Defeating Sun Tzu's Army Was Just the Beginning for Goujian
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ย. 2024
- The discovery of Goujian’s Sword in 1965 caused a sensation. But sadly, the laser focus on the artefact has caused the rest of the world to ignore the awe-inspiring tale of the man himself.
This is the story of the King of Yue Goujian (越王勾踐) and his archrival, King of Wu Fuchai (吳王夫差).
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#History #Documentary #Asia
English: 10/10
Historical facts: 10/10
Cool: 10/10
Voice acting the king of Wu: 11/10
Historical facts? Much of this is myth and legend. It's a fun video but let's be real.
@@savagetruthercritic8646 point out which part
@@absurdcamus9645 Don't mind, check his channel, this guy is a weirdo.
Replace "historical facts" with "fun factor". Apply a 12/10
You probably don't know detailed official Chinese historical records, mandated by then Royal court, started in 9 century BC. And the Chinese history is a continuous one, unlike those of many others.
Interesting thing about this sword in Wikipedia. Apparently it was let out to Singaporeans in 2004 as part of a cultural exchange and apparently the Singaporeans accidently bumped the sword and caused a 7mm crack on the blade. After that, it was listed among artefacts that would never be allowed outside China for cultural and significant reasons.
not a crack, but a scratch from glass...
Sus...get swapped?
😭
1994, did you get the year wromg on purpose?
@@Drakon332x why would someone get it wrong on purpose
We also need to shine a spot light on Fan Li, the other genius behind Gou Jian's successes. The very fact that Fan Li went with Guo Jian into slavery and survived the ordeal, and Fan Li ended up spending the rest of his life with Xi Shi (the famous beauty mentioned in the story above) warrants a cover of this illustrious and talented individual. What's more, Gou Jian's schemes, stratagem, domestic policies and even military victory over the Wu has been attributed to Fan Li. Fan Li was awarded with the noble title of Tao Ze Gong (duke) for the final military victory against Wu. He had a brilliant exit strategy too, because upon that victory and honor, Fan Lin promptly retired and resigned from all ministerial post (likely sparing him the fate of others like Han Xin), and went straight onto business becoming a highly successful business men, and lived the rest of his life touring China with Xi Shi at his side, and living life as the wealthiest self made businessmen in ancient China. He even wrote a business treatise that survives till today 陶朱公经商十八法
I'll also like to add, as some source has stated that Fan Li engineered the female seduction strategy against Fu Chai that involved Xi Shi. If the sources are true that he spent the rest of his life with Xi Shi upon King Fu Chai's defeat and death, then that's a whole new level of Fan Li's character, especially given that in those times, a "soiled" lady is shunned by society and men, and a widow are usually enforced to live a life of "defending her widowhood"
I'll also like to add that I've read from a source (can't remember which) that states that 守寡 or "defending the widowhood" is a more recent "virtue" made popular, wee expected and were enforced on female widows, during the Empress Dowager Cixi era of Qing Dynasty Dynasty (early to late 1900s)
This is during the Spring and Autumn period, many of the ancient Chinese customs are much more lenient compared to the later dynasties. And since the woman is considered a spoil of war at the time, it is normal for her to become the wife of the victor.
@@robintan502 No, defending your widowship is not a recent phenomena, even during the Tang dynasty, there were poems of officials pitying the miserable life of a widow. And defending your widowship does not apply during war time, since the wife and the children is the husband and father's property. The husband/father losing the war means their family became the slave and property of the victor.
Thank you so much!
So is Fan Li way better than Sun Tzu?
All of his feats were truly legendary, but tasting his greatest enemy's waste made him a true Mad Lad.
And to this day, we Chinese still honor his virtue of perseverance.
@@limitlesssky3050 That's a wonderful value to have and admire :) Those who I've always looked up to have that same virtue among others I hold great respect for.
@@loneronin6813 I'd rather want to believe in a strong heart than a hard worker.
