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魏二 THE STRATAGEMS OF WEI II (A)

犀首田盼欲得齊魏之兵以伐趙

Xi SHou and Tian Pan Wish to Obtain Troops from Qi and Wei in Order to Attack Zhao

犀首、田盼欲得齊、魏之兵以伐趙,梁君與田侯不欲。犀首曰:「請國出五萬人,不過五月而趙破。」田盼曰:「夫輕用其兵者,其國易危;易用其計者,其身易窮。公今言破趙大易,恐有後咎。」犀首曰:「公之不慧也。夫二君者,固已不欲矣。今公又言有難以懼之,是趙不伐,而二士之謀困也。且公直言易,而事已去矣。夫難搆而兵結,田侯、梁君見其危,又安敢釋卒不我予乎?」田盼曰:「善。」遂勸兩君聽犀首。犀首、田盼遂得齊、魏之兵。兵未出境,梁君、田侯恐其至而戰敗也,悉起兵從之,大敗趙氏。

 

Tian Pan and[1] the Xishou General[2] wished to obtain troops from Qi and Wei in order to attack Zhao, but the Lord of Liang[3] and Marquis Tian[4] were not keen. The Xishou General said, "I requested that both state they dispatch fifty thousand of their partisans; before five months have passed we will have broken Zhao."

Tian Pan said, "He who deploys his troops too casually will easily find his state in danger; he who settles too easily upon a strategy will just as easily find himself ruined. Now you say that you can easily destroy Zhao; I am afraid that you will soon turn out to have been mistaken." 

The Xishou General said, "That's your lack of guile talking. The two lords are already reluctant; if you keep talking about about the difficulties you will frighten them off[5], then the attack on Zhao will never happen and our plans will be frustrated[6]. However, if you say directly that it will be easy, then Marquis Tian and the Lord of Liang will abandon their concerns, and will not perceive the danger until they are face to face with the difficulties and their soldiers have come to grips with the enemy. How then will they dare demobilise their batallions rather than leaving them at our disposal?" 

Tian Pan said, "Very well." Accordingly he put pressure on the two lords to listen to the Xishou General. As a result, they[7] obtained troops from Qi and Wei. The troops had not yet crossed the border before the Lord of Liang and Marquis Tian grew afraid that they would lose, so they mobilised all their remaining soldiers and sent them to follow on behind. The Zhao family was soundly defeated.  

[1] "Xishou" was originally an official title, but was also used as a personal name by Gongsun Yan, who worked as a politician in Qin, Wei and Han. He was another opponent of Zhang Yi.

[2] Tian Pan was a successful Qi general.

[3] King Hui of Wei (344 - 319 BC) succeeded Marquis Wu following a violent succession conflict during which Wei was almost conquered by Han and Zhao. He conducted several discussions with Mencius and exchanged territory with Han, making his state easier to defend.

[4] King Wei of Qi (356–320 BC) was among Qi's greatest Kings, conducting political reforms and employing Sun Bing (among others) to win significant military victories, including at the Battle of Maling.

[5] The commentaries suggest that the 有 here may be superfluous. 

[6] Yao suggests 君 for 士 here. 

[7] The commentaries suggest that the second 犀首 here may be superfluous.  

犀首見梁君

Xi SHou Has an Audience with the Lord of Liang

犀首見梁君曰:「臣盡力竭知,欲以為王廣土取尊名,田需從中敗君,王又聽之,是臣終無成功也。需亡,臣將侍;需侍,臣請亡。」王曰:「需,寡人之股掌之臣也。為子之不便也,殺之亡之,毋謂天下何,內之無若群臣何也!今吾為子外之,令毋敢入子之事。入子之事者,吾為子殺之亡之,胡如?」犀首許諾。於是東見田嬰,與之約結;召文子而相之魏,身相於韓。

 

The Xishou General[1] had an audience with the Lord of Liang[2], during which he said, "I exhaust my strength and exert my intelligence to the fullest to win fame and respect by expanding Your Majesty's lands, but from within the palace Tian Xu[3] is plotting my downfall[4]. If you persist in listening to him then I will end up achieving nothing at all. If Xu were to leave, I would be able to serve you properly. If Xu is to go on serving you, then I beg permission to leave."

