In 496 B.C., King Helu of Wu sent an army to attack the state of Yue (越国), but he was defeated by Yue (越国), and Helu died of his wounds. Two years later, King Helu's son, Fu Chai, led an army to defeat Yue, and King Goujian of Yue was sent to Wu as a slave. Goujian served the king of Wu for three years before Fu Chai removed his wariness of him and sent him back to Yue.
In fact, Goujian did not give up his desire for revenge. He obeyed the king of Wu on the surface, but secretly trained his troops, strengthened his government and waited for the right moment to strike back at Wu. The hard work of the people is a great way to build up the will, while the comfort of the people is a great way to wear down the will. Goujian was afraid that he would be too greedy for comfort and would lose his will to avenge the humiliation of Wu, so he arranged a hard living environment for himself. He did not use a mattress to sleep at night, but only laid some firewood (called salary in ancient times), and hung a bitter gall bladder in the house, which he would taste from time to time, in order not to forget the shame of the past.
Goujian encouraged the people to participate in labor with the queen and the people, and with the concerted efforts of the Yue people, the Yue state became strong, and finally found the time to destroy the state of Wu.
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The phrase "to take a bramble and ask for forgiveness" is from "The Records of the Grand Historian - The Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru". During the Warring States period, Lian Po was a famous general of the state of Zhao. He was so successful in battle that he was made superior minister, and Lin Xiangru, who had done so well in returning the biks to the king, was soon made superior minister. Lian Po was not satisfied with this, and threatened, "If I meet him, I must humiliate him. "Knowing this, Lin Xiangru intentionally refused to meet Lian Po. Others thought that Lin Xiangru was afraid of Lian Po, and Lian Po was very proud of this. But Shang Xiangru said, "How could I be afraid of General Lian? However, now Qin is a bit afraid of us, Zhao, and this is mainly because there are two of us, General Lian and me. If he and I attacked each other, it would only benefit Qin. The reason why I'm avoiding General Lian is because I'm putting the affairs of the state first, and I'm tossing aside my personal grudges!" These words reached Lian Po's ears, and he was so moved that he came to Lin Xiangru's house, bare-chested and carrying a thorn staff, to apologize. Shamefully, he said to Shang Xiangru, "I am really a confused man, I never thought you could be so magnanimous!" The two men finally became friends who swore to live and die together.
This story is also known as "The Harmony of the Generals". Later generations made use of this story to call the person who took the initiative to admit his faults and apologize for the severe punishment he received as "Negative Bauhinia".
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Breaking the kettle and sinking the boat
"The Records of the Grand Historian - Xiang Yu Benji": "Xiang Yu is known to lead the troops to cross the river, all sinking the boat, breaking the kettle and cauldron, burning the hut, holding the three days of food to show the pawns will be dead, none of them return to the heart."
In 209 B.C., China's history erupted into a peasant uprising led by Chen Sheng Wu Guang. After the sacrifice of Chen Sheng Wu Guang, the two armies led by Liu Bang and Xiang Yu gradually grew stronger. In 207 B.C., Xiang Yu's rebel army fought against the main force of the Qin army led by Qin general Zhang Han at Julu (present-day Xingtai, Hebei Province); Xiang Yu defied the enemy and led his troops to cross the Zhangshui River (a river flowing from northeast to southeast of Julu). After crossing the river, Xiang Yu ordered his entire army to "all sink their boats, break their kettles and cauldrons, burn their huts, and hold their grain for three days, to show that their soldiers would die, and none of them would return." In the battle of Julu, the Qin army was greatly defeated, and Xiang Yu's soldiers shook the vassals with might.
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Wen chicken dance
"Jin Shu - Zu Ti biography": "In the middle of the night heard the deserted chicken, cu Kun Jue, said: 'This is not an evil sound.' Because of the dance."
Zu Ti in the Jin Dynasty is an open-minded, ambitious people. But when he was a child, he was a naughty boy who didn't like to read. Into the youth era, he realized that his own knowledge of the poor, deep sense of not reading in order to serve the country, and then read up. He widely read books, serious study of history, from which he drew a wealth of knowledge, learning has grown greatly. He went in and out of Luoyang, the capital several times, and those who came in contact with him said that Zu Ti was a talented person who could assist the emperor in governing the country. When Zu Ti was 24 years old, he was recommended to become an official, but he did not agree to do so, and continued to study tirelessly.
Afterward, Zu Ti and his childhood friend Liu Kun were appointed as the head of the state of Si. He and Liu Kun had a deep affection, not only often lie in the same bed, sleep with the same quilt, but also have the **** the same lofty ideals: to build a career, revitalize the state of Jin, and become a pillar of the country.
