This article is taken from Yi Zhongtian's History of China. Some people question that the name of Gou Jian, the King of Yue, is a household name in China. The story of his "hard work" is often passed down from mouth to mouth as an inspirational case. However, this is suspicious. Not only is it not recorded in Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu, but even Sima Qian only said that he tasted courage and didn't say that he received a salary. What is the real Gou Jian in history? What lessons can we learn from Wu's failure? How complex and changeable is human nature? Please read the story of "Gou Jian destroyed Wu": Wu died in 22 years (473 BC). The man who destroyed Wu was Gou Jian, the king of Yue. The monarch of national subjugation is Fu Cha, the prince of Wu (it seems to be torn to pieces). This is the instant fall and complete demise of a hegemonic country. In fact, at this time, the Spring and Autumn Period has ended, leaving only the lingering sound. Wu can's death is described as the autumn of the last days and the beginning of troubled times. What kind of feeling will history give us? Tragic and desolate. In wuyue's feud "Xunzi Wang Ba", the statements about the five tyrants are: Qi Huangong, Jin Wengong, Chu Zhuangwang, King Wu Helu and King Gou Jian of Yue. Wu was one of the most powerful vassal states in the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, with the border between southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang, with Taihu Lake basin as the core. It reached its peak in Harmony and Fucha. Fuxi will not be defeated, and Wu will not die, because Yue is no match for him. Yes, although Gou Jian, the King of Yue, defeated Wu Jun in the battle of Li Xiu (now Jiaxing, Zhejiang) in the 14th year of Lu (496 BC), the defeated people of Wu were not discouraged. Fu Cha, who took the sword from his father He Lv, even ordered his men to stand in the yard. As long as they go in and out by themselves, they shout: focha, did you forget to kill your father? Focha must have replied in awe: no! At this time, Fuxi was resolute, resolute, hardworking and progressive. How could he die? Arrogant and indulgent, willful and ambitious. Wu Wang Fu Tea is a bronze ware containing water in the late Spring and Autumn Period in Shanghai Museum. The water overflowed when it was full. As a matter of fact, Focha once fulfilled his promise. In A.D. (494 BC), Fu Cha, the king of Wu, defeated Yu Fujiao (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang) and arrived at the gate of Huiji, the capital of Yue. Gou Jian, the King of Yue, retreated to Kuaiji Mountain with 5,000 soldiers, almost effortlessly. At this time, as long as Fu Cha makes persistent efforts, it is Yue, not Wu, who perishes. However, Focha chose to let go. He boasted to Wu Zixu, "Oh, if the state of Yue is destroyed, we will hold military exercises in the future. Who will the audience be? " ? This is arrogance. The result of arrogance must be self-expansion. In Fu Cha's view, after defeating the state of Yue, the state of Wu is, of course, "Lao Zi is the best in the world". If you want to dominate, you have to run to the north and make the summer in the Central Plains obedient. Xiao Bangyue is just a cold dish on New Year's Eve, whether it works or not. The bronze figurines of the Yue people unearthed in Guangzhou are 4-5 cm high, covered with * * *, and only wrapped in cloth at the waist. They are regarded as barbarians by the Central Plains people. Therefore, Fu Cha did not hesitate to use force and went north to attack Chen, Lu and Qi; At the expense of people and money, they built cities along the Han River and dug ditches to connect the Yangtze River with the Huaihe River. Two years later, he refused to wait for the crops to be ripe, and he couldn't wait to lead the three armies north. Focha is full of ambition. Fucha never imagined that mantis catches cicada, and yellowbird is behind. At this time, Yue had already completed his own revival plan, just waiting for Fu Cha to make a big mistake. This, in fact, has long been seen. When Fu Cha made peace with Yue State, Wu Zixu said that Yue State should "live together for ten years and learn from the scriptures for ten years". When cutting Qi, Wu Zixu also warned Fu Cha that "the more you are in me, the disease of the heart is also". It's a pity that Fu Cha didn't listen and gave Wu Zixu a sword to die. So get carried away and go your own way, of course, there is only one dead end. Goujian, the long-planned King of Yue, certainly won't miss a great opportunity to take advantage of it. In fact, when Fu Cha swaggered to Huangchi to compete with Jin Dinggong for leadership, only the prince of Wu and the old, the weak and the sick were left behind. So Gou Jian stabbed him in the back. Wang Wufu Cha Mao, 1983 165438+ October Focha is still dreaming of hegemony. He even personally killed seven people who came to China to inform him, in case the information of Wu's defeat was leaked. But at the league meeting on July 6th, Jin Yisheng saw the problem in his face and insisted on not giving in. Fucha's hegemonic dream has become a pillow person. Fuxi, who failed in hegemony, hurried back to China to make peace. Dream House Goujian let him go. Fucha also believes that the Vietnamese people should be satisfied now, because they have recovered their face. So after the meeting in Huangchi, Fu Cha