The King said, "As a servant, Xu is my right hand, and yet because his presence is not convenient to you, we are expected to kill or exile him. If I get rid of him now I will have no way to explain it to the lords of All Under Heaven[5] and if I keep him I will have no way to explain it to my assembled servants[6]. If I distance myself from him now he will no longer dare meddle in your affairs. If he tries, then I will have him killed for you. How would that be?" The Xishou General accepted the terms and sent an envoy eastwards to seek an audience with Tian Ying[7] preparatory to making an agreement with him. Master Wen[8] was summoned to become Chancellor of Wei, and the Xishou General become Chancellor of Han.

[1] "Xishou" was originally an official title, but was also used as a personal name by Gongsun Yan, who worked as a politician in Qin, Wei and Han. He was another opponent of Zhang Yi.

[2] King Zhao of Wei (296 BC to 277 BC) found himself subject to an unending series of successful attacks by Qin, losing more and more territory until he finally accepted an alliance with Qin to attack Song. This did not last long, and he soon changed sides to join an alliance with Qi. 

[3] Tian Xu was a politician from Qi. 

[4] Reading 臣 for 君 here, per the commentaries. 

[5] The commentaries suggest reading 外之毋 for 毋 here. 

[5] Tian Ying was a member of the Qi royal family, and the father of Lord Mengchang.

[6] The commentaries and modern translations disagree regarding the correct interpretation of this sentence.

[7] Lord Mengchang, also known as Tian Wen, was Qi's greatest general at the time. He served most of his career in Qi, but left to work in Wei for some years in response to King Min's poor human resources policy.

[8] I.e. Lord Mengchang.

蘇代為田需說魏王
Su Dai, Working on Behalf of Tian Xu, Exercises his Persuasions on The King of Wei

蘇代為田需說魏王曰:「臣請問文之為魏,孰與其為齊也?」王曰:「不如其為齊也。」「衍之為魏,孰與其為韓也?」王曰:「不如其為韓也。」而蘇代曰:「衍將右韓而左魏,文將右齊而左魏。二人者,將用王之國,舉事於世,中道而不可,王且無所聞之矣。王不如舍需於側,以稽二人者之所為。王之國雖滲樂而從之可也。二人者曰:『需非吾人也,吾舉事而不利於魏,需必挫我於王。』二人者必不敢有外心矣。二人者之所為之,利於魏與不利於魏,王厝需於側以稽之,臣以為身利而便於事。」王曰:「善。」果厝需於側。

Su Dai[1], working on behalf of Tian Xu[2] exercised his persuasions on the King of Wei[3], saying, "Your servant begs permission to ask, will Wen[4] work harder for Wei than he has for Qi?"

The King said, "Nothing will equal his efforts for Qi."

"Will Yan[5] work harder for Wei than he has for Han?"

The King said, "Nothing will equal his efforts for Han."

So Su Dai said[6], "Yan will prioritise Han to Wei's detriment. Wen prioritise Qi to Wei's detriment.

These two would both use Your Majesty's state to pursue their interests in the world, and you will neither be able to steer middle course between them nor avoid listening to their arguments. Nevertheless, while your state may be weak, you can still make partisans of them[7]. Your best course of action would be to keep Xu by your side and use him to keep an eye on the pair of them. They will say, 'Xu is not a member of my faction; if, in pursuing my own affairs, I do anything to harm Wei's he will traduce me before the King.' Neither will dare let their minds drift in the direction of their connections abroad. Whether they are working to benefit Wei or not[8] you must keep him by your side as a check on them. Your servant is convinced that this will be beneficial to you and expedient in your affairs[9]."

The King said, "Very well." Consequently he kept Xu by his side.

[1] Su Dai was a younger brother of Su Qin, and like him a proponent of the anti-Qin alliance.

[2] King Zhao of Wei (296 BC to 277 BC) found himself subject to an unending series of successful attacks by Qin, losing more and more territory until he finally accepted an alliance with Qin to attack Song. This did not last long, and he soon changed sides to join an alliance with Qi. 

[3] Tian Xu was a politician in Qi. 

[4] ] Lord Mengchang, also known as Tian Wen, was Qi's greatest general at the time. He served most of his career in Qi, but left to work in Wei for some years in response to King Min's poor human resources policy.

