趙世家

The ancestors of the Zhao clan shared a common progenitor with the Qin. By the time of Zhong Yan, who served as charioteer to the Shang king Da Wu, the lineage was already established. In a later generation, Fei Lian had two sons. One, named E Lai, served King Zhou of Shang and was killed when the Zhou dynasty conquered Shang — his descendants became the Qin. E Lai's younger brother was Ji Sheng, whose descendants became the Zhao.

Ji Sheng begat Meng Zeng. Meng Zeng was a favourite of King Cheng of Zhou and was known as 'the one who dwelt at Gaolang.' Gaolang begat Heng Fu, and Heng Fu begat Zao Fu. Zao Fu was a favourite of King Mu of Zhou. Zao Fu selected a team of fine horses — together with the Dun Li, the Hua Liu, and the Lü Er from the Taolin region — and presented them to King Mu. King Mu made Zao Fu his charioteer and toured the west, where he visited the Queen Mother of the West and was so delighted that he forgot to return. Meanwhile, King Yan of Xu rebelled. King Mu drove his thousand-li horses at full speed, attacked King Yan of Xu, and utterly defeated him. He then bestowed the city of Zhao on Zao Fu, and from this the clan took the name Zhao.

Six generations after Zao Fu came Yan Fu, also called Gong Zhong. During the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, Yan Fu served as charioteer in a campaign against the Rong barbarians. At the Battle of Qianmu, Yan Fu rescued King Xuan from danger. Yan Fu begat Shu Dai. In Shu Dai's time, King You of Zhou was a dissolute ruler, so Shu Dai left Zhou for Jin, where he served Duke Wen of Jin. This was the beginning of the Zhao clan's establishment in the state of Jin.

From Shu Dai onward, the Zhao lineage grew increasingly prosperous, and after five more generations it reached Zhao Su.

In the sixteenth year of Duke Xian of Jin, Jin attacked Huo, Wei, and Geng. Zhao Su served as commander of the campaign against Huo. The Duke of Huo fled to Qi. Later, Jin suffered a severe drought. Divination indicated that the spirit of Mount Huo Tai was causing the calamity. Zhao Su was sent to summon the Duke of Huo back from Qi and restore him, so that the sacrifices to Mount Huo Tai would be maintained. Jin's harvests then recovered. Duke Xian rewarded Zhao Su with the city of Geng.

Zhao Su begat Gong Meng, in the first year of Duke Min of Lu. Gong Meng begat Zhao Cui, whose courtesy name was Ziyu.

Zhao Cui divined about which Jin prince to serve. Service to Duke Xian and his other sons yielded no auspicious signs, but service to Prince Chong Er was auspicious, so he attached himself to Chong Er. When Chong Er fled Jin because of the Li Ji succession crisis, Zhao Cui followed him. The Di barbarians attacked the Qiangjiu Ru people and captured two women; the Di gave the younger to Chong Er as wife and the elder to Zhao Cui, who fathered Dun by her. Earlier, while still in Jin, Zhao Cui's Jin wife had borne Zhao Tong, Zhao Kuo, and Zhao Yingqi. Zhao Cui accompanied Chong Er in exile for a total of nineteen years before they were able to return. Chong Er became Duke Wen of Jin, and Zhao Cui was made Grand Master of Yuan, governing from Yuan and directing state affairs. Duke Wen's successful return and subsequent hegemony owed much to Zhao Cui's strategies, as described in the annals of Jin.

After Zhao Cui returned to Jin, his Jin wife insisted on welcoming the Di wife and yielded precedence to her, establishing her son Dun as the legitimate heir. The Jin wife's three sons all deferred to Dun. In the sixth year of Duke Xiang of Jin, Zhao Cui died and was given the posthumous name Cheng Ji. Zhao Dun succeeded Cheng Ji in directing state affairs. Two years later Duke Xiang died, leaving a young crown prince, Yi Gao. Dun, worried that the state faced many threats, proposed enthroning Duke Xiang's brother Yong, who was then in Qin, and sent envoys to fetch him. But the crown prince's mother wept day and night, kowtowing before Zhao Dun and crying: "What was my late lord's crime, that you would set aside his rightful son and seek another ruler?" Zhao Dun relented, fearing that his own clan and the other grandees might turn on him. He enthroned the crown prince — this was Duke Ling — and sent troops to block the party escorting Yong from Qin. Once Duke Ling was installed, Zhao Dun's hold on state affairs grew even tighter.

After fourteen years on the throne, Duke Ling became increasingly dissolute. Zhao Dun remonstrated repeatedly, but the duke would not listen. On one occasion, when a bear's paw was served insufficiently cooked, the duke killed the cook and had the corpse carried out in full view; Zhao Dun witnessed it. The duke, now afraid of Dun, plotted to assassinate him. But Dun had always been benevolent — a starving man he had once fed under a mulberry tree turned out to be one of the assassins and shielded Dun instead, enabling his escape. Before Dun had crossed the border, his kinsman Zhao Chuan assassinated Duke Ling and enthroned Duke Xiang's brother Hei Tun — this was Duke Cheng. Zhao Dun returned and resumed control of state affairs. Moral critics reproached Dun: as chief minister, he fled without leaving the state, and upon returning he did not punish the regicide. For this reason the Grand Historian wrote: 'Zhao Dun murdered his lord.' Zhao Dun died during the reign of Duke Jing of Jin and was given the posthumous name Xuan Meng. His son Shuo succeeded him.

Zhao Shuo served in the third year of Duke Jing of Jin as commander of the Lower Army in a campaign to rescue Zheng, fighting King Zhuang of Chu at the Yellow River. Shuo had married a sister of Duke Cheng of Jin as his wife.

In the third year of Duke Jing, the grandee Tu'an Gu sought to exterminate the Zhao clan. Earlier, while Zhao Dun was still alive, he had dreamed of his ancestor Shu Dai clutching his waist and weeping bitterly, then suddenly laughing, clapping his hands, and singing. Dun had the dream divined; the omen was inauspicious at first but auspicious afterward. The Zhao clan's historian-diviner Zhao Yuan interpreted it: "This dream is very ill-omened. The disaster will not befall you but your son — though it will also be rooted in your own conduct. By the time of your grandson, the Zhao house will decline further."

Tu'an Gu had originally been a favourite of Duke Ling. By the time of Duke Jing he held the office of Minister of Justice. Preparing his attack, he reopened the case of Duke Ling's assassination to implicate Zhao Dun, and announced to the assembled generals: "Even though Dun may not have known of the plot, he is still reckoned the chief culprit. When a minister murders his lord and the minister's descendants remain at court, how can justice be served? I request that they be executed." Han Jue objected: "When Duke Ling met his assassin, Zhao Dun was away from the capital. Our former lord judged him innocent and did not punish him. Now you propose to execute his descendants — this contradicts our former lord's judgment and constitutes an arbitrary killing. Arbitrary killing is called disorder. For a minister to carry out a grave action without the lord's knowledge is to deny the lord's authority." Tu'an Gu refused to listen. Han Jue warned Zhao Shuo to flee at once. Shuo refused, saying: "If you can ensure that the Zhao sacrifices are not cut off, I will die without regret." Han Jue gave his word and withdrew from court, claiming illness. Tu'an Gu, without seeking the duke's authorization, led the generals in an attack on the Zhao compound at the Lower Palace. Zhao Shuo, Zhao Tong, Zhao Kuo, and Zhao Yingqi were killed, and their entire clan was annihilated.

Zhao Shuo's wife, the sister of Duke Cheng, was pregnant at the time of the massacre. She fled to the ducal palace and hid there. A retainer of Zhao Shuo named Gongsun Chujiu said to Shuo's friend Cheng Ying: "Why have you not died?" Cheng Ying replied: "Shuo's wife is carrying an unborn child. If by good fortune it is a boy, I will devote myself to raising him. If it is a girl, then I will take my time dying."

