Onitako

Chapter 2

Examining its succession, measuring its power and capacity, and checking its skills and shortcomings
[Original text]

If Guangdong Ruoji is ancient, the sage is in the heaven and the earth, and he is the first of all living beings.Observe the opening and closing of yin and yang to life things, and know the door of existence and death; plan the end and beginning of all kinds, and understand the principles of people's hearts; see the truth of change, and guard its door.Therefore, the sage is in the world, from ancient times to the present, his way is the same.

【Translation】

Throughout the history since ancient times, it can be seen that the reason why saints exist in the world is to show all living beings as prophets and mentors.By observing the changes of yin and yang, separation and combination, etc., we can distinguish the changes of everything in the world, and further understand and grasp the essential attributes of things; thus calculate and predict the development process of things, and know the laws of people's inner changes in time; Discover the signs of the development and changes of things, so as to grasp and use the key to the development and changes of things, in order to make the best use of the situation.Therefore, saints exist between heaven and earth. From ancient times to the present, the laws they follow are the same.

[Original text]

There are endless changes, and each has its own place.Either yin or yang, soft or rigid, open or closed, relaxed or stretched.That's why the sage guards his door.Examining its succession; measuring its power and capacity, and checking its skills and shortcomings.Husbands who are virtuous, wise and foolish, brave and cowardly, and lacking in benevolence and righteousness can be abused or closed; they can advance or retreat;Determine whether it exists and its reality, and follow its desire to see its will.Minimize the opposite of what he said, in order to find the truth.If you really get what you want, you can close it and smash it for your own benefit.Either open it to show it, or close it to close it.Those who open and show it have the same feeling; those who close and close it have different sincerity.Whether it is possible or not, examine its strategy to find out its similarities and differences.Clutch and keep, first follow the ambition.

【Translation】

The development and changes of all things are endless and diverse, but in the end they all have their own laws and essential characteristics: some belong to yin, some belong to yang; some are characterized by softness, some are characterized by rigidity; Open, some are closed; some are loose and unstable, and some are tense and difficult to enter.Therefore, when a sage handles affairs, he must be good at grasping the key to the development and change of things, and carefully examine the ins and outs and sequence of things.When appointing talents, one must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their strategies and abilities, and then choose their strengths, avoid their weaknesses, and use them according to their aptitude.In the world, there are virtuous and unworthy, wise and stupid, brave and cowardly, benevolent and gentlemen, and there are villains, so the attitudes and methods for different characters are also different from each other, (for virtuous people) It can be welcomed as an honored guest, (to the unworthy person) can be rejected; (to the wise person) can be introduced and reused, (to the stupid person) can be deposed and repelled; (to the cowardly person) can be made humble, (to the cowardly person) the brave) can make it dignified.In a word, we must conform to the natural nature of human beings, control and master them according to the principle of inaction and governance, so that people can make the best use of their talents.To identify and select a talented person, one must examine whether the person's talent is great or not, and whether his personality is good or bad. You can first let his personal hobbies and desires make him act arbitrarily, so as to observe his interests and ambitions.When arguing with the other party, you can appropriately belittle or question the other party's remarks, so as to induce him to start the topic and discuss smoothly; after the chat box is opened, you can refute and question, so as to find out the reason of the matter and grasp its true intention.After knowing the actual situation of the other party, one should keep silent to provoke the other party to speak freely, so as to understand whether what the other party said is beneficial to oneself.After fully grasping the real situation, you can either open your heart to the other party and let the other party know your true thoughts, or close your heart and hide your true thoughts without revealing your feelings.To open your heart and let the other party understand your true thoughts, the premise is that both parties have the same wishes and interests; to conceal your true thoughts and not reveal your heart, you must consider whether the wishes of the two parties are contrary and how sincere they are.To determine whether a strategy works, it is prudent to study the different options carefully, so as to understand the similarities, differences, and advantages of each other.Among each other's schemes, those that are contrary to one's own wishes, or those that are in line with one's own wishes, if they are reasonable and feasible, should be determined on the premise of respecting each other's wishes.

Examples of Wisdom
Zhuge Liang chooses officials carefully

Zhuge Liang foresaw the three parts of the world with his long strategy, showing his great talent; he showed his great virtue with his devotion and dedication to Shu Han.This is the case, and the selection of officials is also based on both ability and political integrity.

Zhuge Liang sent a letter to Liu Chan for the first Northern Expedition, that is, "The Former Master's Table", which said:
"A virtuous minister, far from a villain, this is why the Han Dynasty prospered; a pro-little man, a virtuous minister, is why the Han Dynasty fell. When the late emperor was there, whenever he discussed this matter with his ministers, he sighed and hated Yu Huan and Ling. and also."

Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling were the emperors in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Both of them trusted eunuchs.When Zhuge Liang published "The List of Former Teachers", Liu Bei had passed away, and he was in charge to assist Liu Chan. Therefore, before he set off on the expedition, he summed up the experience and lessons of the rise and fall of the early Han and later Han, and earnestly warned Liu Chan not to learn from the two emperors Huan and Ling, "Kiss the villain, stay away Only by learning from the ancient Han Dynasty "to be close to virtuous ministers and far away from humble people" can the Kingdom of Shu prosper and the Han Dynasty be revived.

Zhuge Liang pointed out in "Sixteen Strategies": "The way to govern the country is to promote talents. If a big country is in danger and fails to govern, and the people do not live in peace, it is the fault of losing talents. If a husband loses talents, he will not be in danger, and if he gains talents, he will not be insecure. Yes." Therefore, Zhuge Liang paid special attention to selecting people with both ability and political integrity when governing Shu.

He recommended Dong Yun as a servant, leading Huben Zhonglang, commanding a heavy army of guards, and taking charge of the affairs of the palace.Liu Chan wanted to increase the number of concubines in the harem. Dong Yun believed that the number of emperors and concubines in ancient times did not exceed 12, which is sufficient now and should not be increased.Liu Chan doted on the eunuch Huang Hao. Huang Hao was a treacherous man who wanted to interfere in political affairs.

Both Jiang Wan and Jiang Wei were carefully selected by Zhuge Liang as successors.

Jiang Wan entered Shu and served as the county magistrate of Yudu at the beginning.Liu Bei went to inspect and saw Jiang Wan drunk and ignored political affairs. He was very angry and wanted to kill him.Zhuge Liang knew him well, and interceded for him:
"Jiang Wan, the weapon of the country, is not a talent of hundreds of miles. His government is based on the peace of the people, and does not put decoration first. May the Lord pay more attention to it."

