In the early years of the Warring States period, Pang Juan said goodbye to his mentor Guiguzi, and came down the mountain to the Wei State to seek fame and become a general.
was afraid of his junior brother Sun Bin's "The Art of War ", so he conspired to frame Sun Bin, cut off his kneecap , and imprisoned him. Fortunately, with the clever tips given by Guiguzi, Sun Bin hid it from Pang Juan by pretending to be crazy.
Sun Bin, who had narrowly escaped death, what kind of fate will he have after coming to Qiguo?
What kind of hegemony will the powerful and ambitious Wei Huihou launch?
In the subsequent battle of Guiling (now northwest of Changyuan, Henan), Pang Juan and Sun Bin, the former classmates, met on a narrow road. What kind of life and death confrontation will they stage?
Modern equestrian sports first emerged in Europe, and in many major international events, European athletes usually come out on top. But in fact, similar equestrian sports had already appeared in China more than 2,000 years ago. At that time, it was called riding. It appeared initially to facilitate hunting and catching prey, and was later promoted to the military.
With the emergence of cavalry and war horses, riding became more and more valued by the world, and gradually derived related sports activities. It later reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty period. At that time, Emperor Taizong himself had He is a leader in horseback riding sports such as horseback shooting and polo .
Equestrian is generally divided into two parts: circus and horse racing. During the Warring States Period when heroes competed for the throne, horse racing was very popular. One of the most famous idioms and allusions, "Tian Ji Horse Racing", was born during this period.
After Sun Bin fled Wei, he returned to his own country, Qi, and was appreciated by Qi general Tian Ji and was treated as a guest. During this period, the princes and nobles of Qi were very keen on horse racing and were proud to own BMW horses. The amount of money staked in each race was also considerable, which further stimulated people's enthusiasm for participating in horse racing.
After Sun Bin escaped from Wei, he returned to his own country, Qi, and was appreciated by Qi general Tian Ji and was treated as a guest. During this period, the princes and nobles of Qi were very keen on horse racing and were proud to own BMW horses. The amount of money staked in each race was also considerable, which further stimulated people's enthusiasm for participating in horse racing.
One day, Sun Bin was studying the art of war in his mansion. Tian Ji suddenly walked in angrily, and he slammed his helmet on the table. When Sun Bin saw this, he asked him the reason. Tian Ji said angrily: Today I raced with the king and lost again!
After hearing this, Sun Bin immediately said that he had a way to help Tian Ji win. Seeing Sun Bin's confident look, Tian Ji couldn't help but be doubtful.
At this time, Sun Bin took out three black and white chess pieces and placed them on the bamboo slips respectively. He made further analysis to Tian Ji: These two colored chess pieces are like the horse racing horses of the king and the general. There is not much difference between the general's horse and the king's horse at the same level. Therefore, if the general's high-quality horse is pitted against the king's medium-grade horse; the medium-grade horse is pitted against the king's low-grade horse, and then the low-grade horse is pitted against the king's high-grade horse, then, general, you win two out of three games, and you will definitely be the final winner. . Tian Ji was overjoyed.
The next day, he followed Sun Bin's plan and competed again with King Qi Wei . Sure enough, he won the bet, and he couldn't help but feel complacent on the sidelines. This story is the origin of the idiom "Tian Ji's horse racing".
King Qi Wei, who lost the game, seemed quite upset. At the same time, he was also puzzled by the result of this game, because he had won every horse race in the past. How could he lose this time for the first time? What's up? So he asked Tian Ji.
At this time, Tian Ji seized the opportunity and recommended Sun Bin to King Wei of Qi. Knowing that all this was due to Sun Bin's clever plan, King Qi Wei was filled with emotion, so he immediately summoned Sun Bin and asked him about the art of war.
After Sun Bin’s explanation, everyone finally understood that in this horse race, the seemingly simple position changes contained deep military wisdom: use one’s own strengths to attack the other’s weaknesses , that is, use one’s own advantages Attack the opponent's disadvantages to achieve the final victory
After a conversation, King Qi Wei was extremely impressed by Sun Bin's military talent and immediately appointed him as military advisor and left Sun Bin in Qi. After receiving the assistance of Sun Bin, King Wei of Qi became more powerful than a tiger. The government of Qi was well-organized and its national power flourished.
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In the Central Plains region, among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, Han, Zhao, and Wei were originally the three great families of the Jin Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period. Later, the three families were divided into the Jin , each forming a country, and they jointly occupied the Central Plains. Although they all came from the Jin Kingdom, these three countries coveted each other and often looked for opportunities to attack each other.
In 371 BC, the king of Wei Wei Wuhou passed away. His two sons, Gongzhong and Zifeng, competed for the throne, and the country of Wei was in chaos. Zhao and Han took the opportunity to attack and jointly sent troops to attack Wei, defeating the Wei army. Later, Zifeng became the new king of the Wei Kingdom, and was known as Wei Huihou in history. After he ascended the throne, he counterattacked Zhao and Han. As a result, the three kingdoms continued to fight.