Before long, Shuo's wife gave birth to a boy. Tu'an Gu heard of it and sent soldiers to search the palace. The lady hid the infant in the folds of her trousers and prayed: "If the Zhao line is to perish, cry out. If it is not to perish, make no sound." When the searchers came, the baby made no sound at all. Having escaped this search, Cheng Ying said to Gongsun Chujiu: "They failed to find him this time, but they will certainly search again. What shall we do?" Gongsun Chujiu asked: "Which is harder — raising the orphan, or dying?" Cheng Ying answered: "Dying is easy. Raising the orphan is hard." Gongsun Chujiu said: "The former lord of Zhao treated you generously. You take on the harder task; I will take the easier one and die first."

The two men obtained another family's infant, wrapped it in embroidered swaddling clothes, and hid it in the mountains. Cheng Ying then went out and deliberately told the generals: "I am a worthless man — I cannot bring myself to raise the Zhao orphan. Who will give me a thousand pieces of gold? I will reveal where the child is hidden." The generals were delighted and agreed. They dispatched troops to follow Cheng Ying and attack Gongsun Chujiu. Chujiu played his part perfectly, crying out: "What a villain you are, Cheng Ying! When the catastrophe struck the Lower Palace, you could not bring yourself to die. You plotted with me to hide the Zhao orphan, and now you betray me. Even if you cannot raise the child, how can you bear to sell him?" Clutching the infant, he cried to heaven: "Heaven! Heaven! What crime has the Zhao orphan committed? Spare his life — kill Chujiu alone!" The generals refused, and killed both Chujiu and the substitute infant. The generals believed the Zhao orphan was truly dead and were jubilant. But the real Zhao orphan was alive all along; Cheng Ying had taken the child and remained hidden with him in the mountains.

Fifteen years passed. Duke Jing of Jin fell ill, and divination revealed that the spirit of an unsatisfied descendant of Da Ye was causing the illness. Duke Jing consulted Han Jue. Han Jue, knowing the Zhao orphan was alive, said: "Among the descendants of Da Ye whose sacrificial line has been cut off in Jin, would that not be the Zhao clan? From Zhong Yan onward, all were of the Ying surname. Zhong Yan had a human face and a bird's beak; he descended to assist the Shang king Da Wu and later served the Zhou Son of Heaven — all with distinguished virtue. Down through the misrule of Kings You and Li, Shu Dai left Zhou for Jin and served our former lord Duke Wen, and from then until Duke Cheng the Zhao rendered meritorious service in every generation, their sacrifices never interrupted. Now our lord alone has annihilated the Zhao lineage. The people of Jin grieve for them — that is why the oracle shells and milfoil stalks show this omen. I urge my lord to consider this."

Duke Jing asked: "Do the Zhao still have surviving descendants?" Han Jue told him the full truth. Duke Jing then conspired with Han Jue to restore the Zhao orphan, summoning the child and hiding him in the palace. When the generals came to inquire after the duke's health, the duke, backed by Han Jue's armed retainers, confronted the generals with the Zhao orphan. The orphan's name was Wu. The generals had no choice and said: "The catastrophe at the Lower Palace was Tu'an Gu's doing — he forged a ducal command and coerced the ministers. Had it been otherwise, who would have dared act? Even without Your Lordship's illness, we ministers were already on the point of requesting the restoration of the Zhao heir. Now that you have commanded it, it is our fondest wish." Thereupon Zhao Wu and Cheng Ying were summoned to pay formal respects to all the generals. They then turned their forces on Tu'an Gu, annihilated his clan, and restored to Zhao Wu his lands and fiefs as before.

When Zhao Wu came of age and underwent the capping ceremony, Cheng Ying took leave of the grandees and said to Zhao Wu: "At the time of the catastrophe at the Lower Palace, all of them could have chosen death. It was not that I could not die — I chose to live in order to raise the Zhao heir. Now Zhao Wu is established, has come of age, and has recovered his former position. I shall go below to report to Zhao Xuan Meng and Gongsun Chujiu." Zhao Wu wept, kowtowed, and desperately pleaded: "I would gladly wear out my body to repay you for the rest of my life — how can you bear to leave me and die?" Cheng Ying replied: "It cannot be otherwise. They died before me because they trusted that I could accomplish the task. If I do not go to report to them now, it will be as though I considered my task unfinished." He then took his own life. Zhao Wu wore mourning of the second grade for three years, established a sacrificial estate for Cheng Ying, and conducted offerings in spring and autumn, never to be discontinued through all generations.

Eleven years after the Zhao clan's restoration, Duke Li of Jin killed three grandees of the Xi clan. Luan Shu, fearing he would be next, assassinated Duke Li and installed Duke Xiang's great-grandson Zhou on the throne — this was Duke Dao. From this point, Jin's great families grew steadily more powerful.

Twenty-seven years after Zhao Wu continued the Zhao line, Duke Ping of Jin came to the throne. In Duke Ping's twelfth year, Zhao Wu became chief minister. In the thirteenth year, Ji Zha of Wu, Prince of Yanling, visited Jin on a diplomatic mission and remarked: "The governance of Jin will ultimately pass to the descendants of Zhao Wu, Han Xuanzi, and Wei Xianzi." When Zhao Wu died, he was given the posthumous name Wen Zi.

Wen Zi begat Jing Shu. During Jing Shu's time, Duke Jing of Qi sent Yan Ying as envoy to Jin. Yan Ying spoke with Shu Xiang of Jin. Yan Ying said: "The governance of Qi will ultimately pass to the Tian clan." Shu Xiang replied: "The governance of Jin will pass to the Six Ministers. The Six Ministers grow ever more extravagant, and our lord cannot restrain them."

Zhao Jing Shu died. His son was Zhao Yang — this was Jianzi.

While Zhao Jianzi held power, in the ninth year of Duke Qing of Jin, Jianzi assembled the feudal lords to garrison the Zhou royal domain. The following year, he escorted King Jing of Zhou back to the capital, this being due to the rebellion of the king's younger brother Zichao.

In the twelfth year of Duke Qing, the Six Ministers used legal pretexts to destroy the ducal kinsmen of the Qi and Yangshe clans, dividing their territory into ten counties and appointing their own clansmen as county magistrates. The Jin ducal house was further weakened.

Thirteen years later, the fugitive Lu minister Yang Hu came to Jin. Zhao Jianzi accepted his bribes and treated him generously.

Zhao Jianzi fell gravely ill and was unconscious for five days. The grandees were all alarmed. The physician Bian Que examined him, came out, and was questioned by Dong Anyu. Bian Que said: "His pulse is in order — there is nothing to worry about. In former times, Duke Mu of Qin experienced the same condition and awoke after seven days. Upon awakening, he told Gongsun Zhi and Ziyu: 'I visited the Supreme Deity's realm and found it most delightful. The reason I was gone so long is that I had something to learn. The Deity told me: Jin will descend into great turmoil, five generations of instability; afterward one will achieve hegemony but die before growing old; the hegemon's son will then cause the men and women of his state to disregard all propriety.' Gongsun Zhi recorded this and stored it away — this was the origin of the Qin prophecy. Duke Xian's turmoil, Duke Wen's hegemony, and Duke Xiang's defeat of the Qin army at Xiao followed by his return to a life of debauchery — all this you have heard. The present lord's illness is of the same kind. Within three days he will certainly recover, and upon recovering he will have something to say."

After two and a half days, Jianzi awoke. He told his grandees: "I visited the Supreme Deity's realm and found it most delightful. I roamed with the hundred spirits in the Celestial Harmony, where vast music played nine movements with ten thousand dances — unlike anything from the Three Dynasties, its sound stirred the very heart. A bear came at me, and the Deity commanded me to shoot it. I hit it, and the bear died. Then a great brown bear came, and I shot it too — it died. The Deity was greatly pleased and bestowed upon me two baskets, each with a duplicate. I saw a child at the Deity's side. The Deity entrusted me with a Di hound and said: 'When your son comes of age, give it to him.' The Deity also told me: 'Jin will decline generation by generation and perish in the seventh generation. The Ying clan will greatly defeat the Zhou people west of Fankui, but will not be able to hold that land. Now I recall the merits of Yu Shun, and I intend to give his descendant-daughter Meng Yao as consort to your seventh-generation grandson.'" Dong Anyu took down the words and stored the record away. When Bian Que's prediction was relayed to Jianzi, Jianzi rewarded Bian Que with forty thousand mu of farmland.

