The Spring and Autumn Period : carrying the thorns and asking for forgiveness 負荊請罪

The story of Lian Bo (廉頗) andLin Xiangru ( 藺相如列傳) is from Sima Qian 's " The Records of the Grand Historian ( 史記)". The story tells of how Lian Bo, thegeneral ofthe state of Zhao, who was honored with the title of Minister of State at a meeting at the town of Tangchi, was indignant and said, "As a general ofthe state of Zhao, I have made great achievements in siege and victory in field battles, while Xiangru (藺相如) has only excelled in eloquence, and is actually ranked higher than I. Moreover, it is a great shame for me that I should be subordinate to him, since I come from a humble background. It would be a great shame for me to be subordinate to him, since he is from a humble background. So Lian Po declared that if he ever saw him, he would humiliate him.