In 700 BC. Outside the south gate of Jiaoguo Capital (now northwest of Yunxian County, Hubei Province).

Hunting flags at the door, sparkling halberds, rolling helmets and bright armor layers. When the Chu army comes to attack and attack the trapped country, it is likely that dark clouds will crush the city and destroy it.

However, the city wall is tall and strong, and the city head is heavily guarded, so it can't be broken at the moment. Chu Wuwang was helpless, so he called the civilian military commanders to discuss the siege strategy.

An official named Qu Xian said to the king of Chu, "I heard that the king of the stranded country has always acted rashly, lacked strategy and failed to listen to advice." In my opinion, this kind of fighting can only be outwitted, and hard attack is forbidden. "The king of Chu was overjoyed when he learned of Qu's plan, so he ordered the soldiers to do it according to the plan.

The next day, at first light, some soldiers of the Chu army took off their uniforms and went to the mountain outside the north gate to cut wood. The defenders in the city can see clearly and report to the king.

The king of Chu ordered, "Send someone to catch the woodcutter of Chu at once."

A Qing rode out of the north gate with lightning, came to the foot of the mountain and captured 30 Chu people alive. On the third day, the king of Chu sent more woodcutters up the mountain to cut wood.

Qi Weiwang said: "This time, more soldiers will be sent to arrest me!" A counselor knelt down and advised, "Your Majesty, I don't think we should act rashly."

The king drank it and asked, "Why?"

The counselor said, "Yesterday we easily caught thirty Chu people. Today they sent a woodcutter, but they didn't send troops to protect them. Will these loggers be bait for the enemy? "

The king said angrily, "What bait is not bait! People always eat and cook with firewood. They don't go up the mountain to cut wood. Do they chop off their own feet for firewood? As for their failure to send troops for protection, it is their fault. The enemy is heavily armed at the south gate, so we pretend that we are still heavily armed at the south gate and transfer our troops out of the north gate. A woodcutter who suddenly attacked the mountain, let them see what we can do! "

The counselor wanted to say something, but the king waved him off and sent the flag to adjust the troops.

The defenders rushed out of the north gate and galloped down the hill. Suddenly, they heard the sound of golden drums and the sound of killing everywhere. The ambush in the mountain forest swarmed in, and a fierce battle scared the birds in the air, and the wolves ran wildly on the mountain. The ground troops struggled to break through in heavy encirclement and fell in a pool of blood one by one in a shout of killing.

After the soldiers of Chu were defeated by the garrison, Enemy at the Gates was attacked on both sides, and the garrison king had to sign a surrender treaty.

Guan Zhongzhi crossed the Valley of the Devil May Cry.

Guan zhong (? -645 years ago) After he became the prime minister of Qi, he carried out a series of effective measures, which made Qi increasingly strong. Qi Huangong, the monarch of Qi State, was elected as the leader by the governors. However, the Shanrong people in the north of Qi sent troops to attack Yan State, which was allied with Qi State, in an attempt to weaken Qi State. The monarch of Yan led 20,000 soldiers to war, but in a place called Devil May Cry Valley, he was ambushed by Milu, the leader of Shanrong tribe, and only escaped more than 1,000 people. Then, Shanrong pulled out three cities, and Yan sent messengers to Qi for help. So, he led an army of 50 thousand to the state of Yan.

The monarch of an uncertain country also sent a general, Hu, to lead 2000 soldiers to help the war. Hu, appointed by Guan Zhong as the vanguard general, successively recovered the three cities lost by Yan State. But when I arrived at a place called Ligang, I was afraid to move forward. He said to Qi Huangong and Guan Zhong, "There is the Valley of the Devil May Cry ahead. If Shan Rong sets an ambush, we won't get there at all. Twenty thousand troops of Yan were buried here! " Guan Zhong had already planned his way to the Valley of the Devil May Cry. He said to nonsense, "Since the general is worried, you should follow at the end of the army." As he spoke, Guan Zhong took out his token: "Father Wang Zicheng, commander in chief Zhao Chuan! You two go to the former army and act according to the token, get ready and cross the Valley of the Devil May Cry tomorrow morning! "

Wang Zicheng's father and Zhao Chuan took the token and drove away.

