Do princes, generals and generals have any idea?

Translation: Do princes, generals and ministers have any natural noble qualities?

This sentence also profoundly reflects the revolutionary resistance spirit of Chen Sheng and others.

Chen Sheng’s famous sayings also include:

The sparrow knows the ambition of the swan!

Translation: How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan?

As long as someone is rich, don’t forget each other

Translation: If anyone becomes rich, don’t forget everyone.

Both come from the article "The Chen She Family" in Sima Qian's "Historical Records"

Excerpts from the original text:

The Chen She Family?

Author ：Sima Qian

Chen Shengzhe was born in Yangcheng, with the courtesy name She. Wu Guang was from Yangxia, with the courtesy name Uncle. When Chen She was young, he tried to farm with servants. He stopped plowing on the ridge, and he felt regretful for a long time. He said, "As long as you are rich and noble, you will never forget each other." The servant smiled and said, "How can you be rich and noble if you work for servants?" She Taixi said: "What a shame! How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan!"

In July of the first year of the Second Emperor's reign, he sent Lu Zuoshi to garrison Yuyang, and nine hundred people settled in Daze Township. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang both took the next step and became the village commanders. It will rain heavily, the road is blocked, and the time has passed. If the deadline is missed, all laws will be cut off. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang Naimou said: "If you die now, you will die. If you make great plans, you will die. If you wait for death, how can the country die?" Chen Sheng said: "The world has been suffering from Qin for a long time. I heard that the second generation has a young son, so he should not be established, but he should be established. It was the young master Fusu. Fusu remonstrated with him, so he sent the foreign generals to him. Now they heard that he was not guilty, but the common people heard that he was a good man, and they did not know that Xiang Yan was a Chu general who had meritorious service. , the people of Chu pity him. He may think he is dead, or he may think he is dead. Now I sincerely call myself Fusu and Xiang Yan for the sake of the world." Wu Guang thought so. It’s about divination. The diviner knew what it meant, and said: "Everything is done with one step, and there is merit. But the divination with just one step is a ghost!" Chen Sheng and Wu Guangxi thought about the ghost and said, "This is the teaching I will give to everyone's ears first." They wrote it in a Dan book on silk. : "King Chen Sheng" was placed in the belly of a fish that someone caught. The soldier bought a fish and cooked it, and found a book in the belly of the fish, so he thought it was strange. He also ordered Wu Guangzhi to set up a bonfire in the nearby Cong Temple at night. The fox croaked and shouted: "Great Chu is rising, King Chen Sheng!" All the soldiers were frightened at night. On the same day, the words "stroke" often refer to "Muchen Sheng".

Wu Guangsu loved people, and most of his soldiers were servants. The general was drunk, and Guanggu wanted to kill him. He was angry with the general and ordered him to be humiliated in order to anger the generals. Wei Guo whipped Guang. The captain's sword is upright, he rises widely, seizes and kills the captain. Chen Shengzuo killed two lieutenants. He summoned the disciples and said: "When the rain comes, all of you have missed the deadline. If you miss the deadline, you should be beheaded. If you don't behead, the dead will be garrisoned for 16 or 7. And if a strong man does not die, it will be enough. If he dies, he will be famous, and the princes will Xiang Ning has the right to do it!" The disciples all said: "I accept the order respectfully." They pretended to be the masters of Fu Su and Xiang Yan, just to follow the wishes of the people. If you show favor to the right, you will be called Da Chu. They formed an alliance for the altar and offered sacrifices to the captain's head. Chen Sheng established himself as general and Wu Guang as captain. Attack Daze Township, collect it and attack Qi. When Qi went down, he ordered Ge Ying, a native of Fuli, to lead his troops to the east of Qi. Attack Qi, Feng, Ku, Zhe and Qiao. They gathered their troops and marched to Chen. They had six to seven hundred chariots, more than a thousand cavalry, and tens of thousands of soldiers. When attacking Chen, Chen Shouling was not around, so he only guarded Cheng and Zhan Qiaomen. If he failed to win, the chief minister died, and he moved into Chen. In a few days, he ordered the three elders, heroes and others to come and take care of things. The three elders and heroes all said: "The general is strong and sharp, he attacks the unjust, punishes the Qin Dynasty, and restores the state of Chu. It is fitting that he should be king." Chen Sheng was made king and named Zhang Chu. At this time, all the prefectures and counties who harassed the Qin officials punished their chief officials and killed them in response to Chen She.

Translation: Chen Sheng is from Yangcheng, with the courtesy name She. Wu Guang, a native of Yangxia, was given the courtesy name Uncle. When Chen Sheng was young, he and others were hired to plow the land. One day he stopped plowing and walked to the high ground to rest. He sighed for a long time due to disappointment and said: "If anyone becomes rich, don't forget everyone." Together. The fellow tillers smiled and replied: "How can you, a hired farmer, get your wealth?" Chen She sighed and said, "Hey, how can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan?"

