In 496 BC, He Lv, the king of Wu, sent troops to attack Yue. Defeated by Gou Jian, the King of Yue, He Lv was seriously injured. Before he died, he asked his son Focha to avenge him. Fu Cha remembered his father's words and stepped up training day and night, ready to attack Yue. Two years later, Fu Cha led his troops to defeat Gou Jian, who was surrounded and committed suicide.
At this time, Wen Zi, the counselor, advised him: "The minister of Wu, Ai Bo, is greedy for money and lustful, so he can send someone to bribe him." Gou Jian listened to Wen Zi's advice and sent him to bribe his uncle with treasure. Uncle promised Wen Zi to meet the prince of Wu.
When Wen Zi met the King of Wu, he presented a treasure and said, "The King of Yue is willing to surrender and be your servant. Please forgive him. " Abel also stood by to help Wen Zi speak.
Wu Zixu stood up and protested loudly: "People often say that' healing should be carved from the roots', Gou Jian is far-sighted, and Wen Zi and Fan Li are smart and capable. If they are released this time, they will definitely find ways to get revenge when they go back!" At that time, Fu Cha thought that the state of Yue was dying, so he did not listen to Wu Zixu's advice, agreed to the surrender of the state of Yue, and withdrew his troops to the state of Wu.
After the withdrawal of troops from Wu, Gou Jian came to Wu with his wife and doctor Fan Li, served the king of Wu, herded cattle and sheep, and finally won the king's love and trust. Three years later, they were released and returned to China.
After returning to China, Gou Jian was determined to make a fortune and prepare for revenge. He was afraid that he would covet an easy life and stifle his ambition for revenge. At night, he sleeps on a pile of straw with weapons on his pillow. He also hung a gallbladder at home and tasted it every morning. The soldier outside asked him, "Have you forgotten the shame of three years?"
He put Wen Zi in charge of state affairs and Fan Li in charge of the army. He personally went to the fields to work with farmers, and his wife also spun and woven. Gou Jian's behavior touched the officials and people of Yue State. After ten years of hard struggle, the state of Yue finally became armed, from weak to strong.
Fu Cha, the prince of Wu, is obsessed with hegemony, regardless of the sufferings of people's livelihood. He also listened to Abreu's evil words and killed Wu Zixu, a loyal minister. In the end, Fuxi claimed to be the king and the vassal. But at this time, Wu, seemingly powerful, has actually gone downhill.
In 482 BC, Fu Cha personally led the army to the north, competing with the State of Jin for the title of vassal. Gou Jian, the King of Yue, used the elite troops of the State of Wu to make a surprise attack, defeated Wu Bing in one fell swoop and killed his prince friend. After hearing the news, Fu Cha hurried home and sent someone to make peace with Gou Jian. Gou Jian estimated that Wu could not be destroyed at once, so he agreed.
In 478 BC, Gou Jian personally led troops to attack Wu for the second time. At this time, the State of Wu was already a spent force, unable to withstand the strong onslaught of the Vietnamese army, and suffered repeated defeats. Finally, Fu Cha sent someone to make peace with Gou Jian, and Fan Li insisted on destroying Wu. Fu Cha saw that peace could not be achieved and regretted not listening to Wu Zixu's advice. He was so ashamed that he drew his sword and committed suicide.
Extended data:
Fu Cha made great efforts to govern.
After Fu Cha acceded to the throne, he continued to reuse Wu Zixu and Abel, worked hard to train horses, made great efforts, and prepared for revenge.
Two years later, Fu Cha led an army to attack Yue. At that time, two ministers of Yue told Gou Jian that Wu had been training for almost three years, and this time it was a threat. We might as well defend the city and polish their spirit.
Gou Jian is still immersed in the pride of defeating Wu Jun. He thinks Wu Jun's fighting capacity is nothing to be afraid of. He didn't listen to the advice of Wen Zi and Fan Li, and led an army to take the initiative to fight.
In 494 BC, the two armies of wuyue launched a fierce battle in Taihu Lake. As a result, the Vietnamese army was defeated. Gou Jian fled to Huiji with 5,000 beaten army, and was besieged by Wu Jun.
Gou Jian sent Wen Zi to Wu Jun camp for peace and expressed his willingness to surrender. The State of Yue will always submit to the State of Wu, and Gou Jian will always be the servant of the King of Wu.
Fu Cha asked his ministers, and Wu Zixu explicitly opposed it. The reason is simple: Gou Jian is not the kind of person who bows his head and admits his mistakes. If he doesn't completely destroy Yue State now, he will regret it in the future. However, those who accepted Yue's beauty advised Fu Cha to accept Yue's surrender.
The final decision, of course, is Fu Cha. People like Fucha, who covet fame and gain real profits, won face and lost their lining, as did Gou Jian and the later Huangchi meeting.
Gou Jian made a groom for Fu Cha, which was particularly conspicuous. He even tried to treat him with the feces of Fuzha tea. Focha's vanity was greatly satisfied. He felt that Gou Jian had completely surrendered and asked him to return to Yue. When Gou Jian returned to Yue State, he was determined to avenge himself. Ten years later, he learned ten years' lessons. Finally, the counterattack destroyed Wu.
There is a famous idiom in this story, that is, eat one's bread and taste one's courage. But what's interesting is that Gou Jian is brave and resourceful, and I'm afraid the sleeping salary may not be true. Zuo Zhuan recorded a lot of historical materials about Gou Jian, the king of Yue, but did not mention that the king of Yue had neither paid nor tasted courage.
Sima Qian, the Taishi Duke, recorded Gou Jian's bravery in Historical Records, but did not mention his salary. This idiom first appeared in Su Dongpo's Imitation of Sun Quan's Answer to Cao Cao's Book, but Su Dongpo joked that Sun Quan "tasted courage".
In the Southern Song Dynasty, the literati talked about Fu Cha, the king of Wu who made a living in Zuo's Family Biography, and Zhang Qian of the dynasty also said that Fu Cha avenged his father, made a living and encouraged himself, but this statement did not bother him. But from the Southern Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, stories about Gou Jian began to appear in various novels, notes and zaju.
It may not matter whether Gou Jian tasted courage, or whether it was Fu Tea that first tasted courage. After Fu Cha conquered Yue State, he didn't care about Gou Jian at all, and his goal was always aimed at the vassal states of the Central Plains.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Depend on salary, taste courage
People's Daily Online-"Sleeping on salary and tasting courage" began in the Song Dynasty when Gou Jian tasted courage and didn't sleep on salary.