This article is excerpted from "Yi Zhongtian's History of China" and is published with authorization. Question: The name of Gou Jian, King of Yue, is familiar in the Chinese circle. His story of "suffering hardship" is often passed down by word of mouth as an inspirational case. However this is doubtful. Not only are there no records in "Zuo Zhuan" and "Guoyu", but even Sima Qian only talked about tasting courage, not lying on the salary. What is the real Goujian in history? What lessons can be learned from Wu’s failure? What kind of complexity and change does human nature reflect? Please read the story of "" Gou Jian destroyed Wu": Wu died in the 22nd year of Lu Aigong (473 BC). The person who destroyed Wu was King Gou Jian of Yue. The king who destroyed the country was King Wu Fu Chai (pronounced like dismantling). This is the instant fall and complete destruction of a hegemonic power. In fact, the Spring and Autumn Period has ended, and only the lingering sound of the fall of Wu can be said to be the beginning of the end of the world and the beginning of troubled times. How does it feel? Tragedy and desolation. The Five Hegemons in "Xunzi Wang Ba" are: Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, King Helu of Wu, and King Gou Jian of Yue. One of the powerful vassal states, its territory was located in the present-day southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang, with the Taihu Basin as its core. It reached its peak when King Wu Helu and Fucha were in power. They are not opponents. Yes, although in the Battle of Qia and Li in the 14th year of Lu Dinggong (496 BC), King Gou Jian of Yue defeated the Wu army, but the defeated Wu people did not Not discouraged. Fu Chai, who took over his father's sword from Helu, even ordered his subordinates to stand in the yard and shout: Fu Chai, have you forgotten the revenge of killing your father? At that time, Fu Chai was resolute, courageous, hard-working and motivated every day. How could he be arrogant, self-willed, self-willed, and eager to achieve great results? A Jian of Fu Chai, King of Wu, is now in the collection of the Shanghai Museum. In fact, Fu Chai fulfilled his promise. In the first year of Lu Ai (494 BC), King Wu Fu Chai defeated the Yue army in Fujiao (in today's Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province). He retreated to Kuaiji Mountain with 5,000 soldiers and could hardly resist. At this time, as long as Fu Chai continued his efforts, it would be Yue who would perish, not Wu. However, Fu Chai chose to let Wu Zixu go. Said: Oh, if the Yue State is destroyed, who will be the spectators in the future military exercises? This is arrogance. In Fu Chai's view, he defeated the Yue State, and the Wu State will certainly do so. "I am the best in the world." If you want to dominate, you must control the north and make the people of the Central Plains obey. It is just a cold dish on New Year's Eve. The Yue people's bronze figurines were unearthed in the New Year. Guangzhou, 4 to 5 centimeters tall, with naked body and only cloth wrapped around his waist, was regarded as a barbarian by the Central Plains. Therefore, Fu Chai went to the north to attack Chen, Lu and Qi; He built a city and dug ditches to connect the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River. Two years after the conquest of Qi, Fu Chai couldn't wait for the crops to mature and led the three armies northward. What Fu Chai never expected was that the mantis caught the cicada. The bird was behind. At this time, the Yue Kingdom had already completed its rejuvenation plan. In fact, when Fu Chai made a big mistake, Wu Zixu said that the Yue Kingdom would "definitely" make a big mistake. "Every year we gather together, we learn lessons in ten years"; when he was attacking Qi, Wu Zixu warned Fu Chai, "The more you get close to me, the more you will suffer." It's a pity that Fu Chai couldn't listen and gave Wu Zixu a sword to die. Being so oblivious and insisting on going your own way will of course lead to death. Gou Jian, the king of Yue, who had been planning for a long time, would certainly not let go of the great opportunity to take advantage of the situation. In fact, when Fu Chai arrogantly went to Huangchi to compete with Jin Dinggong to become the leader of the alliance, only the defending prince and the old, weak, sick and disabled were left in the country of Wu. So Gou Jian stabbed him hard in the back. The spear of King Wu Fucha was unearthed from the tomb of a Chu noble in Mashan, Hubei Province in November 1983. At this time, Fucha was still dreaming of his dream of becoming a hegemon.

So Doctor Fan Li fled the country of Yue. Before leaving, Fan Li wrote to his colleague Dr. Wen Zhong, saying: When the birds are gone, the good bows are hidden; when the cunning rabbits are dead, the lackeys are cooked. Come on, sir. The rabbit dies and the dog cooks, the bird disappears and the bow is hidden. The earliest source is here. But Wen Zhong didn’t leave. Sure enough, Gou Jian, who had no bottom line in life, gave him his sword, and said to Dr. Wen Zhong with a stern look on his face: Sir, he taught me seven techniques of defeating Wu, and I only used three. The Kingdom of Wu has been destroyed, and there are still four kinds in your hands. Do you want to go to the late king and try them on yourself? Wen Zhong had no choice but to commit suicide. Despicability is the passport of the despicable, and nobility is the epitaph of the noble. Is this famous saying really true when applied to Gou Jian or in Gou Jian's era? yes. Because at this time, Chinese rituals and music collapsed.