The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Chapter 279 Fan Li, the Patriarch of Business Taoism

In the history of China, there have been many successful politicians.

However, there is one person who is rated as the most perfect and successful person by the world.

In the first half of his life, this man saved a country that was on the verge of destruction.

In the second half of his life, he became the richest man three times.

When the country is in crisis, he spends all his wealth to help the people.

This man is the only perfect man in China for five thousand years, Fan Li (li).

Fan Li was a senior official of the Yue Kingdom in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He was a famous statesman, strategist, strategist, and economist in Chinese history.

Fan Li worked hard throughout his life and became the richest man three times. He was able to spread money to help the poor and was indifferent to fame and fortune. He also had a huge influence on business thoughts and theories.

After Fan Li's death, he was gradually revered by later generations as the God of Wealth and Wealth and the Originator of Business. Many businessmen enshrine his statues and portraits.

Fan Li summarized business thoughts and relatively complete business theories from practice.

It has a great influence on both contemporaries and future generations.

Both in the past and now.

Whether you are doing business or serving as an official.

They can all draw healthy nutrition from Fan Li's thoughts and serve business and government.

Fan Li's business thoughts not only influenced other countries in the Spring and Autumn Period, but also lasted to later generations and to this day.

Fan Li advocated that price increases and decreases should have a reasonable range, and thus proposed a policy of state-regulated food prices, which was imitated and adopted by Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty.

Because this policy of regulating food prices by the state has played a role in stabilizing food prices, stabilizing people's hearts, and stabilizing society.

Even now, in the tide of socialist commodity economy.

Many business people, whether state-owned, private, or other forms of business, are still following Fan Li's business theory.

Fan Li's economic thoughts not only affected his time, but also deeply influenced later generations.

For example, in order to stabilize and encourage agricultural production, the country now implements a policy of predetermined prices for grain, cotton and oil.

This undoubtedly plays a role in developing agricultural production, ensuring food supply, and stabilizing people's hearts and society.

Regarding the supply of non-staple foods, especially meat and eggs, a price ceiling policy has been implemented.

This not only takes care of the interests of producers and consumers, but also takes into account the interests of operators, and promotes the common development of production and operations.

Capturing information, developing products, and providing high-quality services are all aimed at winning the business war.

In the production and operation of goods, we promote the famous brand strategy.

The purpose is to attract consumer demand, win with quality, and achieve the goal of profit.

Many shopping malls, hotels, and restaurants offer discounts to welcome customers. In addition to objective factors, it is also a strategy of small profits but quick turnover.

Such various business strategies were all learned from Fan Li by later generations. It can be seen that there is nothing wrong with calling Fan Li the founder of business.

"In 536 BC, Fan Li was born in Sanhu, Wan District, Chu State."

"Fan Li lived in poverty when he was young, but his behavior was crazy."

"People think Fan Li is a strange person with a unique view on things."

"In 516 BC, Wen Zhong, who was the magistrate of Wandi County at the time, heard about it."

"First I sent my subordinates to investigate, and then I personally drove to visit Fan Li."

"Fan Li heard that the county magistrate Wen Zhong was coming, so he borrowed some decent clothes from his brother and sister-in-law to receive Wen Zhong."

"After Fan Li and Wen Zhong met, each other felt that the other was their confidant."

"So we agreed to leave Chu State together and go to Yue State to make contributions."

"In 511 BC, Fan Li and Wen Zhong arrived in the Yue Kingdom together to assist the Yue King Gou Jian."

"In 493 BC, Gou Jian heard that King Wu was training his army day and night in preparation for revenge against Yue, so he wanted to take a preemptive strike."

"Fan Li remonstrated with Gou Jian and tried to prevent Gou Jian from launching an army to attack Wu, but it didn't work."

"After Gou Jian led the army to set off, King Wu got the news and sent out elite troops to fight."

"Wu defeated the Yue army and then besieged it in Kuaiji."

"Gou Jian was defeated at Kuaiji Mountain and began to realize the importance of Fan Li, Wen Zhong and other advisers."

"At this time, Fan Li suggested that King Gou Jian of Yue, his princess, and hundreds of close ministers should enter Wu as slaves in exchange for a chance to breathe and avoid destroying the country. He also actively requested to follow Gou Jian into Wu as slaves."

"In the same year, Gou Jian and Fan Li all entered Wu and became slaves."

Ying Zheng: The more confused you are, the more you have to calm down and wait for the opportunity. Only in this way can you have the chance to find your own world. Fan Li illustrates this point very well.

