Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Zhou Book 4 Scroll 4 (continued)
The 42nd year of King Nan(273 B.C.)
The combined forces from the Kingdoms of Zhao and Wei initiated a siege on Huayang, a city of Han. Faced with this dire situation, the Kingdom of Han dispatched envoys to Qin, seeking assistance. The King of Qin declined their plea for aid. In a desperate attempt, the prime minister of Han implored Chen Shi, an official of Han, stating, “We are in dire need of help. Please make a day trip to the Kingdom of Qin, even if you are unwell.”
Despite his illness, Chen Shi complied and traveled to the Kingdom of Qin, where he met with Marquis Rang. Enquiring about the urgency, Marquis Rang said, “Did they send you due to a crisis?” Chen Shi calmly responded, “There is no immediate crisis.” Irritated, Marquis Rang questioned, “Why is that?” Chen Shi explained, “The Kingdom of Han would align with the opposing forces if facing a crisis. The fact that I am here again indicates that the situation has not reached a critical point.” Marquis Rang, recognizing the gravity of the situation, pledged, “I will appeal to the king to send troops.” Subsequently, he led Lord Wu’an (Bai Qi) and Hu Yang, another high-ranking official, to come to the aid of the Kingdom of Han.
The Qin army, taking eight days to reach Huayang, swiftly engaged and defeated the Wei forces outside the city. In the encounter, they forced General Mang Mao to retreat, captured three additional generals, and executed a staggering one hundred thirty thousand soldiers. In a separate confrontation, Lord Wu’an clashed with General Jia Yan from the Kingdom of Zhao. In a strategic move, they managed to drown twenty thousand Zhao soldiers in the Yellow River during the intense battle.
Duangan Zi, a minister of the Kingdom of Wei, proposed surrendering the city of Nanyang to the Kingdom of Qin as a peace offering. However, Su Dai voiced strong opposition to this suggestion when addressing the King of Wei, stating, “Duangan Zi desires the royal seal of the prime minister, and the Kingdom of Qin covets the land of Wei. By attempting to use one covetous party to counterbalance the other, Wei risks losing both the coveted royal seal and its land. Attempting to appease Qin by relinquishing land is akin to trying to extinguish a fire with brushwood. The fire will persist until all the brushwood is exhausted.”
Despite Su Dai’s insightful counsel, the King of Wei conceded Su Dai’s point, while accentuating the difficulty of altering the course that had already been set in motion. Su Dai retorted, drawing a strategic analogy, “The chess piece ‘Xiao’ is valuable because it can capture another piece at will and remains stationary when needed. Why not make decisions as wisely as the chess piece ‘Xiao’?”
The King of Wei did not heed Su Dai’s advice and proceeded to hand over the city of Nanyang to the Kingdom of Qin as indemnity for peace. Nanyang corresponds to the present-day Xiuwu.
Following the death of King Xi of Han, his son, King Huanhui, ascended to the throne as his successor.
At this juncture, both the Kingdoms of Han and Wei found themselves under the dominance of the Kingdom of Qin. The King of Qin was on the brink of dispatching Lord Wu’an, along with the armed forces of Han and Wei, for another campaign against the Kingdom of Chu.
However, before this plan could be set into motion, Huang Xie, the ambassador from Chu, arrived in the city. Upon learning of the impending campaign, Huang Xie harbored concerns that the Kingdom of Qin, fueled by its consecutive victories, might be poised to annihilate the Kingdom of Chu.
Huang Xie submitted a letter to the King of Qin, expressing, “I have heard that things tend to reverse when pushed to their extremes. Winter transforms into summer, and reaching the pinnacle can become precarious, akin to stacking chess pieces. At present, the Kingdom of Qin stands as the largest realm, stretching to the boundaries of civilization in the north and the west. Never before in history has a king governed such an extensive territory.”
Huang Xie continued, “For three generations, the Kings of Qin relentlessly pursued the establishment of a border with the Kingdom of Qi, aiming to disrupt the corridor of alliances formed against Qin by other kingdoms. Your majesty brilliantly deployed Sheng Qiao to serve the Kingdom of Han as an administrator of border towns. Through Sheng Qiao’s efforts, the territories under his jurisdiction were seamlessly integrated with those of the Kingdom of Qin, resulting in the acquisition of hundreds of miles of land without the need for war or even the threat of conflict. Your majesty’s diplomatic finesse and skillful maneuvers were evident in this accomplishment.”
“Furthermore, Your Majesty raised armies to launch an attack on the Kingdom of Wei, effectively blocked the gates to the capital city of Daliang, seized control of the city of Henei, and captured the towns of Yan, Suanzao, Xu, and Tao. The King’s forces then penetrated the region of Xing, causing the Wei troops to disperse like clouds in the sky, unable to provide mutual support. Your Majesty’s military achievements were so remarkable!”
“Subsequently, Your Majesty decided to grant respite to both his soldiers and the people of Wei, allowing a period of repose from the rigors of battle. Two years later, Your Majesty resumed hostilities against Wei and successfully annexed the cities of Pu, Yan, Shou, and Yuan. His forces besieged the cities of Ren, Pingqiu, Huang, and Jiyang until the inhabitants capitulated.”
“Taking strategic measures, Your Majesty carved out the northern territories of Pumo and opened up a direct route from the Kingdom of Qin to the Kingdom of Qi. This action effectively severed the backbone of the alliance between the Kingdoms of Zhao and Chu. The once-formidable anti-Qin coalition, which had united against Qin five times and joined forces six times, now hesitated to come to each other’s aid. The unparalleled glory of Your Majesty shone brightly in these decisive victories.”