Liu Bei respected Zhuge Liang, heard what he said, and did not punish him.Later, Zhuge Liang promoted Jiang Wan to be the head of the prime minister's mansion, and every time he went out for an expedition, he would have enough food and soldiers to support him.Zhuge Liang often praised Jiang Wan as "loyal and elegant", and he could assist the great cause of Shu Han with him.Before Zhuge Liang died, he secretly sent a letter to Liu Chan:

"If the minister is unlucky, I will pay Wan in the future."

After Zhuge Liang's death, Jiang Wan was in power. He was selfless, broad-minded, and able to unite people.At the same time, he can know the current situation and make the country govern and the people safe.

Following Zhuge Liang's ambition to revive the Han Dynasty, Jiang Wei made repeated northern expeditions. Although there were no major victories, Wei soldiers could not invade.When Sima Zhao sent a large army to attack Shu, Liu Chan was stupid and refused to listen to Jiang Wei's idea of ​​sending troops to guard Yinping, so Deng Ai was able to smuggle into Chengdu.

Liu Chan offered the city to surrender and ordered Jiang Wei to surrender as well.Jiang Wei wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of surrender, kill Zhong Hui, and revive the Shu Han, but he failed in the end.Although his long-cherished wish has not been realized, it shows his loyalty.

After Liu Bei's death, with Zhuge Liang and his successors Jiang Wan, Jiang Wei and other assistants, Liu Chan, the fatuous lord, could sit on the throne for 40 years.After Cao Cao's death, his son Cao Pi usurped the Han Dynasty. Although Wei Liguo had been established for 45 years, Sima Yi launched a coup to seize Cao Shuang's military power as early as 17 years ago. year.After Sun Quan's death, Sun Liang was established as Emperor Wu. There was internal discord and the country was weakening, so he was destroyed by the Jin Dynasty. Sun Quan's descendants held power for only 28 years.Compared with the Three Kingdoms, the Shu Han regime is relatively stable, and there is no internal rivalry or competition for power and profit.

[Comment and Analysis]

"Measuring power and ability, checking the strengths and weaknesses of their skills" means that when appointing talents, it is necessary to measure the strengths and weaknesses of their intelligence and ability, and to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their talents and morals. This can also be regarded as the criterion for selecting and employing talents.Zhuge Liang carefully selected talented and moral officials for Liu Chan, just following this principle, so that capable people can perform their duties and do their best.

Use talents for profit
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zichan served as the prime minister of the state of Zheng.He is not only proficient in major political affairs and the way of governing the country, but also able to exploit others' strengths and avoid their weaknesses based on their strengths and weaknesses, so as to tap the greatest potential of others.

Boshi is a very talented person, but his only shortcoming is that he values ​​profit and face, but Zichan still uses him very much.Once, he sent Bo Shi to go out alone to handle business in other countries.Before leaving, Zichan hadn't given him the task, so he asked him:

"You have a long way to go to go out this time. If you do well, I will reward you heavily. What reward do you want?"

Boshi replied respectfully: "It is my duty to do things for the king. I am willing to serve you loyally. What rewards are there?"

Zichan smiled kindly and said, "If you have meritorious service, you will be rewarded. After that, you can move to live in that magnificent house on Xicheng Street!"

Boshi was already moved, but still showed a bit of embarrassment on the surface, and replied: "This is not good, firstly, I don't know if I can complete the task, and now others will talk about it behind my back when I receive the reward; secondly, I am now My residence is far away from there, and I will be leaving soon, so I can't move there for a while..."

Zichan interrupted him and said, "These are all irrelevant matters, you can go to work at ease, I will arrange these matters properly."

Boshi left happily, and the disciples at the side asked Zichan puzzledly: "As a minister, he should serve the country, and he has already received a salary, why do you want to reward him? What's more, other ministers have never been treated like this, so is there anything worthy of special commendation for him?"

Zichan replied, "Everyone's personality is different. I understand Boshi, who values ​​profit very much. Although it sounds good on the surface, it is actually a hypocritical statement. Everyone has selfish desires. Let alone him! If I give him some benefits, he will definitely do his best, and I believe he has the ability!"

"But you won't have any bad consequences if you don't satisfy his selfish desires, after all, that's his job!" The disciple was still puzzled.

"You are wrong to think that way!" Zichan replied, "In that case, he will only do things out of fear of the majesty of the king. Even if he completes it, he will be jealous. After a long time, maybe he will do something bad. For This kind of person wants to lure him with profit, so that he can activate his ability and use it for himself."

After Boshi came back, he lived in that big house.Zichan also discussed with King Zheng to give him a city. Boshi was overjoyed, but he made a gesture to hand it back to the fief, and Zichan deliberately took it back.After a few days, the order was issued again to reward him.After doing this three times, Boshi accepted.

The disciple asked curiously again: "It's fine if you don't want it for the first time, or you can reward him once. Why do you have to push around like this?"

"I did this on purpose. He is a hypocrite, which not only shows that he is humble and courteous, but also satisfies his selfish desires. It kills two birds with one stone."

Zichan knows people well, not only does not abandon them because of other people's desires and hypocrisy, but also takes advantage of other people's shortcomings to make the best use of them.Because Zichan knew Boshi's strengths and weaknesses well, Boshi's status never surpassed him when he was in power.

[Comment and Analysis]

"Husbands are virtuous, wise and foolish, brave and cowardly, benevolence and righteousness are different" means that people have different personalities, so the attitude and method of dealing with different kinds of people should also be flexible.Zichan's success in employing people is to grasp Boshi's hypocrisy and interest in profit, so as to lure him with profit and make him work faithfully for himself.

Pursue courtiers with affection and reason

After Duke Huan of Qi worshiped Guan Zhong as his prime minister, the state of Qi became increasingly prosperous and powerful under Guan Zhong's governance, and Guan Zhong was honored as "Father Zhong".

Unfortunately, he was getting old and seriously ill.Duke Huan of Qi made a special trip to visit and saw Guan Zhong's miserable appearance in his illness, and couldn't help weeping aside.

"I'm afraid I will pass away soon, and I can no longer serve you. You should also consider a suitable candidate to fill the vacant position of Xiangguo." Guan Zhong said.

