What are the classic historical legends of Henan?

Seventeen, Zhao Wuling Wang Hu clothing horseback riding

When the state of Chu is being bullied by the state of Qin, the state of Zhao in the north of the country fell on the strength. King Wuling, the king of Zhao, was far-sighted and bold, and tried to reform the country.

One day, King Wuling of Zhao said to his vassal, Lou Xiu, "We have Qi and Zhongshan to the east, Yan and Donghu to the north, and Qin, Korea, and Louxiao (ancient tribes) to the west. If we don't strive for strength, we will be destroyed by others at any time. If we want to be strong, we have to make some reforms. I think the clothes we wear, long robes and big coats, are not convenient for working and fighting, not as flexible as the short clothes and narrow sleeves of the Hu people (referring to the ethnic minorities in the north) and the leather boots on the feet. I intend to follow the customs of the Hu people, change the clothing, what do you think?"

Lou slow heard very favorable, said: "We imitate the Hu people's dress, but also can learn their fighting skills, is not it?"

King Wuling of Zhao said, "Right! We fight all our battles with infantry, or with horses pulling carts, but we don't know how to fight on horseback. I am going to learn to dress like the Hu people, that is, to ride a horse and shoot arrows like the Hu people do."

As soon as this argument spread, a number of ministers objected. King Wuling of Zhao discussed with another minister, Fei Yi, "I want to reform the customs of our country by riding and archery in hu clothes, but people are against it, what should we do."

Fei Yi said, "You can't be hesitant to do great things, but if you are hesitant, you won't be able to do great things. If you think this is good for the country, why should you be afraid of people's ridicule?"

When King Wu Ling of Zhao heard this, he was very happy and said, "I think those who ridicule me are fools, and those who are sensible will be in favor of me."

When he came to court the next day, King Wuling of Zhao first came out in the costume of a hu man. The ministers were shocked to see him dressed in short clothes and narrow sleeves. King Wu Ling of Zhao told everyone about the change of the Hu costume, but the ministers always felt that it was too embarrassing and did not want to do it. King Wu Ling of Zhao had an uncle, Gong Zi Cheng, who was a very influential minister of the state of Zhao and was very stubborn. When he heard that King Wuling of Zhao wanted to change his costume, he simply pretended to be sick and did not go to court.

King Wuling of Zhao made up his mind that he had to implement the reform. Knowing that in order to implement this new approach, he first had to get through to his old uncle's mind, he personally went to Gong Zicheng's door and talked to him repeatedly about the benefits of wearing hu clothes and learning to ride and shoot. Duke Zicheng was finally convinced. King Wu Ling of Zhao immediately rewarded Gong Zi Cheng with a set of Hu clothes.

When the ministers saw that Gong Zicheng also wore the hu clothes, they had no choice but to follow and change.

When King Wuling of Zhao saw that the conditions were ripe, he gave a formal order to reform the costumes.

When King Wu Ling of Zhao saw that the conditions were ripe, he issued a formal order to reform the costume, and in a few days, all the people of Zhao wore the Hu uniform, regardless of whether they were rich or poor. Some of them felt a little uncomfortable at first, but later they found it much more convenient to wear the hu clothes.

Then King Wu Ling of Zhao ordered everyone to learn horseback riding and archery. In less than a year, a strong cavalry force was trained. In 305 BC, King Wuling of Zhao personally led the cavalry to defeat the neighboring Zhongshan, and subdued the Eastern Hu and several neighboring tribes. By the seventh year of the implementation of the HU Cavalry, Zhongshan, Linhu, and Louhou were all conquered, and much land was expanded. The King of Zhao was planning to compete with the Qin state.

King Wuling of Zhao often led his troops to war and left the domestic affairs to his son. In 299 BC, he officially passed the throne to his son, King Huiwen of Zhao. King Wuling himself changed his name to Lord Father (meaning father of the king).

After organizing his domestic affairs in order to defeat the state of Qin, Lord Father Zhao resolved to go to Qin himself to examine the terrain and to observe the character of King Zhaoxiang of Qin.

Dressed as an envoy of Zhao, he took a few of his men and went up to Qin.