“If Your Majesty can consolidate and uphold the current accomplishments, maintaining a superior posture, and if the desire for conquest is relinquished in favor of governing the annexed lands with benevolence and justice, ensuring tranquility in the hinterlands, then Your Majesty could rightfully stand among the Three Greatest Kings and be mentioned in the same breath as the Five Hegemons in history.”
“However, should Your Majesty choose to rely solely on the sheer size and superior armed forces, leveraging the momentum of defeating the fighting spirit of the Kingdom of Wei to subjugate all other kings, it is a path fraught with potential troubles in the near future, particularly in the Your Majesty’s own backyard.”
“There is a saying from the classic The Book of Songs: ‘All start well at first, very few finish so at the end.’ Another saying from The Book of Changes goes: ‘A fox soaks its tail while wading a creek, despite being careful.’ These sayings emphasize the common challenge of initiating endeavors with enthusiasm but encountering difficulties in seeing them through to completion.”
“An illustrative historical example is the alliance between the kings of Wu and Yue, who joined forces to attack the Kingdom of Qi. Despite their victory at the city of Ailing, the king of Wu was later captured by the king of Yue on the shore of the Three Rivers on their way of return.”
“Similarly, the Zhi family of the Kingdom of Jin placed trust in the Han and Wei families, forming an alliance to besiege the city of Jinyang belonging to the Zhao family. As victory seemed imminent, the Han and Wei families betrayed the Zhi family, leading to the killing of the Zhi family’s head, Zhi Bo (also known as Zhi Yao), at the foot of Terrace Zao.”
“Your Majesty, there seems to be a concern that, despite harboring resentment towards the Kingdom of Chu, its existence serves as a strategic advantage for the Kingdoms of Han and Wei, acting as a counter weight. It’s essential to remember that dismantling the Kingdom of Chu might inadvertently strengthen Han and Wei, who are potential adversaries.”
“I express my worry and respectfully advise against dismantling the Kingdom of Chu. While the Kingdom of Chu may seem like a rival, it can also be a source of support for your kingdom. The true enemies are your neighboring states. Trusting the kingdoms of Han and Wei solely based on their flattery may echo the historical situation where the king of Wu trusted the kingdom of Yue, leading to adverse consequences.”
“The ingratiating words from Han and Wei may be a guise to manipulate the larger kingdom while absolving themselves. This suspicion arises because the goodwill towards Qin from Han and Wei may not be enduring, given the longstanding animosity spanning generations. The adversarial history, with fathers and sons of Han and Wei falling to Qin‘s forces for the last ten generations, suggests a deep-seated resentment. Hence, there will always be apprehension for the well-being of Qin as long as the kingdoms of Han and Wei persist. It appears incongruous to allocate resources for Han and Wei to attack the Kingdom of Chu when there has been a historical backdrop of tensions between Qin and these kingdoms.”
“Moreover, the choice of the route the Qin army takes to attack the Kingdom of Chu is crucial. If the army traverses the territories of your enemies, such as the Kingdoms of Han and Wei, On the day the army sets forth, it marks the beginning of Your Majesty’s concern that their return might be uncertain. If Your Majesty’s troops avoid traversing the territory of their adversaries, they must launch their attack from the right side of the Sui River. Considering the challenging terrain with wide rivers, large lakes, mountainous forests, and ravines on the right side of the Sui River, attacking from this direction poses significant challenges. These areas do not yield food, and the cost of damaging the reputation of the Kingdom of Chu might not be offset by any tangible benefits.”
“Initiating a war with the Kingdom of Chu would likely prompt immediate reactions from the other four kingdoms. Long battles between the armies of Qin and Chu would ensue, providing an opportunity for the Kingdom of Wei to expand into regions like Liu, Fangyu, Zhi, Huling, Dang, Xiao, and Xiang, formerly part of the State of Song. Simultaneously, the Kingdom of Qi would seize the fertile land to the north of the Si River, an area with excellent transportation connections.”
“In such a scenario, the Kingdoms of Qi and Wei could emerge as the strongest powers in the region. Considering the potential consequences and the geopolitical landscape, fostering friendly relations with the Kingdom of Chu might be a more favorable approach for the overall stability and prosperity of Qin.”
“Considering the looming alliance between the Kingdoms of Qin and Chu, the Kingdom of Han would likely acquiesce and pay homage to Your Majesty. Leveraging the geographic advantage of the strategic pass of East Mountain and controlling the engirdling of the Yellow River loop, the Kingdom of Han could become a vassal of Qin to the east of Hangu Pass.”
“Deploying a substantial force of one hundred thousand troops to the State of Zheng would instill fear among the people of the Kingdom of Wei. Cities like Xu and Yanling might retreat to their inner castles, disrupting the connection between the regions of Shangcai and Zhaoling. This move could potentially lead to the Kingdom of Wei becoming another vassal of Qin to the east of Hangu Pass.”
“Moreover, amending relations with the Kingdom of Chu could lead to the Kingdoms of Han and Wei, which are formidable military states, vying for the land of Qi. The vast area of west Qi could be easily captured, extending Your Majesty’s territory from the west ocean to the east ocean, establishing Qin at the helm of the world. The kingdoms of Yan and Zhao will lose the support of the kingdoms of Qi and Chu, and reciprocally so for Qi and Chu. If the kingdom of Qin advances towards Yan and Zhao, it would destabilize the foundations of the kingdoms of Qi and Chu. This would eventually lead to the subjugation of all four kingdoms to the kingdom of Qin, even without an immediate initiation of war.”
Recognizing the strategic advantage and potential consequences, the King of Qin agreed with Huang Xie‘s counsel. Consequently, Lord Wu’an was summoned back, and the allied troops from the Kingdoms of Han and Wei were dismissed. Huang Xie was sent back to the Kingdom of Chu, carrying a proposal for a marriage alliance between Qin and Chu.
Reflection by Rio Grande 
Leave a comment