@@JohanZahri That's a fair way to see it as well. Although wouldn't someone with both attributes be even better? I would think that perhaps one would need a strong heart to work hard. After all, doesn't someone need a strong will and determination to endure the path of hard work that leads to success? Sorry I know I'm waxing philosophical too much here lol
Oh yes the guy ate faeces to pretend he was insane
I love that the sword cut one of the archaeologists. Its like "The fuck you woke me up!?"
LOL
😂
it woke up thirsty
"can't you just leave me alone, Im suffering from immortslism"
As far as I've read, the sword cut was more like a small finger cut.
"What the heck were you doing cutting stuff up with a priceless artifact??"
"Haha, sword cut paper goes crrrrrrr"
Forged in Fire time
There is a documentary on this archeological dig on TH-cam in Chinese. Thought at first they didn't realized it was the Guojian sword. You can see in those early days of archeological process in China is very different from today.
Dude was ruthless! Condemning an entire nation to famine with fake seeds is cold. Always had the bigger picture of the long run in mind. What a beast
No, actually the seeds were real, only put through fire killing the seeds but not to the point the seeds were cooked. (Stealthily)
With all these crazy deceptive tactics this man had up his sleeves, I feel like Goujian should've written the art of war instead.
@@brad4058no
Well, this is a very disputed myth, as any normal down to earth farmer would have noticed that the seeds didn't sprout a week in, and replanted with seeds that every village and household kept.
I believe he was a survivor who did whatever it took for him and his family to live
Yup, I thought of him as a perfect version of a Machiavellin Prince, both ruthless and capable
You missed a key point what Goujian did. He used bribery to spread rumors and caused the death of some of the best men and generals of Wu, including the famous Wu Zi Xu (some said he is Sun Tzu). This seriously weakened Wu.
The mean girls strategy
Sounds like what Pompeo has been doing to China in general and Huawei in partcular
@@oceanbreeze2663 except people in Wu believed rumors that Goujian created, while Pompeo is kind of just a laghstock and meme in China...
@@oceanbreeze2663 Pompeo is one of the laughing stocks in China, barely anyone believes him.
With honey trap strategy, he ruined wu lol
I thought i knew what determination means until i learn that this dude literally ate his rival's turd just so he can regain his throne.
Why do I hear someone screaming Kenobi out in the desert?
It would seem Goujian read Sun Tsu's book. Like Patton read Rommel's book.
The Art of War by Sun Tsu books are best seller here
The book should be called, "Common Sense the Book". It offered nothing useful.
@@chudchadanstud and yet it's still used by militaries across the world to this date?
@@xiaohuli27 Nobody really uses it. There's no proof that Generals are forced to read this nonsense. Most of them have not.
@@chudchadanstud the art of war is not just referring to war, I use its teachings almost everyday. How about this, you name me a book that you think deserves more credit than the art of war.
Chud is an insecure white guy with a superiority complex towards asians. A whole ass archetype of people. The Art of War is a classic that provides many valuable insights, don't be mad. I said don't!!
6:57
“And he still got that Big PP energy from his victory 2 years ago”
Fucking gold
Now everyone knows GouJian, The famously sh*t eating King of Yue.
useless sword, shit eater
Goddammit 😂
I fhink it npt true
One famous Chinese idiom based on this story is to lie on a hard metal bed and taste rotten bitter gourd every day which is what goujian did to never let himself get too comfortable so he could exact his revenge one day
Rotten bitter gourd > gall bladder
Glad we live in these times.
卧薪尝胆
*"IF FIGHTING IS SURE TO RESULT IN VICTORY THEN YOU MUST FIGHT"
- SUN TZU
Explains why im always fighting
Isn’t this old soldier from China?
@@jokiev1123 search the art of war book
The question is: how to know if you would win?
-SUN TZU
Hi Cool Bros, this is a A+++++ video in terms of English, Chinese name pronunciation , historical accuracy and entertainment quality. Man, congratulations and I look forward to your work.
Your channel is now my absolute favorite. I saw your content about Liu Bang’s establishment of Han part 1-4. I love how you narrate and makes it fun. Very informative! Keep up the good work!
“Sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall” is more polite than “Eat shit and bide your time”
Hero?
Such is a trifle title for Guo Jian.
He was afterall, an *OVERLORD,* a Hegemon.