When he arrived at Xianyang, Lord Father Zhao paid a visit to King Zhaoxiang of Qin as an envoy, and also reported to him about the passing of the throne of King Wuling of Zhao.

When King Zhaoxiang received the fake envoy, he felt that the envoy's attitude and demeanor were both generous and dignified, unlike an ordinary person, and he was a bit suspicious. After a few days, King Zhaoxiang of Qin sent someone to invite him again, but he found that the "envoy" had already left without saying goodbye. He found that the "envoy" had already left without saying goodbye, but there was a man from Zhao left in the guest house. King Qin Zhaoxiang asked him about it, and realized that he was meeting with the famous Zhao master. King Zhao Xiang of Qin was shocked and immediately asked his general Bai Qi to lead his elite troops to catch up with him in the night. When the pursuers arrived at the Hangu Pass, Zhao's father had already been out of the pass for three days.

Xviii. Fan Li and Wen Qi

When King Goujian of Yue was gradually strengthening his country by reorganizing its internal affairs and producing, he often discussed with two ministers, Fan Li and Wen Qi, about how to crush the state of Wu.

At this time, King Fuchai of Wu, having become the overlord, became proud of himself and was obsessed with enjoyment. Wen Qi persuaded Gou Tram to pay tribute to the king of Wu with beautiful women. King Goujian of Yue sent his men to search for the most beautiful women. He found a beauty named Xi Shi on Ramie Mountain (south of Zhuji, Zhejiang Province). He then sent Fan Li to present Xi Shi to Fu Zhai.

When Fu Zhai saw Xi Shi, he was so impressed by her beauty that he treated her as a fairy and doted on her.

On one occasion, the state of Yue sent Wen Qi to the king of Wu to tell him that the state of Yue was having a bad year and there was a famine, so he borrowed 10,000 stones of grain from Wu and would return it to him in the next year. The king of Wu, who had been in the country for a long time, said that he wanted to borrow 10,000 grains from Wu and return them to him in the following year.

The next year was a good year for the state of Yue. Wen Zi returned 10,000 stones of grain to Wu in person.

Fu Zhai was even more pleased to see that Yue was very faithful. When he brought the grain from Yue and saw that it was full of grains, he said to Bo Zhai, "The grain grains of Yue are bigger than ours, so let's sell these 10,000 stones to the people for seeds."

Bo distributed these grains to the peasants and ordered everyone to plant them. In the spring, the seeds went down, and after waiting for ten days, they had not yet sprouted. People thought that the good seeds might come out slower, so they waited patiently. I didn't realize that in a few days, all the seeds that had been sown were rotten, and they wanted to sow their own seeds again, but they had already missed the time for planting.

This year, there was a great famine in Wu, and the people of Wu all hated Fu Zhai. How could they have thought that it was a ploy of Wen Seed. The 10,000 stones of grain returned to Wu turned out to be grain that had been steamed and dried in the sun, so how could it still be sprouted?

When Goujian heard that there was a famine in Wu, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to send troops.

Wen Zi said, "It's still early. For one thing, Wu has just had a famine, and the country is not empty; for another, there is still a Wu Zixu around, so it's not good."

Guo Tramp heard this and found Wen Qi's words reasonable, so he continued to train his soldiers and horses and expanded his army.

In 484 BC, King Fu-chai of Wu was going to fight Qi. Wu Zixu hurried to see Fu Cha and said, "I have heard that Gou Tramp is lying in wait and tasting gall and suffering with the people, and it looks like he must want to avenge Wu's death. If we don't get rid of him, there will always be a problem. I hope that the Great King will go and destroy the state of Yue first."

Wu Zixu, the king of Wu, did not listen to him, but led his troops to attack Qi, and returned victorious. All the officials congratulated him, but only Wu Zixu criticized him, saying, "Defeating Qi is only a small advantage, but it's a big trouble when Yue comes to destroy Wu."