On another day, Jianzi went out and encountered a man standing in the middle of the road who would not move aside. His attendants were furious and about to cut him down. The man said: "I wish to have an audience with the lord." The attendants reported this. Jianzi summoned him and said: "Ah — it seems I have seen you before, but dimly." The man said: "Clear your attendants. I wish to speak privately." Jianzi dismissed everyone. The man said: "During my lord's illness, I was at the Deity's side." Jianzi said: "Yes, so there was such a thing. When you saw me, what was I doing?" The man said: "The Deity commanded you to shoot a bear and a brown bear. Both died." Jianzi said: "That is so. What did it mean?" The man said: "Jin will face a great calamity, and you will lead the way through it. The Deity commanded you to destroy two ministerial houses. The bear and the brown bear are their totemic ancestors." Jianzi said: "The Deity gave me two baskets, each with a duplicate — what does that signify?" The man said: "Your son will conquer two territories among the Di. Both bear the Zi surname." Jianzi said: "I saw a child at the Deity's side. The Deity entrusted me with a Di hound, saying, 'Give it to your son when he grows up.' What is meant by the child and the Di hound?" The man said: "The child is your son. The Di hound represents the ancestor of Dai. Your son will certainly take Dai. And among your later descendants, one will reform the government, adopt barbarian dress, and unite two Di territories." Jianzi asked his name and offered him an official position. The man said: "I am a commoner. I came only to deliver the Deity's message." He then vanished. Jianzi recorded the encounter and stored the document in the archives.

On yet another day, the physiognomist Gubu Ziqing visited Jianzi. Jianzi summoned all his sons to be examined. Ziqing said: "None of them is fit to be a general." Jianzi said: "Is the Zhao house to be destroyed, then?" Ziqing said: "I once saw a boy on the road who is probably your son." Jianzi summoned his son Wuxu. When Wuxu arrived, Ziqing rose and exclaimed: "This is the true general!" Jianzi said: "But his mother is of lowly birth — a Di slave woman. How can he become eminent?" Ziqing replied: "What Heaven bestows will be noble regardless of low birth." From this time on, Jianzi summoned all his sons to converse with them. Wuxu proved the most capable. Jianzi then told his sons: "I have hidden a treasure talisman atop Mount Chang. Whoever finds it first will be rewarded." The sons raced to Mount Chang and searched, but found nothing. Wuxu returned and said: "I have found the talisman." Jianzi said: "Present it." Wuxu replied: "From the summit of Mount Chang, one looks down on Dai. Dai can be taken." Jianzi then knew that Wuxu was truly worthy. He deposed the crown prince Bo Lu and made Wuxu his heir.

Two years later, in the fourteenth year of Duke Ding of Jin, the Fan and Zhonghang clans rose in revolt. The following spring, Jianzi said to Wu, the Grand Master of Handan: "Return to me five hundred households of Wei garrison troops. I intend to settle them at Jinyang." Wu agreed, but when he returned home, his father and kinsmen refused to comply, and he broke his promise. Zhao Yang seized Wu and imprisoned him at Jinyang, then announced to the people of Handan: "I have privately executed Wu. Whom do you wish to install in his place?" He then killed Wu. Zhao Ji and She Bin raised Handan in revolt. The Jin lord sent Ji Qin to besiege Handan. Xun Yin and Fan Jishe, who were friends of Wu, refused to assist in the siege and began plotting their own rebellion — Dong Anyu discovered the conspiracy. In the tenth month, the Fan and Zhonghang clans attacked Zhao Yang. Yang fled to Jinyang, and the Jin forces besieged him. Enemies of Fan Jishe and Xun Yin — led by Wei Xiang — plotted to expel them and install replacements. Xun Li then argued before the Duke of Jin: "Your Lordship's standing order is that whoever initiates disorder shall die. Three ministers initiated this disorder, yet only Yang is being driven out. If punishment is not applied equally, I request that all three be expelled." In the eleventh month, Xun Li, Han Buning, and Wei Duo, acting on ducal orders, attacked the Fan and Zhonghang clans but could not defeat them. The Fan and Zhonghang clans then counterattacked the duke himself. The duke struck back, and the Fan and Zhonghang forces were routed. On the dingwei day, the two clan heads fled to Zhaoge. Han and Wei interceded on behalf of the Zhao clan. On the xinwei day of the twelfth month, Zhao Yang entered the Jin capital of Jiang and swore a covenant at the ducal palace.

The following year, Zhi Bo Wenzi said to Zhao Yang: "Although the Fan and Zhonghang clans truly committed rebellion, Dong Anyu exposed the plot — which means Anyu was party to the conspiracy. Jin law states that those who initiate disorder must die. The two clan heads have already been punished, yet Anyu alone remains." Zhao Yang was troubled. Dong Anyu said: "If my death settles the Zhao house and pacifies Jin, then I have died too late already." He then took his own life. The Zhao clan reported his death to Zhi Bo, and only then was the Zhao house secure.

When Confucius heard that Zhao Jianzi had arrested Handan Wu without the Jin lord's authorization and held out at Jinyang, he wrote in the Spring and Autumn Annals: 'Zhao Yang rebelled with Jinyang.'

Zhao Jianzi had a minister named Zhou She who was fond of blunt remonstrance. When Zhou She died, Jianzi was perpetually unhappy at court audiences, and his grandees begged to know what offense they had committed. Jianzi said: "You have committed no offense. I have heard that the pelts of a thousand sheep are not worth one fox's armpit fur. When you grandees attend court, all I hear is 'yes, yes' — I no longer hear Zhou She's forthright objections. That is why I grieve." Thanks to this attitude, Jianzi was able to draw the Zhao territories close and win the hearts of Jin's people.

In the eighteenth year of Duke Ding of Jin, Zhao Jianzi besieged the Fan and Zhonghang clans at Zhaoge. Zhonghang Wenzi fled to Handan. The following year, Duke Ling of Wei died. Jianzi and Yang Hu escorted the Wei crown prince Kuaikui back to Wei, but Wei refused to admit him, and he stayed at Qi.

In the twenty-first year of Duke Ding, Jianzi captured Handan. Zhonghang Wenzi fled to Boren. Jianzi then besieged Boren, and Zhonghang Wenzi and Fan Zhaozi fled to Qi. The Zhao thus acquired Handan and Boren. The remaining Fan and Zhonghang territories reverted to the Jin state. The Zhao were nominally Jin ministers, but in reality they controlled Jin's power, and their fiefs rivaled those of independent lords.

In the thirtieth year of Duke Ding, the duke and King Fuchai of Wu contested for precedence at the Huangchi conference. Zhao Jianzi accompanied Duke Ding, who ultimately yielded precedence to Wu. Duke Ding died in his thirty-seventh year. Jianzi curtailed the three-year mourning period, observing only one year. That same year, King Goujian of Yue destroyed Wu.

In the eleventh year of Duke Chu of Jin, Zhi Bo attacked Zheng. Zhao Jianzi was ill and sent Crown Prince Wuxu to command the siege of Zheng. While drunk, Zhi Bo hurled a wine goblet at Wuxu's face. Wuxu's ministers demanded that he fight Zhi Bo. Wuxu said: "The reason my lord made me heir is that I am capable of enduring humiliation." Nonetheless, he harbored resentment toward Zhi Bo. Zhi Bo returned and urged Jianzi to depose Wuxu, but Jianzi refused. From this time on, Wuxu bore a grudge against Zhi Bo.

In the seventeenth year of Duke Chu, Jianzi died. Crown Prince Wuxu succeeded him — this was Xiangzi.

In Zhao Xiangzi's first year, Yue besieged Wu. Xiangzi reduced his mourning rations and sent Chu Long to inquire after the King of Wu.

