Zhang Liang, a Korean in the late Warring States period, he was handsome, as beautiful as a woman,[107] born in an aristocratic family, and his grandfather Zhang Kaidi was re-elected as the prime minister of the three Korean dynasties during the Warring States period. His father, Zhang Ping, also succeeded as the prime minister of the Second Korean Dynasty.

In the twenty-third year of Han mourning King Hui (250 BC), Zhang Ping died, and twenty years after his death, Qin destroyed Han. Zhang Liang was still young at the time, did not serve in the Korean court, after the collapse of Korea, Zhang Liang still had 300 private servants, he did not go to the funeral after his brother's death, but invested all his family wealth in the anti-Qin cause, soliciting assassins to assassinate Qin Wang Zheng and avenge Korea. [106]

Zhang Liang once studied etiquette in Huaiyang, went to the East to meet Cang Haijun, and jointly formulated a murder plan of action. Find a strong man, make a big hammer weighing 120 pounds for him, and then send someone to find out the whereabouts of Qin Shi Huang's eastern tour.

According to the regulations of the chariot of the monarch and ministers, the chariot of the Son of Heaven was driven by six horses, that is, the chariot of Qin Shi Huang was drawn by six horses, and the chariot of other ministers was four horses, and the target of the assassination was the carriage of six chariots.

In 218 BC (the twenty-ninth year of Qin Shi Huang), Qin Shi Huang toured the east, and Zhang Liang soon learned that Qin Shi Huang's parade was about to arrive in Yangwu County (the eastern half of present-day Yuanyang County), so Zhang Liang commanded Hercules to ambush in Bolangsha, the only place to go to Yangwu County.

After a short time, I saw a convoy of 36 chariots walking from the west towards Bolangsha, the gong sounded in front to open the road, followed by the horse team to clear the field, the black flag honor guard walked in the front, and on both sides of the contour, officials of all sizes hugged each other. Seeing this scene, Zhang Liang and Hercules determined that Qin Shi Huang's convoy had arrived. But all the chariots are all four, and it is impossible to tell which one is Qin Shi Huang's car, only to see that the car in the middle of the convoy is the most luxurious.

So, Zhang Liang commanded Hercules to shoot at the car. The 120-pound sledgehammer knocked the passenger to the ground. Zhang Liang took advantage of the chaos to burrow into the reeds and fled the scene (there is no record of whether Lux escaped or not). However, it was only the auxiliary car that was hit by Hercules, Qin Shi Huang was assassinated many times, and he had already prepared for prevention, and all the chariots were all four cars, and he often changed cars, so it was naturally difficult for Zhang Liang to judge which car was Qin Shi Huang.

Qin Shi Huang survived, but Qin Shi Huang was very angry with this incident and ordered a nationwide arrest of the assassins, but because there was no way to investigate, Zhang Liang was able to "get away with it", and later stopped doing so. Gu Bo Langsha Zhang Liang thorn Qin has been famous since then.

One day, Zhang Liang was walking leisurely at the head of the Yishui Bridge and met an old man wearing a coarse cloth robe. When the old man walked to Zhang Liang's side, he deliberately took off his shoes under the bridge, and then arrogantly sent Zhang Liang to say: "Boy, go down and pick up shoes for me!" Zhang Liang was stunned, but he still endured the dissatisfaction in his heart and took it for him against his will.

Then, the old man stomped up again and ordered Zhang Liang to put it on for him. At this time, Zhang Liang really wanted to punch him, but because he had experienced the vicissitudes of the world for a long time and suffered all kinds of hardships in a wandering life, he forcibly suppressed his anger, knelt in front of him, and carefully helped the old man put on his shoes. Instead of thanking him, the old man looked up and smiled.

Zhang Liang stared at it for a long time, only to see the old man walk out of the land of Lixu, return to the bridge, and praise Zhang Liang: "The son can be taught." He also asked Zhang Liang to meet at Qiaotou in the early morning five days later. Zhang Liang didn't know what he meant, but he still respectfully knelt down and promised.

