Text丨Yong'andang
Editor丨Yong'an Dang
Preface
Zhang Mengtan, the advisor of Zhao Xiangzi of the Jin State during the Warring States Period, has a key mission. It was an era of war, and Zhibo defeated the Fan clan and the Zhongxing clan with the power of the three secretaries of the Jin State and became the overlord.
A few years later, Zhibo rose again and tried to seize the territory of Han, Wei, and Zhao, but was resolutely resisted by the Zhao clan.
Zhibo was furious and united Han and Wei to launch a fierce offensive against Zhao Xiangzi's Jinyang City. The city was a fortified fortress that withstood the onslaught of the enemy.
The three-month siege failed to make substantial progress, and Zhibo began to feel anxious. He ordered the division of troops to besiege the Quartet of Jinyang, and at the same time formulated a very strategic plan - to flood the fortified city with Jin water.
The three armed forces combined
Although Jinyang City is a calm river, how to attract enough water for irrigation has become a technical problem.
At this time, Zhang Mengtan became Zhibo's advisor. He is well versed in water conservancy engineering and is familiar with the topography. Faced with this dilemma, he pondered for a long time and finally came up with an ingenious plan.
He suggested diverting the Jinshui to divert the water to a place not far from Jinyang City, and then raid the city wall at night, so that the Jinshui would rush in and quickly flood the city.
This strategy can not only solve the problem of water sources, but also break through the city defenses by surprise. Zhibo was overjoyed when he heard the plan, thought it was wonderful, and decided to put it into practice immediately.
In order to implement this plan, Zhibo personally led the army and worked with Zhang Mengtan to make a detailed layout.
As night fell, Zhibo's army, under the guidance of Zhang Mengtan, quietly diverted Jinshui and diverted the water source to the planned location. Then, the army split up, some of them waited for an opportunity outside the city, and the other part quietly infiltrated Jinyang City to prepare for a night attack.
Zhang Mengtan sees six ways and listens to all directions, ensuring that every link is under his control. In the silent night, the patrolling soldiers on the Jinyang city wall remained alert, but they could not detect that irreversible changes had taken place outside the city.
At midnight, the army quietly approached the Jinyang city wall, using advanced excavation tools to quickly dig a sufficiently wide passage at the foot of the city wall.
The soldiers ghostly made their way through the walls and quickly captured key positions in the city. At this time, Zhang Mengtan signaled to Zhibo, indicating that everything was ready.
Zhibo was overjoyed and immediately ordered to open up the Jinshui water diversion channel. Jinshui began to show a surge that was different from the past, rushing towards Jinyang City. The defenders of the city noticed something was wrong, but it was too late. The flood swept in, and the resistance in the city seemed so weak.
Zhang Mengtan's strategy made Jinyang City face the threat of submergence, and the defenders were defeated, and Zhibo took advantage of the situation to attack the city and won a complete victory. This seemingly irreversible situation was counterattacked under the wisdom of Zhang Mengtan, which made the Jin Kingdom rise to momentum for a while.
Jinyang City has been besieged for three years, and the people in the city have no land to live in, so they can only live in trees and hang pots for food.
The city was running out of supplies, and the soldiers were exhausted. Zhao Xiangzi felt that he could not hold on, so he asked the strategist Zhang Mengtan for help, asking if he should surrender the city.
Standing in front of the predicament, Zhang Mengtan firmly expressed his disagreement and said bluntly: "I have heard that when the country is about to perish, it cannot be saved, and the country cannot be saved when it is in danger, so what do you need those talented people to do? I'm going to see Han Kangzi and Wei Xuanzi and discuss strategies with them. ”
Zhang Mengtan's decisive attitude made Zhao Xiangzi feel very gratified. Under the auspices of Zhang Mengtan, the predicament of Jinyang City was given a new look.
He quickly visited the leaders of Han and Wei and began urgent discussions. This crisis is not only a place for Zhang Mengtan's resourcefulness, but also a moment for him to show courage and decisive decision-making.
Behind the three kingdoms of Han, Wei, and Zhi to attack Zhao, there is actually a conspiracy that looks like a god. Zhibo was powerful and domineering, and forced Han Kangzi and Wei Xuanzi to cede 10,000 cities, which made the two countries resentful, so they had to endure silently and wait for the time to come.