Xiangzi's elder sister had previously been married to the King of Dai. After Jianzi's funeral, before the mourning period had ended, Xiangzi traveled north to the Xiawu plateau and invited the King of Dai to a banquet. He had his cooks serve the food using bronze ladles, and while they poured drinks, he secretly ordered the attendants to strike the King of Dai and his retinue dead with the ladles. He then raised his troops and conquered the territory of Dai. When his sister heard what had happened, she wept and cried out to heaven, then ground her hairpin against the ground until it was sharp enough to kill herself. The people of Dai pitied her and named the place of her death Moji Mountain — 'the Mountain of the Ground Hairpin.' Xiangzi then enfeoffed Bo Lu's son Zhou as Lord Cheng of Dai. Bo Lu had been Xiangzi's elder brother and the former crown prince. Since the crown prince had died young, his son was given the fief.

In Xiangzi's fourth year, Zhi Bo, together with the Zhao, Han, and Wei, divided up all the former Fan and Zhonghang territories. Duke Chu of Jin was furious and sent word to Qi and Lu, intending to launch a punitive campaign against the four great families. The four families, alarmed, jointly attacked Duke Chu. The duke fled toward Qi but died on the road. Zhi Bo then installed Jiao, a great-grandson of Duke Zhao, on the Jin throne — this was Duke Yi of Jin. Zhi Bo grew ever more arrogant. He demanded territory from Han and Wei, and they complied. He then demanded territory from Zhao. Zhao refused, citing the humiliation at the siege of Zheng. Zhi Bo was enraged and led Han and Wei in an attack on Zhao. Zhao Xiangzi was afraid and retreated to the stronghold of Jinyang.

Xiangzi's retainer Yuan Guo, falling behind the main party, reached Wang Marsh, where he encountered three spirit-figures visible from the waist up but invisible below. They gave Yuan Guo two bamboo joints, hollow but sealed, and said: "Deliver these to Zhao Wuxu on our behalf." When Yuan Guo arrived and reported, Xiangzi fasted for three days and personally split open the bamboo. Inside was a message written in vermilion: "Zhao Wuxu: I am the Heavenly Envoy, Lord of the Southern Slopes of Mount Huo. On the bingxu day of the third month, I shall cause you to turn and destroy the Zhi clan. You shall also establish a hundred settlements for me, and I shall bestow upon you the lands of the Linhu. In future generations, there will be a martial king — ruddy and dark, with a dragon's face and a bird's beak, thick sideburns and white whiskers, a broad chest, long legs, and a powerful build. He will wear his robe fastened on the left and ride a chariot over the frontier, annexing the He-zong peoples, subjugating the Xiuhun and the Mo tribes, attacking the Jin remnants to the south, and destroying the Heigu to the north." Xiangzi bowed twice and accepted the command of the three spirits.

The three allied states besieged Jinyang for over a year. They diverted the Fen River to flood the city; only the top three courses of the wall remained above water. Inside the city, people hung their cooking pots from the rafters and exchanged children to eat. The ministers all wavered in their loyalty and grew increasingly lax in their conduct — only Gao Gong maintained proper decorum. Xiangzi was frightened and sent his chancellor Zhang Mengtong under cover of night to make secret contact with Han and Wei. Han and Wei agreed to conspire with Zhao, and on the bingxu day of the third month, the three states turned on the Zhi clan and annihilated them, dividing Zhi territory among themselves.

When Xiangzi distributed rewards, Gao Gong was ranked first. Zhang Mengtong protested: "During the crisis at Jinyang, Gao Gong alone did nothing." Xiangzi replied: "When Jinyang was in desperate straits, all the ministers grew slack. Only Gao Gong never forgot the propriety due from a minister to his lord. That is why I rank him first." With this, Zhao held Dai in the north and the former Zhi territories in the south, making it stronger than either Han or Wei. Xiangzi then erected shrines to the three spirits across a hundred settlements and appointed Yuan Guo to preside over the sacrifices at Mount Huo.

Later, Xiangzi married a woman of the Kongtong clan and had five sons. Out of remorse that his elder brother Bo Lu had not been made heir, Xiangzi refused to install any of his own sons and was determined to pass the succession to Bo Lu's son, Lord Cheng of Dai. But Lord Cheng died first, so Xiangzi took Lord Cheng's son Huan and named him crown prince. After thirty-three years on the throne, Xiangzi died. Huan succeeded him — this was Marquis Xian.

Marquis Xian was young when he came to the throne and governed from Zhongmou.

Xiangzi's younger brother, Huan Zi, expelled Marquis Xian and installed himself at Dai, but he died after one year. The people said that Huan Zi's enthronement was not Xiangzi's wish, so they killed his son and welcomed Marquis Xian back.

In the tenth year of Marquis Xian, Duke Wu of Zhongshan first came to power. In the thirteenth year, the city of Pingyi was fortified. In the fifteenth year, Marquis Xian died. His son, Marquis Lie, named Ji, succeeded him.

In the first year of Marquis Lie, Marquis Wen of Wei attacked Zhongshan and stationed his crown prince Ji to hold it. In the sixth year, Wei, Han, and Zhao formally recognized one another as feudal lords, and they retroactively honored Marquis Xian with his posthumous title.

Marquis Lie was fond of music. He said to his chancellor Gongzhong Lian: "I have favourites. Can I ennoble them?" Gongzhong Lian replied: "You may enrich them, but you should not ennoble them." Marquis Lie said: "Very well. The two Zheng singers, Qiang and Shi — I shall grant each of them ten thousand mu of farmland." Gongzhong Lian said: "As you wish." But he did not carry out the grant.

A month later, Marquis Lie returned from Dai and asked about the singers' land. Gongzhong Lian said: "I have been searching, but have not found suitable plots." After some time, Marquis Lie asked again. Gongzhong Lian still refused to comply and finally withdrew from court, claiming illness. The Lord of Fanwu, arriving from Dai, said to Gongzhong Lian: "You truly value goodness, yet you do not know what to uphold. You have been chancellor of Zhao for four years now — have you advanced any worthy men?" Gongzhong Lian said: "I have not." The Lord of Fanwu said: "Niu Xu, Xun Xin, and Xu Yue are all worthy."

Gongzhong Lian then recommended the three men. At the next audience, Marquis Lie again asked: "What about the singers' land?" Gongzhong Lian said: "I am having the best plots selected." Niu Xu attended the Marquis and spoke of benevolence and righteousness, setting forth the Way of the True King. The Marquis was deeply moved. The next day, Xun Xin attended and spoke of selecting and training worthy men and appointing officials based on ability. The day after, Xu Yue attended and spoke of economizing expenditures, exercising frugality, and evaluating merit. Everything they recommended was well-founded, and the Marquis was pleased. He sent a message to the chancellor: "The matter of the singers' land — let it rest." He appointed Niu Xu as Grand Tutor, Xun Xin as Commandant, and Xu Yue as Internal Secretary, and rewarded the chancellor with two suits of clothes.

In the ninth year, Marquis Lie died. His younger brother, Duke Wu, succeeded. Duke Wu died after thirteen years, and the Zhao then enthroned Marquis Lie's crown prince Zhang — this was Marquis Jing. In that same year, Marquis Wen of Wei died.

In the first year of Marquis Jing, Duke Wu's son Zhao Chao attempted a coup but failed and fled to Wei. It was at this time that Zhao made Handan its capital.

In the second year, Zhao defeated Qi at Lingqiu. In the third year, Zhao rescued Wei at Linqiu and inflicted a major defeat on Qi. In the fourth year, Wei defeated Zhao at Tutai. Zhao built Gangping to threaten Wei. In the fifth year, Qi and Wei attacked Zhao on Wei's behalf and took Gangping. In the sixth year, Zhao borrowed troops from Chu to attack Wei and took Jipu. In the eighth year, Zhao captured Wei's Huangcheng. In the ninth year, Zhao attacked Qi. When Qi attacked Yan, Zhao rescued Yan. In the tenth year, Zhao fought Zhongshan at Fangzi.

In the eleventh year, Wei, Han, and Zhao together destroyed the remnant state of Jin and divided its territory. Zhao attacked Zhongshan and fought again at Zhongren. In the twelfth year, Marquis Jing died. His son, Marquis Cheng, named Zhong, succeeded him.