Aint guo jian from three kingdom era?
My dad used to tell me stories of this guy growing up! Thanks for making this video
Hey there! I missed your other channel but now that I know this is why your uploads have been slow I am 200% okay with it
These videos are amazing, I’m on a roll with these. The relatable references that you use make it hilariously entertaining to learn about the lesser known snippets of Chinese History.
My favorite part of this is the music. It really gives that ancient history vibe.
Amazing we found a priceless artifact, that hasn’t seen the light of day in thousands of years. A priceless important relic for the nation, and to history in general. Let’s cut random stuff with it!
I worship Goujian as a God of Revenge of the weak against the strong. There is no better model example of justice in the world.
Worship Allah is best for you all those that you Called God are Angeles that are Working and Completing Tasks That's Given by there and our Creator God Allah
Angeles of War Angeles of Rain Angeles of peace etc
@@ahmad4954 wtf dude...
@@ahmad4954 fk of
He was just a man.
Some people in Pre Cultural Revolution period do worship him. I personally have seen statue of him being worship in Japan.
So....annihilate your enemy's completely, or else. Gotcha! Classic art of war
Not really. Sun Tzu said to achieve your objective without fighting is the acme of warfare.
@@tat3179
That is so vague to me unless there is a continuation because I can't consider it a good advice without proper addressing the end result of such action
Kinda like the King achieved this by accepting the surrender after he almost destroyed their army and he made the king of Yue his slave when he could have shed more blood and massacred them or the royal family and nobles I guess. Wu collapsed as a result
@@williamthekiller7219 It is a principle on how best to achieve your objectives. Winning using any other way other than actually fighting (e.g. assassination, start a civil war....etc) is the best way because it spares your use of valuable resources. The 2nd best is winning a war with minimal cost and casualties. Worst way is attacking the enemy's hard target directly, aka laying sieges against cities. It is a reminder to all commanders the order from best to worst to do things. Read the Art of War.
Machiavelli said that, actually.
I saw this sword in the Wuhan Hubei museum when I was a lot younger, it’s very sharp to see.
The edge of the sword actually broke of when it is bumped to wall.
It probably has corona now
Was so sharp it cut my vision 😅 how do you know it was sharp if your not allowed to touch it or take pictures of it?
@@juangiles1916 you’re exposing your iq here bud.
@@ylc870 I heard it was chipped by some guy in Singapore when it was on loan, but not broken.
- I don't know how I'd consider Goujian's character but I know for sure how to rate this video: awesome!
- The cool art is only trumped by the narration that is just spot on, with a quip at the right time to retain the full attention! 10/10
Wow this is a super underrated channel! I can’t stop watching your videos! Thank you!
From the story you tell, he was a badass! When you are down, you must have goals. They give you a reason to live on!
I’m so into your videos I decided to go way back to your first one and start here. Please keep up the good work I’ve learned so much about my home country from you!
Hi from a historian in Brasil! Your vídeos are amazing, and we often know so little about chinese history. Really cool!!
Unmatched PATIENCE and KNOWING-LIVING what HARDSHIP genuine BLISS.
He was a king. His only allegiance was to his state. You’re either with yue or against it. It doesn’t matter how many backs have to be stabbed or how many poops need to be tasted. As long as yue is stable any sacrifice is worthy.
"Why do people quote me when I said nothing of the sort? When did I have the time to say anything they accredit me for? Damn scrubs." -Sun Tzu in the Art of Gaming
"You really think the internet cares what you think? GTFO!!!" -- Confucius
Well done, you have a gift for story telling. This was much better than a boring college history lecture.
Dude this was funny as hell but really informative.
So when he betrayed his enemies he had a shiteating grin right, badum thish!
Serves them right for enslaving him and his family. Some people think that they have a crap job!
@@loneronin6813 more like a bad decision for that king when he could have followed them to Yue and began executing them.. That's just an example if he didn't want to accept their surrender
Point is.. He may have other options
@@williamthekiller7219 A fair point all around, although not quite as prone to being made into puns lol
He is a hero.His iron will and preservence is very admirable.