[5] Gongsun Yan was also known as the Xishou General. He was originally from Wei and worked in Qin, Wei and Han. He was an opponent of Zhang Yi and a partisan of the anti-Qin alliance. The commentaries say that he was from Huayin, which may have belonged to both Han and Wei at different times.

[6] The commentaries suggest that the 而 here may be superfluous. 

[7] The commentaries disagree regarding the correct reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear. 

[8] Liu suggests that the 之 here may be superfluous. 

[9] The commentaries disagree regarding the correct reading of this sentence and this is a best-guess interpretation.

史舉非犀首於王
Shi Ju Denounces the Xishou General to the King

史舉非犀首於王。犀首欲窮之,謂張儀曰:「請令王讓先生以國,王為堯、舜矣;而先生弗受,亦許由也。衍請因令王致萬戶邑於先生。」張儀說,因令史舉數見犀首,王聞之而弗任也,史舉不辭而去。

 

Shi Ju[1] had denounced the Xishou General[2] to the King[3] and the Xishou General - wishing to ruin him - spoke to Zhang Yi, saying, "I beg permission to have the King offer up his state to you. Then he can play at being Yao[4] or Shun[5], and when you refuse, Professor, you will be taken for another Xu You[6]. I will then seize[7] the opportunity to make the King reward you with a city of ten thousand households." Zhang Yi was delighted, and so organised several audiences between Shi Ju and the Xishou General. The King heard about this and refused entrust Shi Ju with any more responsibilities[8]. He fled without taking his leave.

[1] Shi Ju was a scholar and politician in Qin. He was presumably serving as an ambassador to the court of Wei at this point.

[2] Gongsun Yan was also known as the Xishou General. He was originally from Wei and worked in Qin, Wei and Han. He was an opponent of Zhang Yi and a partisan of the anti-Qin alliance.

[3] King Hui of Wei (344 - 319 BC) succeeded Marquis Wu following a violent succession conflict during which Wei was almost conquered by Han and Zhao. He conducted several discussions with Mencius and exchanged territory with Han, making his state easier to defend.

[4] Yao was a semi-legendary Chinese founding father. He abdicated in favour of Shun.

[5] Shun was another semi-legendary Chinese founding father. He gave the throne to Yu the Great rather than his own children, in appreciation for Yu's talents.

[6] Xu You was a hermit celebrated for his self-denying virtue. Yao offered him the throne at one point, but he refused. 

[7] The commentaries suggest that the 請 here is superfluous.

[8] Because his criticisms have been undermined by his apparent willingness to work with the Xishou General.

楚王攻梁南

The King of Chu Attacks Southern Liang

楚王攻梁南,韓氏因圍薔。成恢為犀首謂韓王曰:「疾攻薔,楚師必進矣。魏不能支,交臂而聽楚,韓氏必危,故王不如釋薔。魏無韓患,必與楚戰,戰而不勝,大梁不能守,而又況存薔乎?若戰而勝,兵罷敝,大王之攻薔易矣。」

 

The King of Chu[1] attacked southern Liang, and the Han family seized the opportunity to surround Qiang[3]. Cheng Hui[4] spoke to the King of Han[5] on behalf of the Xishou General[6], saying, "If you exhaust yourselves attacking Qiang then Chu's troops will certainly push on into Wei. Wei, unable to hold them off, will bow deeply and accept their orders. Then the Han family will certainly be in danger. Therefore it would be best for Your Majesty to abandon Qiang. If Wei is not troubled by Han then it will certainly go to war against Chu. If Wei fights and does not win it will not even be able to preserve Daliang[7], so how on earth will it hold Qiang? If Wei fights and wins[8], then its troops will be too exhausted to fight any more, and you will be able to attack Qiang with ease."  

[1] King Huai of Chu (328 - 299 BC) was known for having been the object of various poetic complaints by Qu Yuan​. He was captured by Qin in 299 BC and his son King Qingxiang took the throne. He made one attempt to escape, but was recaptured and died in 296 BC.

[3] It is not clear where Qiang was, or even whether the place name has been copied correctly.

[4] Cheng Hui seems to have been a colleague or subordinate of the Xishou General (see below) in Wei.