This made Fu Zhai more and more annoyed with Wu Zixu, plus Bo Zhai was badmouthing Wu Zixu behind his back. The king's son, Wu Zixu, was a great man, and he was a great man, and he was a great man, and he was a great man, and he was a great man. When Wu Zixu was dying, he said angrily to the messenger, "Gouge out my eyes and put them at the east gate of Wu, so that I can see how Goujian came in."

Fu Chai killed Wu Zixu and appointed Bo great fortune to be the dazai.

In 482 BC, King Fu-chai of Wu made an alliance with Duke Ai of Lu and Duke Ding of Jin at Huangchi (southwest of present-day Fengqiu County, Henan Province), and took all his elite troops with him, leaving only a few old and weak ones behind.

By the time Fu-chai returned from Huangchi, King Goujian had already led his army into Gusu, the capital of Wu. The Wu soldiers were already tired enough from their long journey back, plus the Yue army were all trained for years and had high morale. When the two sides exchanged blows, the Wu army was defeated.

Fu Chai had no choice but to send Bo Expedition to ask for peace. After discussing the matter with Fan Li, he decided to agree to peace for the time being and retreated his troops.

In 475 B.C., King Goujian of the Yue Dynasty prepared for a large-scale attack on the state of Wu, which suffered a series of defeats. The Vietnamese army surrounded the capital of Wu for two years, and Fu Chai, driven to desperation, said, "I have no face to see Wu Zixu." With that, he covered his face with his clothes and committed suicide.

Goujian, the king of Yue, destroyed Wu and sat in the courtroom where Fu Chai had been sitting. Fan Li, Wen Qi and other officials came to see him. Bo Zhai, the chief ruler of Wu, was also standing there waiting to be honored, and he thought he had done a lot of good to Goujian.

Guang Chuan said to Bo great-grandfather, "You are a minister of the state of Wu, I dare not accept you as a vassal, you'd better go and accompany your king."

Bo Expedition withdrew with his head hanging down. Goujian sent his men after him and killed him.

Gou Jian destroyed Wu, and then crossed the Huai River with a large army to date the lords of the Middle Kingdom in Xuzhou. The Emperor of Zhou also sent ambassadors to send sacrificial meat to Goujian. After this, Yue's soldiers and horses marched across the Jianghuai River, and all the lords recognized him as the overlord.

Guang Chuan returned to his country in victory, and held a celebration to reward his ministers, but one of them was missing, Fan Li. Legend has it that he took Xi Shi with him and ran away to another country incognito.

Before Fan Li left, he left a letter to Wen Ji, saying, "When the birds are gone, the good bows and arrows should be collected; when the rabbits are gone, it's time to burn the hunting dogs for dinner. The King of Yue is a man with whom you can **** in trouble, but not **** in peace; you'd better go quickly."

Wen Zi did not believe it. One day, Goujian sent someone to bring him a sword. Wenzhuang took a look at it, and it was the same sword that Fu Cai had told Wu Zixu to kill himself with back then. He regretted not listening to Fan Li and had to kill himself.

Nineteen: Wu Zixu Crosses Zhaoguan

In the struggle for hegemony among the great powers, the great powers annexed the small ones and expanded their lands. However, the great vassals were forced to divide the newly acquired land among the great physicians who had done well in their work. The power of the great lords grew. There were often struggles between them. The conflict within the great states became so acute that they all wanted to put a stop to the war for supremacy.

For this reason, Xiangshu (向戍), a minister of the state of Song, traveled between Jin and Chu, acting as a mediator.

In 546 B.C., Jin and Chu, along with several other states, held a conference in Song, called the "Meeting of Repeating the War" (弭兵) (Repeating the War means stopping the war). At this meeting, the ministers of Jin and Chu made peace on behalf of the northern and southern groups, and made a covenant. It was stipulated that except for Qi and Qin, all small states should pay tribute to Jin and Chu. Jin and Chu shared the hegemony equally, and there was no major war in the next fifty years.

After King Zhuang of Chu's grandson, King Ping of Chu, assumed the throne, the state of Chu gradually declined. In 522 BC, King Ping of Chu wanted to abolish the original Prince Jian. At this time, Prince Jian and his teacher Wu She were defending Chengfu (west of Xiangcheng, Henan Province). King Ping of Chu was afraid that Wu She would not agree with him, so he first called Wu She and falsely said that Crown Prince Jian was plotting a rebellion.