Sounds like he's cut from the same cloth as Leonidas. He's a hero
Leonidas from sparta ?
To me, he is both a hero, beating a bigger country that invaded first and a vengeful, spiteful ruler. We applaud the victors, but forget how many died for the ambitions of rulers with little regard for the lives of others. Therefore I'd love to see more revolutionary stuff, about peasants with integrity stopping kings with philosophy, tricks, and wisdom.
Your channel is positively my favourite channel on TH-cam. 🙏 Thank you for these great videos!
This was a really well-designed and informative video. Thanks very much for teaching me more about a period of history I previously knew next to nothing about - subscribed!
Truly a unique story with many other unique stories happening in this period. But you'd never guess any of it by looking at his sword.
The short acting part was dramatically funny !!! Very informative !!! well done !!! 😂😂
Is Goujian a heroic role model or a treacherous villain? Share your opinion.
I think he only wanted to revenge his kingdom he lost to king Helu.
@@lowengkok1201 It's more complex - Revenge is a factor. During his captivity in Wu he suffered many humiliations (see the Great Revival series for details ). Also he wanted to eliminate threat posed by Wu and their imperailistic desire for hegemony.
If you have to lick poo to save your life, no one can judge you for what you have to do next.
In my opinion a hero, but in a Nietzchian way. He exerted his will to power and succeeded. He lived on his own terms.
He's a Machiavellan hero no doubt. If anything I would criticize the suicide soldiers move, surely another less cruel distraction could have been conceived. But otherwise the criticism is clearly because of Confucian brainwashing, which is nothing but "obey" fodder for slaves.
The best series, absolutely entertaining and educational!
“越十年生聚,而十年教訓,二十年之外,吳其為沼乎?”--Wu Tzu Xu
10:19 The detail on Fuchai's spear! I love this channel!
"it is hard to switch between languages, so i will stick with sun tzu...." then proceeds to say "he lu" and "wu zi xu" , in proper chinese, in the next sentence... this dude cracks me up XD
Awesome video CJ!
Pretty much all I know of Chinese history is from Dynasty Warriors (Romance of the Three Kingdoms). Looking forward to more from you!
The two most epic war times were spring and autumn+ warring states period (we count as one) and the three kingdoms. Historians generally agree the former is much more interesting (longer and had 7 and 5 major nations respectively) but a 3 kingdoms fictionalized novel came out during Qing dynasty which was what made it so well known across Asia as it coincided with proliferation of print media
Playing DW Story Mode : Yeay I won. I saved China. My heroes must be china's ruler for centuries.
Reading DW Encylopedia Section : Lol none of them won actually. The bad guy is china's ruler 😂.
So that's the Shit-Eater of Legend's sword... no wonder they found it still in the ground.
😂😂😂😂
This video really helped me out a lot with my Social Studies Project. I hope that I can see more of these in the future!
best history teacher ever :D
Although speaking of great history teachers, when I was in college I took a class on Western Civilization that specifically dealt with Ancient cultures. I had an awesome professor who always knew how to make the lectures interesting.
He and I got along really well, but I think that's probably because I was the only one who got his historical jokes lol Anyway, we were covering the various conflicts between Greece and Persia, and he had a projector with slides of different artifacts.
One of said items was a pair of Greek vases. On one was a Persian soldier bending down supposedly to mock Greek soldiers that were not depicted. The other vase was an image of a Greek soldier running up to the Persian from behind with his own, *ahem* "Soldier at attention." I'm sure you can imagine where the depiction would've gone from there if there were more than two vases.
Interestingly enough, said professor's last name was Head and his first name was Richard, although he preferred to be called Dick when it came to informal conversation. Yes he was fully aware of the implication. I think he just liked to make us all smile and enjoy our classes with him.
He was a really wonderful professor and made tests in his class easier by allowing us to answer in a detailed essay format but he wasn't a stickler for exact dates as long as you got it right within the ballpark of a century or so. Although it took a little longer, it was a lot easier than multiple choice given the detailed nature of the subject matter.
Amazing videos! Holy cow, my favorite channel! Beautiful artwork and story design.
I am a student of HISTORY.I WELCOME you sir for enlightenment me.