In the first year of Marquis Cheng, Prince Sheng contested the succession and caused disorder. In the second year, in the sixth month, there was an unseasonable snowfall. In the third year, Taiwu Wu was appointed chancellor. Zhao attacked Wei and took seventy-three walled settlements. Wei defeated Zhao at Lin. In the fourth year, Zhao fought Qin at Gao'an and defeated it. In the fifth year, Zhao attacked Qi at Juan. Wei defeated Zhao at Huai. Zhao attacked Zheng and defeated it, ceding the gains to Han in exchange for Changzi. In the sixth year, Zhongshan built a long wall. Zhao attacked Wei, defeated them at Xian Marsh, and besieged King Hui of Wei. In the seventh year, Zhao raided Qi as far as the Long Wall, and jointly attacked Zhou with Han. In the eighth year, Zhao and Han divided the Zhou royal domain into two parts. In the ninth year, Zhao fought Qi below A. In the tenth year, Zhao attacked Wei and took Zhen. In the eleventh year, Qin attacked Wei and Zhao came to Wei's rescue at Shi'a. In the twelfth year, Qin attacked Wei at Shaoliang and Zhao again rescued Wei. In the thirteenth year, Duke Xian of Qin sent the Shuchang Guo to attack Wei at Shaoliang and captured Wei's crown prince and the general Cuo. Wei defeated Zhao at Hui and took Pilao. Marquis Cheng met Marquis Zhao of Han at Shangdang. In the fourteenth year, Zhao and Han attacked Qin. In the fifteenth year, Zhao aided Wei in attacking Qi.

In the sixteenth year, Zhao, Han, and Wei partitioned Jin and confined the Jin lord to the fief of Duanshi.

In the seventeenth year, Marquis Cheng met King Hui of Wei at Genie. In the nineteenth year, Zhao met with Qi and Song at Pinglu, and with Yan at A. In the twentieth year, Wei presented the Rong Terrace timbers, and Zhao used them to build the Tan Terrace. In the twenty-first year, Wei besieged Handan. In the twenty-second year, King Hui of Wei captured Handan. In that same year, Qi defeated Wei at Guiling. In the twenty-fourth year, Wei returned Handan and concluded a treaty with Zhao on the banks of the Zhang River. Qin attacked Lin. In the twenty-fifth year, Marquis Cheng died. Prince Xie contested the succession with the crown prince, the future Marquis Su. Xie was defeated and fled to Han.

In the first year of Marquis Su, he seized Duanshi from the Jin lord and relocated him to Tunliu. In the second year, he met King Hui of Wei at Yinjin. In the third year, Prince Fan raided Handan but failed and was killed. In the fourth year, Marquis Su paid court to the Son of Heaven. In the sixth year, Zhao attacked Qi and captured Gaotang. In the seventh year, Prince Ke attacked Wei's Shouguan. In the eleventh year, Duke Xiao of Qin sent Shang Yang to attack Wei, capturing the Wei general Prince Ang. Zhao also attacked Wei. In the twelfth year, Duke Xiao of Qin died and Shang Yang was executed. In the fifteenth year, construction of the Shouling tomb complex began. King Hui of Wei died.

In the sixteenth year, Marquis Su toured Daling. As he was leaving through the Deer Gate, the minister Taiwu Wu seized his horse's bridle and said: "The plowing season is at its height. One day without work means a hundred days without food." Marquis Su stepped down from his chariot and thanked him.

In the seventeenth year, Zhao besieged Wei's Huang but could not take it. Zhao built a long wall.

In his twenty-fourth year, Marquis Su died. Qin, Chu, Yan, Qi, and Wei each dispatched elite forces of ten thousand men to attend the funeral. His son, King Wuling, was enthroned.

In the first year of King Wuling's reign, Lord Yangwen, Zhao Bao, served as chancellor. King Xiang of Wei arrived with his crown prince Si, and King Xuan of Han arrived with his crown prince Cang to hold court at the Xin Palace. King Wuling was still young and not yet able to manage affairs of state, so three widely learned tutors and three monitors of conduct were appointed to assist him. When he did begin to govern, his first act was to enquire after Fei Yi, his late father's most trusted minister, and to increase his stipend. He also decreed that the state's three elders, all men past eighty, should receive monthly gifts of respect.

In his third year, he fortified Hao. In his fourth year, he met with Han at Qushu. In his fifth year, he took a woman of Han as his consort.

In his eighth year, Han attacked Qin but failed and withdrew. Five states mutually recognised one another as kings, but Zhao alone refused, saying: "Without the substance, how dare we assume the title!" He ordered his subjects to address him simply as 'lord.'

In his ninth year, Zhao joined Han and Wei in attacking Qin, but Qin defeated them and took eighty thousand heads. Qi also defeated Zhao at Guanze. In his tenth year, Qin seized Zhongdu and Xiyang from Zhao. Qi crushed Yan; Yan's chancellor Zi Zhi had usurped the throne, and the actual ruler had been reduced to a subject. In his eleventh year, the king summoned Prince Zhi from Han and installed him as King of Yan, sending Yue Chi to escort him. In his thirteenth year, Qin captured Lin and took General Zhao Zhuang prisoner. The kings of Chu and Wei passed through Handan. In his fourteenth year, Zhao He attacked Wei.

In his sixteenth year, King Hui of Qin died. The king toured Daling. On another occasion, he dreamt of a maiden playing the zither and singing: 'The beauty shimmers bright, her face like trumpet-creeper blossoms. O fate, O fate — you have nothing for us of the Ying!' Some days later, while drinking and making merry, the king spoke repeatedly of his dream, yearning to find the woman he had seen. Wu Guang heard of this and, through the queen consort, presented his daughter Wa Ying — also known as Meng Yao. Meng Yao became the king's great favourite and was given the title Lady Hui.

In his seventeenth year, the king went out through the Nine Gates and built a terrace in the open country to survey the borders of Qi and Zhongshan.

In his eighteenth year, King Wu of Qin attempted to lift the Dragon-Patterned Red Cauldron together with Meng Shuo, shattered his kneecap, and died. The King of Zhao dispatched Zhao Gu, chancellor of Dai, to fetch Prince Ji from Yan and escort him back to be enthroned as King of Qin — this was King Zhao of Qin.

In the spring of his nineteenth year, first month, the king held a grand audience at the Xin Palace. He summoned Fei Yi to discuss the state of the realm, and their deliberations lasted five days. The king then surveyed the territory of Zhongshan to the north, reaching Fangzi, then proceeded to Dai. He traveled north to the farthest frontier, west to the Yellow River, and climbed the heights of Huanghua. He summoned Lou Huan and laid out his thinking:

"Our former kings adapted to the changes of their times, extending our territory southward and relying on the natural barriers of the Zhang and Fu rivers to establish the Long Wall. They also seized Lin and Guolang and defeated the Lin people at Ren — yet the task remains incomplete. Now Zhongshan sits in our heartland, Yan lies to our north, the Hu to our east, and the Linhu, Loufan, Qin, and Han on our western border. We have no strong army to call upon for rescue — at this rate we will lose the state. What is to be done? Anyone who would achieve a name that surpasses his age must bear the burden of defying convention. I propose to adopt nomad dress."

Lou Huan said: "Excellent." But every other minister opposed it.

Fei Yi was in attendance, and the king said to him: "I wish to carry on the great work of Lords Jian and Xiang and exploit our advantage over the Hu and Di peoples. A minister's duty is twofold: in private life, to observe the virtues of filial piety and fraternal deference; in public life, to benefit the people and serve the ruler. I intend to continue Lord Xiang's legacy and open up the lands of the Hu and Di — yet I shall die without seeing it accomplished. The enemy is weak; with little effort, great results can be achieved. We can accomplish this without exhausting the people, and so rank among the achievements of antiquity. But whoever attempts deeds that surpass his age must bear the resentment of those bound by convention; whoever conceives plans of singular insight must endure the anger of the obstinate. Now I intend to teach the people nomad dress and mounted archery, and the whole world will surely criticise me. What should I do?"