"I've also thought about it these days, but I don't know who to hand over the state affairs to rest assured! What do you think of Bao Shuya?"

Bao Shuya was Guan Zhong's friend and benefactor for many years.After listening to Duke Huan of Qi's words, Guan Zhong immediately replied:

"Bao Shuya has both virtue and ability, but he is not suitable to be a prime minister. He hates other people's faults and shortcomings deeply, and once he remembers them in his heart, he will never forget them for a long time. How can a prime minister get along with other ministers in peace if he doesn't have an open mind? If you can’t do anything at all, how can you handle the state affairs well?”

"Is Yi Ya okay?" Duke Huan of Qi said another name.

Guan Zhong immediately shook his head and said, "I'm about to remind you that Yi Ya, Shu Diao, and Kai Fang must not be used!"

Duke Huan was taken aback and asked, "Why? The whole country knows that the three of them are loyal to me."

"I also know that Yi Ya actually killed his own child in order to show his loyalty to you. But the so-called 'Tao is a normal mind', his behavior beyond common sense is probably not a good thing!"

"But he loves me more than he loves his son, and he treats me with utmost benevolence and righteousness. Is there any doubt about it?" Duke Huan of Qi was still a little puzzled.

"'A tiger's poison does not eat its son', today he can kill his own flesh and blood, what else can he not do to you tomorrow?"

Duke Huan asked again: "What about Shu Diao? In order to serve the widow, he castrated him and entered the palace, and gave me his own body in return. There should be no doubts about this!"

"Such a person is so cruel that he doesn't even care about his own body. Will he not destroy you, the monarch, at the critical moment?"

Duke Huan then mentioned Kaifang and asked: "He is a dignified prince of the state of Wei, but he has given up his noble position and is willing to be a servant of the widow. There is nothing close to his parents. When his parents passed away, he was too busy helping me to go to the funeral. He said My loyalty can be learned from the sun and the moon, and I have no doubts about him!"

"He must have given up wealth to get more wealth. Think about it, if a person treats his parents like this, can he still be expected to repay the kindness of others wholeheartedly? Don't be moved by those special words and deeds blindly. Move, there must be a hidden plan!"

Duke Huan felt that what Guan Zhong said was very reasonable, so he took his advice to heart, and gradually alienated the three people.

[Comment and Analysis]

"It can be embarrassing, but it can be closed; it can be advanced, it can be retreated; it can be cheap, it can be precious", which means that people you know can be welcomed as honored guests, but they can be turned away; they can be used, they can be deposed; they can be used Make it humble, you can make it rich.When Guan Zhong discerned the danger of villains hidden around Duke Huan of Qi with a normal heart, he urged him not to reuse Yi Ya, Shu Diao, Kai Fang and others, so Duke Huan gradually alienated the three of them.

[Original text]

That is to say, the noble Zhou who wants to marry, that is, the noble and secret who wants to be married.Thoughtful and precious, but follow Tao.Those who are stingy, predict their feelings; those who are closed, they are sincere.We all see that the weighing of the weights is for the degree, and the saints are therefore concerned about it.It doesn't measure the degree of balance, so the saint is worried about it.Therefore, those who smack, either sip it out, or sip it in; those who close it, either close it and take it, or close it and leave it.The one who smashes, the way of heaven and earth.The one who turns and closes changes yin and yang, opens and closes at four o'clock, and transforms all things.Vertical and horizontal, anti-exit, repetition, and anti-disobedience must come from this.Those who smash and close, the Dao is magnified.To talk about changes, we must pre-examine the changes.

【Translation】

If you want to speak freely (debate with the other party), confess your heart, and express your opinions, the most important thing is to be rigorous and thorough; own true intentions.The importance of thoroughness and secrecy lies in the use of subtlety and the ability to carefully follow the requirements of objective laws, which has something in common with "Tao".The reason why you have to speak freely with the other party is to fully understand and examine the real situation of the other party; the reason why you keep silent and hide your views is to test the sincerity of the other party and find out what you have in common with the other party.All these methods are to weigh the pros and cons of gains and losses, and to measure and analyze the opponent's strength and strategy. The saint will plan the next action strategy based on the results of the measurement and analysis.If these analyzes are unreasonable and unreasonable, then the sage has no choice but to abandon them and find another good strategy.Therefore, the same "opening" can mean exposing one's own views and then implementing them, or taking other people's suggestions into one's mind and hiding them deeply; the same is "closed", which can be taking other people's suggestions and putting them into practice, It can also be rejected and discarded. "Open" and "closed" are the basic forms of development and change of everything in the world.The two will cause yin and yang to be in the movement of the unity of opposites, forming the alternation of spring, summer, autumn and winter, which will lead to the cycle of life and death of all things, and the alternation of rise and fall of all things.The natural changes of all things, whether vertical or horizontal, or reverse, or repeated, or rebellious, are inseparable from the interaction of the basic movement form of opening and closing.The contradictory movement of openness and closure is the basic law of the operation of all things in the world.As far as the lobbyists debate vertically and horizontally, there is also such a method, so it is necessary to carefully examine the different changes of the opponent in advance.

[Original text]

The mouth is the portal of the heart; the heart is the master of the gods.Aspirations, desires, thoughts, and resourcefulness all come in and out through the door, so it is closed to be closed, and controlled to be in and out.Those who sway are open, speak, and yang; those who close are closed, silent, and yin.The harmony of yin and yang begins with righteousness.Therefore, longevity, happiness, wealth, honor, fame, hobbies, wealth, self-satisfaction, joy and desire to become yang are said to be the beginning.Therefore, it is said that death, sorrow, poverty, humiliation, abandonment, loss, loss, frustration, harm, punishment, and punishment are yin, and the end of the day.Those who speak the law of yang and the like are all about the beginning, and those who say good are the beginning of their actions;

【Translation】

The mouth is the portal through which a person exposes his soul, and the heart is the master of a person's spiritual world.Everyone's will, preferences, thoughts, and resourcefulness must come in and out through the mouth, and express to others.Therefore, you should guard your "mouth" by opening and closing, and control your speech with exit and entry.The so-called "捭" means openness, talk, and yang (exposed); the so-called "close" means closed, silent, and yin (hidden).The two qi of yin and yang must be neutralized and coordinated, so that opening and closing can be controlled, and yin and yang can have their own benefits.Therefore, longevity, happiness, wealth, honor, fame, hobbies, wealth, smugness, joy, etc., all belong to "Yang Qi" and are called "beginning"; while death, sorrow, poverty, humiliation, abandonment, Death, frustration, disasters, executions, punishments, etc., all belong to "Yin Qi" and are called "final".Those counselors who follow the "Yang Qi" to lobby, what they talk about belongs to the content of "Shi", that is, through the demonstration of the "Yang" aspect, their suggestions are adopted and put into practice; those who follow the "Yin Qi" "The counselors who are lobbying, what they talk about belongs to the content of "final", that is, to terminate the implementation of a certain strategy by demonstrating the "yin" aspect.