Love the way you deliver history! 👍😀
0:32 In their defense, if I dug up a 2000 year old sword, I'd probably start playing with it too and cut myself! LOL
Hero for sure. Mercy doesn't impose obligations.
"Live crooked and grow straight" is how I learnt that idiom.
You deserve ALL of the subscribers...
Great, Amazing video!!
Interesting fact. Fan Li was the richest man that ever lived. He was so rich he gave all his wealth away to poor people 3 times (starting from 0 after each time and becoming rich again and again).
Thats equivalent to a billionaire giving away all his wealth to the poor today and starting from 0 for the fun of it😂
If you show mercy by letting a foe live, but fail to convert him in a true ally, then you had better shown no mercy at all, and totally eliminated said foe.
Love your videos, your enthusiasm and your presentation mate. Great work.
To think that... Defeating Sun Tzu's Army was just the beginning for Goujian... and this was the beginning of an AWESOME channel :D
Oh man! I really like your narrations particularly in this video. So funny and entertaining.😂😂😂😂😂
The historical commentary is killing me 😂😂, i was laughing throughout the whole vid. Needless to say I learnt something new. Keep us laughing and learning.
His people considered him a hero and his adversaries considered him a villain. He and is people do not give a rat's ass how their enemies feel about him. So that is your answer.
Source: The King's Scribe
Only for a few years until the chu came in! Waste of time and slavery
@@juangiles1916 Throughout history, Kings and Emperors are a curse to the common people who just want to live in peace.
@@letshearthetruth I agree. Elevating mortal humans over other mortal humans is a recipe for disaster.
Good video , Love your Chinese History channel !
If you have a time can you present Ancient Chinese Map in Chinese version please?
It’s too different than western version and I believe it is a true map that tell us a how powerful of the ancient China.
Your fans from Thailand 🇹🇭❤️🇨🇳🐉
Lmao the side of comedy is hilarious great video keep them coming !
Liked and subscribed. 10/10. Thoroughly entertained
I am from your other channel
Thanks Bro! Happy to see you here.
@@CoolHistoryBros Thank you! This channel is going well be the best!
A hero to his people and a villain to his enemies, like most great leaders of history.
Asian History AND by the dude who does awesome D&D videos? Count me in!
Thank you, CJ!
That was a very good video. Nice one
You have given new meaning to the word brownie points.
Brotherly love at the end of his murder stick needs to be the name of a death metal record lol. You made what might otherwise be a dry textbook story very fun. I hope you are or become a history teacher. Well done indeed.
Don't Stop Thinking sent me:)
There is saying in Game of Thrones that [paraphrasing] "Targaryens are either mad or great. And every time one is born the realm holds its breath and waits to see how the coin will fall." I took it as reflection on how great people often must do what seems like insane things at the time in order to achieve. But if they die without the insanity paying off, they are seen as mad; the villains and laughing stocks of history. But if their willingness to do the unexpected things nobody else would consider pays off, they are seen as great.
"If you only climb what is expected, you will never reach heights that would be considered impossible."
Guojian seems like the embodiment of that.
what a mad lad
Some side story about "What happened with...?"
For Fan Li he ran off with Xi Shi and lived in new name as civilians as he know Guojian personality is an asshole. Fan Li later become a successful merchant and lived happily ever after with Xi Shi where he wrote business manuals.
Many warlords, kings or emperors of China are assholes and killed their war buddies out of paranoia, eg. the first Emperor of Han Dynasty, the first emperor of Ming Dynasty.
The first Emperor of Tang Dynasty pitted his sons together so they kill each other to be his heir.
@@limitlesssky3050 not to much with Li Shimin the first Tang Emperor. One reason why he was considered the most successful Emperor was that he was loyal to his battle brothers as he grew up with them and gave them high ranking position that helped him defeat the incoming barbarian tribes and rebels. He was just a simple soldier at first. Although he did kill his brothers but on the same time his brother did plan to murder him at one point.