Five days later, when the rooster crowed, Zhang Liang hurried to the bridge. Who knew that the old man deliberately came to the bridge in advance, and was already waiting at the bridgehead at the moment, when he saw Zhang Liang coming, he reprimanded angrily: "Make an appointment with the old man, why did you miss the time?" Come back in 5 days! "Let's leave. As a result, Zhang Liang was one step behind the old man again for the second time.

The third time, Zhang Liang simply waited on the bridge in the middle of the night. He withstood the test, and his sincerity and forbearance touched the old man, so the old man gave him a book and said: "If you read this book, you can be the king's teacher, and after ten years the world will be in turmoil, you can use this book to prosper the country; Thirteen years later, Huangshi at the foot of the mountain in the valley of Jibei is the old man. ”

With that, he walked away. This old man is the legendary Hidden Cave Master Huang Shi Gong, also known as the "Old Man on the Circle".

Zhang Liang was pleasantly surprised, and at dawn, he took a look at the book, which was "The Art of War". From then on, Zhang Liang studied the military books day and night,[6] admired the world's major events, and finally became a "think tank" who was well versed in strategy, both civil and military, and resourceful.

In July 209 BC (the first year of Qin II), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose up in Daze Township and raised troops against Qin. Immediately afterwards, anti-Qin forces surged in various places. Zhang Liang, who was determined to resist Qin, also gathered more than 100 people and raised the banner of anti-Qin. [7] Later, because he felt that he was lonely and lonely, he had no choice but to lead his people to Tou Jingju (the leader of the peasant army who established himself as the false king of Chu),[8] and on the way, he happened to meet Liu Bang leading the righteous army to develop his power in the Xiapi area.

The two met like old friends, Zhang Liang repeatedly used the "Taigong Art of War" to talk about Liu Bang, Liu Bang was able to comprehend, and often adopted Zhang Liang's strategy. Zhang Liang told others about the "Taigong Art of War", but everyone couldn't understand it. Zhang Liang said: "Pei Gong is bestowed. So, Zhang Liang changed his mind to defect to Jingju and decided to follow Liu Bang.

As a scholar, it is important to have a deep understanding of strategy, but the premise of using strategy is to have a master who is good at accepting advice. This unexpected encounter, Zhang Liang "turned the rudder" of the master, reflecting his sober mind and unique vision in the complicated situation. Since then, Zhang Liang has been deeply respected and trusted by Liu Bang, and his wisdom and talent have also had the opportunity to give full play.

Zozer enters the customs

In June 208 BC (the second year of Qin II), the team led by Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu's uncle and nephew had grown to 60,000 or 70,000 people, and supported Xiong Xin, the grandson of King Huai of Chu, as the king, and gathered the leaders of the rebel army from all walks of life to discuss major matters in Xuecheng (now southeast of Tengzhou City, Shandong Province).

Zhang Liang did not forget to revive Korea, and hurriedly proposed to Xiang Liang: "Jun has already made the king of Chu his descendant, and Hengyang Jun is the most virtuous among the sons of the king of Han, and he can be established as the king, so as to build more henchmen." ”

As early as the time of Xiapi, there was an old friendship between Zhang and Xiang, so Xiang Liang agreed. So, he ordered someone to find Han Wangcheng, set up as the king of Han, and took Zhang Liang as Situ (equivalent to the prime minister). Zhang Liang's goal of "recovering Korea" was finally achieved, and the political long-cherished wish of "recovering his family" was also realized, so he did his best to support Han Wangcheng, waved his army to recover Han land (referring to the territory of Korea during the Warring States Period), and the guerrillas were near Yingchuan, sometimes capturing several cities, and sometimes being recaptured by the Qin soldiers, and failed to create a big situation for a long time.

At the end of the year, King Chu Huai ordered Liu Bang and Xiang Yu to divide their troops to attack Qin, and agreed: Whoever enters Xianyang first can become king. Liu Bang passed through Yingchuan and Nanyang, intending to enter Guanzhong from Wuguan.

In July 207 BC (the third year of Qin II), Liu Bang led his troops to capture Yingchuan. Han Wang and Zhang Liang joined Liu Bang. [13] Liu Bang asked the king of Han to stay in Yangzhai (Han's former capital, present-day Yuzhou City, Henan), and let Zhang Liang go south with his army. In September, the army arrived in Nanyang County (present-day Nanyang City, Henan). Nanyang County Shouqi retreated into Wancheng (Nanyang, Henan) to hold on. Liu Bang was anxious to destroy Qin, and saw that Wancheng was difficult to capture for a while, so he planned to bypass Wancheng and continue to advance westward.

