Zhang Yi, who successfully dismantled the Six Kingdoms Alliance and helped the Qin state realize its foreign policy of Lianheng, was called "a dangerous man" by Ma Qian of the Taishi company; Zhang Yi's lobbying and sophistry were also called "deceitful people" by Yang Xiong of the Western Han Dynasty in the book "Fa Yan".
So why is Zhang Yi evaluated as a false and deceitful person? Let's find out from the "Biography of Zhang Yilie" and the "Zizhi Tongjian".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="20" > Xiangwei thought it was Qin</h1>
The incident occurred in the seventh year of Zhang Yi's tenure as Minister of State of Qin, when King Hui of Qin sent Zhang Yi to talk with the ministers of Qi and Chu at The Qi and Chu provinces. After returning to the Qin state after the meeting, Zhang Yi was dismissed from the post of minister of state by King Hui, and Zhang Yi, who was dismissed, immediately went to the state of Wei. The King of Wei knew of Zhang Yi's talents and appointed Zhang Yi as The Minister of State of Wei. This was obviously a play between King Hui of Qin and Zhang Yi, because Zhang Yi's purpose in coming to the State of Wei was to disintegrate the Alliance of the Six Kingdoms, starting with persuading The Marquis of Wei to serve the State of Qin, so that other princely states could emulate the State of Wei. It is recorded in the "Chronicle of History and Zhang Yilie" that "Xiang Wei thought that Qin wanted to make Wei do things for Qin before Qin and the princes to follow suit." ”
However, Wei Xianghou did not accept Zhang Yi's persuasion, which angered the King of Qin, so he sent an army to conquer the Wei state of Quwo and Pingzhou, and privately gave Zhang Yi a lot of benefits. In order to repay the King of Qin, Zhang Yi served as the minister of state in the State of Wei for four years, and survived until the death of Marquis Xiang of Wei and the succession of the King of Wei. Unfortunately, king Wei Ai did not heed Zhang Yi's persuasion. At this point, Zhang Yi could not sit still, and secretly sent someone to let the Qin state attack the State of Wei. The State of Wei and the State of Qin fought and failed. The following year, the State of Wei was again defeated by the State of Qi at Guanjin. The State of Qin wanted to take the opportunity to attack the State of Wei, and Zhang Yi again lobbied the King of Wei at this time, soft and hard, and persuaded the King of Wei to serve the State of Qin.
Fragmented terrain
Zhang Yi first analyzed the geographical situation of the State of Wei to the King of Wei, calling it "fragmented". First of all, there were few soldiers in the Wei state land, the national land spanned less than a thousand miles, and the number of soldiers was only 300,000. It borders the Chu state to the south, Korea to the west, Zhao guo to the north, and the qi state to the east, just like the center of the axle, the terrain is flat, there is no dangerous mountain and river barrier, and the number of soldiers stationed in the border plug has exceeded 100,000, which is simply a natural battlefield.
The drawbacks of the Alliance
Immediately afterward, Zhang Yi raised the drawbacks of the Alliance to the King of Wei. Zhang Yi persuaded those who advocated the alliance of the united and the vertical to advocate the purpose of the alliance to unite the countries as one, realize the power of brotherhood and brotherhood, and restrain the princes from keeping the covenant. However, looking at the present world, even the brothers and sisters are all fighting for money, not to mention that the princes are ghostly and Su Qin is hypocritical and deceitful and capricious, and the alliance is doomed to failure. If the king did not serve the State of Qin as soon as possible, once the Qin army hijacked the State of Wei and captured Yang jin, it would be difficult for the State of Zhao to go south, and the State of Wei could not go north, then the road of cooperation between the State of Zhao and the State of Wei would be cut off. If Korea succumbed to fear of the Qin state, and Qin and Han merged into an alliance, causing the Wei state to be isolated and helpless, it would not be far from the fall of the country.
The strategy of blaming an annunciation
Finally, Zhang Yi said that the only thing that the State of Qin wanted to weaken was the State of Chu, and if the State of Wei returned to the State of Qin, the two countries would join forces to attack the State of Chu. In this way, by slaughtering the land from the Chu state and compensating the loss of the Wei state, it is possible to transfer the scourge of the war to the Chu state, and at the same time to make one's own country peaceful, "cutting chu and benefiting Liang, losing Chu and adapting to Qin, marrying the calamity of the country, this good deed is also." (The Biography of Zhang Yilie)
This time, the King of Wei listened to Zhang Yi's persuasion, reneged on the covenant of unity and reliance on Zhang Yi to request reconciliation with the Qin state. In this way, Zhang Yi naturally returned to the Qin State and re-served as the Minister of State of the Qin State.