At first light the next day, the chariot drove to the Valley of the Devil May Cry. I saw the horse's mouth caught in the net; The wheels of the chariot are tied with hemp skin, and the sound is very small; The soldiers standing on the chariot are dressed in armor and holding horses, which is particularly tall; Qi's flag made a "crash" sound under the blowing of the wind.

At this time, Milu, the leader of Shanrong Command Branch, appeared at the top of the Valley of the Devil May Cry with a small yellow flag. When he saw the Qi army enter his ambush ring, he waved a small yellow flag and shouted, "Fight!" " Suddenly, arrows, stones and wood fell together, some hit the soldiers of the Qi army, some smashed the chariots to pieces, and some interrupted the flag of Qi.

Milu waved a mace and rushed down the hill with his troops. Milu rushed to a general who was still standing motionless in the chariot with several arrows in his body, raised his mace and gave the general a heavy blow on the head. Bang, Qi Qiang's helmet was knocked off. Looking closely, it turns out that the helmet is a stump covered with armor. Milu was shocked when she learned about the new recruits.

At this moment, the drums are loud. As soon as the milu deer heard the sound, he saw Wang Zicheng's father and Zhao Chuan, a warrior of Qi, coming straight towards him. Milu shouted and greeted him with a mace. He saw a tall man standing on a chariot in the distance, watching the two armies fighting, and concluded that it was Guan Zhong, the prime minister of Qi, and went straight to that man. No one can resist the attack. In an instant, Milu had killed Guan Zhong. Just then, dozens of arrows were shot from behind the chariot. Milu fell to the ground screaming. One of his generals rushed into the tight encirclement, snatched the injured elk back and fled to another tribe in the mountain glory of Guzhu country.

In this way, Guan Zhongzhi crossed the Valley of the Devil May Cry and solved the siege of Yan State.

Guan zhongchu's plan to buy deer

Guan Zhong managed the State of Qi very well, conquered many separatist vassal states, and helped Qi Huangong dominate the Central Plains. However, Chu did not obey the orders of Qi, and if Qi did not conquer Chu, China would still not be unified.

So, how to conquer Chu?

At that time, several generals in the State of Qi wrote to Qi Huangong, demanding that they lead heavy troops to fight against Chu and deter Chu by force. However, the Prime Minister Guan Zhong shook his head again and again, saying, "Qi and Chu are at war, and it is evenly matched, which is enough for the first world war. First, we must use up the hard-earned grain and grass, and then the lives of thousands of people will become bones. "

The words left the generals speechless.

After Guan Zhong finished, he took the generals to see copper smelting. They don't know what tricks Guan Zhong has to conquer Chu.

One day, Guan Zhong sent more than 65,438+000 businessmen to the State of Chu to buy deer. Deer were rare animals at that time, and only Chu existed. But people only regard deer as ordinary food animals, and two copper coins can buy one. Businessmen sent by Guan Zhong threatened everywhere in Chu: "Qi Huangong is a good deer, and he will spare no expense."

Seeing that it was profitable, Chu merchants stepped up their acquisition of deer. At first, they bought three coppers, but ten days later, the price rose to five coppers.

King Chu Cheng and the ministers of Chu were very excited when they heard about it. They think that the prosperous Qi State will suffer, because in 10, the avant-garde adopted the good crane to kill the country, and the good deer in Qi Huangong also made the same mistake. They ate and drank in the palace, waiting for Qi to weaken and sit in the world.

Guan Zhong raised the deer price to 40 copper coins.

The Chu people saw that the price of a deer was the same as that of several thousand kilograms of grain, so they put down their farm tools, made hunting gear and went to the mountains to catch deer. Even the officers and men of Chu stopped training, changed their weapons into hunting gear and sneaked up the mountain. One year, there was a famine in Chu, but copper coins piled up into mountains.

Chu people want to buy food with copper coins, but there is nowhere to buy it. Guan Zhong decreed that the vassal states were prohibited from buying and selling grain with Chu.