In July of the first year of Qin II, the imperial court recruited poor people to garrison Yuyang and stationed them in Daze Township. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were all included in the relegated garrison team and served as the small leader of the garrison team. It happened to be raining heavily and the roads were blocked, so we were probably delayed. If the deadline is missed, everyone should be beheaded according to the law (of the Qin Dynasty). Chen Sheng and Wu Guang then discussed: "Even if you run away now (get caught), you will die. If you start an uprising, you will die. The same is death. If you die for state affairs, is it okay?" Chen Sheng said: "The people of the world have been persecuted by the Qin Dynasty for a long time. . I heard that Qin II was the youngest son of the First Emperor and should not be appointed emperor. The son Fusu should be appointed. Because of Fusu's repeated admonitions, the emperor sent him to lead troops outside.

Now some people heard that he was not guilty, but Qin II killed him. Most of the people heard that he was very wise, but they didn't know that he was dead. Xiang Yan was a general of the Chu State. He had made many military exploits and loved to nurse soldiers. The people of Chu State loved him. Some thought he was dead, others thought he had escaped. Now if we pretend that our people are the troops of Prince Fusu and Xiang Yan, and call on the people of the world to rebel against Qin, there should be many people who respond. "Wu Guang thought he was right. So the two went to divination (to predict good and bad luck). The divination man understood their intentions and said, "You can succeed in all your big things and build meritorious deeds." But have you ever asked ghosts and gods about things? Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were very happy. They thought about ghost divination and said, "This is just teaching us to use ghosts and gods to intimidate people." So they used cinnabar to write "King Chen Sheng" (three characters) on the silk and put it in the belly of the fish caught by others. When the soldiers bought the fish and cooked it, they found the silk book in the fish's belly, which had already been written on it. Things felt strange. Chen Sheng secretly sent Wu Guang to the temple in the jungle next to the camp, holding a lantern at night and shouting in a shrill voice like a fox howling: "The great Chu will rise, and Chen Sheng will be the king." "The soldiers were frightened all night. The next day, the soldiers were talking a lot, just pointing and looking at Chen Sheng.

Wu Guang has always loved nursing soldiers, and most of the soldiers were willing to listen to (him) One day, the general escorting the garrison was drunk. Wu Guang deliberately said that he wanted to escape many times to make the general angry, so that he could insult him, so that the general actually beat Wu Guang with a bamboo board. The captain unsheathed his sword and wanted to kill Wu Guang. Wu Guang jumped up, grabbed the sword and killed the general. Chen Sheng helped him and killed the two generals together. (So Chen Sheng) called his subordinates and said: "You guys have met." It rained heavily and the deadline was already missed. If you miss the deadline, you will be beheaded. Even if they could only avoid being executed by beheading, six to seven out of ten people who went to guard the border would have died. Besides, it’s enough for a strong man to survive. If he dies, he should achieve great fame. Do princes, generals and ministers have any innate noble qualities? "The subordinates all said: "I am willing to obey your orders. " So he pretended to be the young master supporting Su Xiang Yan's team, and obeyed the people's wishes. They all showed their right arms (as a sign of uprising) and were known as the Great Chu. They built a high platform with earth and swore an oath on the platform, using (two) The general's head was sacrificed to heaven. Chen Sheng made himself a general and Wu Guang was appointed captain. They attacked Daze Township, gathered the rebels in Daze Township, and attacked Qixian. They sent Ge Ying from Fuli to lead an army to patrol the area east of Qixian. Chen Sheng attacked Zhifu, Kuzheqiao and other places and captured them all. When he arrived at Chen County, he had six to seven hundred chariots, more than a thousand cavalry, and tens of thousands of soldiers. At that time, the county guards and magistrates were not there. Only the Shou Cheng led his troops to fight against the rebels in the city gate. The Shou Cheng was unable to win and was killed. After a few days, the rebels entered the city and occupied Chen County. One day, Chen Sheng ordered the local disciplined village officials and talented squires to come together for a meeting. The village officials and squires all said: "General, you are personally wearing armor and holding sharp weapons to attack the unjust tyrants and eliminate the cruelty. The Qin Dynasty rebuilt the state of Chu, and he should be crowned king according to his merits. " Chen She then proclaimed himself king and named the country Zhang Chu. At this time, the people in various counties and counties who had suffered greatly from the officials of the Qin Dynasty rose up to punish the local chiefs and killed them in response to Chen Sheng's (call). < /p>

Appreciation:

The excerpt is the first part of "Historical Records: Chen She's Family", which mainly describes how Chen She launched the uprising and the rapid development of the uprising army in the early days. The article belongs to the biography style. , focusing on the main role played by Chen She at the critical moment of the struggle against the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty, to show his ability to understand the current situation and his outstanding organizational leadership talents. The author is good at grasping the development process of historical events and is good at using language description. The text uses Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's movements as clues to vividly describe the emergence and development of this uprising. , clearly reveals its essence - a peasant movement that is supported by the majority of the people and opposes violent rule. The main image in the article is Chen Sheng. The author vividly describes the typical historical environment and the characters' language and actions. It reproduces the image of Chen Sheng, the leader and organizer of the peasant movement, who "farmed with servants" when he was young. It was during the brutal rule of the Qin Dynasty and deep class oppression.