Wu She refused to admit anything and was immediately imprisoned.

While King Ping of Chu sent his men to kill Prince Jian, he also forced Wu She to write to his two sons, Wu Shang and Wu Zixu, asking them to come back so that they could be eliminated together. When Wu Shang, the eldest son, returned to Yingdu (northwest of Jiangling, Hubei Province), he was killed by King Ping of Chu, along with his father, Wu Xie. Prince Jian got wind of this beforehand and fled to Song with his son, Duke Sheng.

Wu Zixu, Wu She's other son, also escaped from Chu, and he rushed to Song and found Prince Jian. When Song was in civil unrest, Wu Zixu fled to Zheng with Prince Jian and Duke Sheng, and asked Zheng to help them take revenge. However, the king of Zheng, Duke Zheng Ding, did not agree.

Wu Zixu, with his son, took the king's son to Zheng, where he was killed by Zheng Ding, the king of Zheng. Wu Zixu had to take Duke Sheng with him to escape from the state of Zheng and defected to the state of Wu (the capital city of which is in present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu Province).

King Ping of Chu had long ago ordered that a reward be offered for Wu Zixu's capture. He had Wu Zixu's portrait painted and hung up at the gates of cities all over Chu, and instructed the officials to check them.

Wu Zixu fled Zheng with Gong Zisheng, hiding during the day and traveling at night, and came to Zhaoguan Pass (north of present-day Hanshan County, Anhui Province) at the border between Wu and Chu. The officials at the pass were very strict in their investigation. Legend has it that Wu Zixu was so worried that he couldn't sleep for several nights and his hair turned white. Fortunately, they met a kind man, Donggao Gong, who sympathized with Wu Zixu and took him into his home. The Duke of Donggao had a friend who looked a bit like Wu Zixu. He asked him to pretend to be Wu Zixu to cross the border. The guards caught the fake Wu Zixu, but the real Wu Zixu could not recognize him because his hair was all white and his appearance had changed.

After Wu Zixu left Zhaoguan, he was afraid of his pursuers, so he rushed forward. The river in front of him blocked his way. When Wu Zixu was in a hurry, an old man fishing on the river came with a small boat and ferried Wu Zixu across the river.

After crossing the river, Wu Zixu was so grateful that he took off his sword and gave it to the old fisherman, saying, "This sword was given to my grandfather by the king of Chu, and it is worth 100 taels of gold. Now I am giving it to you, so that I can at least show my gratitude."

The old fisherman said, "The king of Chu has offered a bounty of 50,000 stones of grain in pursuit of you, and has promised to confer the title of great doctor on the informer. I do not covet this bounty or title, would I want this precious sword of yours?"

Wu Zixu hastened to make amends to the old fisherman, received the sword, and took leave of the old fisherman.

Wu Zixu arrived at the state of Wu, where Duke Guang was trying to seize the throne. With Wu Zixu's help, Duke Guang killed King Biao of Wu and made himself king. This was King Helu of Wu (阖) (pronounced hé lǘ).

After King Helu of Wu assumed the throne, he made Wu Zixu a doctor to help him deal with state affairs, and he employed a general, Sun Wu, who was a great military man who was good at using troops. The king of Wu relied on Wu Zixu and Sun Wu to reorganize his army, and first annexed several neighboring states.

In 506 B.C., King Helu of Wu appointed Sun Wu as his general and Wu Zixu as his vice-general, and personally led his army to attack Chu, winning successive battles and defeating Chu's army all the way to Ying.

By then, King Ping of Chu had already died, and his son, King Zhao of Chu, had fled. Wu Zixu hated King Ping of Chu so much that he dug up his grave, and dug out King Ping's corpse and whipped it severely.

The Wu army captured Ying. Shen Baoxu, a native of Chu, fled to Qin and asked for help. Duke Ai of Qin did not agree to send troops. Shen Baoxu stayed outside the Qin palace gate and cried day and night for seven days and seven nights. The Duke of Qin was finally moved, and said, "Although Chu is a tyrannical state, how can I watch them perish when they have such good ministers?"

