Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Zhou Book 3 Scroll 3
Duration of 23 years
The 1st year of King Shenjing (320 B.C.)
The state of Wey decided to downgrade its ruler’s title to that of “Lord”.
The 2nd year of King Shenjing (319 B.C.)
The Kingdom of Qin launched an invasion of the Kingdom of Wei, capturing the city of Yan.
King Hui of Wei passed away, and his son succeeded him as King Xiang of Wei. During this period, the philosopher Mencius visited King Xiang of Wei. Upon coming out of the visit, he shared his experience, saying, “He doesn’t resemble a typical monarch, and there’s no sense of unease when you approach him. Out of the blue, he asked me, ‘How can the world return to peace?’ I replied, ‘By uniting the world as one.’ He inquired, ‘Who could achieve this unification?’ I responded, ‘Those who eschew violence.’ ‘But who would willingly submit without resorting to force?’ I countered, ‘No one in the world could withstand such a force. Your Highness, do you see the sprouts in the fields? In July and August, they wither, but when the clouds come and rain falls, they thrive. It’s much the same—nothing can hinder it.’”
The 3rd year of King Shenjing (318 B.C.)
The combined forces of the kingdoms of Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, and Yan launched an attack on the Kingdom of Qin, advancing towards Gate Hangu. However, the army of Qin mounted a counter-attack and emerged victorious over the troops from the five kingdoms.
The state of Song declared itself a kingdom for the first time.
The 4th year of King Shenjing (317 B.C.)
The army of Qin routed the army of Han at a place called Xiuyu. They beheaded eighty thousands of soldiers of Han, and captured the generals called Sou and Shen Chai at the city of Zhuoze. Other kingdoms were shaken to the core.
One of the high-ranking officials of Qi had a fight with Su Qin to secure favors from the King. The official had Su Qin assassinated.
Zhang Yi addressed King Xiang of Wei (a.k.a. Liang), expressing his concerns, “The territory of the Kingdom of Liang is less than one thousand miles across, and our armed forces number less than three hundred thousand soldiers. The geographical landscape of Liang is a plain, lacking natural barriers like prominent mountains and rivers. Additionally, we need troops to defend our boundaries with the Kingdoms of Chu, Zhao, Qi, and Han. To simply fill the towers and fortresses along these boundaries, we require more than one hundred thousand soldiers. Liang‘s geography makes it a battleground. The other kingdoms have formed a vertical alliance along the Huan River, attempting to display solidarity like brothers defending each other. However, we know that even brothers nowadays fight and kill each other for wealth, going against their own parents. An alliance based on the scheming of individuals like Su Qin is destined to fail.”
He continued, “Your grace, if you decide not to submit to the Kingdom of Qin, Qin‘s troops may invade our land on the west bank of the Yellow River. Once Qin‘s troops occupy the towns of Juanyan and Suanzao, they could launch raids on the State of Wey from there and potentially seize the city of Yangjin. This would cut off the south-bound route from the Kingdom of Zhao. If the people of Zhao do not go south, the people of Liang will not go north. With no north-bound traffic, the corridor of the vertical alliance becomes blocked. In such a scenario, Your grace, our kingdom’s security posture would be compromised.”
Zhang Yi concluded, “I implore your grace to consider these matters carefully and make a decision promptly. I respectfully request to resign from my position.” In response, King Xiang of Wei (Liang) decided to breach the pact of the vertical alliance and requested Zhang Yi to negotiate a peace treaty with the Kingdom of Qin. Zhang Yi returned of Qin and was reinstated as the prime minister.
Duke Jing of Lu passed away, and his son Lv succeeded him as Duke Ping.
The 5th year of King Shenjing (316 B.C.)
During a conflict between the states of Ba and Shu, both of them requested assistance from the Kingdom of Qin. This placed King Hui of Qin in a difficult position. He was inclined to launch an attack against the state of Shu but was concerned about the difficult and dangerous terrain on the road leading to Shu. Moreover, there was an imminent threat of the Kingdom of Han invading Qin. As a result, King Hui found it challenging to make a decision.
Two of his advisors, Sima Cuo and Zhang Yi, had differing opinions on the matter. Sima Cuo proposed launching an attack on Shu, arguing that this course of action would be more advantageous. On the other hand, Zhang Yi disagreed and suggested that it would be wiser to attack the Kingdom of Han. This debate prompted the King of Qin to request further explanations from both advisors regarding their proposed strategies.
Zhang Yi proposed that the King of Qin should nurture friendly relations with the Kingdom of Wei and maintain good terms with the Kingdom of Chu. He suggested: “Start a military expedition in which Qin‘s troops would be deployed to Sanchuan. From there, we would launch an attack on the cities of Xincheng and Yiyang, considered suburbs of the Zhou dynasty’s court. The ultimate objective is to capture the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, symbolizing the emperor’s authority, along with the maps and registrar of the realm. By doing so, we could effectively seize control over the emperor to issue commands throughout the realm and establish authority over the entire world. This is a noble and worthy pursuit.”