Yang moves and moves, Yin stops and hides; Yang moves out, Yin hides and enters
[Original text]

The way of 捭阳 is tested by yin and yang, so those who speak with yang are sublime; those who speak with yin are humble.Seek the small below, and seek the big from the high.From this point of view, everything comes out, everything enters, and everything is impossible.You can talk about people, you can talk about family, you can talk about country, you can talk about the world.For the small without the inside, for the big without the outside.Gains and losses, gains and losses, gains and losses, and times of reversal are all controlled by yin and yang.Yang moves and moves, Yin stops and hides; Yang moves out, Yin hides and enters.The yang turns to the yin, and the cathode turns back to the yang.Those who move with yang, form and form each other; those who use yin and tranquility form each other.

【Translation】

Reasonable use of the laws of openness and closure must be demonstrated and implemented from both yin and yang aspects.Therefore, when talking with a person who is in "Yang Qi", you can use lofty language to persuade him; when communicating with a person who is rich in "Yin Qi", you must use humble language to guide him.In this way, we seek the recognition of the humble with the humble, and seek the broad tolerance with the lofty.According to this, we can adopt different strategies according to different people, talk when we speak, stop when we stop, and come in and out freely. There will be nothing in the world that cannot be resolved, and no one cannot be persuaded.A counselor can use this method to persuade ordinary people, a family, or even a general, a prince, or the king of the world.If you want to achieve small things, you can go to the limit, there is no smaller thing; if you want to achieve great things, you can go to the limit, there is no greater thing.All damages and benefits, departure and approach, betrayal and return, these complex situations can be controlled and controlled by the law of "Yin and Yang".Facing a positive situation (favorable situation), one must actively move forward; facing a negative situation (unfavorable situation), one must stop acting and hide.In the face of yang, one must take the initiative to attack; in the face of yin, one must retreat and hide.Yin and Yang are always interacting and cyclical. The end point of the movement and development of yang is yin, and the ultimate development of yin is yang.Counselors who take advantage of the positive trend to move positively will have their moral will grow and grow; those who take advantage of the negative trend to calmly deal with the situation will also complement each other.

Examples of Wisdom
Sleeping on fire and tasting courage will eventually destroy Wu

At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, when the vassal states were vying for hegemony, Wu and Yue emerged in what is now southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and they are adjacent to Chu.In the beginning, Wu State was stronger and Yue State was weaker, and the two countries had always been at odds.Later, the state of Jin once united with Wu to control Chu, while the state of Chu united with Yue to control Wu, and Wu and Yue became feuds.In 496 BC, King Yunchang of Yue had just passed away, and King Helu of Wu took the opportunity to attack the State of Yue. However, because the timing was not ripe, the Wu army was defeated by the State of Yue, and King Helu of Wu was seriously injured by an arrow and died.

In 494 B.C., Fu Chai, King of Wu, mobilized troops to attack Yue State in order to avenge the murder of his father.The Wu army won a complete victory in the battle of Meishan, and the Yue army was beaten to pieces, almost completely annihilated, and retreated to Kuaiji Mountain.Gou Jian, the king of Yue, regretted that he did not listen to Fan Li's advice and caused his family to be ruined. Finally, after discussing with his ministers, he decided to make peace with the king of Wu.The king of Wu put forward a condition. He asked the king of Yue and his wife to go to the state of Wu to be his servants.

Fucha's minister Wu Zixu strongly opposed it and demanded that Goujian be killed directly to avoid future troubles.But Fucha wanted to humiliate Goujian, so he rejected Wu Zixu's suggestion.After some planning with the ministers Wen Zhong and Fan Li, Gou Jian agreed to take his wife to serve Fu Chai willingly.From then on, they served the king of Wu every day, kept themselves safe and cautious, cleaned the stables for the king of Wu, led the horses with whips, and even tasted Fucha's feces to observe his condition.Fu Chai sighed: "Gou Jian treated me like this today, which is something that my favorite minister and son can't do! Gou Jian is really loyal to me!" Touched, King Wu decided to let Gou Jian and his wife go back to the country.

After Gou Jian returned to the country, he worked hard to win over the officials and educate the people.After ten years of hard work and courage, his national power was greatly enhanced, so he waited for the opportunity to crusade against the state of Wu and humiliate him.

Although Gou Jian was eager for revenge, he did not act recklessly. He often said to everyone: "When two countries fight against each other, apart from the fact that the soldiers have the will to die and the horses have the power to run a thousand miles in one day, the rear supply is very important. , they were all forced to withdraw because the supplies in the rear could not keep up. If our army is at war with the state of Wu, we will surely win the first battle. This is the best policy!" Therefore, Gou Jian took advantage of the Wu envoy's coming to collect debts and ask for food, and ordered the people to steam the corn, and then came to the government to exchange twice as much raw corn.

Seeing that it was profitable, the common people steamed corn day and night.Within a few days, Goujian sent someone to deliver 10 dendrobium of cooked corn to King Wu, saying that this kind of corn was most suitable for sowing.Seeing that the rice grains were big and full, the King of Wu believed him and ordered people to take them to sow the seeds, but the people did not germinate after sowing, and the country of Wu suffered a famine.Coupled with the arrogance of Fucha at this time, he used troops year after year, always wanting to surpass all overlords.And he is obsessed with wine and sex, greedy for pleasure.Especially after Gou Jian dedicated his beauty to him, he felt that Gou Jian was still loyal to him.When Wu Zixu gave him advice, it aroused his hatred instead.Finally, he sent someone to deliver a sword to Wu Zixu, forcing Wu Zixu to commit suicide.