[5] King Xiang of Han (311 - 296 BC) suffered repeated attacks by both Qin and Chu during his reign.

[6] Gongsun Yan was also known as the Xishou General. He was originally from Wei and worked in Qin, Wei and Han. He was an opponent of Zhang Yi and a partisan of the anti-Qin alliance.

[7] Daliang was the capital of Wei. It is now Kaifeng in Henan.

[8] The commentaries suggest that the 而 here may be superfluous

魏惠王死

The Death of King Hui of Wei

魏惠王死,葬有日矣。天大雨雪,至於牛目,壞城郭,且為棧道而葬。群臣多諫太子者,曰:「雪甚如此而喪行,民必甚病之。官費又恐不給,請弛期更日。」太子曰:「為人子,而以民勞與官費用之故,而不行先王之喪,不義也。子勿復言。」

 

King Hui of Wei[1] died, and a day had been appointed for his burial[2]. However, on that day there was a blizzard, with the snow drifts reaching up to the eyes of the carriage oxen. The outskirts of the city were cut off, so a plan was formed to build a plank road to the tomb. The Crown Prince's[3] principal private secretaries reproached him vociferously, saying, "If you proceed with the funeral when the snow is this deep your citizens will be profoundly afflicted. We are afraid that the public treasury will not cover the cost, and beg you to abandon your plan and postpone it to a more convenient date."

The Crown Prince said, "If the former King's own son - wishing to spare the labour of his citizens and the resources of the treasury - does not not undertake to bury him, he is not fulfilling his duties[4]. Do not speak of this again."

 

群臣皆不敢言,而以告犀首。犀首曰:「吾未有以言之也,是其唯惠公乎!請告惠公。」

 

None of his assembled servants dared say anything more, but they reported the matter to the Xishou General[5]. The Xishou General said, "I have not been able to come up with a way to bring it up it either. In the circumstances, our last recourse is Master Hui[6]. Allow me to tell him about it." 

惠公曰:「諾。」駕而見太子曰:「葬有日矣。」太子曰:「然。」惠公曰:「昔王季歷葬於楚山之尾,灓水齧其墓,見棺之前和。文王曰:『嘻!先君必欲一見群臣百姓也夫,故使灓水見之。』於是出而為之張於朝,百姓皆見之,三日而後更葬。此文王之義也。今葬有日矣,而雪甚,及牛目,難以行,太子為及日之故,得毋嫌於欲亟葬乎?願太子更日。先王必欲少留而扶社稷、安黔首也,故使雪甚。因弛期而更為日,此文王之義也。若此而弗為,意者羞法文王乎?」太子曰:「甚善。敬弛期,更擇日。」

Master Hui said, "Leave it to me."

He departed in his carriage to seek an audience with the Crown Prince, where he said, "The date of the burial has been set?"

The Crown Prince said, "That is so."

Master Hui said, "The ancient king, Ji Li[7], was buried at the foot[8] of Mount Chu[9], but water leaked in and rotted away the crossbeam of his tomb[10], leaving the front end of the coffin visible[11]. King Wen[12] said, 'Ah! The former Lord must wish to have one last look at his assembled servants and the hundred clans, thus he saw to it that the crossbeam would rot so that we could visit him.' This being so, the coffin was brought out and set up in the palace courtyard[13]. For the next three days the hundred clans all came to the lying in state, and afterwards he was appropriately reburied. This was how King Wen fulfilled his duties. Now a date has been appointed for your father's funeral, but the snow is as high as the carriage oxen's eyes, making it difficult to proceed; nevertheless Your Majesty intends to complete the ceremony on time. Could this not be considered indecent haste? I wish you would postpone. The former king must have wanted to delay a while in order to sustain to the altars of earth and grain and reassure the black-haired multitudes[14]; that is why he made it snow so deeply. By taking this as a sign to postpone the ceremony to a more convenient date, you would be fulfilling your duty just as King Wen did. If, in the circumstances, you do not do so, would it not be a rejection of the precedent set by King Wen?"

The Crown Prince said, "Very well said! I will postpone the ceremony out of respect and have another date selected."

惠子非徒行其說也,又令魏太子未葬其先王而因又說文王之義。說文王之義以示天下,豈小功也哉!