Zhang Liang thought it was inappropriate and persuaded: "Although you are in a hurry to enter the customs, there are still many Qin soldiers along the way, and they all hold the dangerous terrain. If you don't take Wancheng now, once the Qin soldiers in Wancheng chase after you from behind, at that time, Qiang Qin is in front and the chasing soldiers are behind, it will be very dangerous. Liu Bang took his suggestion, immediately changed the flag, and led his troops to quietly return by taking the path at night. At dawn, Liu Bang's army had surrounded Wancheng.

Then, Liu Bang adopted Chen Hui's opinion, and used the technique of attacking the heart to appease Nanyang Taishou, pardon the officials and people of the city, and take Wancheng lightly without blood. Relieved Liu Bang's worries about advancing westward, Liu Bang's army was greatly boosted, and other cities in Nanyang County saw that Taishou had fallen, and they rose up to follow suit and fell in the wind.

Subsequently, Liu Bang led his army to Yaoguan (northwest of present-day Shangzhou, Shaanxi). It is the key pass of communication between Nanyang and Guanzhong in ancient times, easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is the throat fortress leading to Xianyang, the capital of Qin, and it is also the last pass of Gongwei Xianyang, Qin has heavy troops to guard this place.

Liu Bang rushed to the front of the pass and wanted to personally lead more than 20,000 people to forcibly capture it. Zhang Liang advised: "At present, the troops of Qin Shouguan are still very strong, and they should not act rashly. Liu Bang was afraid that Xiang Yu's army would enter the customs first, so he was anxious and hurriedly asked Zhang Liang for advice.

Zhang Liang offered Liu Bang a clever plan to outwit. He said: "I have heard that the guard of the pass is the son of a butcher, and this kind of philistine villain can touch his heart with a little money. You can send an advance force to prepare 50,000 men for food and salary, and add a large number of troops in the surrounding mountains to bluff and act as suspicious soldiers.

Then send Li Shiqi to bring more treasures and property to persuade the Qin generals, and the matter may be successful. Liu Bang acted according to the plan, and the guards of the pass surrendered and expressed their willingness to jointly attack Xianyang with Liu Bang.

Liu Bang wanted to hear it, but Zhang Liang thought it was impossible, and said: "This is just that the guards of the pass want to rebel against Qin, and his subordinates may not obey." If the soldiers do not comply, the consequences will be unimaginable. It is better to take advantage of the slackness of the Qin soldiers to eliminate them. As a result, Liu Bang led his troops to launch a surprise attack on the pass, but the Qin army was defeated and abandoned the pass and retreated to Lantian (now west of Lantian County, Shaanxi).

Liu Bang took advantage of the victory to pursue, led his troops around the pass, crossed the Jiang [kuài] mountain, and defeated the Qin army at Lantian. The army continued to advance westward, arriving at Bashang (25 li east of present-day Xi'an) in October 207 BC (the first month of the Qin dynasty was October and the beginning of the Han Dynasty was unchanged).

At this time, Qin II had been killed by Zhao Gao, and only did 46 days The son of the king of Qin saw that the righteous army was approaching the city, and the general trend had gone, so he had to tie his neck with a rope, ride a white horse in a plain car, hold the imperial seal, and open the city to surrender. At this point, the Great Qin Empire, which dominated the Quartet and Weizhen Sea, perished.

Liu Bang marched west from the order of King Huai of Chu to enter Guanzhong, which lasted only one year, because he adopted Zhang Liang's strategy to ensure the smooth progress of the military, thus winning time and entering Guanzhong one step ahead of Xiang Yu.

Liu Bang's army entered Xianyang and saw the luxurious palaces, beautiful palace maids and treasures, which made many people forget about it, thinking that they could enjoy the world to the fullest. Even Liu Bang couldn't help but want to stay in the palace. The military general Fan Hao risked death and scolded Liu Bang for "being a rich man". Liu Bang simply ignored it.