In 478 BC, the State of Yue took the opportunity to launch a war against the State of Wu, and the Vietnamese army won.In 475 B.C., the Vietnamese army besieged Gusu, the capital of the Wu State, and for three years, the soldiers and civilians of the Wu State fled without food and clothing.

Fu Chai, the king of Wu, saw that he was at the end of his life, and suddenly remembered what Bo Pi had said to him a few days ago: "The king of Yue begged and kept Yue, even at the expense of being a slave. Why didn't the great sage follow suit?" The more you seek peace.Goujian asked all the doctors for their opinions.Fan Li said: "I ask Your Majesty not to forget the experience of the Yue Kingdom. For the past 20 years, what have we missed day and night? What are the generations competing for? Please think carefully!" Give it to the state of Wu, and the state of Wu will not take it; now, God has given us the state of Wu, how can we defy God's will and refuse to take it? Please tell the king of Wu, I can make him the ruler of a hundred families." Fucha was desperate, Immediately, he drew his sword and stood up, looking up to the sky and sighing: "I really don't have the face to see Wu Zixu!" After saying that, he committed suicide with his sword.

Wu State, which dominated for a while, was eventually destroyed by Yue.After that, the Yue State was powerful and prosperous for a while, and there was also a fierce competition between Yue and Chu.During the Warring States Period, the Yue State gradually weakened.In 306 BC, Yue State was destroyed by Chu State.

[Comment and Analysis]

Judging from the art of 捭阁 in this article: Goujian uses the art of 捭阁.He first took the initiative to ask for peace and saved his life; then he swallowed his anger and became a slave under Fucha's knees, and was trusted by showing his weakness, and was released back to the country, thus gaining the best chance to avenge his shame; then he secretly accumulated strength, Without revealing the slightest trace, in order to wait for a favorable opportunity to launch a counterattack.After the situation was favorable to him, he took advantage of the moment when the opponent's strength was weakening day by day, and used the "捭" technique to take the initiative to attack, thus winning a big victory.

The clever tongue and sophistry of Meng Chu

In 314 BC, King Xuan of Qi and King Huai of Chu formed an alliance with great momentum.King Qin Huiwen originally planned to attack Qi, but failed.After Su Qin's death, the situation of "combined vertical" has not completely changed. If Zhang Yi's "connected horizontal" strategy is to be implemented, the Qi and Chu alliance must be dismantled.So, Qin Prime Minister Zhang Yi came to the state of Chu.Zhang Yi is extremely smart, and she is also eloquent.He first found Jin Shang, the most trusted minister of King Chu, gave gifts and made wishes, tried his best to win him over, and then went to see King Huai of Chu, expressing that King Qin would like to make friends with King Chu.

The king of Chu said bluntly: "The king of Qin has always been domineering. He always asks for land from others and fights if he doesn't give it. How can we make friends?"

Zhang Yi said: "Now there are only seven countries left in the world, among which Qi, Qin, and Chu are the most powerful. If Qin and Qi are united, Qi will be stronger than Chu; if Qin and Chu are united, Chu will be stronger than Qi." Powerful, it depends on how you choose. Now King Qin is willing to make friends with Chu State, and is willing to give Chu State 600 miles of land in the Shangyu area, why don't you do it?"

The King of Chu was short-sighted and self-willed. When he heard that he could get 600 miles of land from Shangyu, he said happily: "If you can gain the trust of Qin and weaken the power of Qi, you can get 600 miles of land even more." , I am of course willing to sever diplomatic relations with Qi."

The ministers saw the wind and turned the rudder, and all congratulated them one after another. Only the guest Qing Chen Zhen objected: "The alliance between Qi and Chu made Qin State dare not attack Qi State or Chu State. Qin State is willing to give 600 miles of land to Chu State for the purpose of The alliance between Qi and Chu must be dismantled. What should we do if we break off diplomatic relations with Qi and Zhang Yi breaks his promise and refuses to hand over the land? At that time, if Qi and Qin join forces to attack Chu again , Isn’t Chu State about to perish? Your Majesty, why not accept the land of Shangyu from Qin State first, and then break off diplomatic relations with Qi State, so as to be safe.”

Sanlu doctor Qu Yuanyuan reprimanded Zhang Yi as a capricious villain in court, and persuaded the king of Chu not to believe Zhang Yi's lies.Only Jin Shang has been bought by Zhang Yi and advocates accepting Zhang Yi's opinion.

King Huai of Chu didn't distinguish loyalty from traitors, and was blinded by the petty profits in front of him. He believed Zhang Yi and Jin Shang's words, and while sending people to break off diplomatic relations with Qi, he sent Feng Houchou and Zhang Yi to Qin to take over the land.

Zhang Yi was scheming, and he had a heated fight with Hou Chou along the way, which made him believe in it.When he was outside Xianyang City, Zhang Yilue made a trick, pretending to be drunk, fell off the car and broke his leg, and asked his men to carry him to the city quickly.From then on, for three consecutive months, no matter how much Hou Chou asked to see him, he could not see Zhang Yi.Fenghou Chou had no choice but to write to King Qin.

The king of Qin replied that he would definitely do what the prime minister promised, but he didn't know whether the state of Chu had completely broken off diplomatic relations with the state of Qi, so he could not fulfill Zhang Yi's promise.

Feng Houchou wrote a letter and truthfully reported the situation to the king of Chu.The mediocre king of Chu believed it was true, and sent someone to the state of Qi to scold the king of Qi.The king of Qi was very angry and agreed with the king of Qin to attack the state of Chu.

Fenghou Chou has been waiting hard on Zhang Yi's only way to go to court.One day, Fenghou Chou finally saw Zhang Yi, and Zhang Yi asked instead, "Why are you still here? Haven't you got that piece of land yet?"

Feng Houchou said: "The King of Qin said that the land will not be handed over until you recover from illness. Now please come to see the King of Qin with me to deal with the land transfer in detail."

At this time, Zhang Yi showed his true face. He put on a nonchalant look, and said in surprise: "Why do you want to see the King of Qin? I want to give my own six-mile land to the State of Chu, and there is no need to tell the King of Qin." Fenghou Chou It was only at this time that he suddenly realized, and asked Zhang Yi why his appearance was inconsistent.

Zhang Yi resolutely said: "The land of the Qin State is won inch by inch by the blood of the soldiers. How can it be given away easily, let alone 600 miles, even 10 miles. 600 li of the land was ceded to the state of Chu."

