30 Zhang Liang

One of Three Heroes Who Helped Found Han Empire

Zhang Liang (?-189 BC) was the chief advisor for Liu Bang (see piece 27). He was born into an aristocrat family of Han State (in Shanxi Province). As Han State was the first one being destroyed by Qin State, the young Zhang became eager to avenge his nation. Zhang once with a robust warrior ambushed Qin Shi Huang who was en route of his inspecting tour. The warrior wielded a heavy iron rod to attack Qin Shi Huang’s carriage, but wrongly hit a replica one.

Qin regime ordered Zhang’s arrest nationwide, so he had to escape lying low at a remote isolated village. One day, he walked passing a bridge where sit a white-bearded old man. On seeing Zhang coming, the old man put off one of his shoes and threw it down under the bridge, said: “You, boy, get down and pick up the shoe for me.” At first Zhang felt angry, but he endured and did what the old man said. When he picked up the shoe, the old man stretched out his foot, said: “Put on the shoe for me.” He also did. Then, the old man cracked a smile, said: “You, young boy is worth to educate!” The elder asked him to come in the morning three days later to receive a special gift. Three days later, when Zhang went to the bridge, the old man had been there waiting impatiently, blaming: “How could a young man perform so casually? You should come here in another three days.” The next time, Zhang got up at dawn, ran to the site, but saw the old man already there. The old man asked a further delay of three days. At this time, Zhang went to the site at midnight, waited for an hour, and saw the old man coming. The elder then handed over Zhang a book Tai Gong’s Strategies (Tai Gong was another name of Jiang Ziya who helped Emperor Wu of Zhou Dynasty topple Shang Dynasty, see piece 9), said: “Qin Empire’s days are counted, and you could help a would-be emperor to achieve a historical deed.” Adding: “Tens of years later, you might see a big yellow rock at a mountain foot, that’s me.”

The Yellow Rock Old Man not only gave Zhang Liang a strategist book, but instructed him to know “endurance”, a character more important for him to achieve his career.