Duke Ai of Qin sent troops to save Chu and defeated the Wu army, before King Helu of Wu withdrew his troops and returned to his country.

When King Helu of Wu returned to the capital of Wu, he gave the first great credit to Sun Wu. Sun Wu was reluctant to become an official and went back to his hometown to live in seclusion. He left behind a book, Sun Tzu's Art of War, which is the earliest outstanding military work in China.

Twenty, Cao Yu against the Qi army

After Duke Huan of Qi took the throne, relying on the help of Guanzhong, to fight for the status of the hegemony. However, in his war against Lu, but suffered a minor setback.

In the second year of Duke Huan of Qi's reign, in 684 BC, Duke Huan of Qi sent troops to attack Lu. Duke Zhuang of Lu felt that Qi had repeatedly bullied them and could not bear it any longer, and resolved to fight Qi to the death.

Qi attacked the state of Lu, also provoked the indignation of the people of Lu. There is a Lu people Cao Yu (sound guì), ready to go to see the Duke of Lu Zhuang, asked to participate in the war against Qi. Some people advised Cao Jun said: "The state affairs, there are when the big officials to worry about, why do you need to go to interfere in it?"

Cao Jun said: "When the short-sightedness of the official, there may not be a good way. The eye of the country in crisis, which can not care about it?" Said, he has been to the palace door to see Duke Lu Zhuang. Duke Lu Zhuang is worried about the lack of a strategist, heard that Cao Yu to see, and quickly invited him in.

Cao Jun met Lu Zhuanggong put forward their own requirements, and asked: "May I ask the Lord by what to resist the Qi army?"

Duke Lu Zhuang said, "Usually, what is good to eat and wear, I didn't dare to monopolize, and always share with everyone to enjoy together. With this, I think everyone will support me."

Cao Yu heard straight shook his head, said: "This small favor, get the benefits of not many people, the people will not support you for this."　　Duke Lu Zhuang said, "I am quite pious when it comes to sacrifices."

Cao Yu smiled and said, "This piety is nothing, God can not help your favor."

Lu Zhuang Gong thought for a moment and said, "When encountering the people to eat lawsuits, although I can not check one by one very clear, but as far as possible to deal with sensible and reasonable."

Cao Yu only nodded and said, "This is a piece of the people's heart, I see that with this point can fight with Qi."

Cao Jun requested with the Duke of Luzhuang on the battlefield, Luzhuang Duke to see Cao Jun this kind of confidence in the look, but also can not wait for him to go together. The two men rode in a troop car and led the men and horses to set off.

The two armies of Qi and Lu in the long spoon (now Shandong Laiwu northeast) open position. The Qi army, outnumbered, began their attack by beating the war drums. Duke Lu Zhuang is also ready to order a counterattack, Cao Yu hastened to stop, said: "and slow down, it is not yet time!"

When the Qi army beat the second drums of war, Cao Jun still called Lu Zhuanggong to press the troops. Lu army generals see the Qi army teeth and claws, angry fists, but there is no commander-in-chief's orders, so they have to hold their breath and wait.

The Qi commander saw that the Lu army was not moving, and ordered the third drum to be beaten. The Qi soldiers thought that the Lu army was timid and afraid of battle, and came to kill them with great bravado.

Then Cao Yu said to Duke Lu Zhuang, "Now you can order a counterattack."

Ru army position on the ground sounded the marching drums, soldiers morale, like a tiger downhill pounced on the past. The Qi soldiers were not prepared for this, and could not withstand the fierce attack of the Lu army, and lost the battle.

Lu Zhuang Duke saw the Qi army retreat, busy to order the pursuit, Cao Yu and pull him said: "Don't be in a hurry!" Said, he jumped off the chariot, lowered his head to observe the ruts left by the Qi army chariots; then, again on the car climbed to the pole, looked at the enemy retreating formation, before saying, "Please Lord ordered the pursuit!"

When the soldiers of the Lu army heard the order to pursue, they were all courageous and pursued the attack, and finally drove the Qi army out of the territory of Lu.