Fei Yi replied: "I have heard that hesitation in action yields no achievement, and indecision in conduct wins no reputation. Since Your Majesty has already resolved to bear the burden of defying convention, you should pay no heed to the world's criticism. Those who discourse on the highest virtue do not conform to common custom; those who accomplish the greatest deeds do not consult the multitude. In ancient times, Shun danced before the Miao people, and Yu bared himself before the naked tribes — not to indulge desire or please themselves, but to advance virtue and consolidate their achievements. The foolish cannot see what has already been accomplished; the wise perceive what has not yet taken shape. Why should Your Majesty hesitate?"

The king said: "I have no doubts about nomad dress itself — I only fear the world will laugh at me. What delights the madman makes the wise man grieve; what the fool mocks, the worthy man examines. Even if the entire world laughs at me, I shall certainly possess the Hu lands and Zhongshan." And so he adopted nomad dress.

The king sent Wang Xie to inform Prince Cheng: "I have adopted nomad dress and intend to wear it at court. I also wish my uncle to wear it. In the family one defers to one's elders; in the state one defers to the ruler — this has been the universal practice from ancient times to the present. A son does not oppose his parents; a minister does not defy his lord — this is the common duty between brothers. Now I have instituted a new mode of dress, and if my uncle refuses to comply, I fear the world will criticise us. The principle of governing a state is constant: benefiting the people is the foundation. The principle of administration is constant: the execution of commands is paramount. I hope my uncle will consider this and comply."

Prince Cheng prostrated himself twice and replied: "I have indeed heard of Your Majesty's nomad dress. I am untalented and have been lying ill, unable to hasten to court. Since Your Majesty commands me to respond, I will exhaust my humble loyalty. I have heard that the Central States are where the enlightened and wise reside, where all goods and resources are gathered, where sages teach, where benevolence and righteousness are practiced, where the Odes, Documents, Rites, and Music are employed, where rare skills are tested, where distant peoples come to observe, and where the barbarians learn righteous conduct. Now Your Majesty would abandon all this and imitate the clothing of distant peoples, altering the ancient teachings and reversing the ancient Way, defying the hearts of men and offending scholars. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider."

When the envoy reported this, the king said: "I already knew of my uncle's illness. I shall go in person to persuade him."

The king went to Prince Cheng's residence and argued his case personally: "Clothing exists for convenience of use; ritual exists for convenience of affairs. The sage observes local conditions and adapts to what is suitable, shaping ritual according to circumstances — thereby benefiting the people and enriching the state. Cropping hair and tattooing the body, decorating arms and wearing the left lapel — these are the customs of the Ou-Yue people. Blackening teeth, scarring foreheads, wearing reversed caps and rough garments — these are the customs of Great Wu. Their rites and dress are nowhere the same, but the principle of convenience is one. When the locale differs, usage changes; when affairs differ, ritual adapts. If the sage can thereby benefit his state, he does not insist on uniformity of practice; if he can thereby serve his purposes, he does not demand uniformity of ritual.

"What my uncle speaks of is convention. What I speak of is how to master convention. Our state has the Yellow River and the Boluo waters to the east, shared with Qi and Zhongshan. To the northeast lie Yan and the Eastern Hu. To the west lie the Loufan, Qin, and Han borders. Without cavalry and archery, we are defenseless. Lord Jian held Jinyang and extended to Shangdang; Lord Xiang absorbed the Rong and seized Dai to drive back the Hu — this is plain to anyone of sense. Formerly, Zhongshan relied on Qi's strong army to invade our territory, enslave our people, and divert water to besiege Hao. Were it not for the divine protection of the altars of soil and grain, Hao would have nearly fallen. My late father was shamed by this and grieved that the insult went unavenged. Now with cavalry and archery, we can secure the terrain of Shangdang at hand and avenge the humiliation of Zhongshan at a distance. That my uncle would follow Central States convention to defy the intentions of Lords Jian and Xiang, and shrink from the name of changing dress while forgetting the shame of Hao — this is not what I had hoped."

Prince Cheng prostrated himself twice and said: "I was foolish and did not understand Your Majesty's reasoning. I presumed to mouth the platitudes of convention — that was my error. Now that Your Majesty will carry forward the intentions of Lords Jian and Xiang to fulfill our late king's ambitions, how dare I not obey!" He prostrated himself twice more. The king bestowed nomad garments on him. The next day, Prince Cheng wore them to court. And so the edict of nomad dress was first promulgated.

Zhao Wen, Zhao Zao, Zhou Shao, and Zhao Jun all remonstrated with the king, urging him not to adopt nomad dress and to follow the old ways. The king replied:

"The former kings did not share the same customs — which 'ancient ways' should we follow? Emperors and kings did not copy one another — which rites should we observe? Fu Xi and Shen Nong taught without punishing; the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun punished without anger. When it came to the Three Kings, they made laws to suit their times and fashioned rites to match their circumstances. Statutes, regulations, and commands each conformed to what was appropriate; clothing and implements each served their function. Therefore ritual need not follow a single path, and what benefits the state need not be ancient. When sages arose, they did not copy their predecessors yet became kings; when the Xia and Shang declined, they did not change their rites yet perished. Thus rejecting the ancient cannot be condemned, and adhering to ritual is nothing to boast of.

"If you say that exotic dress leads to licentious intent, then Zou and Lu must have no unorthodox conduct. If you say that deviant customs corrupt the people, then Wu and Yue must have no outstanding men. The sage calls 'clothing' whatever benefits the body and 'ritual' whatever facilitates affairs. Rules of deportment and regulations on dress are meant to discipline common folk — they are not the standard by which to evaluate the worthy. Common folk drift with convention; the worthy move with the times. As the proverb says: 'He who drives by the book does not know the horse's nature; he who governs today by ancient rules does not grasp the changes of affairs.' The achievements of those who merely follow established law are insufficient to surpass their age; the learning of those who merely imitate antiquity is insufficient to govern the present. You have not grasped this."

And so he adopted nomad dress and recruited mounted archers.

In his twentieth year, the king surveyed Zhongshan's territory, reaching Ningjia; westward he surveyed the Hu lands, reaching Yuzhong. The king of the Linhu presented horses as tribute. On his return, the king dispatched Lou Huan to Qin, Chou Ye to Han, Wang Ben to Chu, Fu Ding to Wei, and Zhao Jue to Qi. Zhao Gu, chancellor of Dai, was placed in charge of the Hu territories and mobilised their troops.

In his twenty-first year, the king attacked Zhongshan. Zhao Shao commanded the right army, Xu Jun the left, and Prince Zhang the center, with the king commanding all three divisions. Niu Jian led the chariots and cavalry, while Zhao Xi jointly commanded the Hu and Dai troops. They entered through Xing, concentrated at Quyang, and captured Danqiu, Huayang, and the pass of Chi. The king's own forces seized Hao, Shiyi, Fenglong, and Dongyuan. Zhongshan ceded four towns to sue for peace, and the king accepted, withdrawing his troops. In his twenty-third year, he attacked Zhongshan again. In his twenty-fifth year, Lady Hui died. He appointed Zhou Shao, wearing nomad dress, to tutor Prince He. In his twenty-sixth year, he attacked Zhongshan once more, extending Zhao territory north to the borders of Yan and Dai, and west to Yunzhong and Jiuyuan.

On the wushen day of the fifth month of his twenty-seventh year, the king held a grand audience at the Eastern Palace and transferred sovereign power, installing Prince He as king. After the new king completed the ancestral temple ceremony, he came out to hold court. All the grandees became his ministers; Fei Yi was made chancellor and concurrent tutor to the king. This was King Huiwen. King Huiwen was the son of Lady Hui, Wu Wa. King Wuling assumed the title 'Lord Father.'

The Lord Father intended for his son to govern the state while he himself, wearing nomad dress, would lead the officers and grandees northwestward to campaign in the Hu lands. He planned to strike south directly from Yunzhong and Jiuyuan to attack Qin. To this end, he disguised himself as an envoy and entered Qin. King Zhao of Qin did not recognise him, but eventually grew suspicious — the visitor's bearing was too imposing to be that of a mere minister — and sent men to pursue him. But the Lord Father galloped away and escaped through the pass. When they investigated and learned it was the Lord Father himself, the Qin court was greatly alarmed. The Lord Father had entered Qin in order to personally survey the terrain and observe the character of the Qin king.

