Chapter 334: A good bird chooses a tree to roost in and regains its usefulness
Chen Guangqin patted Wang Chen on the shoulder and comforted him: "Brother Chu Dao, don't worry too much. After some time, I can save some salary income and be able to support some disciples again. Even if things don't work out, we will still have filial piety and future disciples." Worthy of use,
Although it is impossible to recruit three thousand followers like Lord Mengchang, Yu Rang, Fan Sui, and Li Si."
Wang Chen said with some dissatisfaction due to his drunkenness: "Well, if I hadn't lost all my family property when I came to Shu, I could still have supported hundreds of followers in Xiping County.
Those who are willing to be my guests will also choose the best place to roost and come to me, as long as I can afford to provide them with food."
For the disciples, the lowest requirement for joining the Young Master is that they can survive in troubled times, have food to eat and a roof over their heads. However, people with such goals generally do not have any great ambitions or great abilities. Can be called "diners".
Menke was a very special existence in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Really talented people did it for some kind of spiritual pursuit and political revenge, in order to realize their own life value.
Customers like this are generally not limited to basic material needs. More importantly, they seek to establish a "confidant" connection with their masters and gain spiritual enrichment and respect. Then they use their own talents to spare no effort to achieve the goals for their masters. Ambition for hegemony.
"Warring States Policy" records: "Good birds choose trees to roost" was the most important characteristic of diners at that time. Such diners would generally choose masters who could treat their diners well, and would even pursue masters with the same thoughts and pursuits to achieve hegemony.
In fact, in the chaotic situation like the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the real sovereign was the guest rather than the master. The master understood that truly talented people need to pursue themselves instead of waiting for him to come.
That's why Mencius dared to complain about his illness without going to see the King of Qi, and there was also Yan Jin who went to the palace of Shu but did not go forward and faced the King of Qi's duty directly. "Scholars are noble, but kings are not!"
Most of these hangers-on regard themselves as noble and pursue equal treatment. Of course, there are also some hangers-on who must rely on one party or else they will not survive in troubled times.
Since most of the many disciples are of little use, why do we have to keep so many disciples? Isn’t it just increasing the expenses?
It is a common requirement for the master not to expel the diners. As a free man, living under the fence is already a loss of face. If he is expelled again, it will be difficult to survive. Even the diners who do not have much ability will do what they can, which is natural for the master. It is also effective.
Customers are a symbol of status, wealth and strength, just like gold and silver treasures and official titles. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the number and quality of customers reflected the master's strength.
Ritual and music collapsed in the last years of the Zhou Dynasty. Talents were particularly important in the context of armament and economic competition between countries. It was too slow and difficult to create talents, and a large number of literati were unable to realize their revenge because of the collapse of the dynasty. Such a contract The relationship is achieved.
On the one hand, supporting a large number of diners requires a lot of financial resources, and the number of diners reflects the wealth of the master. On the other hand, diners can do many things. From a macro perspective, more diners undoubtedly represent stronger strength. In troubled times, You will have more power.
The nobles even competed with each other on the number of their customers. At that time, the four princes of the Warring States Period all supported a large number of customers, and the largest among them, Lord Mengchang, had 3,000 customers.
At the same time, a large number of diners will also bring a good reputation to the owner. Even the diners will fully accept it, which can attract more diners to come here.
Another function of retainers for their masters is to serve as a kind of private armed force, that is, a private army.
After the collapse of rituals and music, there was no restraint on the princes, so all parties began to fight for people. These people could serve as the master's armed force in various aspects.
A simpler one is to perform assassinations and assassinations as a warrior, or as a servant, guard, etc.
The first task of a "martial guest" is to protect the customer's personal safety, assume the role of bodyguard, and even develop into the customer's personal armed force. In order to repay the customer's kindness, some customers will also act as a killer who "sacrifice their lives for righteousness".
Yu Rang was a retainer who was famous as a killer. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, there were six major families in the Jin State: Fan, Zhongxing, Zhi, Zhao, Wei, and Han. Each family maintained a large number of retainers.