Feng Houchou returned home in embarrassment and told the story to the king of Chu. The king of Chu became furious and immediately appointed Qu He as the general and Feng Houchou as the deputy general. , to relieve the hatred in my heart.

Qin State heard that Chu State was invading, and sent Wei Zhang as a general to resist.The Qin army had a well-organized army, strict military discipline, and strong combat effectiveness. In addition, the Qi State sent troops to support it, and defeated the Chu State with ease.The Chu army suffered heavy casualties. Even the general Qu He and the deputy Feng Houchou were killed. Only 10 of the 3 troops fled back to Chu.When Han, Wei and other countries saw Chu's defeat, they also took the opportunity to invade Chu's land.

The king of Chu had no choice but to ask Qu Yuan to go to the state of Qi to make amends, and Chen Zhen to go to the state of Qin to ask for peace, and he had no choice but to sacrifice two cities.Regardless of the advice of his officials, King Huai of Chu tried to kill Zhang Yi with all his heart, but he was so disgusted that he proposed to Qin State to exchange the land in central Guizhou for Zhang Yi.Those who were at odds with Zhang Yi in the state of Qin encouraged the King of Qin to agree, thinking that exchanging one person for a large piece of land was a huge advantage.King Qin was still hesitant, but Zhang Yi took the initiative to ask to go to Chu.As soon as Zhang Yi arrived in Chu State, he was detained. King Huai of Chu planned to choose a day to kill him and sacrifice to his ancestors.Unexpectedly, Zhang Yi really has the ability to reach the sky. He even bribed the jailer, got in touch with Jin Shang, and tried every means to win over Zheng Xiu, the favored queen of King Huai of Chu, and went to confuse King Huai together, persuading him to release Zhang Yi.

King Huai had no idea, so he agreed to their request and released Zhang Yi.In this way, Zhang Yi returned to Qin State safely.King Huai's mediocrity led to the end of the country's subjugation. Qin State attacked Chu again under Zhang Yi's plan, and finally destroyed Chu State.

[Comment and Analysis]

"Go when the yang moves, and hide when the yin stops", that is to seize the favorable situation and actively move forward, and stop acting and hide yourself when encountering the unfavorable situation.Zhang Yi did just that here.He lost no time in using trickery to lobby all parties: first, he used 600 miles of land to make King Huai of Chu break off diplomatic relations with Qi, and then delay until Qi and Chu broke off diplomatic relations before showing their true colors.These two steps can be said to have taken a defensive position, adopted the "close" technique, and acted according to circumstances.Finally, when the time is right, take the initiative to attack and use the technique of "捭" to destroy Chu.

Pretend to be crazy and sell foolishness to save your life
As soon as Guan Hanqing's drama "The Injustice of Dou E" was staged, it was widely welcomed by the people.Because the drama ruthlessly exposed the incompetence of officials and the hardships and hardships of poor people, the common people rushed to recite it.However, the people in the court thought that Guan Hanqing deliberately slandered the court and had plots, so they ordered him to be wanted, and posted his portrait everywhere, hoping to arrest him and bring him to justice.

After Guan Hanqing heard the news, he immediately decided to leave this dangerous place and avoid it for the time being.That night, Guan Hanqing was hurrying on his way when a few night watchmen came across from him.If he wanted to turn around and run away, not only would he attract suspicion, but he might also fall into their hands, so he calmed down and stood there to mediate with the other party.Seeing his appearance as a scholar, the few people walked in a hurry and stopped him immediately.

"Where are we going in such a dark day? What are we doing?" a man who looked like a squad leader asked sharply.

Guan Hanqing looked at the scene in front of him, as if he was talking to himself, and said: "Travel all over the world in three or five steps, and seven or eight people will lead a thousand troops."

When the head of the class heard that the answer was not what he asked, he still had a bit of politeness, and his tone was not small.He himself is very fond of drama, and he understands a little bit. Not to be outdone, he said, "Do you think I can't hear it? Are you an opera singer? Tell me quickly! Don't dawdle!"

Guan Hanqing was unmoved, and continued to talk nonsense: "If you are a gentleman or a villain, or you are a gifted scholar or a beautiful woman, you will see it when you step on the stage; sometimes you will be happy, and sometimes you will be earth-shattering, and it will be nothing in a blink of an eye."

The other police officers yelled, "Catch it! Catch it!"

The head of the team is a fan of dramas, and usually likes to watch plays composed and acted by Guan Hanqing. Hearing these words, he suddenly became suspicious.He put the lamp close to Guan Hanqing's face and shouted: "I think you look like..."

Guan Hanqing was in a hurry, and hurriedly took the conversation away, and said with a smile: "You see, I am not me, and I see me, and I am not me; whoever I pretend to be like, whoever pretends to be whoever is like whom."

Several words before and after have reached the heart of the team leader, life is just a drama.Now he is convinced that the person in front of him is Guan Hanqing, but he is very contradictory: "Take it, I can't bear it. Guan Hanqing is indeed a master of drama, not only he likes it, but the people also respect him. You must be notorious; let it go, the 500 taels of silver reward is quite a temptation, and you may even be charged with dereliction of duty."

Guan Hanqing, who was talking nonsense on the side, quickly saw through the leader's mind, and uttered another sentence casually: "Don't be brave on the stage, even if you are a rich and high-ranking official, being proud is nothing more than nothing; what's the point now, and you will throw your helmet and armor in the end." , the end is still ordinary people."

The team leader thought about it carefully, and realized the implication.Now if you are greedy for short-term gain, fame and fortune will be in vain in the end, maybe you will not end well, so why bother yourself?So following what he said just now, he reprimanded: "I think you have a problem with your nerves!" After speaking, he waved his hand and said to his subordinates: "Let's go! Don't waste time on this pedantic nerd!" The group of people arrogantly After leaving, Guan Hanqing escaped a catastrophe.

[Comment and Analysis]

Judging from the tricks in this article: Guan Hanqing successfully used the method of square and circle, and pretended to be deaf and dumb under unfavorable circumstances, and was in a daze, but his heart was very clear.In this way, the purpose of paralyzing the other party is achieved, so that they can relax their vigilance against themselves, and secretly adapt to the situation, waiting for the opportunity to find a way out.The key to this method is to perform realistically without revealing any flaws, otherwise it will be very dangerous to be spotted by the opponent.