In the second year of King Huiwen, the Lord Father toured the newly acquired territories, proceeding from Dai westward to meet the King of the Loufan at the West River, where he took command of their troops.

In the third year, Zhao completed the conquest of Zhongshan, relocating its king to Fushi. The city of Lingshou was rebuilt, the northern territories submitted, and the road through Dai was fully opened. On his return, the Lord Father distributed rewards, declared a general amnesty, and held a five-day public feast. He enfeoffed his eldest son Zhang as Lord Anyang of Dai. Zhang had always been extravagant and harboured resentment that his younger brother had been placed on the throne. The Lord Father then appointed Tian Buli as chancellor to Zhang.

Li Dui said to Fei Yi: "Prince Zhang is strong and ambitious, his followers are numerous and his desires are great — surely he harbours private designs? Tian Buli is the kind of man who kills without compunction and is arrogant besides. When these two combine, they will certainly hatch a conspiracy, gambling everything on a single throw. Petty men driven by desire think lightly and plan shallowly; they see only the profit and never consider the harm. Like attracts like, and together they will walk through the gate of disaster. In my judgment, it will not be long now. You bear heavy responsibilities and wield great power — you are where the rebellion will begin and where catastrophe will converge. You will be the first to suffer. The benevolent man cares for all living things, and the wise man guards against disaster before it takes shape. Without benevolence or wisdom, how can one govern a state? Why not plead illness and withdraw, transferring authority to Prince Cheng? Do not become a storehouse of resentment; do not serve as a ladder to catastrophe."

Fei Yi replied: "I cannot. When the Lord Father entrusted the king to me, he said: 'Do not change your principles; do not waver in your judgment. Hold fast to a single purpose until you die.' I prostrated myself twice, accepted the charge, and recorded it. If I now abandon my record out of fear of Tian Buli's threat, what greater betrayal could there be? To accept a solemn command and then fail to carry it through — what greater faithlessness could there be? A minister who betrays and breaks faith deserves no mercy from the law. The proverb says: 'If the dead could live again, the living would have nothing to be ashamed of.' My word was given long ago. I wish to honor my word — how can I also save my life? The integrity of a steadfast minister is revealed when crisis comes; the virtue of a loyal minister becomes clear when accusations pile up. You have done me a kindness by your loyalty, and I am grateful. But I have a pledge already given, and I will never dare break it."

Li Dui said: "Very well. Do your best. I shall not see you again after this year." He wept and departed. Li Dui then met frequently with Prince Cheng to prepare for trouble from Tian Buli.

On another day, Fei Yi said to Xin Qi: "Prince Zhang and Tian Buli are deeply worrying. They profess virtue but practice evil; they are the kind of men who are neither proper sons nor proper subjects. I have heard that when a treacherous minister is at court, the state is ruined; when a slanderous minister is in the inner circle, the ruler is consumed. These men are greedy and ambitious. If they win the ruler's support internally and act violently externally, they can easily falsify orders and seize command for a day — and disaster will engulf the state. I am so worried that at night I forget to sleep and when hungry I forget to eat. We must guard against any intrusion by these bandits. From now on, if anyone summons the king, he must first see my face. I will go ahead and put my body in the way. Only after I vouch for safety may the king enter."

Xin Qi said: "It is well that I have heard this."

In the fourth year, the court assembled and Lord Anyang also came to pay his respects. The Lord Father ordered the king to hold the audience while he himself observed from the side, watching the deportment of the ministers and royal clan. He saw his eldest son Zhang standing rigid and humiliated, facing north as a subject, bowing before his younger brother. His heart was moved to pity, and he began to consider dividing Zhao and making Zhang king of Dai. But he could not resolve the matter and set it aside.

The Lord Father and the king traveled to Sandhill, lodging in separate palaces. Prince Zhang immediately rallied his followers and Tian Buli launched a rebellion, using a forged order from the Lord Father to summon the king. Fei Yi went in first and was killed. Gao Xin then fought against the king's forces. Prince Cheng and Li Dui arrived from the capital, raised troops from four towns, and entered to quell the rebellion. They killed Prince Zhang and Tian Buli, destroyed their faction, and secured the royal house. Prince Cheng was made chancellor with the title Lord Anping; Li Dui was made minister of justice.

When Prince Zhang's rebellion failed, he fled to the Lord Father's palace, and the Lord Father opened the doors to him. Prince Cheng and Li Dui therefore besieged the Lord Father's palace. After Prince Zhang was killed, Prince Cheng and Li Dui deliberated: "We besieged the Lord Father on account of Zhang. If we now lift the siege, we will be executed." And so they continued the siege. They proclaimed that any palace attendant who came out last would be put to death — all the attendants fled. The Lord Father tried to leave but could not. He could not obtain food, and resorted to raiding sparrows' nests for fledglings to eat. After more than three months, the Lord Father starved to death in the palace at Sandhill. Only when his death was confirmed was the mourning announced and the funeral notice sent to the other states.

At that time the king was young, and Prince Cheng and Li Dui controlled the government. They feared execution and therefore besieged the Lord Father. The Lord Father had originally made his eldest son Zhang crown prince, but later obtained Wu Wa and loved her so deeply that he stayed secluded with her for years without appearing in public. She bore him a son, He, and so he deposed Crown Prince Zhang and installed He as king. After Wu Wa died, his affection faded, and he pitied his former crown prince. He wanted to make both of them kings but hesitated and could not decide. Therefore the rebellion arose, ending with father and son both dead — to the mockery of the world. Is this not a tragedy?

In the fifth year, Zhao exchanged Mao and Yi with Yan. In the eighth year, Zhao fortified Nanxingtang. In the ninth year, Zhao Liang served as general and joined Qi's forces to attack Han, advancing as far as Luguan. In the tenth year, Qin proclaimed itself 'Western Emperor.' In the eleventh year, Dong Shu joined Wei to attack Song and obtained Heyang from Wei. Qin seized Gengyang. In the twelfth year, Zhao Liang led an attack on Qi. In the thirteenth year, Han Xu served as general and attacked Qi. A princess died. In the fourteenth year, Chancellor Yue Yi led the combined forces of Zhao, Qin, Han, Wei, and Yan against Qi, capturing Lingqiu. Zhao met with Qin at Zhongyang. In the fifteenth year, King Zhao of Yan came to visit. Zhao, together with Han, Wei, and Qin, jointly struck Qi. The King of Qi was defeated and fled. Yan alone pressed deep into Qi territory and captured Linzi.

In the sixteenth year, Qin continued to join Zhao in repeated attacks on Qi, and the Qi people grew alarmed. Su Li, writing on behalf of Qi, sent a letter to the King of Zhao:

"I have heard that the worthy rulers of antiquity did not spread their virtue throughout the realm, did not extend their moral instruction to all the people, and did not make constant and frequent offerings to the spirits. Yet sweet dew fell, timely rains came, harvests were abundant, and the people were free from plague. The common folk praised them, but the wise ruler looked deeper.

"Now Your Majesty's worthy conduct and achievements have not been repeatedly directed at Qin; your accumulated resentments are not inherently deep toward Qi. Qin allies with Zhao and uses its strength to conscript troops from Han — does Qin truly love Zhao? Does it truly hate Qi? When things reach an extreme, a wise ruler investigates. Qin does not love Zhao or hate Qi — it wants to destroy Han and swallow the two Zhous. It uses Qi as bait for the world. It deploys troops to coerce Wei and Zhao; it sends hostages to establish trust; it conscripts Han's soldiers to intimidate. It proclaims virtue and alliance while actually attacking a weakened Han. I believe Qin's strategy must follow this course.