@@limitlesssky3050 that goes to say, they're almost nothing without them but they still get most of the credit when their story is told
I love China, I’m Mexican-American and want to visit Beijing next year. I live in Hawaii
Beijing is crap
Visit Taipei if you want actual Chinese culture as that’s all that’s left
@@jonathanwilliams1065, Taipei is full of rude motorcyclists that don't obey the traffic rules.
I visited Beijing in Dec 2018.
The locals are queue up in a straight line waiting for busses in the cold evening.
Bought a 3 Days Tourist Pass and I could use Subways and busses to explore Beijing, many tourists places are just next to subway stations, Tiananmen, Forbidden City, Bird Nest.
@@yl128pang3 but do they tell you what happened at Tiananmen?
@@jonathanwilliams1065, Tiananmen was a failed CIA attempt to overthrow the government. HK riots is a failed attempt too.
Trade War, Technology War,
South China Sea, Xinjiang Camp, are failing miserably.
I will take a high speed train from Beijing to Taipei in 2035.
@@yl128pang3 it was a bunch of unarmed students who didn’t even want communism to end, who were gunned down in cold blood
I love your humor
Wait, i thought sun tzu was never lost in battle. thats how he taught us all kind of sun tzu quotes on the internet
He did what he had to do with what he had....to achieve his ultimate goal.....Persevere any way you can and achieve your goals...Sometimes goals are for long term planning....He did achieve success....No one can argue that.
This is too cool. I wish I had a sword that would become famous🗡
I love your videos. I would love to see a series on the kingdom of Chu and how it expanded.
He was the hero of his country, and as the King of Yue, he had to keep it survive and defeat his enemy, the Wu state, to protect his country.
Ah, the stainless bronze sword of Goujian, a mircle in Chinese history.
It's said what keep this sword sharp is the Chorme treatment but it was 5 Century BCE!
And not actually being used in combat.
Its high value so every ancient noble who owned had kept it in finest safe place. So it keeps intact.
@@Th0ughtf0rce It even has a hilt like a goblet base so it can stand on a table
As a history buff, I gladly welcome this new TH-cam venture!!!
Interesting history lesson.
Thank you for making this TH-cam.
While Goujian was a slave for Wu he was studying them. Being there at the bottom he learned all Wu's weaknesses.
Goujian never really surrendered.
The Art of War.
Guojian was ungrateful and even killed his ministers who were most loyal when he was in captivity. He was subsequently remembered as an emperor who could share hardship but not prosperity with his subjects.
When the big hunt is concluded, the hunting hounds will be next to sacrifice
Cut's finger on blade
"Still sharp..."
Stryder be damned; for it's Aragorn time!
I thought sun tzu never dies
he live thru all of us.
His theory is immortal and still working after 2,500 years.
All his strategy failed against Vietnam haha.
Machiavelli said that "men do not forget past grudges", warning against clemency. He's like the Tuscan Sun Tzu of realpolitik, so I respect his judgment. The people who think that Goujian is treacherous is because they have been sheep-doctrinated into Confucianism (flial piety and all that "obey" junk) and know nothing of real life: it's a doctrine for slaves, not a doctrine for victory.
The sword is proof for the centuries to come, I can't but respect Goujian's extreme discipline and self-punishment in order to save his state and dynasty. If anything he can be distasted for being a bit too extreme (that move of the suicide soldiers was over the top quite clearly, I'm sure something less cruel could have been used as distraction as well) but beating Sun Tzu's army, maybe even Sun Tzu himself, added to all the rest makes him rightfully a "great man" of History.
It's a debated subject on whether he ordered his own men to slit their throats, or if the one's who were ordered were convicted criminals. It's a translation error thing where the phrase could mean convicted criminal (possibly referring to capitol crime criminals like murderers or r*pists) or it can be interpreted as soldiers willing to die. Also one thing I'd like to point out in the video is that he mentions how Korea and Japan revere Goujian, and this could be misinterpreted as though the Chinese don't. This couldn't be further from the truth, he is well known for being the prime example of perseverance in Chinese culture.
@@marcuschung1843 - OK, thank you for the clarification.
Great Video, Can't wait to see a more.
Funny as heck and informative - subbed.
He was so bitter that all he did was planned his revenge for a decade.