Zhang Yi‘s argument was based on this idea: “Seeking recognition from influential centers, symbolized as the ‘court,’ was a way to gain reputation, while engaging in economic endeavors in influential markets was a means to achieve profit. Sanchuan and the court of the Zhou dynasty are the contemporary epicenters of power and economic activity in the world. Instead of engaging here, if we become entangled in conflicts with foreign states, it would be a diversion from our noble objective.”
Sima Cuo presented a counterargument: “I learned that making a state prosperous involved expanding its territory, building a formidable military force required enriching the people, becoming a sovereign power, charity and goodwill were paramount. By having these three essential resources in abundance, the title of emperor would naturally follow.”
Sima Cuo emphasized: “Your grace’s territory is relatively small, and the population remains economically challenged. I prefer a more practical approach. Shu, located in the far western regions, is viewed as the leader among foreign states. It has undergone a transformation similar to historical events involving oppressive rulers such as Jie in the Xia dynasty and Zhou in the Shang dynasty. Launching a military campaign against Shu would be akin to driving predatory animals like jackals and wolves into a herd of sheep.”
He highlighted the advantages of this strategy: “The expansion of Qin‘s territory, the enrichment of its citizens through the acquisition of wealth, and the strengthening of the military through the surrender of Shu‘s forces without incurring massive casualties on our forces. Importantly, by conquering Shu, Qin would not incur global condemnation for violence. Moreover, seizing the western territories of Shu would bring substantial advantages without being criticized as greedy by other states. In this way, we could preserve our reputation and gain considerable benefits. We have won new fame by stopping the riots and mayhem.”
Sima Cuo cautioned against attacking Han or attempting to capture the King of the Zhou dynasty. He argued that such actions would tarnish Qin‘s reputation without yielding significant benefits. These actions might be perceived as reckless, especially when targeting a revered and sacred place in the eyes of other states.
Sima Cuo concluded by expressing the potential risks of such a course of action: “All states are imperial clans with historical ties to the Zhou dynasty. The Kingdom of Han had a close affiliation with Zhou. If the Kingdom of Zhou perceives the imminent loss of its symbol of authority, the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, and the Kingdom of Han faces the prospect of losing its heartland in Sanchuan, they would be compelled to unite their forces. This alliance could extend to seeking assistance from powerful neighboring states like the Kingdom of Qi and Zhao. Simultaneously, they might strengthen their relationships with the Kingdom of Chu and Wei. In this scenario, your grace would be powerless to prevent the court of Zhou from giving the coveted Tripod Cauldrons to the Kingdom of Chu, or the Kingdom of Han from ceding their lands to the Kingdom of Wei. That is, I dare to say, a dangerous scenario.”
Sima Cuo‘s message to the King was clear: the proposed invasion of Shu was a more prudent and beneficial strategy compared to the risks and limited gains associated with other military ventures.
Ultimately, King Hui of Qin sided with Sima Cuo‘s perspective and ordered the invasion of Shu. The campaign was swift and successful, taking only ten months to conquer Shu. The King of Shu was dethroned, and his royal title was demoted to that of a Marquis. Chen Zhuang was appointed as the prime minister of Shu by the Kingdom of Qin, which now stood as a dominant and formidable force in the region.
After Su Qin’s death, his brother Su Dai and Su Li continued their diplomatic efforts among various monarchies. In the kingdom of Yan, the prime minister Zizhi, who was related to Su Dai through marriage, aimed to consolidate his power. When Su Dai returned from a visit to the kingdom of Qi, King Kuai of Yan asked him if the King of Qi was going to become the world’s hegemon. Su Dai replied that this wasn’t the case, explaining that the King of Qi didn’t fully trust his advisors.
In response to this counsel, King Kuai of Yan decided to delegate more authority to Zizhi. Another advisor named Lu Maoshou suggested that history remembered Emperor Yao as a saint because he had willingly passed his supreme power to Emperor Shun. Following this example, if King Kuai ceded power to Zizhi, he too might be remembered as a wise and benevolent ruler. King Kuai accepted this advice, further empowering Zizhi, who then became the dominant figure in the kingdom of Yan.
Another advisor went further: “In the past, Emperor Yu recommended Yi as his minister but appointed officials closely associated with his son Qi. As he grew old, he believed that Qi was not capable of handling the affairs of the entire country, so he transferred his reign to Yi. This caused a power struggle between Qi and Yi. Qi and his supporters took the reign from him. People say that Emperor Yu only passed the reign to Yi in name only, he intended to let Qi wrest the power from Yi. Now Sire is delegating the state affairs to Zizhi, yet all the officials have been affiliated to the crown prince. This is the Zizhi’s administration in name only and the crown prince’s administration in reality.” As a result, King Kuai of Yan rescinded all his appointments of officials with emulation above thirty thousand lb of grain. He collected all the high ranking official seals and ribbons and passed them on to Zizhi, authorizing him to select officials as he saw fit. This move effectively made Zizhi the de facto ruler of Yan, with King Kuai retiring from state affairs and becoming subordinate to Zizhi. All the decisions regarding the state affairs were made by Zizhi.
Reflection by Rio Grande 
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