Until Zhang Mengtan made a secret visit and reached a "three-army alliance" alliance with Han Kangzi and Wei Xuanzi, plotting a plan for an uprising. After returning home, they waited for the time to be ripe and began to implement the operation.
Secretly eliminated Zhibo's officials guarding the embankment, and then poured Jin water to flood Zhibo's army.
In the midst of the chaos, Han and Wei's armies flanked from both sides, while Zhao Xiangzi led his troops to attack head-on, quickly routed Zhi's army, and eventually captured Zhibo alive. The Three Kingdoms divided the land of Zhibo and succeeded in fulfilling their plot.
Became famous and retired
At the peak moment, he put forward his resignation: "The name of the minister is obvious and respectable, the power is obeyed by the public, and the minister is willing to donate his fame to power and power to leave the public." This decision caused an uproar at the time.
Zhao Xiangzi was caught off guard by this sudden request, and kept him again and again, hoping that he would continue to contribute his outstanding talent. Zhang Mengtan decided to leave, expressing his indifferent attitude towards worldly power schemes, and Zhao Xiangzi had no choice but to reluctantly agree to his decision.
After Zhang Mengtan resigned from his official position, he lived up to expectations and successfully handed over his territory. He gave up his position and power, and chose to quietly farm in the hill of his relatives. The rapid retreat after achieving fame shows the wisdom of his life.
Zhang Mengtan bids farewell to the political arena with this eclectic gesture and enjoys the ordinary and quiet rural life.
This brilliant politician is like a leaf flowing down the raging river, unassumingly welcoming the unknown farmland.
His decision-making embodied a deliberate wisdom has become a great story in history. Behind the brilliance of Zhang Mengtan is his yearning for personal happiness and inner peace.
This story is reminiscent of Fan Li of the Yue Kingdom, who is also a powerful political giant. Fan Li had outstanding political and military talents in the Yue Kingdom, and once helped Goujian, the king of Yue, to destroy Wu in one fell swoop, and became a good minister and a military wizard at that time.
Fan Li also made the decision to retire after becoming famous, setting an example for future generations.
The experiences of these two remarkable figures demonstrate the wisdom of "retiring after achieving fame". They not only left a strong mark on the political stage, but also showed a calm and calm attitude towards life in another stage of their lives.
Such a retreat is a high affirmation of personal qualities and inner pursuits, as well as a deep reflection on social values.
In 494 B.C., Goujian was defeated by the Wu army, with only 5,000 soldiers and horses left, and retreated to Huiji Mountain. Fan Li is determined to save the defeat and excel in resourcefulness. He persuaded the king of Yue to grovel and ask for peace with the king of Wu, but the king of Wu refused.
Faced with such a predicament, Fan Li took the initiative to propose that Gou Jian be a slave in person to express sincerity and humility, and at the same time confuse King Wu's audio-visual. This strategy was deeply recognized by Gou Jian, so he tried his courage and laid a solid foundation for the future of the Yue Kingdom.
In Vietnam, Fan Li and Gou Jian, together with each other, not only recuperate, vigorously develop the economy, enhance national strength, but also implement a pro-people policy, calm people's hearts, and consolidate social stability. In order to meet the possibility of war, they actively expanded their army and made every effort to prepare for war, ensuring that the Vietnamese country had strong external support.
Under the guidance of Fan Li's wisdom, Yue Guo went through the arduous years of "ten years of life and reunion, ten years of lessons", and finally realized the great cause of restoring the country.
In gratitude, Gou Jian wanted to crown Fan Li as a general, but Fan Li resolutely resigned and retreated bravely. He quietly left the country of Yue with his family and went to the country of Qi, choosing to live incognito and live an ordinary business life.
Fan Li's wisdom did not leave the Yue Kingdom, and his wise disciple Wen Chong still stayed in the Yue Kingdom and continued to contribute his strength to the future of the Yue Kingdom.
On the occasion of parting, Fan Li wrote a letter to Wen Chong, admonishing him to leave quickly: "The birds are exhausted, the good bow is hidden, the cunning rabbit is dead, and the lackeys are cooked." The king of Yue is a long-necked bird beak, and he can share hardships and hardships, but not joys. Why don't you go?"
Wen Chong failed to accept this advice, and was soon given death by Gou Jian. This is a glorious moment for Fan Li to assist in the rejuvenation of the Yue Kingdom, and it is also a touching moment for him to defend the morality of the wise man and sacrifice himself to save others.
