"Since ancient times, beauties are like famous generals, and they are not allowed to be bald in the world." This is a famous saying by Qing Dynasty female poet Zhao Yanxue . It means that since ancient times, beauties, like famous generals, have had bad fates and will die early due to various accidents.
The famous general of Qin State during the Warring States Period Wang Jian was an exception. As one of the Warring States 's four famous generals, he not only shocked the emperor with his great achievements, but also relied on his great achievements. He asked for heavy rewards many times, which made Qin Shihuang unhappy. But precisely because of such a bad character, Wang Jian was able to die in the Warring States Period, where the rabbit died and the dog was cooked. What happened?
1. The Four Famous Generals of the Warring States Period
During the Warring States Period, the Warring States Period was endless and the stars were shining brightly. Among them, the most famous ones were Wu'an Jun Bai Qi, Xinping Jun Lian Po, Wu'an Jun Li Mu and Wucheng Hou Wang Jian. The four of them were collectively called the Four Famous Generals of the Warring States Period, leaving a mark in history.
But among these four people, Bai Qi was sentenced to death, Li Mu was beheaded, and Lian Po died in depression because he was not reused. Only Wang Jian retired and was able to live a long life. What story happened to them?
The first is Qin General Bai Qi. He was a general during the period of King Zhaoxiang of Qin Dynasty. At that time, the Qin State went through Shang Yang's reform, and the country was rich and the people were strong. However, it was located in the wild land of the west. If he wanted to plot the Central Plains, he had to defeat Han, Zhao, Wei and other countries. In the thirteenth year of King Qin Zhaoxiang's attack on Korea, it was Bai Qi who came to prominence for the first time in history. With his military exploits in this battle, he was promoted to Zuo Shuchang.
The next year, Korea knew that it was unbeatable, and Korea united with Wei Guo to resist Qin. As the chief of Zuo Shu, Bai Qi adopted a strategy of avoiding the real and exploiting the weak to attack the weak Wei State. In the end, he defeated the large number with a small number and annihilated 240,000 Korean and Wei coalition forces, which shocked the whole world. Later, Bai Qi defeated Wei and captured sixty-one cities. The Wei state was almost destroyed; he attacked Chu and reached Jingling, Chu state tombs of the former kings were burned;
But Bai Qi, who had unparalleled military exploits, aroused the fear of King Qin Zhaoxiang because of his high prestige, and was sentenced to death in Du Youting .
The fate of Zhao general Li Mu was similar to that of Bai Qi. At that time, the Xiongnu invaders were rampant in the northern part of Zhao State and were often causing trouble. All the generals were invincible. Only Li Mu adopted the strategy of holding on and making it impossible for the enemy to attack. Later, when the Huns relaxed their vigilance, Li Mu deployed a surprise force and defeated the Huns in one fell swoop, making them dare not invade their territory for more than ten years.
The Qin State in the west of Zhao State was ambitious and wanted to annex the Central Plains. Zhao State was weak and difficult to match. Thanks to Li Mu's ability to turn the tide and defeat the Qin army many times, the saying "Li Mu's death will lead to the death of Zhao" was widely circulated in Zhao's mouth. Later, King Zhao moved to and believed Qin's counterintuitive plan and killed him, and Zhao also perished.
Lian Po was also a general of Zhao State. When he was young, he repeatedly attacked Qi, Wei, Qin and other countries, and won great victories in all of them. But in his later years, Lian Po began to be treated coldly by King Zhao. Although he was not killed like Li Mu, he was repeatedly ostracized in the court and could only defect to Wei and Chu successively. It is a pity that in Wei and Chu, Lian Po could not be reused, and finally died in depression.
2. The smart Wang Jian
Compared with the other three famous generals, Wang Jian is much luckier. Not only was he able to enjoy his old age in peace, but his son Wang Ben also inherited his military talents. He was a powerful general with two skills, which made others envious. The reason why Wang Jian was able to avoid the fate of the famous general was entirely due to his greed for money.