Fan Li had a rough fate when he was a boy. Both his parents died very early, and his life was extremely difficult.

But fortunately, Fan Li is very smart and diligent.

Within a few years, he became a well-rounded civil and military talent.

However, the Chu State at that time was politically chaotic and the system was corrupt.

In troubled times, even if Fan Likong has the talent to help the world.

But because no one recommended him, he was full of talents and had nowhere to put them to use.

In the end, I just fell in love with the landscape and waited for the opportunity.

Until the appearance of his friend Wenzhong gave Fan Li a chance to turn his fate around.

After Wen Zhong heard that Fan Li was a strange person, he came to visit Fan Li and planned to find out.

Wen Zhong asked Fan Li about a bird that wanted to fly out, but didn't know where to fly.

Fan Li understood that his literary talent was a test for himself, so he asked the bird how far it was going to fly, whether it was a hundred miles, a thousand miles, or ten thousand miles.

Wen Zhong said that in a land of hundreds of miles, all the moths would have been eaten up.

Fan Li understood immediately and directly stated that this bird had a great responsibility and should be thousands of miles away.

Fan Li had already decided to leave Chu State and find another way out.

Afterwards, Fan Li took a map and analyzed the situation of Chu, Wu and Yue.

The relationship between Chu and Yue is mutual support. If you support Yue, you are helping Chu.

Finally, Fan Li and Wen Zhong decided to defect to Yue.

The only way to survive and develop is to clarify the situation, assess the situation, and act according to the trend.

Only in this way can we find an opportunity to make a comeback, and Fan Li undoubtedly found such an opportunity.

So, Fan Li and his good brother Wen Zhong left Chu and entered Yue. They were put in great use by the King of Yue and were appointed as senior officials.

But after King Gou Jian of Yue came to the throne, Fan Li faced a life crisis.

Gou Jian mistakenly believed the rumors and took the lead in attacking Wu, but was defeated.

In order to protect the Yue Kingdom, Fan Li made a bold statement and asked Gou Jian to pretend to surrender and wait for a turn.

After that, the monarch and his ministers shared the joys and sorrows, endured humiliation and burden, and finally started their journey back to the country three years later.

After more than ten years, the State of Yue grew stronger and stronger, and finally Fan Li led his troops to defeat the State of Wu.

"After Gou Jian entered Wu, he worked as the king's horseman during the day and lived in a stone house next to the tomb at night."

"These actions undermined King Goujian's dignity and often made Goujian desperate."

"Fan Li gave many enlightenments, explaining that in ancient times, sages and kings would encounter suffering and humiliation."

"But they can handle it calmly, and the final result is to win the world."

"At the same time, Fan Li maintained the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers with Gou Jian on all occasions and maintained Gou Jian's dignity."

"During his three years in Wu, Fan Li became Gou Jian's most trusted adviser."

"After three years of being slaves in the state of Wu, Gou Jian and Fan Li left the state of Wu and returned to the state of Yue."

"As soon as they set foot on the country, Fan Li began to make plans for the king of Yue to revive the country of Yue."

"In terms of domestic affairs, we must follow the laws of nature, open up fields without missing the farming season."

"Develop production, enrich government treasury, benefit the people, and enhance national strength."

"At the same time, we will reproduce the population, expand the source of troops, carry out education, and improve the quality of the people."

"In terms of diplomacy, continue to maintain a humble and small image and obey the power of Wu."

"At the same time, make good friends with Qi, get close to Chu, and rely on Jin."

"Just wait and see what happens and wait for the opportunity."

"In 486 BC, Gou Jian believed that the country's strength was sufficient and prepared to launch an army to attack Wu."

"Fan Li believed that the time had not come yet and warned Gou Jian that forcing a war would not bring good results. He suggested that he continue to wait for the opportunity."

"In 484 BC, the state of Wu launched a war against the state of Qi."

"Gou Jian led his ministers to see the King of Wu and prepared gifts for the King of Wu and his ministers."

"Further show your obedience and paralyze the people of Wu, who are very happy about all this."

Liu Che: The reason why Yue was able to become rich and powerful in a short period of time was thanks to Fan Li’s economic thinking.

Fan Li is known as the Shang Sage. He has a strong talent in economics and helps the country of Yue become rich and powerful.

Fan Li advocated taking agriculture as the basis, promoting both agriculture and commerce, and at the same time developing the economic ideas of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production, fishery, industry, and commerce.