Fan Li chose a different way of life in Qi country. He resigned from his official position, went into battle, worked on the seaside, worked hard to run the business, and did it himself, and the father and son devoted themselves to managing the property, although the residence was simple, but it was full of industriousness and honesty.
Their hard work eventually brought hundreds of thousands of harvests, Fan Li's life seems ordinary, but in fact has created remarkable wealth.
Fan Li, who left the officialdom, not only worked hard in the farmland, but also planned his own road to wealth in the business world. His calmness, peace of mind and peace of mind made him comfortable in both politics and business.
This attitude to life and business philosophy have made him a model respected by the world: "loyalty to the country, wisdom to protect oneself, business to get rich, prestige in the world".
Lao Tzu pointed out in the Tao Te Ching: "Success, fame, and retirement are the way of heaven." This sentence is just like Fan Li's life portrayal.
After Fan Li achieved success and prestige, he did not covet power, but chose to retire. This act of wisdom is an expression of both respect for the Mandate of Heaven and a transcendent mind.
From Fan Li and Zhang Meng's way of life, we see a profound philosophy of life: "retiring after becoming famous" is a great wisdom. This is not only the pursuit of career success and fame, but also the pursuit of a higher state of life.
This attitude of "retreating" has not only won fame on the stage of life, but also maintained inner tranquility and detachment in the baptism of years.
Self-preservation
The rapid retreat is like a clever tongue, able to speak well, and can protect oneself from harm. This kind of wisdom is like the ancient sages Zhang Mengtan and Fan Li, and "success and fame for a thousand years" have become a model of history.
On the contrary, dying like a literary genre is like a mockery of fate, which is too wronged. This world is like a chess game, and only those who know how to advance and retreat can protect their reputation from damage. As the saying goes, "Take what you see." ”
When the career is brilliant, fade out of the stage, so that you are not afraid of any more mistakes. Because everyone knows, "There is no general who always wins." In this complex world, it is not easy to make a career, and it is even more difficult to keep it, which is exactly the reason why "it is easy to fight the country, but it is difficult to sit on the country". How many people have fallen in the "sitting on the country"! And "the high places are not cold." ”
When you retire at a good time, you will not only leave behind the ultimate pursuit of your career, but also the legacy of a good reputation, which will be passed down from generation to generation and your reputation will last forever.
This wisdom of retreating from the rapids is a kind of adult beauty. If the old man has been occupying the "high branch", it is difficult for others to have the opportunity to climb, which is easy to suppress the development of talents, if the old man can be humble and give up his position, it is like "living" a piece, creating opportunities for the rise of the new generation.
This kind of behavior of not seeking one's own selfish interests, but considering the overall situation, abdicating and making way for the virtuous, preserves the old man himself, and also fulfills the new generation, which is a win-win situation. Such a wise man is not only beneficial to the individual, but also to the long-term development of the whole career.
After his retirement, Sui Tho did not put his wisdom on the shelf. Just as Zhang Mengtan came out again three years later, Sui Tho may be able to continue to contribute to society. He may be like Fan Li, gathering three times and scattering wealth, planning for the society, and being respected by later generations as a "military wise man".
It is self-knowledge, which reflects a clear understanding of one's own position and limitations. Sui Tho understands that life is like a road, and every step is a step forward, whether it is lifting or landing, it is a part of life.
He encouraged people to believe that those who come after them will surpass their predecessors, and that "the blue is better than the blue" is an inexhaustible driving force for human progress. Sui Tho knows that the country cannot live for a long time, and he is open-minded, even if he retires, he is convinced that the country has its own talented people to continue to prosper.
It is an epiphany of the laws of nature. Sui Tho knows that life is like a dream, and entering and leaving the world is the norm in the world. He understands the laws of sunrise and sunset, birth, old age, sickness and death, and the alternation of the old and the new.
epilogue
The victory of the "three armies combined" symbolized the pinnacle of the wisdom and resourcefulness, and the fall of Jinyang City became an important battle in the Warring States period.
Zhang Mengtan's strategy in this military struggle not only solved the problem of water sources, but also made great achievements in Zhibo's victory. After the end of this battle, the Jin Kingdom began to emerge in the troubled times of the Warring States, and the combined forces of the three kingdoms became its strong support.