I have to say that Qin Huiwang and Zhang Yi acted in a good play. Cracks slowly appeared in the Hezhong Alliance, laying the foundation for Zhang Yi's conspiracy. However, Zhang Yi's hypocritical fraud is not only reflected in this.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="33" > six hundred miles to six miles, and the Chu state knocked out teeth and swallowed blood</h1>
The state of Qin wanted to attack the state of Qi, but fearing the alliance between Qi and Chu, he sent Zhang Yi to the state of Chu to lobby The King of Chu. When King Huai of Chu heard that Zhang Yi had come, he took him as a guest and asked Zhang Yi for advice, and Zhang Yi took advantage of this to seduce King Huai of Chu.
Zhang Yi said: "If the great king really follows my advice, then break off diplomatic relations with the state of Qi, and I ask the king of Qin to offer you a land of six hundred miles in the area, so that the women of the state of Qin will serve the king as concubines, and the two countries of Qin and Chu will always be brotherly countries and jointly weaken the state of Qi in the north." "King Huai of Chu was very happy after hearing this, and felt that he had gained six hundred miles of land without a single soldier.
The ministers of the State of Chu were also short-sighted, and they came to congratulate the King of Chu one after another, and only Chen Yi was wounded. ("The King of Chu said and promised it.") All the courtiers congratulated, and Chen Yi hung alone. Chen Yi analyzed that the current State of Qin attaches importance to the State of Chu because of the alliance between the State of Chu and the State of Qi; if the State of Chu and the State of Qi break off diplomatic relations, then the isolated and helpless State of Chu will no longer pose a threat to the State of Qin, will it still fulfill the promise of six hundred miles? Moreover, Zhang Yi's return to the Qin State would definitely renege on his promise to the State of Chu, so that the northern part of the State of Chu and the State of Qi would cut off contact, and they would face the threat of the State of Qin in the west, and the armies of the two countries would inevitably attack the State of Chu together. It is better to superficially cut off contact with the State of Qi and secretly remain united with the State of Qi and send people to follow Zhang Yi back to Qin. It is not too late to wait until the State of Qin has given us land and then break off diplomatic relations with the State of Qi.
However, King Huai of Chu had already been blinded by the interests of the six hundred miles, and did not accept Chen Yi's advice at all, but instead made Chen Yi close his mouth and forbid him to speak. As a result, King Huai of Chu gave Xiangyin to Zhang Yi, gave him a large amount of money, sent a general to follow Zhang Yi back to Qin to receive the land, and severed relations with the State of Qi and abrogated the covenant.
Zhang Yi returned to the Qin kingdom, pretended to fall from the carriage and was injured, and did not go to the court for three months. When King Huai of Chu heard about this, he believed that Zhang Yi did not go to the court because his severance of diplomatic relations with the State of Qi was not complete, so he sent a warrior to the State of Qi to insult the King of Qi. The King of Qi was scolded and angry, and after cutting off the Hezhong Rune Festival, he had to curry favor with the Qin state and make friends with Qin.
After Zhang Yi learned that Qin and Qi had established diplomatic relations, he said to the emissaries of the Chu State: "You can now go and receive the Six Mile Land given by the King of Qin and dedicate it to the King of Chu." "When the messenger returned to the queen of Chu, the king of Chu was furious, and Zhang Yi's thief dared to deceive the king and not talk about martial virtue. He was going to send troops to attack the State of Qin. At this time, it was Chen Yi who came out again to advise, believing that the current dispatch of troops was precisely to promote the alliance between the Qin state and the State of Qi, and it would certainly lead to a joint attack by the two countries; it would be better to cut off the land and bribe the Qin state, ally with the Qin state to attack the state of Qi, and compete for land from the state of Qi, so that the state of Chu could survive.
However, the anger of the King of Chu made him lose his mind and insisted on sending troops to attack the Qin state. As a result, the State of Qin and the State of Qi did unite to counterattack the State of Chu, and the State of Chu was defeated, not only losing more than 80,000 soldiers and generals, but also ceding the city to make peace with the State of Qin. The king of Chu Huai was lured by the interests, and he lost his mind because of his anger, lost his land and folded his troops.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="24" > historical evaluation</h1>
Although Zhang Yi was for the benefit of the Qin state, his fraudulent methods were really frightening and disgusting. No wonder Sima Qian, in his "Biography of Zhang Yilie", commented that Su Qin and Zhang Yi were sophistry and treacherous people: "These two are really dangerous people! The Zizhi Tongjian also writes about Mencius's evaluation of people like Zhang Yi. Mencius did not think that Zhang Yi could be called a great husband, and that Zhang Yi was not upright in his conduct, let alone the right way of the world; "To be ambitious is to be with the people, and if you are not willing, you cannot go your own way, the rich and the noble cannot be adulterous, the poor cannot be moved, and the mighty cannot be cursed, which is called a big husband." ”
Living in modern society, we face more complicated and diverse temptations, we must be more cautious in words and deeds, can not do whatever it takes to achieve the goal, and be a big husband.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="44" > previous article recommendations</h1>