 

Not only did Master Hui ensure that his own arguments would be followed, he also used the Crown Prince of Wei's postponement of his father's funeral as a way to shed light upon the diligence of King Wen. Surely such a demonstration of King Wen's virtues is no small achievement?[15]

[1] King Hui of Wei (344 - 319 BC) succeeded Marquis Wu following a violent succession conflict during which Wei was almost conquered by Han and Zhao. He conducted several discussions with Mencius and exchanged territory with Han, making his state easier to defend.

[2] An auspicious date would have been picked by the court diviners, and could not easily be changed.

[3] Wei Si, later King Xiang of Wei (318 - 296 BC) he spent his entire reign switching between anti-Qin and anti-Chu alliances in an attempt to preserve his territory against larger neighbours.

[4] Yao suggests that the 也 here may be superfluous. 

[5] The Xishou General was also known as Gongsun Yan, and worked as a politician in Qin, Wei and Han. He was another opponent of Zhang Yi.

[6] There is some doubt about these characters, with some of the commentaries suggesting that they may be intended to read 薛公, in which case it is a reference to Tian Wen, the Duke of Xue. Assuming the present version to be correct, it indicates Hui Shi, a politician and philosopher belonging to the School of Names, and a friend of Zhuangzi.

[7] King Ji of Zhou (Ji Li) was the father of King Wen, one of the founders of the Zhou Dynasty.

[8] Yao suggests that the 之 here is superfluous.

[9] Reading 涡山 for 楚山, per the commentaries. This is now the Zhongnan Mountain chain in Shaanxi.

[10] Yao suggests 蠻水 for 灓水 here.

[11] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear. 

[12] King Wen of Zhou (1112–1050 BC) began a rebellion against King Zhou of Shang that was completed by his son, King Wu.

[13] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear. 

[14] This referred to the common people, who simply tied their hair up rather than wearing the elaborate coiffes of the upper classes.

[15] This last paragraph appears to be an annotation accidentally incorporated into the text by a copyist.

五國伐秦

Five States attack Qin

五國伐秦,無功而還。其後,齊欲伐宋,而秦禁之。齊令宋郭之秦,請合而以伐宋。秦王許之。魏王畏齊、秦之合也,欲講於秦。

 

Five states[1] attacked Qin. The attack was not successful and they retreated. Subsequently Qi wished to attack Song, but Qin prevented it. Qi sent Song Guo[2] to Qin to beg for an alliance in order to prepare an attack on Song, and the King of Qin[3] then gave his assent. The King of Wei[4] was afraid of the Qi-Qin alliance, and wanted to sue for peace with Qin.

謂魏王曰:「秦王謂宋郭曰:『分宋之城,服宋之強者,六國也。乘宋之敝,而與王爭得者,楚、魏也。請為王毋禁楚之伐魏也,而王獨舉宋。王之伐宋也,請剛柔而皆用之。如宋者,欺之不為逆者,殺之不為讎者也。王無與之講以取地,既已得地矣,又以力攻之,期於啗宋而已矣。』

 

A speech was presented to the King of Wei[5], saying: "The King of Qin spoke to Song Guo, saying, 'To force a state with Song's strength to submit and share its lands, that was the work of six states, but now Song is exhausted Chu and Wei will be able to resist King Min's[6] attempt to take possession of it[7]. I beg permission to work on your behalf to remove any obstacles preventing Chu from attacking Wei, for then no one but you will be able to annex Song. When you attack Song, feel free to use any means necessary. Song's behaviour has been such that deceiving it would be accounted no betrayal, while slaughtering its people will provoke no revenge[8]. There will be no need for King Min to negotiate a peace treaty with them to obtain land[9]; you can just take it. Attack with all your strength until Song has been entirely consumed.'