The Lu army achieved a counterattack victory, Lu Zhuang Duke of Cao Jun calm and composed command, secretly admire, but there is always a heart did not open the boring gourd. Back to the palace, he first to Cao Yu condolences a few words, asked: "the first two times the Qi army drumming, why do not you let me counterattack?"

Cao Jun said: "Fighting this matter, all depends on the morale. The other side beat the first drum, the morale of the most adequate; the second drum, the gas is loose some, to the third drum, the gas has been deflated. When the other side is deflated, but our soldiers are full of morale, there is no reason not to win the battle?"

Lu Zhuang Gong then asked why not immediately pursue. Cao Yu said: "Although the Qi army is defeated, but it is a big country, strong troops, maybe they pretend to be defeated, in what place to set up an ambush, we can not not prevent a little. Later I saw their banners tilted to the east and the ruts of their wagons in disarray, and then I believed that their formation was in total disarray, and that is why I asked you to give the order to pursue them."

Duke Lu Zhuang then realized, praised Cao Yu thoughtful.

Under the command of Cao Jun, Lu repelled the Qi army, and the situation was stabilized.

Twenty-one, Pan Geng relocation

Shang Tang established the Shang Dynasty, the earliest capital in Bo (sound bó, present-day Henan Shangqiu). In the next three hundred years, the capital was moved five times. This was due to the frequent internal strife within the royal family over the throne, as well as the frequent floods in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. On one occasion, the capital city was flooded and had to be moved.

Twenty kings passed on from Shang Tang, and the throne passed to Pan Geng. Pan Geng was a capable monarch. He was determined to move the capital once again in order to change the unstable situation of the society at that time.

However, most of the nobles were greedy for comfort and were reluctant to move. Some of the powerful nobles even incited the commoners to oppose it and made a lot of noise.

Pan Geng did not waver in his determination to move the capital in the face of strong opposition. He brought the nobles who opposed the relocation to the city and patiently persuaded them, "I want you to relocate in order to stabilize our country. Instead of understanding my painstaking efforts, you have become unnecessarily alarmed. It is impossible for you to change my mind."

Because Pan Geng's insistence on relocating the capital thwarted opposition, he finally crossed the Yellow River with civilians and slaves and relocated to Yin (present-day Xiaotun Village, Anyang, Henan Province). There, he reorganized the politics of the Shang Dynasty, which led to the revival of the declining Shang Dynasty, and for more than two hundred years afterward, he never moved the capital. Therefore, the Shang dynasty was also called Yin Shang, or Yin dynasty.

After more than three thousand years since then, the capital of the Shang dynasty has long been in ruins. In recent times, a large number of ancient relics were unearthed in the area of Xiaotun Village in Anyang, proving that it was once the site of the capital of the Shang Dynasty, and it was called "Yin Ruins".

In the relics excavated from the Yinxu Ruins, there were more than 100,000 pieces of tortoise shells and animal bones, which were inscribed with difficult-to-recognize characters. After archaeologists' research, only these words clear. It turned out that the ruling class of the Shang Dynasty was very superstitious about ghosts and gods. In their rituals, hunting, expedition, they have to use the tortoise shell and animal bones to divination, is auspicious or inauspicious. After the divination, the situation and the result of the divination were engraved on the tortoise shells and animal bones in writing. This kind of writing was so different from the current writing that it was later called "oracle bone writing". The Chinese characters we use today evolved from oracle bone inscriptions.

In the Yinxu excavations, a large number of bronze vessels and weapons were also found, many kinds of which were very well made. There is a large square tripod called "Simuwu", weighing 875 kilograms, more than 130 centimeters high, the tripod is also engraved with magnificent patterns. Such a large bronze vessel shows that in the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the technology and art of smelting bronze were very high. But it can also be imagined, like such a huge exquisite tripod, do not know how many slaves permeated the blood and sweat miles!