Fan Li mobilized the people of Yue State to open up wasteland, which increased the grain output of Yue State and laid an economic foundation for the revival of Yue State.

Develop production in an all-round way to form a virtuous cycle in the Vietnamese economy.

Fan Li believes that money can only grow if it is constantly flowing, and stasis will lead to the death of capital.

At the national level, the commercial economy must be liberalized.

In terms of personal business, it is necessary to manage money and increase it.

Fan Li also believed that the national economy was a whole, and could infer the market trends of other goods from the cycle of good and bad harvests of agricultural products.

Because price fluctuations of agricultural products will affect the entire market, and farmers are the main traders in the market, the quality of their harvests affects their purchasing power.

Therefore, Fan Li advocates storing things that others do not need at the moment, but that are urgently needed in the next step and are not valued by others, based on the development of business and trade.

For example, after a disaster, we must be prepared to start a boat business.

After the flood, cars will become a particularly needed and scarce commodity.

In summer, you need to prepare fur products that are sold in winter, and in winter, you need to prepare kudzu products that are sold in summer.

Fan Li believed that the goods he dealt with must be of good quality and that monetary capital should not stagnate but should be allowed to flow continuously.

When purchasing items, do not store items that are easy to corrode or rot for a long time, and do not blindly pursue high prices.

It is best to predict the price increase or decrease based on the quantity of the product.

If the price of a certain commodity is too expensive, someone will produce it in large quantities or ship it back, causing a backlog and causing the price to drop.

If the price of goods is too low, prices will rise again because no one will produce and transport them.

When goods are expensive, you should sell your inventory like dirt and not keep it to wait for higher prices. When the market price of goods is low, they need to be purchased immediately like gold and jade and other precious items.

In short, goods and currency must be circulated and operated as frequently as running water in order to achieve the purpose of obtaining higher profits.

Fan Li's various economic theories also had a profound impact on his great Han Dynasty.

In order to have enough money to attack the Huns, he asked Sang Hongyang to implement a series of economic reforms.

The reason why Sang Hongyang's economic reforms were so successful and provided him with sufficient military spending was because Sang Hongyang drew on Fan Li's economic ideas.

"Fan Li's series of strategic policies worked. King Wu believed that Yue had nothing to worry about, so he began to enjoy, indulge in lust, expand, and try to dominate the world."

"After years of fighting, the State of Wu defeated the army of the State of Qi in Ailing in 484 BC."

"In 482 BC, the state of Wu and the state of Jin held an alliance in Huangchi."

"The king of Wu took all the best soldiers and generals with him, leaving only the old and weak troops and the prince to guard the city."

"At this time, Fan Li thought that the time had come to wait, so he suggested that Gou Jian launch an army to attack Wu."

"The State of Yue mobilized 50,000 elite troops, defeated the army of the State of Wu, and killed the crown prince of the State of Wu."

"At the end of the same year, Wu and Yue made peace."

"In 479 BC, the Chu State also began to attack the Wu State, forming a pincer attack on the Wu State with the Yue State."

"So Fan Li believed that the time for a strategic attack had arrived and suggested to Gou Jian."

"Seizing an opportunity is like putting out a fire. You have to be very quick, otherwise it will be gone in an instant."

"Then the Yue State again raised its troops to attack the State of Wu, and the army attacked all the way to the Five Lakes."

"In 478 BC, the state of Wu faced off at the Wusong River, and the two sides lined up on both sides of the Wusong River."

"In the subsequent battle, the Yue army defeated Wu."

"In 475 BC, the Yue army besieged the Wu army and the King of Wu in Mount Gusu."

"At this time, Fan Li believed that the Wu army still had strong strength, so he persuaded Gou Jian to continue waiting for a suitable opportunity for a decisive battle and adopt the strategy of surrounding without attacking."

"After three years of siege, in 473 BC, Wu's army collapsed."

"At this time, the King of Wu tried to apply the method of the King of Yue, and asked the King of Yue for peace and expressed his submission."

"Fan Li found that Gou Jian was moved by his compassion, so he repeatedly advised him to make a decisive decision and not leave any future troubles."

"Fan Li crossed Gou Jian after repeatedly stating his interests and concerns but to no avail."

"Directly led the army to defeat King Wu's Gusu Palace, forcing King Wu to commit suicide, and completely annihilated the Kingdom of Wu."

Li Shimin: The reason why the Yue Kingdom wiped out the Wu Kingdom so smoothly was due to Fan Li's beauty trap.