「臣聞此言,而竊為王悲,秦必且用此於王矣。又必且曰王以求地,既已得地,又且以力攻王。又必謂王曰使王輕齊,齊、魏之交已醜,又且收齊以更索於王。秦嘗用此於楚矣,又嘗用此於韓矣,願王之深計之也。秦善魏不可知也已。故為王計,太上伐秦,其次賓秦,其次堅約而詳講,與國無相離也。秦、齊合,國不可為也已。王其聽臣也,必無與講。

 

"Your servant heard this speech, and - with all due deference - was moved to pity on Your Majesty's behalf[10], as Qin will certainly use this chance to move against you, taking advantage of your situation to demand land from you and then, whether it has received any or not, lending its own strength to Chu's attack[11]. Qin will make it a condition of their negotiations with you that you must ignore Qi[12], thus relations between Qi and Wei will darken. They will then win Qi over to their side and demand more concessions from you in the East[13]. Qin has already used this approach against Chu; it has used the very same technique against Han! I hope that Your Majesty is planning deeply, since you cannot know Qin's motivations in attempting to ingratiate itself with you. This is why I have formulated a strategy on your behalf. The best option would be to attack Qin. The next best would be to turn your back upon them. The next best would be to remain firm in your alliances and form an unbreakable negotiating bloc, rather than remaining at odds with the other states[14]. If Qin and Qi come to an accord, there will be nothing at all your state can do. If you listen to your servant, you will not negotiate a separate settlement with Qin.

「秦權重魏,魏再明孰,是故又為足下傷秦者,不敢顯也。天下可令伐秦,則陰勸而弗敢圖也。見天下之傷秦也,則先鬻與國而以自解也。天下可令賓秦,則為劫於與國而不得已者。天下不可,則先去,而以秦為上交以自重也。如是人者,鬻王以為資者也,而焉能免國於患?免國於患者,必窮三節,而行其上。上不可,則行其中;中不可,則行其下;下不可,則明不與秦。而生以殘秦,使秦皆無百怨百利,唯已之曾安。令足下鬻之以合於秦,是免國於患者之計也。臣何足以當之?雖然,願足下之論臣之計也。

 

"Qin's is more powerful than you, and Wei Ran[15] has the intelligence of long experience[16]. This being so, even if someone else agrees to injure Qin on your behalf[17], they will not dare to do it openly. Whenever the lords of All-Under-Heaven are in a position to order an attack on Qin, the pervasiveness of the subversive influences among them is such they do not dare realise their plans[18]. When anyone sees the states of All Under Heaven working together to injure Qin, they prefer to sell out their fellows and extricate themselves from their obligations. However, when the lords of All Under Heaven are in a position to turn their backs on Qin and are constrained by their alliances they cannot but execute the plan. Otherwise, each will seek to be the first to abandon the effort and elevate their own diplomatic relations with Qin in order to reinforce their influence. Given such partisans - people willing to sell Your Majesty out to increase their own capital - how can your state avoid disaster? You must exhaust each set of strategies in order, starting with the best[19]. If the superior strategies are unfeasible, then you must adopt the mediocre ones. If the mediocre ones are unfeasible, then you must adopt inferior ones. If the inferior ones are unfeasible, then it is clear that since you will not join Qin you must go down fighting[20]. Arrange your relations with Qin such that neither will win and both will lose, and only then may they cease fighting and return to a state of peace. If you could ensure that the other states in All Under Heaven would not sell each other out for an alliance with Qin[21], such a strategy would avoid disaster for your state. but would your servants be up to carrying it out? In any case, I would like to discourse a while on your servants' plans[22].

「燕,齊讎國也;秦,兄弟之交也。合讎國以伐婚姻,臣為之苦矣。黃帝戰於涿鹿之野,而西戎之兵不至;禹攻三苗,而東夷之民不起。以燕伐秦,黃帝之所難也,而臣以致燕甲而起齊兵矣。

 

"Yan and Qi are your enemies, but they are as brothers with Qin. The misery of trying to make an alliance with one's enemies for an attack against their friends is something that your servant has already experienced. When the Yellow Emperor[23] fought at Zhoulu Field[24] the troops of the Xirong[25] failed to arrive; when Yu[26] attacked the Sanmiao[27] the Dongyi[28] did not raise an army to help[29]. To rely upon Yan and Qi[30] to attack Qin is to court the same difficulties as the Yellow Emperor faced, but your servant nevertheless undertakes to ensure that Yan's men at arms will arrive and that Qi will raise its troops.