In the early Warring States period, Wei was the most powerful among the countries. Therefore, relying on the solid foundation left by his ancestors, the young and energetic Wei Huihou dreamed of dominating the world. He first set his strategic target on the barren Qin to the west. China . At that time, the Wei State was ready to attack, like a lion in its prime, slowly opening its bloody mouth, trying with all its strength to annex the Qin State in one go.
At this time, the Qin State, located in the northwest border, was poor and weak. However, the long-term battle with the Rong tribe also forged the indomitable character of the Qin people and their ability to conquer and fight well. In the early Warring States period, the Qin State was already weak and no longer as prosperous as its ancestor Mu Gong. However, this barren country was like a thin wolf. Although it was thin, it was fierce and tenacious. Facing Wei's strong attack, the Qin people Fight bloody battles and defend their territory to the death.
Therefore, although the Wei State repeatedly launched attacks on the Qin State and finally captured the land of Hexi (today the western part of the Guanzhong Plain of Shaanxi Province and the southern part of Shanxi Province), it never realized its ambition to annex it in one fell swoop.
At the same time, Qi State, located in Shandong Peninsula , is surrounded by sea on three sides and has steep mountains. Relying on natural barriers, the terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. This determines that it can avoid too many wars and disputes. In the great war In this world, he can temporarily protect himself or even sit on the sidelines. At this time, the king of Qi State was none other than King Wei of Qi. Under his governance, the national power of Qi State increased greatly, and there was a strong tendency to compete with Wei State for hegemony in the Central Plains. Therefore, in recent years, Wei Huihou has been quite wary of his increasingly powerful neighbor to the east.
In 361 BC, Wei Huihou, who was increasingly feeling pressure from the east and west, moved the Wei capital eastward from Anyi (now Xia County, Shanxi) to Daliang (now Kaifeng, Henan), hoping to geographically distance himself from Qin. The distance also formed an effective restriction on Qi State to the east.
Daliang at that time was located in the center of the Central Plains, with very convenient transportation. However, the geographical advantage of extending in all directions also made Daliang a "place of four battles": due to the vast plains surrounding it, the lack of effective barriers allowed the enemy to drive straight in and reach the heart of Wei.
At that time, Wei Huihou had not yet clearly realized this, but in the near future, history will sound the alarm, forcing him to have a clearer understanding of his original decision.
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During the Warring States Period, the use of ironware had been gradually promoted. The Wei State was located in the Central Plains, with rich products, prosperous commerce, and developed manufacturing industries. Wei's weapons manufacturing industry is world-famous. The famous Wei soldiers were well-equipped, all heavy infantry, wearing heavy armor, carrying weapons and swords, carrying crossbows, and carrying arrow bags. They were rarely matched among other countries.
Therefore, after moving the capital, Wei Huihou, who thought he had no worries, began to implement a strategy of attacking from all sides, relying on his strong military strength. Among the countries, he harassed Qin in the west, fought with Qi in the east, and attacked Han and Zhao in the Central Plains. The cutting continues. With such wars in the east, west, north and south, Wei's originally sufficient national power was gradually depleted, and Wei Huihou, who was eager to dominate, fell into a state of distress.
At this time, Zhao State, which had been at odds with Wei for many years, took advantage of the fact that it was tired of fighting on all sides. In 355 BC, it sent troops to attack its vassal state, Weiguo, and forced Weiguo. He defected and surrendered to Zhao. When the news came, Wei Huihou was furious, and he subsequently changed his diplomatic strategy. Instead, he formed an alliance with Qin, Qi, and Han in order to concentrate his elite troops to attack Zhao in the north.
In 354 BC, Wei Huihou, who had laid a diplomatic foundation in advance, finally launched an attack on Zhao. He assembled all the superior domestic forces, led by General Pang Juan, and approached Zhao's capital Handan (today's Handan, Hebei). I want to complete my achievements in one battle.
"At this time, Wei Huihou actually ignored the fatal point. Wei's domestic defense was extremely weak at the moment, which gave the opponent an opportunity."
Wei's general Pang Juan, who came from Guiguzi's sect, was familiar with the art of using troops. , and the fighting wind is fierce. This time under his command, the Wei army was overwhelming and quickly approached Handan, the capital of Zhao. Facing the menacing Wei army, Zhao State resisted desperately and struggled to support it. However, its opponent was the famously ferocious Wei soldiers. The form of the war became increasingly unfavorable to Zhao State. Seeing that Handan was about to fall, Zhao State had no choice but to cede territory. Conditions, sent a letter asking for help to Qi State in the east.
King Qi Wei, who received the letter asking for help, summoned his ministers to discuss the matter.
Prime Minister Zou Ji believed that if Zhao was rescued, Qi's national power would inevitably be damaged, which would be like suffering for one generation; it would be better to sit back and watch, waiting for both Wei and Zhao to suffer losses, and Qi would be able to reap the benefits. . King Qi Wei pondered undecided.