put his sword in the warehouse, put his horse in the south, and dreamed of peace. This is in Focha, perhaps because he repented of his great achievements and wanted to sleep with the people; Or you are disheartened and want to enjoy your old age. Unfortunately, the monarch of the state of Yue and his subjects did not see it that way. In their view, Fu Cha's abandonment of combat readiness is a great opportunity to destroy Wu. The doctor of Yue even told Gou Jian that I knew it was time without divination. Image of film and television: Chen plays Gou Jian, the King of Yue, in the TV series "Sleeping for a Taste of Courage", and Gou Jian laughs. Of course, he knows it very well. This time, he will never be as greedy as Fu Cha and must kill Wu. Because Gou Jian is not Fu tea. What's the difference between Gou Jian and Fu Cha? Fu Cha is naive and Gou Jian is cruel. The name of Gou Jian, the cruel king of Yue, is well known in China. His story of "eating without giving money" is often passed down from mouth to mouth as an inspirational case. However, this is suspicious. Not only is it not recorded in Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu, but even Sima Qian only said that he tasted courage and didn't say that he received a salary. In fact, there are not many reliable historical materials about Gou Jian. There are only a few strokes in Zuozhuan, but there are many doubts in Guoyu. Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals is the last book in the Warring States Period, and his Spring and Autumn Annals is even more unreliable. Imagine the scene of Shaoxing Museum, but what is certain is that Gou Jian is extraordinary. Gou Jian was the first king, even the only king. Because before Gou Jian, Yue Jun was not a king; After Gou Jian, the kings achieved nothing. In this sense, the history of Yue is the history of Gou Jian. The story of Yue State is the story of Gou Jian. He is also a person who doesn't play by the rules. Common chariots and weapons in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The Spring and Autumn War was a battle between two armies, which followed the rules and paid attention to etiquette. Of course, the Vietnamese army can't play like this. Gou Jian used vicious tactics: preemptive strike, organizing death squads to charge and challenge again and again. As a result, the well-trained Wu Jun camp stood firm. Let the criminals line up in three rows in front of the front line, each with a sword around his neck, and shout to Wu Jun together: The kings of the two countries are at war, and we dare not escape punishment for violating military orders. We apologize to ourselves here! Say that finish, Wu Jun captain uniformly collective suicide. Wu Jun where seen this kind of way, then gawk silly. Army while Wu Jun become speechless, shout shout a way. Wu Jun was caught off guard, collapsed on the spot and lost the war in a daze. Can Gou Jian use such a vicious trick? In fact, Gou Jian's so-called "three lines of sinners" are probably like kamikaze members of Japanese militarism in the late World War II, and they are real death squads. Mozi said that when Gou Jian trained the army, in order to test their bravery, he deliberately set fire to the ship and beat drums at the same time, ordering him to move forward. As a result, countless Vietnamese soldiers died in from the mire. On June 11th, the 22nd year of Fucha's pacification (473 BC), the Vietnamese soldiers split into two roads and attacked Wu. On February1day, the Vietnamese defeated Wu Jun and captured Prince Wu. On the 22nd, the Vietnamese army invaded Wudu and Wu died. In this way, it is not surprising that Gou Jian always grovelled to Fu Cha before taking revenge (for example, the folk story "Sleeping on your laurels"). It is not surprising that he has surrounded Wu for three years. It is not surprising that Wu refused to surrender and ruthlessly destroyed the country. It is said that Fu Cha, the king of Wu, sent someone to make peace with Gou Jian. Fu Cha said: At that time, I obeyed your orders and dared not violate Yue's sacrifice. Now, can we not destroy our ancestral temple and country? Gou Jian replied with a sneer: When God gave Yue to Wu, Wu refused to accept it. Now, how dare I resist fate? If you need a pension, I have a place ready. Focha had to commit suicide. A sly rabbit dies, but a running dog cooks. "Fu Cha is dead, and Wu is dead. Gou Jian only wants to kill one of his own. His right-hand man (who reads like Li) knows this better than anyone else. So Dr. Fan Li fled the country. Before leaving, Fan Li wrote to his colleague, Dr. Wen Zhong, saying: Birds are exhausted, but good bows hide; A sly rabbit dies, but a running dog cooks. Sir, let's go A dead rabbit cooks and a dead dog hides. This is the earliest source. But Wen Zi didn't leave. Sure enough, Gou Jian, a man with no bottom line, sent his sword and said to the doctor of literature with a straight face: Teacher Wang taught me seven techniques of cutting Wu, and I only used three to destroy Wu. There are still four in my predecessors' hands. Do you want the former king to try it himself? Wenzhong also had to commit suicide. Despicability is the passport of the despicable, and nobility is the epitaph of the noble. Is it really true that this famous saying was used in Gou Jian or in his time? Yes Because at this time, China people's etiquette and bad music collapsed.