state of Chu again. I just hope that Qu Yuan can save some face for him, the king of the country, in the court, and stop openly contradicting it.
Qu Yuan saw that King Chu Huai was sincere in reluctantly agreeing.
Qu Yuan knew very well that the state of Chu was now in danger, and the national strength of the state of Qin had far surpassed that of the other six countries, if it was fought alone, it would not be able to compete with the state of Qin.
This time, King Chu Huai did not object again.
In 300 BC, Qu Yuan reformulated the foreign policy for the state of Chu, sued for peace with the state of Qi, and sent the crown prince Xiong Heng to the state of Qi as a hostage, in exchange for a brief peace.
For the next five years, the state of Chu was able to recuperate, and Qu Yuan also lived peacefully in the capital for five years, hoping to save the state of Chu from its weakened decline with his own efforts.
However, it was already too late. At this time, the Qin state was already so powerful that it was unscrupulous, and bullied other vassal states at will. In order to prevent Chu from forming an alliance with Qi again, Qin sent troops to attack Chu twice, killing 20,000 Chu troops and capturing eight cities.
Qin's move was to force Chu to break with Qi again.
In 299 BC, when Chu was defeated by Qin and was powerless, King Huai of Chu suddenly received a letter from King Qin, inviting him to come to Qin to negotiate a way for Qin and Chu to be friendly forever.
Qu Yuan believed that this was another trick of the Qin State, and the victor sued for peace, which had never been seen since ancient times, and he strongly opposed King Chu Huai to go to the Qin State.
However, Xiong Zilan thought that the Chu State really couldn't afford to offend the Qin State, if it weren't for the crown prince Xiong Heng killing the Qin State's doctor in a fit of anger, the Qin State would not have sent troops to attack the Chu State, and all this was the fault of the Chu State after all.
At this time, the favorite concubine Zheng Sleeve also went to the Qin State with King Chu Huai. Under the persuasion of the two, King Chu Huai made up his mind and went to Wuguan for talks.
King Chu Huai had made up his mind, and no matter how Qu Yuan persuaded him, it would be useless. In fact, King Chu Huai already knew that going to Wuguan this time was more auspicious and less auspicious, but as the monarch of Chu State, he repeatedly made mistakes in decision-making, he didn't want to see innocent people suffer again, and wanted to go to Wuguan to try his luck.
King Chu Huai boarded the horse under the gaze of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, and the convoy slowly left, Qu Yuan looked at the convoy in the distance, and his heart could not be calm for a long time, he thought, this time it was probably goodbye.
In fact, as Qu Yuan expected, King Chu Huai became a prisoner of Qin as soon as he arrived in Wuguan, although he was lustful and mediocre, but he was also a bloody monarch, no matter how the King of Qin persecuted, he was always unwilling to cede Wujun and Qianzhong County.
Three years later, King Chu Huai died of illness in the Qin state.
After the death of King Huai of Chu, the crown prince Xiong Heng succeeded to the throne, known as King Xiang of Chu in history, and after Xiong Heng ascended to the throne, he promoted his younger brother Xiong Zilan to the order of Chu State. The conflict between the powerful Xiong Zilan and Qu Yuan is becoming increasingly intense.
In 296 BC, under Xiong Zilan's slander, King Qingxiang of Chu became angry with Qu Yuan and exiled him again.
On the day he left Yingdu, Qu Yuan lost his soul, expelled the Qin army at the age of twenty, and was promoted by King Chu Huai at the age of twenty-two.
But now, the king of Chu Huai died in a foreign country, and now the king of Chu listened to the rumors and expelled him, why did the huge Chu country have no place for him, why was there a place for him everywhere, and where was there a pure land for him to live in.
Qu Yuan lamented his fate and lamented the fate of the Chu State, and left Yingdu step by step.
In 283 B.C., Qu Yuan was meditating on the shores of Dongting Lake when a boat floated in from afar, and a fisherman stood on board. The fisherman asked, "Aren't you Qu Yuan, the Sanlu doctor?" Why did it end up like this? ”
Qu Yuan replied lonely: "The world is turbid, I am alone, everyone is drunk, I am awake." ”
The fisherman asked, "It is often said that a saint is not confined to external objects, but can advance and retreat with the world. Why can't you drink wine with the rest of the world and follow the flow? Why be so different and suffer the fate of exile? ”
Qu Yuan said sadly: "I have heard that people who have just washed their hair will definitely dust off their hats, and those who have taken a bath will shake off the mud on their clothes. How can I let my white body be stained by this filthy thing, I would rather throw myself into the water of Hunan and bury myself in the belly of a fish than let the noble quality be covered with the dust of the world. ”
In 278 BC, the king of Qin ordered Bai Qi to be a general, led an army to attack the state of Chu, occupied the capital of the state of Chu, Yingdu, and destroyed the temples and mausoleums of the state of Chu.
On the fifth day of May this year, Qu Yuan freshened up and came to the Miluo River.
He looked in the direction of the Yingdu of Chu State, and sighed that the sky was high and the earth was wide, where was his home country. He looked back at the Miluo River, the surging river, the mighty soup, where can he stay.
Under the reflection of the setting sun, his weather-beaten cheeks looked particularly depressing, and his slightly trembling hands combed the sideburns that had already been frost-white, and chanted his eternal swan song.
The people's livelihood is wrong.
Concentrate on the ambition, what is there to fear?
I have been sad and mourned, and I will sigh forever.
The world is turbid, and the human heart is not bad.
You can't let you die, and you can't love it.
Tell the gentleman, I will think it is a kind of thing.
After reciting this poem "Nine Chapters of Huaisha", Qu Yuan hugged the stone and jumped into the Miluo River.
03
At last
Qu Yuan's life was not smooth enough, he was ambitious as a young man, but he was alienated by King Huai because of Geng's outspokenness; middle-aged people seeking the country, but being excluded because of the mediocrity of the king; In his later years, he was exiled, but he was unwilling to flee his homeland because of his loyalty to the country.
He once hoped that through his own efforts, he could make the state of Chu rich and powerful, but when all his dreams were shattered by the cruel reality, this poet who loved his country deeply ended his ill-fated life in a decisive way.
Some people say that fame and fortune are fleeting after all, and only a resolute soul can hold up an empty skin. Qu Yuan used his faith to hold up a piece of the sky for the Chu State.
It's a pity that he didn't meet a monarch who trusted him like Shang Ying and Zhang Yi. During the Warring States Period, all the vassal states were eager to seek talents, and they changed their laws to become strong.
The patriot Shang Ying once served the Wei State, and finally switched to the Qin State; Zhang Yi, a native of Wei, once wanted to serve the state of Chu, but was finally humiliated and defected to the state of Qin; Luoyang Su Qin did not take refuge in the Zhou royal family, and still wore the seal of the Six Kingdoms.
It can be seen that in that era, people in the world were more keen to realize their self-worth. If Qu Yuan can abandon the Chu State and switch to other countries, the future will definitely be bright. However, he always adhered to the word loyalty and wandered silently in Jiangnan.
Perhaps, only a purer soul can endure the misery of life; Because of the noble quality, it can shine through the ages. Qu Yuan has passed away forever, but he has integrated this noble feeling into the blood of the Chinese nation through words.
He said that in the face of difficulties and setbacks, the road is under our feet. The road is long, I will go up and down and seek, this is Qu Yuan's cry to the Chinese nation and even the world!