As a result, Huang Ma, a soldier of Chu, lost his fighting capacity. Guan Zhong saw that the time had come, that is, he assembled an army of eight-route governors, and marched on Chu, which was likely to be swept away. Chucheng was trapped by internal affairs and diplomacy and was helpless. He sent ministers to make peace, agreed not to separate one side, not to bully small countries, and promised to accept Qi's orders.

Guan Zhong subdued the powerful Chu State without moving a knife or killing a person.

Chu Zhuangwang's death plan.

In 606 BC, the sensational Chu Zhuangwang (? -59 1 years ago) once wiped out the rebels, returned to Du Ying and held a celebration banquet. This banquet is called "Taiping Banquet". The monarch and his subjects are in high spirits. They have been drinking from morning till night, but they haven't enjoyed themselves yet.

At this time, it was already dark, and there was a strong wind outside, as if it was going to rain, but the candles in the hall were brightly lit and danced lightly. Suddenly, a stunning beauty came out of the dancer: she was wearing a white lotus root silk skirt and a purple silk dress. Full of pearls, shaking countless treasures; Fragrant and fragrant everywhere, delicate and charming flowers, golden plumes. The face is like a peach blossom in March, the waist is like a spring willow, and the endless gesture is romantic and graceful.

This beautiful woman is Zhuang Wang's favorite Ji Xu. At the moment, King Zhuang ordered her to pour wine for the ministers. She is as light as a swallow, flying from east to west for a while. The ministers were fascinated by it one by one, and the crazy noise was all gone at once.

Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed into the hall and blew out all the candles. Ji Xu was pouring wine for a person. This person grabbed Ji Xu's sleeve while it was dark and squeezed her hand. It's not good either. I stole the tassel from the man's hat and quickly came to the money to tell it gently, asking for a candle to see who dared to molest her.

It is undoubtedly a shame to tease the king's favorite concubine. This is a serious violation of the law! But Zhuang Wang thought about it, but shouted, "Don't light candles! I want to have a good drink with you today. There is no need to dress so neatly. Everybody take off your hats! "

When the inexplicable civil and military officials took off their hats, King Zhuang had a candle lit. In this way, Wang Zhuang and Ji Xu don't know who is pulling their sleeves.

After the banquet, Ji Xu blamed Zhuang Wang.

Zhuang Wang smiled and said, "Today, I invited civil and military officials to have a toast. Everyone is very happy and almost drunk. What's strange about this? " If I find out that person and show your chastity as you said, but let the ministers break up in discord, I will say that my mind and measurement are too small, then who will serve me to death? "

Ji Xu listened and appreciated it very much.

Later, Chu and Zheng fought, and Tang Qiao, the assistant of the former head coach, volunteered to lead more than 100 people as pioneers to open the way for the army. He was invincible and invincible, which made the Chu army smooth sailing. Don should be rewarded for his cunning. Tang Qiao blushed and said, "Your Majesty, don't reward me heavily. As long as you don't cure me of my sin, I will be grateful in the end! "

King Zhuang asked, "Why?"

Tang cunningly kowtowed and said, "I was the one who went to Latin America last time! Thanks to your majesty's kindness in not killing in those days, I will lay down my life to repay you today! "

Wang Daxi of Zhuang rewarded him.

Restore the old.

Chu Zhuangwang sat high on the throne and received congratulations from a group of civil and military ministers. Sweet music and cheerful dance are dedicated to him. Chu Zhuangwang is drunk.

A few days ago, civil strife broke out in his ally Chen Guo, and Chen Linggong was killed by Minister Xia Zhengshu. Several ministers of Chen fled to Chu, please calm down the civil strife for Chen. Under the banner of upholding justice, Chu Zhuangwang led an army to destroy Chen State and changed Chen State into a county of Chu State. Ah, Chu, the powerful territory of Chu has expanded again. Chu Zhuangwang thought proudly, and suddenly an unpleasant thought came to his mind: the monarchs of the southern vassal states and the leaders of many small tribes came to congratulate him, and domestic ministers also came to congratulate him. Why didn't the doctor visit Uncle Shen alone?

