The legend of Fan Li in the Spring and Autumn Wuyue Struggle for Hegemony
China's history is vast and colorful, and the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period are one of the most wonderful and dazzling periods. A large number of outstanding thinkers, military experts, and politicians have emerged. Among those stars, one of them is the name of a person, which has always shone brightly in the galaxy of more than 2500 years of history.
He entered politics in the first half of his life, went in and out, assisted a dying country to become the hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period, but retreated in the most brilliant highlight moments, and was regarded as a model by later generations of officials.
In the second half of his life, he engaged in business, and became rich in the world three times, but he repeatedly scattered his family wealth and provided relief to the people, and was respected by the world as a "shang saint" and a god of literature and wealth.
Later generations praised it: "Loyalty to the country; wisdom to protect oneself; business to get rich, become famous in the world."
He was the number one hero who assisted Gou Jianxing to dominate in the Spring and Autumn Period- Fan Li.
The wine aroma is also afraid of the deep alley, and the choice of platform is very important
Fan Li was born in 536 BC in Wandi, Chu (present-day Nanyang, Henan), and died in 448 BC. He came from a very humble background, but he loved to learn from an early age, was familiar with various theories, was good at strategizing, and his talent in his youth could be described as learning from ancient and modern times.
However, at this time, the political stage of the Chu State was in charge, and Fan Li could only be empty and ambitious, depressed, which was undoubtedly a blow to Fan Li when he was young.
How do you build fame? Fan Li adopted the way of showing people in a "fanatical" manner, and the secular people did not understand him, calling Fan Li "crazy" and "crazy". In fact, Fan Yi's own momentum and hype were still successful, because he finally attracted the attention of the Wandi Governor Wenzhong.
Wen Zhong, also an extraordinary figure with a world in mind and erudition, although he was a local official of the Chu State, he was not valued by those in power, hoping to find a wise king to exert his talents and achieve a great cause.
Wen Chuan then asked his men to visit Fan Li. The man came back and told Wen That Fan Li had a madness and was a madman. Wen Zhong believes that it is very likely to be "wise as foolish", and people with unique talents are often ridiculed as arrogant and ignorant, and it is difficult for ordinary people to recognize his true face.
So Wen Zhong decided to visit in person. When they first met, Fan Li learned to bark in front of him, and he didn't care. When they met for the second time, Fan Li trimmed his clothes and appeared in front of Wen Zhan in the image of a gentleman.
The two talked all night long, the more they talked, the more speculative, and the common ambition made the two become friends.
Wu Zixu, who was in exile in the state of Wu, once wrote a letter inviting Wen Zi to go to the state of Wu. Fan Li believed that "hegemony was founded, not Wu is Yue", the Chu state is its homeland, and it is impossible to "lose the relatives of the homeland" in order to avenge the revenge of killing his father like Wu Zixu.
As a result, Fan Li and Wen Chuan left Chu and entered the Yue together, and were heavily used by The Yue King Yun chang and his successors.
At this time, Fan Li was flourishing. For the next thirty years, Wu Yue competed for hegemony, interpreting the wonderful repertoire of the last great power in the Spring and Autumn Period. Fan Yi is one of the general directors and protagonists of Yue Guo on this wonderful historical stage.
Three thousand Yue Jia can swallow Wu, and Wu Yue competes for hegemony
After arriving in the State of Yue, Fan Yi was first appointed as the Grand Master of the State of Yue, and then served as a general, holding the position of Xiang Guo, and engaged in politics and leadership for more than twenty years. He was "brave and good at strategizing" and made a decisive contribution to the once weak Vietnamese state winning the final victory of the Wu-Vietnam War for Hegemony. His strategy is mainly reflected in the choice of three key issues:
Survival or Destruction? Fan Li's strategy is to seek harmony and survive and turn the crisis into safety. The time ranges from the Battle of Fujiao in 494 BC to the release of Gou Jian by the State of Wu in 491 BC.
Ignoring Fan Li's advice, King Gou of Yue launched an attack on Wu In 494 BC. As a result, the Vietnamese army was defeated, and Gou Jian retreated again and again, and finally retreated to Huiji Mountain. The country of Vietnam is facing the disaster of national subjugation.
At the critical juncture of the country's life and death, Gou Jian hurriedly asked Fan Li for advice on how to deal with it.
Fan Li advocated summation of the graph. In order to achieve the purpose of peace, he did not hesitate to bear the burden of humiliation, sacrificed treasures and beautiful women, and handed over economic and political power, so that the Yue King hooked his wife and went to the State of Wu as hostages. In short, as long as the country is not destroyed, the Vietnamese country is willing to accept all conditions: to call the subjects hostage, slave people, anything.