He is unwilling to be enslaved by others, and sympathizes with those who have the same fate as himself. From the "long-term regret", it can be seen that he is thinking in pain how to change this oppressed and enslaved position. Therefore, he said to the servants: "As long as you are rich and noble, you will never forget each other." When the servants showed that they did not understand, he further said: "Hey, how can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan!" Explaining that he had extraordinary abilities at that time. Ambition and the confidence to go against fate, you just have to wait for the opportunity to come and then use your talents. The time has indeed come. "In July of the first year of the Second Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, he was banished to Yuyang, and nine hundred people settled in Daze Township." "It rained heavily and the roads were blocked, so the time was lost. If the time was lost, all the law would be cut off." This is a story An exemplary historical setting. The second generation came to power through Zhao Gao's conspiracy. He had been in power for less than a year, and there were deep conflicts among the highest ruling groups. Daze Township, where the garrison troops were stationed, was far away from Xianyang, the capital of Qin, and the ruling power was relatively weak and easy to break through; The 900 garrison soldiers who had been put to death due to missing time due to rain were a force that could be relied on. As the commander of the village, Chen Sheng saw that this was an excellent opportunity to realize his ambition, so he discussed with Wu Guang and decided on the goal of "making a big plan". Although he also expected the possibility of failure, he believed that "death to the country" was a Valuable, showing his broad mind. The author focuses on Chen Sheng's ability to discern the current situation. What Chen Sheng said to Wu Guang was actually an excellent analysis of the situation. "The world has been suffering from Qin for a long time", which shows that the people across the country are extremely angry at the cruel rule of the Qin Dynasty, and there is power of resistance everywhere. The eldest son supported Su as a "virtuous" and was killed, and the second Hu Hai was "destroyed" instead of being established. This will definitely aggravate the internal crisis of the Qin Dynasty and cause deeper social conflicts; The poison was the deepest. There has long been a saying that "although Chu has three households, if Qin is destroyed, Chu will definitely die", and the Chu people at that time pinned their mood on Xiang Yan. Chen Sheng grasped these two most sensitive issues at the time, and took advantage of the fact that the people did not know their lives or deaths, and proposed the strategy of "falsely calling themselves young masters Fusu and Xiang Yan", thereby controlling people's movements. The consequences of his strategy were quickly confirmed: when the rebel army reached Chen, it had developed into a huge force with "six to seven hundred chariots, more than a thousand cavalry, and tens of thousands of soldiers"; under the Zhang Chu regime, At the same time as this was established, "all prefectures and counties who tortured the officials of the Qin Dynasty punished their chief officials and killed them in response to Chen She." In times of crisis, Chen Sheng's sobriety and decisiveness are invaluable. The author also describes Chen Sheng's organizational and leadership talents very vividly. The first is to prepare public opinion for the uprising. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were inspired by the soothsayer's suggestion of "diving with just one step to see the ghosts" and borrowed the "power" of ghosts and gods. They first established Chen Sheng's image with a book in the belly of a fish, and then called out "fox crow" to make Chen Sheng The image of Chen Sheng was linked to the revitalization of the Chu State and adapted to the desires of the soldiers, thus further consolidating Chen Sheng's status in the minds of the soldiers. The second is to mobilize for an uprising. The key was to kill the two lieutenants and gain the support of the soldiers, so Wu Guang was first asked to "pretend to kill him several times and angrily anger the lieutenants." It shows Chen Sheng's bravery and cleverness. Just when all the dragons were leaderless, Chen Sheng stood up, first exposing Qin's harsh regime, explaining the pros and cons, and then shaking his confidence in the fight by saying, "A strong man will not die until he dies. Death will bring him great fame. A noble man would rather have the seed." This statement admirably shows that joining the uprising is the only future for the soldiers; Chen Sheng has the support of all the soldiers as a matter of course. Then he put forward strategic slogans and "alliance for the altar", and a peasant uprising army united to fight was announced. The quick composition of this team proves that Chen Sheng is a good player and may attract so many people to watch how good he is.

Reference materials

Gushiwen website: http://www.gushiwen.org/