I was thinking about Uncle Shen. He's here. It turned out that he had just returned from the mission to Qi.

Shen duly reported what he saw and heard after he went to Qi. Chu Zhuangwang thought, next, you should say something to congratulate him, right? Who knows that Shen Shu didn't mention a word. He was furious and said, "Chen Xia killed Zheng Shu, and it was a terrible crime. None of the governors of the Central Plains dared to ask. Only I upheld justice, killed Xia Zhengshu and added a lot of land to our country. Which minister and which country will not congratulate? But you didn't say a word. Did I do something wrong? "

Uncle Shen bowed in awe and said, "No, no, I'm thinking of a case that I can't solve, so I won't talk about anything else."

Chu Zhuangwang asked curiously, "What case?"

Shen Shu said, "The thing is this: a man is leading a cow through someone else's field. Who knows that cow trampled someone else's crops. The owner of the field flew into a rage, so he died and took the cow. The owner of the cow refused to pay back the money. Excuse me, Your Majesty, how should this case be tried? "

Chu Zhuangwang said, "I said we should return the cow to others."

"Why?"

"Holding a cow to step on somebody else's crops is certainly not good. However, is it too much to rob other people's cattle for this? " At this point, Chu Zhuangwang suddenly realized a truth. He stared at Shen Shushi for a long time, and then said, "Well, you are beating around the bush about me. Ok, I will return the cow to others. "

Then, Chu Zhuangwang restored Chen Guo, and Chen Chenggong, the new monarch of Chen Guo, returned to Chen Guo from the State of Jin. He was so grateful to Chu Zhuangwang that he joined the State of Chu. The rulers of the Central Plains also admired Chu Zhuangwang's moral spirit.

Chu Zhuangwang recommended talents.

Chu Zhuangwang has a lovely princess named Fan Ji. She is not only beautiful, but also smart, and often has excellent opinions on state affairs. Therefore, Chu Zhuangwang regards her as a pearl and cherishes her very much.

One day, Chu Zhuangwang returned to the palace from the imperial court. Fan Ji saw him frowning and asked with concern, "Your Majesty, what's so unhappy today? Why is it so late? "

Chu Zhuangwang said: "Now the country is in troubled times, and government affairs emerge one after another. I am discussing it with Xianxiang in detail. "

Fan Ji asked again, "Who is Xian Xiang?"

Chu Zhuangwang said: "Qiu Yuzi."

Fan Ji said with a smile, "The moon is fine, but it needs the protection of the stars. Although Qiu Yu is very virtuous, she is alone, and she is old. I don't think he is a great sage! "

Chu Zhuangwang was surprised and asked, "What is the Great Sage in my opinion?"

Fan Ji smiled and said, "Within ten steps, there will be grass. Chu is a vast country, spanning two lakes, with outstanding people and outstanding spirits. Can't Qiu Yu recommend some talents to the king to help him manage politics? "

When I went to court the next day, Chu Zhuangwang told Qiu Yu what Fan Ji said. Son Qiu Yu listened to a full face of shame, and immediately recommended Sun Shuai to go to Chu Zhuangwang as Zaifu, and resigned himself.

Soon after Sun Shuai took office, he encountered a thorny case: someone in Qiu Yu's family violated the national laws and deserved to be severely punished, but the case-handling officials dared not make a judgment considering that Qiu Yu was an old minister who made meritorious service to the country.

Sun Shuai listened to the report of his subordinates, pondered for a moment, and said solemnly, "The prince is guilty of the same crime as the common people. If you dare not punish those who break the law because you are old and have made contributions to the country, what's the use of this law? How to govern such a big country? "

After that, he ordered Qiu Yu's family to be arrested and brought to justice, and the dereliction of duty officials were investigated as usual.

When the people of Chu heard this, they all stood in awe. The situation of clear rewards and punishments and clear politics soon appeared throughout the country.