To seek yin with yang is to germinate virtue; to combine yang with yin is to exert force

[Original text]

Seeking yin with yang is budding virtue; combining yin with yang is applying force;The Tao of yin and yang of the heaven and earth, and the law of man, is the first of all things, and it is called the gate of the circle.

【Translation】

To seek help from yin potential with yang potential needs to be tolerant with morality; to seek help from yang potential with yin potential, one needs to do one's best and move people with sincerity.The cycle of mutual conversion between yin and yang follows the basic law of openness and closure.This is the law of yin and yang changes in all things in the world, and it is also the basic law that lobbyists should follow. "捭" and "close", "yin" and "yang" complement each other, which is the prerequisite for the growth and change of all things, which is the so-called gateway to the "square and circle" of heaven and earth.

Examples of Wisdom
be kind to others

During the Warring States Period, there was a son of the State of Qi, Mr. Mengchang, who was well-known all over the world for being generous with money and treating guests well.Characters from other countries have defected to his door one after another, and he has supported as many as thousands of diners, and talents from various places have gathered in his home.One of the main reasons why Lord Mengchang was able to take these talents under his command was that no matter how noble or humble these people were from, he treated them equally and treated them equally.

Whenever a new guest comes to visit, Mr. Mengchang will always meet him personally and treat him warmly.He sat down with the visitor and had a heart-to-heart talk, asking kindly about the situation in the guest's home.At this time, he would arrange his attendants to hide behind the screen and record their conversations one by one.After the guests leave, Mr. Mengchang will send people to the Hakka's house to present rich gifts and express condolences.His diners are especially grateful for Mr. Mengchang's non-discriminatory attitude.All the guests thought that Mr. Mengchang was the best to him and the closest to him, so everyone wanted to repay him for his kindness.

One day, two people came to visit Mr. Mengchang one after another.These two people are not people in the righteous way, and they don't have any real skills.One of them was good at crowing like a rooster, and the other was a thief who imitated dogs perfectly.Mr. Mengchang planned to accept these two people, but other guests objected: "Although we also have people from humble backgrounds, it is really difficult to accept such thugs joining us." Mr. Mengchang insisted on accepting them as his diners.

Once, King Qin Zhao imprisoned Meng Changjun and planned to kill him.Jun Mengchang quickly sent someone to ask for help from King Qin Zhao's favorite concubine.The favored concubine said: "If Mr. Mengchang gives me his fox white fur, I will help him to ensure that he is safe and sound, and the danger will be saved."

Mr. Mengchang did have a fox white fur coat.This fox white fur is snow-white, without a single hair of variegated colors, and it is priceless, but he has long dedicated it to King Qin Zhao.Now this dress is still stored in Qin Palace, the only way is to steal this dress from the palace.He asked the diners under the door for help, and the thief immediately stood up and said, "I'm very good at stealing! I promise I can take it out, and it will be safe." That night, he played his best trick, dressed as a dog, and sneaked into the Qin Palace. , easily stole the fox white fur.After Chong Ji got the coveted Hu Baiqiu, she really spoke good words for Meng Changjun in front of King Qin Zhao, and King Qin Zhao promised to release Meng Changjun.

Meng Changjun changed his name, escaped from Xianyang, and arrived at Hangu Pass in the middle of the night.However, King Qin Zhao regretted it, and immediately sent someone to chase him. The situation was critical, and at this time the city gate was closed.There is a regulation in the state of Qin that the door can only be opened and closed when the rooster crows. If you wait until dawn after the rooster crows, it will be even more difficult to escape.There is Xiongguan blocking the way in front, and the Qin army is chasing after him. The situation is very critical.One of Meng Changjun's disciples, who was good at crowing, decided to help him escape after learning of the danger of the young master.He let out a long cry, and the chickens in the villages near and far started to crow.Although the gatekeeper felt that it was still early, he heard a rooster crowing and thought it was dawn, so he switched the switch immediately, and Mr. Mengchang took the opportunity to escape smoothly.

The thousands of diners supported by Lord Mengchang were all strangers to him.He never worried that they would not serve him, and he cared and gave them all gifts, and he didn't care about the status and origin of villains or gentlemen.It turned out that these thugs saved his life.

[Comment and Analysis]

"Seek yin with yang, bud with virtue" means that if you want to seek help from yin with yang, you need to use kindness to inspire.The reason why Meng Changjun was able to escape from the state of Qin was that he relied on the unfavorable people.The main reason is: no matter how noble or humble the people were, Mr. Meng Chang treated them equally and got along with them as equals, thus winning the respect of more people. took his life.

Silence the rumors with silence
Yizhou in Sichuan has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times, and all dynasties have sent capable people to guard it.Zhang Fangping was once transferred to the prefect of Yizhou by the order of the court.Just as he was about to leave to take office, bad news came suddenly: the leader of Yibechuan, one of the ethnic minorities in the southwest, spread rumors everywhere, saying that Yizhigao, the leader of the Zhuang nationality, was stockpiling food and grass in Nanzhao, and that a brigade would soon invade Sichuan.People in Yizhou City were in panic and chaos.

The imperial court received an urgent report from Yizhou and quickly sent troops to support it.At the same time, the imperial court ordered Zhang Fangping to take up his post as soon as possible to preside over defense affairs in Sichuan.After Zhang Fangping received the order, he rushed to Sichuan overnight.On the way, he carefully inquired about the news, and after a few days of careful thinking, he always felt that something was a little strange.The attendants hurriedly asked why.Zhang Fangping said: "Nanzhao is more than [-] miles away from Sichuan. The road is difficult and dangerous, and it has been insurmountable since ancient times. Moreover, the various ethnic groups in Nanzhao do not understand the language and have no affiliation relationship, so it is difficult to unify the command. From this point of view, someone must be spreading Rumors." The attendants all agreed with this.

After careful consideration, Zhang Fangping sent back the reinforcements.After entering Sichuan, he issued an order to tell the ethnic minorities in Sichuan: "If Yi Zhigao of Nanzhao invades, I will definitely send troops to resist. As long as they are good people, the court will protect them, but if they want to talk nonsense and spread rumors, No matter who it is, behead it!" Then, Zhang Fangping sent back all the soldiers who were building the city wall, and then secretly sent someone to find a person who could speak Chinese among the ethnic minorities in Qiongbu.Coincidentally, it was the Lantern Festival, so Zhang Fangping ordered the four gates of Yizhou City to be kept open all night.Seeing this scene, the common people gradually lost their original fear and felt at ease, and Sichuan settled down again.