226 BC was the 21st year that Qin Shihuang ascended the throne and became the king of Qin. At this time, the biggest enemy that hindered Qin's great cause of unification was Chu. Qin Shihuang summoned his ministers to discuss a strategy to destroy Chu. The veteran general Wang Jian believed that an army of 600,000 was needed to defeat Chu, but the young general Li Xin boasted that an army of 200,000 was enough to destroy Chu in Haikou.
The result can be imagined. Li Xin was defeated miserably. King Qin could only ask Wang Jian to come out of the mountain.Wang Jian first demanded that not a single member of the 600,000-strong army be missing, and then he reported out a large number of land and houses that he had favored in the past, and asked the King of Qin for rewards. "Historical Records" records that "there were many people who invited beautiful fields and gardens", so many that Qin Shihuang was reluctant to part with them. But now I have something to ask of Wang Jian, so I can only agree.
When Wang Jian led his army to Hangu Pass, he sent people five times to request for more fertile land. Even Wang Jian's generals couldn't stand it and advised him to restrain himself a little, lest his excessive greed would displease the King of Qin and lead to death. Unexpectedly, Wang Jian said: "The King of Qin is suspicious by nature. The more rewards I ask for, the more the King of Qin trusts me."
Later, the Qin army led by Wang Jian captured the King of Chu and pacified Chu. After the victory, the King of Qin did not care about Wang Jian's greed, but rewarded him heavily. After Wang Jian retired and returned to his hometown, Qin Shihuang promoted Wang Jian's son Wang Ben, not only giving him military power, but also letting him accompany him on many important occasions. It can be seen that Wang Jian lived a very happy life in his later years.
3. Reason Analysis
Li Mu and Bai Qi were loyal to the country without asking for anything in return, but were brutally massacred. Wang Jian put his own interests first in the war, so why did they end well? This is all the fault of the master. Once a minister's merit is too high and the monarch cannot reward him, it will threaten the monarch's status.
In the beginning, Bai Qi fought for the Qin State in all directions and almost destroyed the three Jin Dynasties. He was called the God of War. But his contribution was so great that it aroused the jealousy of Yinghou Fan Ju. Fan Ju was afraid that Bai Qi would take too much credit. Threatening his position, he slandered King Qin Zhaoxiang. King Zhaoxiang also felt that Bai Qi's prestige in the army was too high and difficult to control, so he had him killed.
As for Li Mu, he is even more typical. As a king, he hopes that his ministers can achieve great achievements and have supreme virtue. It is a pity that Li Mu has both immortal merit and supreme virtue, saving the Zhao country at a critical moment, but unlike Bai Qi, who has the evil deeds of killing prisoners. Therefore, in Zhao State, Li Mu's prestige was even higher than that of Zhao Wangqian, which gave Zhao Wangqian a sense of crisis. Qin also bribed the favored ministers around King Zhao to accuse Li Mu of rebelling, and Li Mu died.
Wang Jianzheng learned from the lessons of Bai Qi and Li Mu, so he personally asked the King of Qin for a reward. This can not only expose the shortcomings of greed for money and reduce one's prestige; it can also prevent the King of Qin from falling into the embarrassing situation of having no rewards and protect the face of the King of Qin.
And, as Wang Jian said, the more rewards you ask for, the more you can dispel King Qin’s suspicion. Because during the Warring States Period, there was no so-called feelings of family and country that came later. For example, although Lian Po was a famous general in Zhao State, he also served in Wei State and Chu State. The generals at that time shuttled between countries, just like today's professionals who change jobs. What they paid most attention to was the welfare benefits provided by the monarchs of various countries. This is also the reason why 's counterintuitive tactics and 's attempts have been so successful. The trust between the monarch and his ministers is too weak. Once someone provokes a few words, they will immediately fall into a crisis of trust.
Conclusion
Qin Shihuang handed over 600,000 troops to Wang Jian, which almost overwhelmed the entire Qin State. If Wang Jian is bribed to switch sides, Qin will be in ruins. The more Wang Jian has in the Qin State, the less likely he is to be bribed, and the more he can gain the trust of the King of Qin, so Wang Jian will continue to ask for rewards, but the King of Qin can only grit his teeth and tolerate it every time.