At this critical moment, Zhang Liang analyzed the benefits and disadvantages to Liu Bang and persuaded: "The king of Qin has done more unrighteous things, so you can overthrow him and enter Xianyang." Now that you have eradicated the scourge for the people of the world, you should be frugal by wearing vegetarian clothes. As soon as the army entered Qin, you indulged in pleasure, which is the so-called aiding and abusive. Besides, good medicine is good for disease, and good advice is good for deeds, and I hope that Pei Gong will listen to the words of Fan Hao and others. ”

Zhang Liang's tone was calm, but there was hard in the soft, especially the revelation of the successes and failures of the past and the present in the words, as well as the harsh words such as "no way Qin" and "helping the gang to abuse", faintly stabbed Liu Bang's almost intoxicated heart. This technique of playing tight and singing slowly really worked. Liu Bang accepted this far-sighted persuasion and ordered the Qin Dynasty palace treasures, treasury, and property to be sealed, and returned to the army in Bashang, waiting for Xiang Yu and other rebels.

During this period, Liu Bang also adopted Zhang Liang's suggestion, summoned the elders and heroes of the counties, and agreed with them in three chapters: "The murderer dies, the wounding and the theft are punished." ”

And informed the Quartet: "Yu Xi removes the Qin law." All the officials are at peace. Whoever comes for this reason, do not be afraid, unless there is any aggression. In addition, he also sent people to patrol various places with Qin officials to tell him what he meant. As a result, he won the unanimous support of the Qin people, and rushed to comfort the soldiers with cattle and sheep wine and food.

Seeing this, Liu Bang ordered the sergeant not to accept it, and sent a message: "There is enough food in the army, don't work hard and spend money." When the people of Qin heard this, they became more and more happy, but they were afraid that Liu Bang would not be the king of Qin Land.

Liu Bang adopted Zhang Liang's suggestion and adopted a series of measures to reassure the people, which won the hearts of the people and laid a good political foundation for him to run Guanzhong in the future and use it as a base to compete with Xiang Yu for the world.

In February 206 BC (the first year of Gaozu of the Han Dynasty), Xiang Yu led the princes to Hanguguan (now northeast of Lingbao, Henan). Liu Bang ordered the defenders to close the gate and prevent the princes from entering.

Xiang Yu was very angry when he learned that Liu Bang had captured Xianyang, and was just in time for Liu Bang's subordinate Cao Wuxian to tell Xiang Yu secretly, saying: "Pei Gong wants to be the king in Guanzhong." Xiang Yu immediately ordered the Yingbu Overseer to attack. In December of the same year, Xiang Yu's army broke through Hangu Pass and stationed in Xinfeng and Hongmen (now northeast of Lintong, Shaanxi) to fight Liu Bang to the death.

Fortunately, Xiang Yu's uncle Xiang Bo had an old friend with Zhang Liang. On the eve of Xiang Yu's army deciding to attack Liu Bang, Xiang Bo quietly rode to Liu Bang's army to meet Zhang Liang privately, told Zhang Liang the news, and invited him to abscond with him. Zhang Liang said: "I was ordered by King Han to send Pei Gong into the customs, but now Pei Gong is in danger, and it is immoral for me to escape quietly." I had to go and say goodbye to him. Immediately, Zhang Liang came to Liu Bang's tent and told Liu Bang what Xiang Bo said.

Liu Bang was shocked and asked, "What can I do about this?" Zhang Liang asked Liu Bang rhetorically: "Do you estimate that our army can withstand Xiang Yu's attack?" Liu Bang was silent for a long time and said, "It really can't." What should I do now? Zhang Liang judged the situation, and Zhang Liang gave Liu Bang an idea to draw salary: "Please go and tell Uncle Xiang that you dare not betray King Xiang." Liu Bang asked: "Uncle Xiang or you, who is older?" Zhang Liang said: "Uncle Xiang is a few years older than me." So, Liu Bang said to Zhang Liang: "You invite Uncle Xiang in for me, and I will treat him like a brother." Zhang Liang went out and repeatedly invited Uncle Xiang to see Liu Bang.

(End of chapter)