「臣又偏事三晉之吏,奉陽君、孟嘗君、韓呡、周聚、周、韓餘為徒從而下之,恐其伐秦之疑也。又身自醜於秦,扮之請焚天下之秦符者,臣也;次傳焚符之約者,臣也;欲使五國約閉秦關者,臣也。奉陽君、韓餘為既和矣,蘇脩、朱嬰既皆陰在邯鄲,臣又說齊王而往敗之。天下共講,因使蘇脩游天下之語,而以齊為上交,兵請伐魏,臣又爭之以死。而果西因蘇脩重報。臣非不知秦勸之重也,然而所以為之者,為足下也。」

 

"Your servant has travelled among[31] the officials of the Three Jin in pursuit of this affair, trailing after Lord Fengyang[32], Lord Mengchang[33], Han Meng[34][35], Zhou Zui[36][37] and Han Xuwei[38]; I have abased myself before them for fear that they would begin to have doubts about our planned campaign. I have set myself up as the target of Qin's opprobrium, having been the one to demand that the lords of All Under Heaven burn their treaties with Qin. I was then the one to spread news about the burning of the treaties. Now I am the one working to put together an agreement between the Five States[39] to push on through the Pass[40] into Qin[41]. Lord Fengyang and Han Xuwei have joined the accord, and Su Xiu[42] and Zhu Ying[43] are both secretly present in Handan[44]. I am on my way to exercise my persuasions upon the King of Qi, who will administer the coup de grâce to Qin's plans[45]. When All Under Heaven has come to a common accord, I will then send Su Xiu out to spread the word, thus elevating Qi's diplomatic status. If Qi's troops[46] demand that attack be launched on Wei, your servant will fight to the death to prevent it and Su Xiu will come west to report it to you. It is not that I am not aware of Qin's power[47]. I am, but I will do this anyway, because I am doing it on your behalf."

[1] Chu, Han, Wei, Qi and Zhao. 

[2] Song Guo is not otherwise well-known. He seems to have been a politician in Qi. 

[3] King Zhaoxiang of Qin (306–251 BC) began life as a relatively minor prince, and served as a child hostage in Zhao before being sneaked out by Queen Xuan (his mother), her brother Wei Ran, and King Wuling of Zhao to assume the throne following the premature death of his brother, King Wu. Upon coming of age, he exiled Xuan and Wei Ran, and worked with a succession of important figures of the age (Gan Mao, Fan Ju, Bai Qi...) to expand Qin's territory during the course of a long and successful reign.

[4] King Zhao of Wei (296 BC to 277 BC) found himself subject to an unending series of successful attacks by Qin, losing more and more territory until he finally accepted an alliance with Qin to attack Song. This did not last long, and he soon changed sides to join an alliance with Qi. 

[5] In fact, the speaker was Su Qin, who worked for almost all of the states during a long and successful career as the principal proponent of the anti-Qin alliance.

[6] King Min of Qi (300–284 BC) was famously bad at managing his subordinates, and almost lost his state following an invasion by Yan. His own generals eventually turned upon him and one of them, Nao Chi, killed him.

[7] This sentence is somewhat confusing and the commentaries and modern translations disagree regarding the interpretation. It is difficult to tell whether these events have already happened or are being anticipated. 

[8] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear. 

[9] The commentaries suggest that the 矣 here may be superfluous. 

[10] Bao suggests 患 for 悲 here.

[11] The commentaries differ regarding the precise composition of this sentence, though they agree regarding the general sense. 又必且因王必求地 and 又必且劫王必求地 have both been suggested.

[12] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear. 

[13] Reading 東 for 更, per the commentaries. 

[14] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear. 

[15] Wei Ran (Marquis Rang) was the half-brother of Queen Xuan of Qin and the uncle of King Zhaoxiang. Having backed Zhaoxiang in the struggle for succession that occurred following the death of King Wu, he subsequently became Chancellor.

[16] Reading 魏冉明熟 for 魏再明孰, per the commentaries. 

[17] Reading 有謂 for 又為 here, per the commentaries. 

[18] I.e. any alliance will fall apart as each member will suspect that one or more of the others is about to betray them to Qin. 

[19] The commentaries suggest that the repeated 免國於患者 here is superfluous. 

[20] Yao suggests 兩 for 而 here. 

[21] Reading 無令天下 for 令足下, per the commentaries. 