Doctor Duan Qianpeng objected: He pointed out that if he did not save Zhao, it would not be a sign of benevolence and righteousness, but it would also be detrimental to Qi. Because once Zhao is annexed by Wei, Wei's power will grow and Qi will be endangered. King Qi Wei agreed. Duan Qianpeng further suggested: For the current plan, it is better to attack Xiangling (today's Suixian County, Henan), which is close to the Wei capital Daliang, to disperse the Wei army's forces. This will not only avoid confrontation with the main force of the Wei army, but also break the siege of Handan. His suggestion was approved by King Qi Wei.
Later, King Wei of Qi met with Sun Bin alone. He was convinced of Sun Bin's military talent and prepared to hand over the military talisman to Sun Bin and let him lead the Qi army in battle. However, what King Qi Wei did not expect was that Sun Bin refused to accept the appointment because of his disability, and strongly recommended Tian Ji as the commander-in-chief of this battle. After hearing Sun Bin's answer, King Qi Wei couldn't help but admire Sun Bin's character, so he appointed Tian Ji as his general and Sun Bin as a military advisor to accompany the army.
"Sun Tzu's Art of War" records: Soldiers are deceitful. War is actually the art of deceit, which emphasizes "attacking the enemy unprepared and taking them by surprise", that is, taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and attacking the enemy's unprepared places from a path that the enemy did not expect.
In 354 BC, Qi General Tian Ji was officially ordered to receive the military talisman and serve as the commander-in-chief of the rescue of Zhao. Together with military advisor Sun Bin, he led 80,000 Qi troops to Zhao for rescue. But when they arrived at the border between Qi and Wei, they received news that the Wei army had captured Handan, the capital of Zhao. In desperation, Tian Ji planned to immediately send his troops north to directly fight the main force of the Wei army to relieve Zhao's urgent need. His plan was blocked by Sun Bin.
Now Liang and Zhao are attacking each other. The light troops and sharp soldiers will be exhausted outside, and the old and weak will be left behind inside. If you don't lead your troops to rush towards Daliang, occupy its streets, and attack the enemy, they will release Zhao and save themselves. It was me who relieved the siege of Zhao in one fell swoop and defeated Wei.——"Historical Records"
This passage comes from the strategy of "encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao" proposed by Sun Bin, the military advisor of Qi State. Sun Bin believed that Wei State had been attacking Zhao State for a long time, and the main force was consumed outside, the old and weak were exhausted at home, and the domestic defense was empty, so he went with it. If there is a direct confrontation between Handan and the Wei army, it is better to adopt the tactics of avoiding the real situation and attacking the weak, encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao, and go straight to the main beam of Wei's capital, forcing Wei to withdraw from Handan. In this way, Zhao can be saved without any effort. Tian Ji readily agreed and led his troops straight to Daliang.
Wei was in trouble. After Pang Juan got the news, he immediately returned to the court. At this time, Sun Bin once again suggested to Tian Ji that he send a group of lightly-armed chariots to invade the outskirts of Daliang City, angering Pang Juan again and forcing him to speed up his return for reinforcements. As Sun Bin expected, Pang Juan abandoned his baggage, traveled lightly, and traveled day and night to rescue Daliang. At this time, Sun Bin came up with another plan, sending a small force to pretend to fight Pang Juan's troops, and then deliberately showing weakness to make him underestimate the enemy.
Xunzi once said, "The martial arts of Qi cannot meet the soldiers of Wei." This sentence is a true description of the strength of the soldiers of Qi and Wei at that time. The soldiers of Wei were well-equipped, brave in battle, and famous among the countries. However, precisely because of this, the entire Wei army, including General Pang Juan, fundamentally ignored the Qi army and believed that they were vulnerable.
At this moment, seeing that Qi's army was defeated and fled, Pang Juan immediately took advantage of the victory and pursued him closely. At this time, Sun Bin had already led the main force to set up an ambush in Guiling (now northwest of Changyuan, Henan), waiting for the Wei army to arrive.
The Battle of Guiling was not only a military competition between Qi and Wei, but also an intellectual duel between Sun Bin and Pang Juan, their former classmates. When Pang Juan arrived at Guiling after a long journey, his men and horses were already exhausted, while the Qi army was recharging its energy and waiting for work. As you can imagine, the arrogant Wei Wu was defeated miserably in the battle of Guiling.
Wei Huihou sent all his troops to attack Zhao, but failed. Wei general Pang Juan formed his troops and commanded to kill the enemy, but returned without success. All this was due to Qi's intervention and Sun Bin's strategy. After the battle of
, Wei Wuzu's arrogance was hit, and his desire for hegemony was temporarily curbed. At the same time, Qi's prestige has increased significantly. Thanks to this war, the Qin State in the west got a precious opportunity to recuperate. Under the initiative of the monarch Qin Xiaogong , he began Shang Yang's Reform ...
History had a moment of calm at this time, but This will only be temporary.
The end of one war will usher in the beginning of the next war. This is the Warring States Period.
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