After King Gou Jian and Fan Li of Yue returned to Yue after serving as slaves in Wu for three years, Fan Li had been thinking about how to deal with Wu.

Fan Li heard that King Wu Fu Chai was a womanizer. In addition to using troops, he could also use beauty traps.

So Gou Jian adopted Fan Li's suggestion and asked Wen Zhong to go around the country to select beauties.

Wen Zhong was loyal to the King of Yue and never neglected him.

Wenzhong and his companions traveled to many places, but failed to choose a beautiful woman.

Later, on the way back to the roadside at the foot of a mountain, I suddenly discovered two women who were chopping firewood. They were very beautiful, their appearance was like that of gods, and they were charming.

One of them is Xi Shi, a native of Chu State who lived in Shen Yu Luoyan. Because his father was killed by the King of Wu, he lived in Yue State.

Wen Zhong explained his purpose of coming, and Xi Shi thought that killing the King of Wu could avenge his father, so he immediately agreed.

Wen Zhong brought Xi Shi back, and the King of Yue praised Xi Shi for her heavenly fragrance and beauty, which would surely make King Wu Fu Chai fall in love.

Then, the King of Yue gave Xi Shi to Coach Fan Li to play, play, sing, play music, play chess, calligraphy and painting, and how to perform assassinations.

As the saying goes, a gentle lady is a good gentleman.

As soon as Fan Li saw Xi Shi, he fell in love at first sight.

During this period, in addition to providing meticulous and careful guidance to Xi Shi, Fan Li often flirted with her secretly.

After the training, Fan Li volunteered to escort Xi Shi to the Kingdom of Wu.

Except for the continuous rain on the way and the continued training that delayed some time, the two were affectionate along the way, walking and resting, and enjoying the mountains and rivers.

As soon as Fan Li arrived in the state of Wu, he presented Xi Shi to King Wu Fuchai.

Fucha didn't know it was a trick and was overjoyed. He was fascinated by Xishi and praised her profusely.

He also held a grand banquet for Fan Li, entertaining him for several days with delicacies from both mountains and seas.

Xi Shi used all her tricks in the Wu Kingdom to help Zhou to do evil, making the King of Wu indulge in extravagance and arrogance, eat, drink and have fun, ignore the government affairs, and spend money like water.

First of all, King Wu Fucha built himself a government palace with an area of ​​more than 10,000 square meters for him to handle affairs.

Then, Fu Chai built countless palaces for outings and outings.

In addition, Xi Shi also asked Fu Cha to spend a huge amount of money to build a splendid palace for himself.

Wu Zixu was a loyal minister of King Wu Fucha and played a decisive role in the state of Wu.

In order to destroy Wu, Xi Shi used a stratagem to alienate Wu Zixu and forced Wu Zixu to commit suicide.

During the ten years, Fan Li secretly traveled between Yue and Wu many times to convey the instructions of the King of Yue to Xi Shi and retrieve the top-secret information provided by Xi Shi.

At the same time, the two met for public benefit, discussed plans, and imagined a better future together.

Ten years later, the state of Wu had strict laws, people were disloyal, the economy was depressed, food and clothing were difficult to feed, and the country was in danger.

When the last urgent report came from Xi Shi, Fan Li had a premonition that the time was ripe and reported to the king of Yue quickly.

King Gou Jian of Yue immediately decided to send troops to attack Wu. First he forced Fu Chai to commit suicide, and finally he wanted to kill Xi Shi who had made great achievements.

In the view of King Gou Jian of Yue, Xi Shi was too charming. If Xi Shi could destroy the Wu State, she could also destroy the Yue State.

Fan Li was distraught and decided to part ways with Gou Jian.

As the saying goes, a horse's power can be seen over a long journey, and a person's heart can be seen over time.

Fan Li realized that Gou Jian could only share hardships, but not happiness, so he thought of leaving Gou Jian, the king of Yue.

Gou Jian destroyed the state of Wu on that night when there was a grand celebration party.

Fan Li quietly took Xi Shi out secretly and got on the small wooden boat that had been waiting there.

Crossing the moat, turning in a circle, heading straight towards Taihu Lake.

They arrived at Wuli Lake in the north of Taihu Lake. Seeing the beautiful scenery and beautiful mountains and rivers, they built a few thatched houses and lived incognito.

During this period, Wen Zhong was killed, and Fan Li moved away three times to save his life.

But because Xi Shi loved the scenery of Wuli Lake very much, they finally settled in West Lake.

So from beginning to end, Yue was able to destroy Wu.