This is a dangerous move for Fan Li to turn danger into safety. It is precisely based on his calm analysis of the situation: First, Wu Yue's strength is disparity, and if he fights again, he will die, and only by preserving his strength can he plan again; second, there are contradictions that can be used in the intention of Wu Guo's monarchs: Wu Wang Fuchai is anxious to go north to dominate the Central Plains, Wu Zixu advocates the first annihilation of the Yue kingdom, which is a problem in his heart, and Dazai Boyao is greedy for money and has a power struggle with Wu Zixu.
Gou Jian followed Fan Li's advice and sent Wen Zi to wu to seek peace. Wen Zhong bribed Bo Yao with beautiful women and generous gifts, and Bo Zhao interceded for Gou Jian in front of fu cha. Fu Almost did not accept Wu Zixu's suggestion and decided to retire from the army, and let go of the hook.
He took Fan Li and others to the State of Wu as hostages, lived a three-year slave life, endured humiliation and burdens, and finally gained the trust of his husband and returned to China smoothly.
Tao Guang or Iron Revenge? Fan Li's strategy is "ten years of life and gathering, ten years of lessons". The period is from 490 BC to 482 BC.
In 492 BC, he returned to the State of Yue, accepted Fan Li's suggestion, and decided to be led by Wen Zhong, led by Fan Li, with "rich countries and strong soldiers" as the goal of struggle, lying down to taste courage, and exerting great efforts to govern.
Politically, "the people who are close to the people and the people are righteous", respect the wise and generous, recruit talents, and unite the people's hearts. Economically, it rewards production, does not disturb the people's chaotic government, and encourages fertility. Militarily, the armament was expanded, the city was built, and the training was intensified, creating an army with high morale and strict discipline. Diplomatically, "qi, pro-Chu, and jin" made friends all over the world and won over allies of big powers, while doing enough superficial respect for Wu Guo, encouraging Wu Guofu to be arrogant and extravagant, encouraging him to go north to compete for hegemony, and relaxing his vigilance against Vietnam.
With the implementation of the measures of enriching the country and strengthening the army, Vietnam quickly restored its national strength. The vengeful Gou Jian immediately wanted to attack Wu Xueyi, but was stopped by Fan Li. Fan Li believes that the time, location, and personnel conditions are not mature.
Three years later, as the vietnamese state became more powerful, Gou Jian prepared to send troops to attack the state of Wu, but Fan Li once again stopped it: he believed that the surrounding countries had formed allies with the vietnamese country, and the flood had been eliminated, but the time and personnel were not yet the best opportunity.
Seven years later, Wu Zixu was sent to death by Wu Wangfu. Gou Jian once again proposed to cut Wu, but was still stopped by Fan Li. Fan Li believed that although after recuperation, the Vietnamese soldiers were strong and strong, and their morale was high; on the other hand, in the State of Wu, the talent withered, Wu Zixu was killed, and Sun Wu ran away, but his family foundation was still there. Although the Wu army has been marching west to the north for many years, the weakening of national strength has shown fatigue, and the vast number of people have gradually developed war-weariness, but there is still a lack of time.
Quick victory or protracted war? Fan Li's strategy is to fight and fight at the same time, and win by surprise. The period ranges from 482 BC to 473 BC
In 482 BC, the State of Wu and the State of Jin fought for hegemony, the main force went north to the Central Plains, the capital was empty, and the prince left a small number of old, weak, sick and disabled soldiers to guard. After waiting for fu to leave Gusu for several months, Fan Li promptly proposed a quick battle to Gou Jian: Now that the time, place, and personnel are all in place, hurry to grab the fighter plane and launch a surprise attack.
Therefore, the Vietnamese army divided into two routes, one was to enter the Huai River by sea, cutting off the return route of the Wu army to the south, and the other was to go north to lead the main force and go north to Gusu. After the two armies engaged each other, the vanguard of the Vietnamese army was first defeated to show weakness, and then pretended to retreat to lure the enemy, so that the Wu army rushed to attack, was surrounded and annihilated by the main force of the Vietnamese army, and it took only ten days to capture Gu Su, eliminate the Wu army defending the city, and capture Prince Wu.
Fu Cha heard the news and hurried back to the country after the end of the alliance of princes, and was forced to ask for peace from Gou Jian. Fan Li soberly helped Gou Jian analyze the strategic situation: Wu Guo's elite soldiers and good generals were all taken by Fu Cha,those who did not hurt yuan qi, and who fought hard would be injured. We should not rush to find an opportunity to strike a final blow to Wu Guo. So Wu Yue negotiated peace, and the Vietnamese army retreated.
In 476 BC, the state of Wu suffered an unprecedented drought, with empty warehouses, a shortage of grain, and boiling people's grievances. Gou Jian appointed Fan Yu as a general and led 50,000 Vietnamese troops into Wu Province.