Archaeologists have also unearthed the tombs of Yin Shang slave owners in Yinxu. In a large tomb of the Shang king in Wuguan Village, Anyang, in addition to a large number of pearls and jades and other lavish funerary objects, there are many slaves were killed alive and martyred. In the tomb passage next to the great tomb, many headless bones were piled up on one side and many heads were arranged on the other. According to the text on the oracle bone fragments, they worshipped their ancestors, but also massacred slaves as offerings, the most reached more than 2,600. This is the evidence of the cruel persecution of slaves by slave owners.

From the oracle bones unearthed in Yinxu, we have a more conclusive proof of the social situation in the Yinshang period. Therefore, it is said that the earliest written history of China began with the Shang Dynasty.

22, the four great beauties of ancient China

1, sinking fish - Xishi

"Sinking fish", tells the story of Xishi. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Wu and Yue competed with each other. Wu, with its strong army and horses, quickly defeated Yue and took King Goujian of Yue and Chancellor Fan Li as hostages. In order to avenge the destruction of his country, the king of Yue temporarily stayed in the lap of the king of Wu, pretending to be very honest and loyal. Once the king of Wu had a stomach ache, but he could not find out what was wrong with him even when he called a bone-setter. When King Goujian learned about it, he tasted his feces in front of King Fu-chai of Wu and said, "The king is not sick, but he has caught a cold and will get better if he drinks some hot wine to warm himself up." The king of Wu did as Gou Jian said and drank some hot wine, and he got well. Seeing that he was so loyal, the king of Wu released him back to the state of Yue. After returning to his country, Gou Jian accepted the three plans offered by Fan Li to restore his country; first, to canton troops and intensify martial arts training, second, to canton fields and develop agriculture, and third, to choose beautiful women to give to the king of Wu as an insider. At that time, there was a woman named Xi Shi, who was a cooner with decent features and peach blossom face. When she was cleaning yarn by the river, the clear river water reflected her handsome figure, making her look even more beautiful. At that time, when the fish saw her reflection, they forgot to swim and gradually sank to the bottom of the river. From then on, the name "Sinking Fish" of Xi Shi spread in the neighborhood. After Xi Shi was sent to the state of Wu, the king of Wu took a look at Xi Shi's beauty and obeyed her, indulging in fun all the time and ignoring the affairs of the state, thus depleting the state's strength. King Goujian of Yue took advantage of the situation and attacked Wu, and achieved the purpose of restoration of the country and revenge, here there is a great credit to Xi Shi.

Xi Shi, name Yiguang, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was born in Zhejiang Zhuji ramie village. She was born in the village of Zhuji Ramie during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

At that time, the state of Yue was subject to the state of Wu, and the king of Yue, Goujian, sought to restore the state. At the time of the national crisis, Xi Shi endured humiliation and pledged her life to her country. Together with Zheng Dan, Xi Shi was offered by King Goujian to King Fuchai of Wu, and became the king's favorite consort. The king of Wu was so bewildered that he was distracted from the affairs of the country, which served as a cover for Goujian's resurgence. She showed the noble ideology of a patriotic woman. Later, Wu was finally destroyed by Goujian. Legend has it that after Wu was destroyed, she and Fan Li went boating on the five lakes, not knowing where they ended up. It has been missed by the descendants.

Xi Shi and Yang Guifei, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan for the four great beauties of ancient China, of which Xi Shi is the first, is the embodiment of beauty and generation name.

2, falling geese - Wang Zhaojun

Zhaojun out of the plug

When Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, the Xiong Nu aristocrats competed for power, and the situation was declining, the five monarchs were separated, attacking each other endlessly. One of them, Hu Hanxie, was defeated by his brother, Zhi Zhi. Determined to make peace with the Han Dynasty, Hohanxie made a personal visit to Emperor Xuan of Han. Hu Hanxie was the first one to go to the central part of China, and Emperor Xuan of Han personally went to the outskirts of Chang'an to meet him and held a grand banquet for him. He stayed in Chang'an for more than a month. He asked Emperor Xuan of Han to help him go back. Emperor Xuan of Han agreed and sent two generals with 10,000 cavalry to escort him to the south of the desert. At this time, Xiongnu was short of grain, and the Han Dynasty also sent 34,000 ducats of grain. Hohanxie was so grateful that he was determined to make peace with the Han Dynasty. When the countries in the western region heard that Xiongnu had made peace with the Han Dynasty, they all scrambled to deal with the Han Dynasty. After the death of Emperor Xuan of Han Dynasty, his son Liu X became Emperor Yuan of Han Dynasty. Xiong Nu's Zhi Zhi Shan Yu invaded the western countries and killed the envoys sent by the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty sent troops to Kangju and killed Zhi Zhi Shan Yu. Once Zhi Zhi Shan Yu died, the position of Hu Han Xie Shan Yu was stabilized.