[22] Much of this paragraph is close to incomprehensible, and commentaries and translations disagree on the meaning. The idea seems to be that the best is the enemy of the good, and the King should aim to employ the best feasible strategy. 

[23] The Yellow Emperor (traditional dates c. 2697–2597 BC) was a semi-legendary Chinese founder.

[24] The Battle of Zhuolu took place in modern Zhuolu County, Hebei.

[25] The Xirong were a non-Chinese tribe from the West, apparently allies of the Huaxia at the time.

[26] Yu the Great (c. 2123–2025 BC) was another semi-legendary early sovereign.

[27] The Sanmiao were enemies of the early Huaxia tribes, and may have been the ancestors of the modern Miao and Hmong peoples.

[28] Dongyi was a catch-all term for non-Chinese tribes living to the East of the central states.

[29] Reading 赴 for 起, per the commentaries.

[30] Reading 燕齊 for 燕, per the commentaries. 

[31] Reading 遍 for 偏, per the commentaries.

[32] Lord Fengyang was also known as Li Dui, and served as Prime Minister under King Huiwen of Zhao.

[33] Lord Mengchang, also known as Tian Wen, was Qi's greatest general at the time. He served most of his career in Qi, but left to work in Wei for some years in response to King Min's poor human resources policy.

[34] Reading 氓 for 呡, per the commentaries.

[35] Han Meng seems to have been a politician in Han, he is regularly confused with Han Min, who had a similar career at the same time. 

[36] Reading 周最 for 周聚, per the commentaries. 

[37] Zhou Zui was a minor member of the Zhou royal house and a politician in Zhou and elsewhere. He features prominently among the Zhou stratagems.

[38] Han Xuwei helped to depose Li Dui in Zhao and replaced him as Chancellor. 

[39] Chu, Han, Wei, Qi and Zhao, as before. At this point the troops are probably camped at Chenggao, waiting for instructions on what to do next.

[40] I.e. Hangu.  

[41] Reading 次 for 欲, per the commentaries. 

[42] This person is not otherwise well-known.

[43] This person is not otherwise well-known.

[44] Handan was the capital of Zhao. It is still called Handan and is in Hebei. 

[45] Following the interpretation given by the commentaries. 

[46] Following the interpretation given by the commentaries. 

[47] Reading 權 for 勸 here, per the commentaries. 

魏文子田需周宵相善
Master Wen, Tian Xu and Zhou Xiao are Associates in Wei

魏文子、田需、周宵相善,欲罪犀首。犀首患之,謂魏王曰:「今所患者,齊也。嬰子言行於齊王,王欲得齊,則胡不召文子而相之?彼必務以齊事王。」王曰:「善。」因召文子而相之。犀首以倍田需、周宵。

 

Master Wen[1], Tian Xu[2] and Zhou Xiao[3] were associates[4] in Wei, and wished to compromise the Xishou General[4]. The Xishou General was worried and spoke to the King of Wei[5], saying, "What is worrying me now is Qi. Master Ying[6] has only to speak and the King of Qi[7] acts. If you wish to get Qi on your side, then why not summon Master Wen and make him your Chancellor? He will put Qi to work in service of Your Majesty's interests."

The King said, "Very well." He thus summoned Master Wen and made him Chancellor. Thus the Xishou General succeeded in turning Tian Xu and Zhou Xiao against Master Wen[8] . 

[1] Lord Mengchang, also known as Tian Wen, was Qi's greatest general at the time. He served most of his career in Qi, but left to work in Wei for some years in response to King Min's poor human resources policy.

[2] Tian Xu was a politician in Qi.

[3] This may be the same Zhou Xiao who appears in the Mencius.

[4] Reading 霄 for 宵 here and throughout, per the commentaries. 

[4] The Xishou General was also known as Gongsun Yan, and worked as a politician in Qin, Wei and Han. He was another opponent of Zhang Yi.

[5] It is not clear which King of Wei is indicated here.

[6] Tian Ying was Lord Mengchang's father, also a politician in Qi. 

[7] King Min of Qi (300–284 BC) was famously bad at managing his subordinates, and almost lost his state following an invasion by Yan. His own generals eventually turned upon him and one of them, Nao Chi, killed him.

[8] The suggestion is that Tian Wen now owes the Xishou General a favour, so the others can no longer trust him.

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