So why did Jiang Taigong catch fish with a straight hook, which aroused great concern and great attention from Zhou Wenwang? Why does Zhou Wenwang think that Jiang Taigong, who fishes with a straight hook, is a great genius? To understand this problem, we must first understand what the deep meaning of "fishing" was at that time. The "fishing" we are talking about now is a way of leisure and entertainment. Especially some cultured people like to kill time by "fishing". But ancient times were different.
In ancient times, "fishing" was an important mode of production. Like hunting, gathering and planting, this is a mode of production. It can be said that "fishing" is a very important job for ordinary people. However, for slave owners and princes, "fishing" is not only a mode of production, but also has special significance. In the eyes of slave owners, "fishing" is actually "fishing for the country" and fishing for the world. So, when Jiang Taigong "fished" on the Wei River, he was actually telling Zhou Wenwang that he had a strategy to help Zhou Wenwang "compete for the world".
That's why Zhou Wenwang invited Jiang Taigong. Because he knew that Jiang Taigong had a strategy to compete for the world, and he happened to be helpless on the issue of competing for the world. However, even if Zhou Wenwang saw that Jiang Taigong had a strategy to compete for the world, how could he judge that this strategy was useful to him? I think this is the "straight hook" used by Jiang Taigong. There is a xiehouyu called "Jiang Taigong fishing-who wants to take the bait". What this two-part allegorical saying wants to express is that if Jiang Taigong doesn't pursue it, Zhou Wenwang can find him if he wants, and it doesn't matter if Zhou Wenwang doesn't.
Actually, this statement is wrong. If we understand it according to this statement, Zhou Wenwang will become a "fish" that Jiang Taigong has caught. How is that possible? Therefore, Jiang Taigong's straight hook fishing is not the reason why Zhou Wenwang is willing to take the bait, but another correct strategy to help Zhou Wenwang conquer the world. We know that Zhou Wenwang was ambitious and wanted to occupy the Central Plains and replace the Shang Dynasty. But this goal is very difficult for him. On the one hand, his strength is limited. It is not easy to defeat the mighty Di Xin.
Di Xin had just had a big fight with the powerful Dongyi at that time, and Di Xin had destroyed Dongyi in one fell swoop. On the other hand, Zhou Dynasty was a vassal state of Shang Dynasty. It is ethically unreasonable for a vassal state to attack the suzerain state. So, what is Jiang Taigong's strategy to tell Zhou Wenwang? Jiang Taigong told Zhou Wenwang that it was difficult to defeat the powerful Shang Dynasty directly by force. The best way is to find Di Xin's own loopholes in the Shang Dynasty and let him bring about his own destruction.
What are the loopholes in Di Xin? He messed up politics. First, the militaristic, regardless of the lives of ordinary people, launched many wars to expand the territory. This has caused great disasters to the people. Second, he persecuted ministers and refused to listen to the correct opinions of those honest and kind ministers. Third, he persecuted members of the imperial clan, including Bi and Wei Zi, who tried their best to persecute and engage in dictatorship. Fourth, he hurts ordinary people and doesn't treat them as human beings. Fifth, he engages in wine pools and meat forests, squanders natural resources, craves pleasure and so on.
Now some scholars think that Di Xin doesn't actually have so many problems, which are the result of Zhou Wenwang and Zhou Wuwang deliberately belittling him. If Zhou Wenwang and Zhou Wuwang deliberately belittle Di Xin, that is to say, this strategy was originally told to Zhou Wenwang by Jiang Taigong. Jiang Taigong told Zhou Wenwang that we don't have to engage in the Shang Dynasty, just let the Shang Dynasty lose its footing and bring about its own destruction through propaganda. When the Shang Dynasty turned into a ruthless dynasty in front of the people all over the world, and it became a dynasty that must perish, when the sky wanted him to perish, the Zhou Dynasty just passed by and picked up the fruits of victory.
In fact, Zhou Wenwang did adopt this method, which not only made Shang Zhouwang lose its reputation, but also made many neighboring vassal states join his crusade against Di Xin. Finally, Di Xin's army defected on the battlefield, and the Zhou Dynasty won without fighting. This is what Jiang Taigong told Zhou Wenwang. So, why does Jiang Taigong's "straight" have such a truth?
As we know, the hook is "what you want" and the straight hook is "what you don't want". In other words, Jiang Taigong wants to tell Zhou Wenwang that we don't need to ask for anything, but God wants to destroy the Shang Dynasty, and we just need to "obey God's will". In this sense, when Jiang Taigong was fishing, it was not Zhou Wenwang who was hooked by Jiang Taigong. But Shang Zhouwang Di Xin was fascinated by Zhou Wenwang.