"Falling geese", is the story of Zhaojun out of the plug. During the reign of Emperor Yuan of Han, the north and south were at war, and the border could not be quiet. Han Yuan Di in order to appease the northern Xiongnu, selected Zhaojun and Shan Yu marriage, to ensure that the two countries forever peace. In a high autumn day, Zhaojun said goodbye to her homeland, embarked on a journey to the north. Along the way, the horse neighs and the geese chirp, tearing her heart and liver; the feeling of sadness, so that her mind is difficult to calm. She was on top of her horse, plucking the strings of the zither, playing a sad parting song. The geese flying south heard the pleasant sound of the zither, and saw this beautiful woman on the horse, forgot to swing their wings and fell to the ground. From then on, Zhaojun will have to "falling geese" pronouns.

In 33 BC, Hohanxie Shan Yu once again to Chang'an, asked for peace. The Yuan Emperor allowed it. When the Han Dynasty made peace with Xiong Nu, they had to pick a princess or a daughter of the royal family. This time, Emperor Yuan of Han decided to pick a courtesan for him, and he instructed his men to go to the harem and spread the word: "Whoever is willing to go to Xiongnu, the Emperor will treat her as a princess." The palace maidens in the harem were all chosen from the people, and once they were in the palace, they were like birds in a cage, all of them were looking forward to the day when they could be released from the palace. But when they heard that they had to leave their country to go to Xiong Nu, they were not happy about it. There was a court lady named Wang Qiang (王嫱), or Zhao Jun (昭君), who was beautiful and insightful. She volunteered to go to Xiong Nu to make peace with her. Emperor Yuan chose a date for Hohanxie Danyu and Wang Zhaojun to get married in Chang'an. When Huanxie Danyu and Wang Zhaojun thanked Emperor Yuan for their kindness, Emperor Yuan saw Zhaojun's beauty and generosity, which made the Han Palace colorful. Legend has it that when Emperor Yuan returned to his inner palace, the more he thought about it, the more chagrined he became. He asked someone to take out Zhaojun's image from the portraits of the court ladies. Although the mold is a bit like, but not as lovely as Zhaojun herself. It turns out that after the courtesan into the palace, generally are not to see the emperor, but by the painter painted like, sent to the emperor to wait for the selection. There is a painter named Mao Yanshou, to the courtesan portrait, the courtesans send some gifts to him, he painted a little more beautiful. Wang Zhaojun didn't want to give gifts, so Mao Yanshou didn't paint Wang Zhaojun's beauty truthfully. Emperor Yuan of Han was furious and killed Mao Yanshou.

Wang Zhaojun left Chang'an, escorted by Han and Xiong Nu officials. She rode a horse and braved the biting winds to Xiongnu, where she became the Xiongnu of Hu Hanxie. She was given the title of "Ning Hu Xiongnu" in the hope that she would bring peace and tranquility to Xiongnu. Zhaojun settled in Xiongnu for a long time, far away from her hometown. She advised Huanxie Shan Yu not to start a war, and also passed on the culture of the Central Plains to the Xiongnu. After this, the Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty lived in harmony and there was no war for more than sixty years. What is remarkable is that after the death of Hohanxie Shan Yu, she remarried to the eldest son of Hohanxie Shan Yu's Da Xiongnu, which contradicted the ethical concepts of the Central Plains, but she cherished the friendship between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu in the light of the overall situation. Wang Zhaojun gave birth to one boy and two girls in Xiongnu. The year and place of Zhaojun's death are not recorded in the history books.