Chu Zhuangwang called for a son in a hurry and thanked him, saying, "You recommended this talented person. You should record your first contribution in the credit book! "

Qiu Yu knelt down in fear and thanked him: "Your Majesty, Sun Shuai has always been a capable person who is selfless, fearless of power and strictly abides by the law. It is my fault that I didn't recommend it in time in the past! "

Chu Zhuangwang quickly calm way, "don't be modest. Didn't your old sage recommend the new sage in the end? "

Qiu Yuer said quickly, "Your Majesty, it is not me who really recommends talents, but Mrs. Fan Ji."

Chu Zhuangwang suddenly smiled: "Yes! How could I forget this considerate and virtuous lady! "

The invention of Luban's wife

After Lu Ban invented the saw, he also invented the planer, compared with cutting wood with a knife and axe before. Not only saves energy, but also improves quality. Lu Ban was ecstatic and intoxicated with his invention.

But when Lu Ban planed the wood with a plane, the wood moved, which was inconvenient, so he let his wife marble stand against the wood. Clouds are often bruised by wood, and their hands are black and blue.

Yun said to Lu Ban, "Since you invented the plane, why don't you think of a way to plane wood without people's heads?"

Lu Ban shook his head and said, "It's not easy for me to make this plane. What else do you want from me? "

Marble decided to do something for herself.

Since then, she has been thinking about it every day. Eating is not fragrant, drinking tea is tasteless. One day, she bent her head outside and thought hard, when she suddenly heard Lu Ban calling her to the wooden roof indoors. She was in a hurry and tripped over something. She stumbled and almost fell. Looking back, it turned out that his naughty son had inserted a wooden nail in the ground and was about to get angry. Suddenly, he realized: since wooden nails stuck in the ground will trip people, can't they be nailed to the bench to block the wood?

She rushed into the room and told her husband the idea. When Lu Ban heard the truth, he did it, and it really worked.

Lu Ban said with emotion: "There is no end to invention and creation in the world, and we should never be complacent!"

Later, carpenters called this pin invented by Yunjia "Ban Wife" as a souvenir.

Luban's wife's brilliant idea

On one occasion, Lu Ban led craftsmen to build a luxurious hall for a rich and powerful family. Under Luban's dictation and finger painting, the craftsmen performed their duties and cooperated with each other, and the project progressed very rapidly.

When he was approaching the post and building the roof, Lu Ban suddenly shouted, "Oh, no!" "

The craftsmen were puzzled and asked, "Master, what's the matter?"

Lv Banglian shouted "I'm sorry" several times, pointing to the valuable camphor wood piled up in the yard and saying, "I was negligent and cut all these wooden pillars short. What should I do? "

The craftsmen are all pale: this batch of camphor wood is extremely expensive, and it is difficult to compensate even if everyone loses everything; Even if you can afford it, it will certainly delay the completion date of the hall if you go to handle another batch of goods. And the host is waiting for his birthday in the new hall to entertain the dignitaries in the court. It is no joke to delay this matter. Maybe Luban will go to court. ...

Luban was too anxious to eat and sleep well. The wife found her husband frowning all day and asked why. She poked her husband's forehead with her slender fingers and said with a smile, "Thank you for your authority as a craftsman! Even this simple problem can't be solved. "

Lu Ban pleaded, "Just give me a hand!"

The wife gave him a white look and smiled, "Do you think I am tall?"

Lu Ban said: "Not high, not high, only to my shoulder."

The wife asked again, "Then why am I almost like you now?"

Lu Ban suddenly realized, "Ah, you have wooden slippers at the bottom of your boots and hosta and pearl flowers on your head. Ah! Have it, have it! " Inspired by his wife, Lu Ban put a round beryl at the foot of each column, and the upper end of the column was inlaid with carved flower baskets and bird's head stigmas, thus solving the problem.

The magnificent hall was completed as scheduled.

Xiang Tuo is wise to Confucius.

One day, Confucius traveled around the world in a carriage. When I came to a place, I saw a child sitting in a "city" surrounded by mud. Confucius said, "Why not avoid the carriage when you see it?"

The child blinked and replied, "I said that you, Mr. Kong, know astronomy above, geography below and human feelings below."

However, I haven't seen much of you today. Because from ancient times to now, I only heard that cars avoid the city. How do cities avoid cars? "

Confucius paused and asked, "What's your name?"