In addition to Fan Li helping the Yue Kingdom grow in strength, the biggest contributor was Xi Shi.

Without Xi Shi, Wu's strength would not have declined, and it would not have been easily defeated by Yue.

It's a pity that King Gou Jian of Yue changed his temperament greatly because of his experience as a slave in Wu State.

Not only did he not reward him based on his merits, he also wanted to eliminate Xi Shi, a great hero.

Fortunately, Fan Li and Xi Shi had a very happy ending, leaving no regrets.

"After the Yue army destroyed Wu, they continued to march north, advancing on Qi and Jin, and ordered the Central Plains to respect the Zhou royal family."

"As a result, Gou Jian achieved great success, and Fan Li became a general."

"On the way back, Fan Li thought that he had become famous and could no longer stay with Gou Jian for a long time."

"Goujian's personality can only share hardships, but not happiness, so he wrote to Goujian to resign."

"In order to retain Fan Li, Gou Jian proposed to divide the Yue Kingdom equally with Fan Li."

"If Fan Li does not accept it, it will be considered a crime."

"Fan Li told Gou Jian that the king relies on laws and regulations to act, while he acts based on will."

"So after packing up his light treasures, he and his cronies left Goujian by sea by boat."

"At the same time, someone was sent to write a letter to Wen Zhong, reminding him that Gou Jian might lose all his power and hide his power, and the rabbit would die and the dog would be cooked."

"After Fan Li left Yue, he went to Qi and Tao to do business."

"When he was in Qi State, Fan Li worked with his son near the sea."

"As a result of proper management, the assets reached hundreds of thousands."

"Then Fan Li was appointed as the Prime Minister of the State of Qi. Fan Li believed that doing business at home can accumulate a lot of money, and serving as an official in the court can lead to the Prime Minister, which is the highest status for ordinary people. At the same time, he felt that being an official for too long was not a good thing."

"So three years later, he took the initiative to resign, dispersed his family wealth, and came to Taodi to do business."

"Fan Li believed that Tao land was the center of the world, with smooth roads and convenient trade, and that people could make money by doing business, so he called himself Tao Zhugong."

"Fan Li and his son farmed and raised livestock together, hoarded and stored the grain, and only made one-tenth of the profit when selling the grain."

"Soon after Fan Li started working in Taodi, he accumulated hundreds of millions of property. At this time, everyone in the world praised his talents."

"In 448 BC, Fan Li died at the age of 88."

"During the Tang Dezong period of the Tang Dynasty, Fan Li enjoyed the temple of King Wucheng and was posthumously named one of the sixty-four famous generals in ancient and modern times."

"During the Song Dynasty, Fan Li was worthy of enjoying the martial arts temple."

"Because Fan Li was a businessman who was good at managing money and could distribute money widely to help the poor, he was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and he was gradually revered as the God of Wealth, Shang Sage, and Shang Ancestor by later generations."

Zhu Di: The birds are gone, the good bow is hidden, the cunning rabbit is dead, and the lackeys are cooked.

Fan Li was able to predict early on that King Gou Jian of Yue would kill the rabbit and kill the dog. It must be said that Fan Li did have a long-term vision.

After Fan Li and Wen Zhong assisted King Gou Jian of Yue to destroy the Kingdom of Wu, Gou Jian wanted to reward them.

Fan Li not only refused to accept the reward, but also insisted on leaving Yue.

When Fan Li was living in seclusion in Qi State, he was thinking about his friend Wen Zhong, so he secretly sent someone to send a letter to Wen Zhong.

The letter urged Wen Zhong to leave the State of Yue as soon as possible, as the task of annihilating the State of Wu had been completed.

Gou Jian, the king of Yue, was a sinister man with complicated thoughts.

You can share hardships with King Goujian of Yue, but you cannot share wealth and honor with King Goujian of Yue.

Just like after all the birds in the sky are wiped out, no matter how good the bows and arrows are, they will be hidden.

After the rabbit is killed, the hound will be killed.

It's a pity that after reading the letter, Wen Zhong didn't believe that Gou Jian would kill him, but he excused himself from going to court because of illness.

Someone falsely accused Wen Zhong of treason, so Gou Jian rewarded Wen Zhong with a sword.

He also said that you taught me seven strategies to attack the State of Wu, and I only used three of them to defeat the State of Wu.

You still have four, go to the late king for me and try them first.

Wen Zhong understood what Gou Jian meant as soon as he heard it, so he committed suicide with his sword.

(End of this chapter)