Yu Rang worked in the Fan family and Zhongxing family successively, but he was always unknown and not taken seriously. Later he joined the Zhi family. Uncle Zhi admired Yu Rang very much and entrusted him with important tasks.
During the process of "Three Families Dividing Jin", the Zhi family destroyed the Fan family and the Zhonghang family successively. However, during the competition with the three families of Zhao, Wei and Han, Zhibo was killed by Zhao Xiangzi. As Zhibo's disciple, Yurang
Determined to assassinate Zhao Xiangzi in order to repay Zhibo for his kindness.
Yurang changed his name, ruined his appearance, and even swallowed coals to change his voice, just to get close to Zhao Xiangzi, but both attempts to assassinate him failed.
After being captured, Zhao Xiangzi asked Yurang why he only avenged the Zhi family and not the Fan family and the Zhonghang family. Yurang had also been a disciple of the Fan family and the Zhonghang family, but the Zhi family destroyed the Fan family.
Zhongxingshi.
Yu Rang replied: "The Fan family and the Zhongxing family will retaliate if a large number of people encounter the minister, and the minister will repay the favor; Zhibo will retaliate if the minister of the country encounters the minister, and the minister of the country will retaliate."
Yu Rang could obviously find a new job and be free and easy with his own talents, but he valued Uncle Zhi and his "righteousness as a monarch and his ministers" more, and would rather be disabled and die than lose his own "righteousness"
Festival.
However, in history, retainers were also used as troops. In the desperate battle with the Qin State, the Pingyuan Army had no choice but to summon all its retainers and dead soldiers bought with temporary money. A total of more than 3,000 people were defeated.
The Qin army defended Handan, the capital.
The group of diners is a mixed bag, with all kinds of characters. Some diners with "special skills" may play an important role at critical moments, so having more diners than others is not just for the sake of face.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Mengchangjun of Qi State went to Qin State as an envoy, but was put under house arrest by the King of Qin and may be killed at any time.
In order to return to Qi, Lord Mengchang's retainer sneaked into the heavily guarded Qin Palace and stole back the "Fox White Fur" that Lord Mengchang gave to the King of Qin. It turned out that the retainer was good at drilling holes and stealing.
After Hu Baiqiu took care of Princess Qin, the King of Qin gave up the idea of killing Lord Mengchang, and Lord Mengchang, who regained his freedom, left Xianyang overnight.
It was midnight when we arrived at Hangu Pass, and the city gate had not yet opened. Another retainer of Lord Mengchang came in handy. It turned out that he could imitate the sounds of various animals.
After he imitated the rooster's crow a few times, all the roosters near Hangu Pass also crowed. The officers and soldiers guarding the city thought it was almost dawn, so they opened the city gate, and Mengchang Jun and his party were able to leave the pass and return to Qi State.
Although the crowing of cocks and dog robbers is difficult to achieve, they actually saved Meng Changjun's life.
During the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Fan Ju was a retainer of Xu Jia, a senior official in Wei State, before he came to Qin State. He was framed because of Xu Jia's jealousy and was forced to leave Wei State.
However, after Fan Ju arrived in Qin, he proposed the famous strategy of "diplomacy far away and attack near" to King Qin Zhaoxiang, which helped Qin become the most powerful country in the late Warring States period. Fan Ju was granted the title of Marquis of Ying, and like Lin Xiangru, achieved a life turnaround.
The retainer originated from the Spring and Autumn Period when "rituals collapsed and music collapsed". Before there was a perfect talent selection system, this form was also one of the ways for people to realize their own value. Even Li Si, the prime minister of the Qin Empire, was a retainer of Lu Buwei.
In the final analysis, retainers are private organizations and are not controlled by the royal power. When the royal power is concentrated, retainers have no room for survival. Therefore, after the Qin Dynasty established a unified dynasty, retainers gradually withdrew from the stage of history, but now they are here again.
It has a use, it has a place to be used.
Guo Xiu did not answer Wang Chen's words, but just changed some topics and said: "If it weren't for the current strife in the world, we would probably not have the opportunity to recruit disciples, and those disciples would have no use. It is all due to the current situation.
ah."
While the carriage was moving, several people continued to chat about recruiting customers...