Soon, the people sent to the ethnic minorities in Qiongbu found a good citizen who could understand Chinese.Zhang Fangping asked him why, and it turned out that someone deliberately caused confusion.So he ordered that the person who first spread the rumor be executed.So far, the Yizhou Rebellion has been satisfactorily resolved.

Judging from the whole process of Zhang Fangping's handling of the matter, after hearing the bad news, he did not lose his footing, but "waited for chaos with order, and waited for chaos with calm", carefully analyzed the cause of the matter, and sent back reinforcements. Opening the gates of the city finally stabilized the hearts of the people and quelled the chaotic situation.

[Comment and Analysis]

Waiting for work with leisure and braking with stillness belong to "consolidating yang with yin and applying force with force", which are our commonly used strategies and tactics.It is of great significance both military and political.This is similar to what Sun Tzu said, "to treat chaos with order, and to wait for chaos with tranquility", which is similar to the same method but equally effective.It warns us that in interpersonal communication, we must hold our ground and not rush forward.By using the strategy of "braking with static", you can observe and grasp the opponent's movements more effectively, so as to formulate corresponding countermeasures.

Punish the county magistrate both hard and soft

When Xue Xuan served as the chief official of Zuo Fengyi, Yang Zhan, the magistrate of Gaoling County, and Xie You, the magistrate of Liyang County, under his jurisdiction were all greedy, cunning, and criminals.However, because they hold the power of a county, the former county guards have repeatedly investigated their illegal activities, but they suffered from no evidence, and finally they all let it go.

After Xue Xuan took office, Yang and Xie immediately went to the government office to meet.Xue Xuan immediately set up a banquet and entertained them warmly.

After a period of time, Xue Xuan secretly searched for their criminal evidence. After diligent investigation, he finally obtained all the evidence of their bribery and extortion.

Xue Xuan observed that Yang Zhan seemed to have the desire to correct his mistakes and was able to heed advice, so he wrote a letter with his own hand, listing all the crimes he had committed, and then handed the letter to Yang Zhan, telling him:

"Dear officials and people have reported and exposed your crimes. I have listed them one by one in the letter. There are also people who sue you for the crime of 'main guarding theft'. As a county magistrate, I respect you and cannot bear to put your affairs Zhang Yang went out, so I wrote this letter secretly to tell you. I hope you can handle these things properly so that you can regain your innocence in the future. If you don’t have these illegal things, then seal this envelope and return it to I, I will definitely redress your grievances and return your innocence."

Knowing the crime he had committed, Yang Zhan saw that Xue Xuan's tone was quite gentle and he had no intention of harming him, so he immediately removed the county magistrate's seal and handed it to the county magistrate, and wrote a letter to thank Xue Xuan without any complaints. .

However, Xie You, the county magistrate of Yueyang, considered himself a great Confucian and had a good reputation. He thought that Xue Xuan had nothing to do with him, so he looked down on Xue Xuan at all.

After Xue Xuan knew about Xie You's arrogance, he immediately issued an official document to publicly criticize him. The document read:
"Sue Yueyang county magistrate: Your county officials and the people have reported that you run the county government in a trivial and harsh manner, demote and punish officials and people at will, and there are as many as a thousand people doing hard work; I used it for private construction and allowed the rich officials to manipulate the price of the goods. All the above things have been investigated. I originally wanted to send officials to interrogate the case, but I was afraid that I would disappoint the person who recommended you in the first place, so that it would bring trouble to the Confucian scholars. Disgrace, so temporarily suspend your post as county magistrate."

After Xie You saw the official document, he had no choice but to resign in despair.

[Comment and Analysis]

Acting both soft and hard is "yin and yang seek each other", and different punishment methods are adopted for different targets.Yang Zhan, the magistrate of Gaoling County, already had a heart of repentance, so Xue Xuan followed suit and let him repent before his crimes, saving a lot of trouble.However, Xie You, the magistrate of Liyang County, not only had no repentance, but also didn't take Xue Xuan seriously, so Xue Xuan confronted him hard, threw the evidence of his crime at him, and removed him from his official post.Xue Xuan used both soft and hard methods, pulling and hitting, the strength he used was just right.

【Wisdom summary】

According to "Ci Hai" explanation: "捭" means to separate, and "close" means to close.This article focuses on how to choose rhetoric, how to master the rhythm and skills of conversation.According to the different circumstances such as the timing, occasion, and object of the conversation, a relative trick should be adopted in a timely manner.By extension, from the perspective of the scope of application: yang, movement, rigidity, tension, square, etc. can all be classified as manipulative techniques; yin, tranquility, softness, relaxation, and circle can be classified as closed techniques.Changing yang into yin or yin into yang, restraining static with movement or braking with static, overcoming rigidity with softness or combining rigidity and softness, all can be said to be the extension and promotion of the art of fighting.This article also implies the "Yin-Yang Technique" that uses subjective initiative to change Yang into Yin or Yin into Yang, as well as the "Rigidity and Softness Relaxation Technique" that combines softness and hardness, and complements hardness and softness. As long as we are good at grasping the key of things, we can It can be used freely and handy.

As for which strategy to adopt, it must first be judged according to the internal and external environment and situation.When encountering an opportunity that is beneficial to your own development, you must adopt the strategy of "捭" and take the initiative to attack in time to obtain greater victories; when the environment and situation are not conducive to yourself, you should adopt the strategy of "close" Stay in the dark to accumulate strength, and wait for an opportune moment before launching a counterattack.

The Shuhe technique was widely used in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.Due to the uneven strength of each country, many weak and small vassal states united through mutual lobbying to resist powerful countries and protect themselves. The most famous of them are Su Qin's "He Zong" and Zhang Yi's "Lian Heng".The application of 捭阵 in war is also relatively common. It uses the mutual transformation of relaxation, static movement, rigidity and softness, and square circle to find a way to defeat the enemy.

Shuhe is a universal law in the development of things, so it has become a rule that lobbyists must master. Therefore, the article says: "The way of Yin and Yang in the world, and the law of people, are the first of all things. It can be seen that only by properly handling the relationship between "捭" and "close" can we persuade others.

(End of this chapter)