Once, in the middle of the night, Zu Ti heard the rooster's crowing in his sleep, he kicked Liu Kun awake and said to him: "Other people think that hearing the rooster in the middle of the night is unlucky, and I don't think so, so we can simply hear the rooster get up and practice the sword later?" Liu Kun readily agreed. So they got up every day after the cock crowed to practice sword, sword light flying, sword sound clanging. Spring and winter, cold and hot, never stop. After a long period of hard study and training, they finally became all-rounders who could write and fight, and could lead soldiers to win battles. Zu Ti was appointed as the General of Zhenxi, realizing his desire to serve the country; Liu Kun became the governor, and also managed the military of the three states of Jin, Ji and You, also giving full play to his literary talent and military strategy.
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Cutting the wall to steal the light
When the Western Han Dynasty was in full swing, there was a farmer's child named Kuang Heng. When he was a child, he wanted to study very much, but because his family was poor, he couldn't afford to go to school. Later, he learned to read from a relative, and only then did he have the ability to read.
Kuang Heng could not afford to buy books, so he had to borrow them. In those days, books were very expensive, and those who had them refused to lend them easily. So Kuang Heng worked as a short-term laborer for rich people during the busy farming season, asking them to lend him books instead of paying him for them.
After a few years, Kuang Heng grew up and became the main laborer of his family. He worked in the field all day long, and only when he rested at noon did he have time to read a little, so it often took ten days and half a month to finish a volume. Kuang Heng was very anxious, thinking: planting crops during the day, there is no time to read, I can make use of more evening time to read. But Kuangheng's family was so poor that they couldn't afford the oil to light the lamps, so what should they do?
One night, Kuang Heng lay in bed and memorized the books he had read during the day. As he was memorizing, he suddenly saw a bright light coming from the east wall. He stood up and walked to the wall to take a look! It turned out that the light coming through the crack was the neighbor's light. So Kuang Heng thought of a way: he took a knife and dug the cracks in the wall a little wider. This way, the light coming through was also bigger, so he read a book with the light coming through.
Kuangheng studied hard in this way and later became a very learned man.
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Three visits to thatched cottage
At the end of the Han Dynasty, when the Yellow Turbans rose up and the world was in great turmoil, Cao Cao sat at the court and Sun Quan embraced the Eastern Wu, and Liu Bei, the Han patriarch of the Yuzhou province, listened to Xu Shu and Sima Hui, who said that Zhu Geliang was very educated and talented, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei went to Longzhong (now Xiangfan City in Hubei province.) with gifts. Wolonggang (now Xiangfan City, Hubei Province, China) to ask Zhuge Liang to come out to assist him. It so happened that Zhuge Liang went out on this day, Liu Bei had to turn back in disappointment. Soon, Liu Bei and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and braved the blizzard to go to the second time. Unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang went out again. Zhang Fei was not willing to come again, see Zhuge Liang is not at home, urge to go back. Liu Bei had to leave a letter expressing his admiration for Zhuge Liang and his intention to invite him to come out to help him save the country from a dangerous situation. After some time, Liu Bei ate vegetarian for three days and was ready to invite Zhuge Liang again. Guan Yu said Zhuge Liang may have a false name, may not have the real this talent, do not have to go. Zhang Fei, however, advocated by him alone to call, if he does not come, with a rope to tie him. Liu Bei put Zhang Fei chastised a meal, and they visited Zhuge Liang for the third time. When they arrived, Zhuge Liang was sleeping. Liu Bei did not dare to startle him, and stood until Zhuge Liang himself woke up, before sitting down and talking with each other.
Seeing that Liu Bei had the will to do something for his country, and that he sincerely asked for his help, Zhuge Liang came out and did his best to help Liu Bei establish the Shu Han dynasty.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms calls Liu Bei's three personal invitations to Zhuge Liang "Three Visits to a Cottage". Zhu Geliang in the famous "out of the division table", there is also "the first emperor does not think that I am despicable, obscene from the wrong, three times in the hut in the" sentence. So when people in later generations saw that someone had gone to that person's house several times in a row to ask the person he admired to come out and help him or her with his or her work, they quoted this phrase to describe the eagerness and sincerity of the person who had asked for help. It also means not being ashamed to ask for talent with an open mind. Jian'an twelve years (207 years), Zhu Geliang 27 years old, Liu Bei "three visits" in Xiangyang Longzhong, met with Zhu Geliang, asked to unify the world plan, Zhu Geliang incisively analyzed the situation at that time, put forward the first to seize Jing, Yi as a base, the internal reform of the political, external united with Sun Quan, the South Pacification of Yiyue Yue, the West and the Rongs, and wait for the Timing, two way out of the Northern Expedition, so as to unify the country's strategic thinking, this conversation is the famous "Longzhong Pair".