Wu Wang Fuchai led an army of 60,000 to meet Kasazawa (in present-day Wujiang County, Jiangsu). The two armies confronted each other. The Vietnamese army divided into three routes and attacked by night. The Wu army was defeated. The Vietnamese army took advantage of the victory to pursue and directly attack Gu Su. Fan Yi adopted the tactic of encircling but not attacking, preserving strength and depleting the Wu army. In two years, the Yue state occupied most of the land of the Wu state, and Fu Cha only took more than 10,000 remnants of the defeated army and stubbornly held the isolated city of Gusu.
In 473 BC, Gou Jian adopted Fan Yi's advice and adopted the strategy of attacking the west from the east, and unexpectedly launched a general attack on the Wu army. In the face of the sudden attack of the Vietnamese army, Fu Cha panicked, took advantage of the night to break through, and finally retreated to Gu Su Mountain, and continuously sent people to the Yue army camp to seek peace.
At this critical moment, Gou Jian was really a little soft-hearted, ready to agree to fu cha's request for peace talks.
Fan Yi resolutely requested that Gou Jian take the opportunity to completely eliminate the State of Wu. He said: "When the heavens were about to destroy the Yue Kingdom, the State of Wu gave up, so there is today's retribution. Now that heaven is going to destroy the Kingdom of Wu, can the Kingdom of Yue go against the heavens?"
While Gou Jian was still hesitating, Fan Li immediately raised the drum to help Fu Yu and issued an order, forcibly drove away the envoys of the State of Wu, and commanded three thousand Vietnamese troops to attack Mount Gu Su, forcing Fu Cha to commit suicide in despair.
After more than thirty years of wu-yue hegemony, the Yue kingdom finally won a complete victory. King Gou of Yue took advantage of the victory to advance northward, allied with the princes of the Central Plains, replaced the hegemony of the State of Wu, and ran rampant in Jianghuai, dominating the Central Plains, and the country reached its peak stage.
When the torrent retreated bravely, the thousands of gold scattered and returned
When the Yue King's Gou Jian hegemony had been achieved and the whole country was celebrating the victory, Fan Yi suddenly resigned from the government when his political career reached its peak.
Gou Jian is both soft and hard: "Who do you rely on when you leave?" If you are willing to stay, I would rather give you half of the land; if you have to go, I will never be kind to your wife! ”
Fan Li was not moved, and said without humility: "The king does the order, the subject acts the will." "You give your orders, I do as I wish, let's do what we want."
Soon, Fan Li went north to the State of Qi along the coastal road and lived in seclusion under the pseudonym Yizipi. He led his family to farm by the sea while doing business, and because of the way of business, he quickly accumulated a huge amount of wealth. After making a fortune, Fan Yi often rescued the local people and became famous.
When the King of Qi heard of his deeds, he sent someone to prepare to invite him to serve as minister of state. Fan Li did not feel happy after he knew it, but instead sighed sadly: "Governing the family and managing money can have a wealth of thousands of dollars, and being an official has the position of Xiangguo to send to the door, these seemingly lucky things are some ominous signs for a cloth-clad people like me!" ”
Therefore, Fan Li resolutely returned Xiangyin, scattered all the family wealth to local villagers and friends, and once again chose to go into exile.
Fan Li finally came to Taodi to settle down, believing that the economic prosperity and frequent commercial exchanges here were important commercial channels. He played the way of economy, had a unique vision, attached importance to integrity, and managed well, and before long he became a rich man in the local rich and invincible country, and people respected him as Tao Zhugong.
Fan Li, who is well versed in the way of trade-offs, takes wealth very lightly, and whenever there is a natural disaster or man-made disaster in the local area, Fan Li has donated his family property many times, truly doing it for the rich and able to be kind, and many businessmen in the future generations have enshrined his statue, and the folk call him the god of wealth.
In his lifetime, Fan Li's governance achieved hegemony: politically, he had lofty goals, firm convictions, and military superiority, and could be called an outstanding pillar minister and a strategic master with outstanding vision. Governing the family and rich the world: Economically, he operates well, pays attention to integrity, and is respected as the ancestor of the business. Fan Li is not only good at seeking the country, but also good at seeking personal gain, knowing how to advance and retreat, rich but not proud, and not in love with property. Whether he is in politics or business, he can do the ultimate.
There are countless people who have achieved great things in history, but it is rare for people like Fan Li to start well and end well, to advance and retreat freely, and to have a satisfactory ending. Su Dongpo, a great scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, admired it very much: "Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the use of houses to advance and retreat has not been as complete as Fan Li's."
Isn't the trajectory of Fan Yi's life 2500 years ago exactly the dream of a perfect life pursued by people throughout the ages?
bibliography:
"Zuo Biao", "History", "Wu Yue Chunqiu", "Chinese Yue Language"
(The picture comes from the Internet, and the infringement must be deleted)