During the Warring States period, in the state of Zhao, there were two very important ministers. One was Lin Xiangru, and the other was Lian Po. Lin Xiangru made great contributions to Zhao in diplomatic affairs, so the King of Zhao appointed him as Shangqing, a position higher than Lian Po.
Lian Po was a famous general in Zhao. He felt that he had made numerous military exploits, and he was very unconvinced about Lin Xiangru having a higher position than himself. He often said to others, "I, Lian Po, am invincible in battles and have made many great contributions. What ability does Lin Xiangru have? He just depends on his glib tongue, yet he has climbed above me. If I meet him, I will surely make him lose face!"
When these words reached Lin Xiangru's ears, he tried his best to avoid Lian Po and not meet him. Once, when Lin Xiangru was traveling in a carriage and saw Lian Po riding a tall horse coming from afar, he quickly asked his coachman to turn the carriage back. Lin Xiangru's subordinates couldn't bear to see this. They said to Lin Xiangru, "You are like a mouse seeing a cat when you see Lian Po. Why are you afraid of him?" Lin Xiangru said to them, "Please think about it, everyone. Compared with the King of Qin, who is more powerful, General Lian or the King of Qin?" They said, "Of course, the King of Qin is more powerful!" Lin Xiangru said, "I'm not even afraid of the King of Qin. How could I be afraid of General Lian? Everyone knows that the reason why Qin doesn't dare to attack our Zhao is that we have Lian Po in military and Lin Xiangru in civil affairs. If we two are at odds, it will weaken the strength of Zhao, and Qin will surely take the opportunity to attack us. The reason why I avoid General Lian is for the sake of our Zhao!"
When Lin Xiangru's words reached Lian Po's ears, Lian Po calmed down and thought about it. He felt that for the sake of his own pride, he had ignored the interests of the state, which was really wrong. So, he took off his battle robe, carried a thorny twig on his back, and went to Lin Xiangru's house to apologize.
When Lin Xiangru saw Lian Po coming to apologize with a thorny twig on his back, he hurriedly and warmly came out to welcome him. Since then, they became good friends and worked together wholeheartedly to defend Zhao.
