"Returning to Zhao", a legend of wisdom and courage that has been inherited for thousands of years, makes Lin Xiangru's name synonymous with courage and wisdom.
Under the hegemony of the Qin State, we ordinary people may retreat, but Lin Xiangru confronted the King of Qin with his extraordinary courage, showing a contest of wisdom and courage, and he was undoubtedly the hero of the Zhao State.
However, history textbooks often show only the most important strokes, ignoring the truth behind them.
Perhaps, it is because the truth of history is often more cruel than the story, and the subsequent price is too heavy, so that we would rather bury it under the dust of the years, leaving only the most glorious moment for future generations to celebrate.
At the beginning of the story, Zhao Guo unexpectedly obtained a piece of treasure jade that is unique in the world, named Heshi Bi.
The name of this gemstone quickly spread far and wide, attracting countless envious glances. Especially the overlord of that era - the state of Qin.
The King of Qin's thirst for Hebi was almost unquenchable, and he declared that he was willing to exchange fifteen cities.
Faced with the strong pressure of the Qin State, the Zhao State could not refuse, so he could only embark on the road to the Qin State with helplessness and He's Bi.
King Qin Zhaoxiang's gaze was always on the Heshi Bi, and the promise of the fifteen cities seemed to have long been forgotten.
Lin Xiangru keenly captured King Qin's thoughts, and he deliberately mentioned the exchange of cities, only to find that King Qin was just a false snake, and pointed a few times on the map at random.
Lin Xiangru immediately realized the hypocrisy of King Qin, so he decisively used a strategy to make He's Bi return to Zhao.
King Qin Zhaoxiang was in a dilemma. If he uses force to retake the Harmony, then he will lose his credibility with other nations; But if he really handed over fifteen cities, he was reluctant.
Lin Xiangru's wise and courageous actions won the admiration of the people of Zhao, but they did not expect that the price of this battle of wits would be so heavy.
The fooled King of Qin was furious and held a grudge against Zhao. The appearance of He's Bi was like igniting a fuse, triggering decades-long disputes and grievances between Zhao and Qin.
So, this story is not just a tale of wisdom and bravery, but also a microcosm of the power struggle between the two great powers.
In 282 BC, Qin's iron cavalry trampled on the land of Zhao for no reason, took two cities lightly, and then included Shicheng in his pocket.
Qin's ambitions were revealed, and Zhao felt unprecedented pressure.
In 280 BC, the king of Qin sent Bai Qi to lead the army, and the Zhao state changed color when he heard about it.
Bai Qi used soldiers, known for his speed, precision, and ruthlessness, and no one in Zhao dared to face its edge.
After several battles, Zhao's ** team lost nearly 20,000 elite soldiers, and King Zhao had no choice but to consider reconciliation with Qin. However, Qin's words of alliance were nothing more than a stopgap measure, and the resentment against Zhao in his heart did not subside.
In 262 BC, Bai Qi turned to attack Korea, and Korea was defeated, so he secretly asked Zhao for help, expressing his willingness to annex.
King Zhao saw that the opportunity could not be missed, and sent Lian Po to receive the land. When King Zhaoxiang of Qin learned of this, he immediately sent Wang Yu to send troops to Zhao.
In order to resist the Qin army, Zhao reappointed the veteran general Lian Po, and Zhao resisted stubbornly under the command of Lian Po, bringing the war to a stalemate for three years.
Qin Guo realized that the reason why Zhao's ** team was undefeated for a long time was because of Lian Po.
So King Qin sent people to King Zhao to sow discord, wanting King Zhao to replace Lian Po. Sure enough, King Zhao listened to the rumors, dismissed Lian Po from his position, and appointed Zhao Kuo as a general.
Zhao Kuo served as a general for the first time, and the King of Qin also replaced Wang Yi with Bai Qi. Zhao Kuo also thought that his opponent was Wang Di.
Bai Qi is a general who has been in a hundred battles, and Zhao Kuo, who only knows how to talk on paper, is naturally not his opponent.
At the beginning of the war, Bai Qi pretended to be defeated and fled, and Zhao Kuo fell for the trick all of a sudden, and without thinking about it, he led the Zhao army to quickly catch up, and unknowingly entered the territory of Qin.
When Zhao Kuo was panicking, the Qin army suddenly had another 20,000 troops and surrounded the Zhao army. Zhao Kuo was powerless to return to the sky and decided to fight to the death, but he was killed by an arrow as soon as he got up.
When the 400,000 Zhao troops saw that the main general was killed, they had no fighting spirit and surrendered one after another. But in order to prevent future troubles, Bai Qi buried them all alive, and only released a hundred people to report back to Zhao State.
In this battle, the Zhao State suffered heavy losses, and since then the national strength has declined greatly, and it can no longer recover.
Although Zhao Guo's cunning in the Heshibi incident succeeded for a while, he finally paid an unbearable price.
Going back to the beginning of the story, although Lin Xiangru's resourcefulness made the King of Qin lose face for a while, it sowed the seeds of hatred between Qin and Zhao.
Subsequently, King Zhao believed the slander and removed the experienced Lian Po from the battlefield and replaced him with the unbattled Zhao Kuo, a decision that undoubtedly hastened the defeat of Zhao.
Zhao Kuo's paper talk, in the face of Bai Qi's actual combat experience, is undoubtedly an egg hitting a stone, and the fate of Zhao Guo is therefore doomed.
Zhao Guo's previous clever and wrong decisions finally bore bitter fruits. Step by step, they came to the brink of destruction, and finally reaped the consequences of their own destruction, paying a terrible price.
Lin Xiangru's "Return to Zhao" shows the victory of resourcefulness in our textbooks, but we didn't expect that behind it was the decline of Zhao and the result of 400,000 soldiers being buried alive.
As a result, Lin Xiangru's behavior has also been criticized by some as "self-inflicted", believing that he caused the disaster.
Some people believe that if he hadn't been clever in front of King Qin, Zhao might have been able to avoid this catastrophe.
History is cruel and ruthless, and behind it, there are often many unknown truths, and it is these unknown sides that constitute the whole picture of history.
Lin Xiangru's wisdom and courage were vividly displayed in the "Return to Zhao". However, wisdom, when combined with far-reaching strategic vision and well-thought-out decision-making, can have disastrous consequences. The rise and fall of a country is often tied to the decisions of its leaders.
Zhao's victory in the Heshibi incident seemed clever, but in fact it planted the seeds of destruction. This tells us that when evaluating any decision, we need to consider its long-term implications.
Heroic figures often shine at specific historical moments, but their actions can also have tragic consequences. While glorifying heroes, we should also recognize that every historical figure has its limitations and the context of the era.
Historical events are often much more complex than they appear to be. We cannot judge an entire historical figure or period based solely on the success of an event. Understanding history requires a comprehensive consideration of various factors and long-term influences.
History is the best teacher. By studying history, we can learn from the experiences of our ancestors and avoid repeating the same mistakes. A deeper understanding and reflection on history can help us better plan for the future and make more informed choices for the future.