The child replied, "My name is Xiang Tuo."

To save face, Confucius asked Xiang Tuo a series of questions: "Your mouth is fierce. I want to test you-why are there no stones on the mountain? " What water has no fish? What door has no latch? What car has no wheels? What cows don't calve? What horse doesn't have a foal? What knife has no ring? What fire has no smoke? What man has no wife? What woman has no husband? Which day is too short? Which day is too long? What tree has no branches? Which city has no officials? Who doesn't have an alias? "After the question, Confucius stared at Xiang Tuo and smiled.

Xiang Tuo thought for a moment and said, "Listen-there are no stones in the mud mountain, no fish in the well water, no latch on the door, no wheels on the sedan chair carried by people, no calves on the mud cow, no foals on the wooden horse, no rings on the machete, no cigarettes on fireflies, no wives for fairies, short days in winter, long days in summer, no branches on dead trees and no officials in empty cities.

Confucius was stunned. The child was incredibly clever!

Xiang Tuo didn't want Confucius to think much at this moment, so he asked him, "Now it's my turn to test you-why can geese and ducks float on the water?" Why do geese and cranes sing well? Why are pines and cypresses evergreen in winter and summer? "

Confucius replied: "geese and ducks can float on the water because their feet are square;" Hongyan and crane are good at singing because of their long necks. The reason why pines and cypresses are evergreen in winter and summer is because their tree hearts are solid. " "no!" Xiang Tuo said loudly, "Do turtles float on the water because of their feet? Frogs are good at singing. Is it because their necks are long? Hu Zhu is evergreen in winter and summer. Is it because their stems are solid? "

Confucius thought the boy was too learned to argue with him himself, so he had to bow down and say, "The afterlife is terrible!" " Driving around.

Le Yangzi's wife's quip

Le Yangzi in the Warring States Period was very happy when he found a piece of gold on the road one day. When he got home, he gave it to his wife at once.

Who knows, his wife glared at him and said, "ambitious people don't drink water from stealing springs, and honest people don't get pity from others and give contemptuous alms." And you are so happy to find the gold lost by others on the road. I don't think this greedy behavior is noble! "

Le Yangzi was ashamed and immediately threw the gold into the wild. Later, with the encouragement of his wife, he went far away to study.

A year later, Le Yangzi went home.

The wife who is weaving asks, "Have you learned a lot?"

Le Yangzi said, "No, I have been studying abroad for a long time, and I miss you and my mother very much."

The wife was very angry and immediately picked up a pair of scissors and cut off the unfinished silk. Then she said, "You know what? This kind of silk is woven from silk on a loom. Although a thread is very thin, as long as it is continuously woven, it can be woven into one inch, one inch to one foot, one foot to one foot, and one foot to one horse. Now, you study abroad, learn some new knowledge every day, and gradually cultivate good moral character. If you give up halfway, what is the difference with cutting silk? "

Le Yangzi was inspired by these simple and vivid words and went out to study. He hasn't been home for seven years.

In these seven years, Le Yangzi's wife worked hard to support her mother-in-law from morning till night, but the cloth she knitted was just a meager meal, barely making ends meet.

One day, someone else's chicken entered her garden by mistake. Because my mother-in-law hasn't eaten meat for a long time, she killed and cooked the chicken without saying anything. When the daughter-in-law knew that the chicken belonged to someone else, she began to cry and didn't eat a bite.

My mother-in-law asked strangely, "It's rare to have chicken to eat. Why are you crying? "

Daughter-in-law doesn't blame her mother-in-law for being greedy for small profits. Instead, she blamed herself: "The daughter-in-law is unfilial, and the delicious food can't make a lot of money, which has caused our family to have foreign chickens."

My mother-in-law was ashamed to hear that, so she threw away the chicken and stopped eating it. I will never take advantage of others again.

Seven years later, Le Yangzi went home. At this time, he has become a noble, knowledgeable and resourceful person. In 408 BC, he was worshipped as a general by Wei Wenhou, who conquered Zhongshan State (in ancient times, located in Dingxian County, Hebei Province) in one fell swoop.