"Things often differ in circumstance but share the same danger. When Chu was long at war, Zhongshan perished. Now Qi is long at war, and Han will certainly perish. If Qi is destroyed, Your Majesty shares the spoils with six states. If Han is destroyed, Qin monopolises the gain. If Qin takes the two Zhous and seizes the ritual vessels, Qin alone profits. When you calculate land and achievements, does Your Majesty gain more or does Qin?"

The letter went on to argue that if Zhao continued attacking Qi, Qin would use the distraction to seize Zhao's territories in Shangdang and the northern frontier — cutting off Zhao from its Dai horses, Hu dogs, and Kunshan jade. It concluded by pointing out that Qi had actually served Zhao's interests by opposing Qin's imperial title, yet was now being punished for it.

"If Your Majesty now refrains from joining the world in attacking Qi, the world will consider you righteous. Qi will devote itself to serving Your Majesty, and the world will respect your virtue. When the world is at peace with Qin, and Qin acts violently, Your Majesty can lead the world to restrain it — then the prestige and authority of an entire age will rest with Your Majesty."

And so Zhao desisted and declined Qin's request to attack Qi.

The king met with the King of Yan. Lian Po served as general and attacked Qi's Xiyang, capturing it.

In the seventeenth year, Yue Yi led Zhao's forces to attack Wei's Boyang. But Qin, resentful that Zhao had refused to join in attacking Qi, invaded Zhao and seized two cities. In the eighteenth year, Qin captured Zhao's Shicheng. The king traveled twice to Dongyang in Wei and breached the Yellow River dikes to attack Wei. There was a great flood, and the Zhang River overflowed. Wei Ran came to serve as chancellor of Zhao. In the nineteenth year, Qin took two more cities from Zhao. Zhao ceded Boyang to Wei. Zhao She served as general and attacked Qi's Maiqiu, capturing it.

In the twentieth year, Lian Po served as general and attacked Qi. The king met with King Zhao of Qin beyond the West River.

In the twenty-first year, Zhao diverted the Zhang River west of Wuping. In the twenty-second year, there was a great plague. Prince Dan was designated crown prince.

In the twenty-third year, Lou Chang served as general and attacked Wei's Ji but could not take it. In the twelfth month, Lian Po served as general, attacked Ji, and captured it. In the twenty-fourth year, Lian Po attacked Wei's Fangzi, captured it, fortified it, and returned. He also attacked Anyang and took it. In the twenty-fifth year, Yan Zhou served as general and attacked Changcheng and Gaotang, capturing them. Zhao joined Wei in striking Qin. The Qin general Bai Qi defeated Zhao at Huayang and captured one of its generals. In the twenty-sixth year, Zhao seized Ou territory from the Eastern Hu in the Dai region.

In the twenty-seventh year, the Zhang River was diverted south of Wuping. Zhao Bao was enfeoffed as Lord Pingyang. The Yellow River flooded, causing great damage.

In the twenty-eighth year, Lin Xiangru led a campaign against Qi, reaching Pingyi. Construction of the great wall north of Jiumen was discontinued. In Yan, the general Chengan Jun Gongsun Cao assassinated the king. In the twenty-ninth year, Qin and Han were fighting each other, and Qin besieged Eyu. Zhao dispatched Zhao She as general to strike Qin; he utterly defeated the Qin army below Eyu and was granted the title Lord Mafu.

In the thirty-third year, King Huiwen died, and Crown Prince Dan was enthroned as King Xiaocheng.

In the first year of King Xiaocheng, Qin attacked Zhao and seized three cities. The new king had just taken the throne; the Queen Dowager managed state affairs, and Qin pressed its attack urgently. Zhao sought aid from Qi, but Qi said: "You must send the Lord of Chang'an as a hostage before we will dispatch troops." The Queen Dowager refused, and the great ministers pressed her forcefully. She declared openly to her attendants: "If anyone speaks again of sending the Lord of Chang'an as a hostage, this old woman will spit in his face."

The Left Tutor Chu Long requested an audience. The Queen Dowager received him in a fury. He entered, shuffled slowly forward, sat down, and apologised: "This old minister's legs are diseased — I can no longer walk quickly and have not been able to visit for a long time. I have been indulging myself, but feared that Your Majesty's health might also be troubling you, and so wished to pay my respects."

The Queen Dowager said: "This old woman gets about only by sedan chair."

"Is your appetite holding up?"

"I subsist on gruel."

"This old minister has had no appetite lately either. I force myself to walk three or four li each day, and my appetite has slightly improved — it eases the body."

The Queen Dowager said: "This old woman cannot manage that." Her angry expression softened slightly.

The Left Tutor said: "My worthless youngest son, Shu Qi — he is the least capable, but this old minister grows feeble and secretly dotes on him. I beg to have him fill a vacancy among the Black-Robed Guards to protect the royal palace. I risk death to make this request."

The Queen Dowager said: "Granted. How old is he?"

"Fifteen. Though he is young, I wish to settle his future before I fall into a ditch."

The Queen Dowager said: "Do men also dote on their youngest sons?"

"More than women do."

The Queen Dowager laughed: "Women are far worse."

"I humbly think that Your Majesty loves the Queen of Yan more than the Lord of Chang'an."

The Queen Dowager said: "You are wrong — I do not love her nearly as much as Chang'an."

The Left Tutor said: "When parents love their children, they plan far ahead for them. When Your Majesty sent the Queen of Yan away, you held her heel, wept for her, and grieved at how far she would go. After she left, it was not that you did not think of her — but at every sacrifice you prayed: 'May she never be sent back.' Was this not planning for the long term, so that her descendants might reign as kings generation after generation?"

The Queen Dowager said: "It was."

The Left Tutor said: "Going back three generations, are any of the descendants of the rulers of Zhao who were enfeoffed as lords still holding their titles?"

"None."

"Not only in Zhao — among all the states, are any such descendants still in place?"

"I have not heard of any."

"In the near cases, disaster fell on them personally; in the distant cases, it reached their children and grandchildren. Is it that the sons of rulers who become lords are inherently bad? No — they held high rank without achievement, received rich emoluments without labor, and possessed too many precious treasures. Now Your Majesty has elevated Chang'an's rank and enfeoffed him with rich lands, lavishing treasures on him — yet you have not taken this opportunity to have him earn merit for the state. The day the mountains crumble, how will Chang'an sustain his position in Zhao? This old minister considers Your Majesty's planning for Chang'an to be short-sighted. That is why I said you love him less than the Queen of Yan."

The Queen Dowager said: "Very well. Do with him as you see fit." Thereupon a hundred chariots were prepared for the Lord of Chang'an, and he was sent as a hostage to Qi. Qi then dispatched its troops.

Zi Yi, hearing of this, said: "The son of a ruler, his own flesh and blood, still cannot maintain the dignity of rank without achievement, the emoluments of office without labor, or hold on to gold and jade. How much less can someone like me?"

Qi's Lord Anping, Tian Dan, led Zhao's army to attack Yan's Zhongyang and captured it. He also attacked Han's Zhuren and took it. In the second year, Queen Huiwen died. Tian Dan became chancellor.

In the fourth year, the king dreamt that he wore a garment with a split seam, rode a flying dragon up toward Heaven but fell short and plunged back to earth, and saw gold and jade piled up like mountains. The next day, he summoned the diviner Gan to interpret it. Gan said: "Dreaming of a garment with a split seam signifies destruction. Riding a flying dragon toward Heaven but failing to arrive and falling signifies ambition without substance. Seeing gold and jade piled like mountains signifies sorrow."

Three days later, an envoy arrived from Feng Ting, the governor of Shangdang in the service of Han: "Han can no longer hold Shangdang and is ceding it to Qin. But the officials and people all prefer to belong to Zhao rather than Qin. There are seventeen walled towns and cities. We wish to prostrate ourselves and offer them to Zhao; Your Majesty may reward the officials and people as you see fit."

The king was overjoyed. He summoned Lord Pingyang, Zhao Bao, and told him: "Feng Ting is offering seventeen walled towns. Should we accept?" Zhao Bao replied: "The sage considers windfall profits the greatest curse." The king said: "The people cherish our virtue — how is this a windfall?" Zhao Bao replied: "Qin has been devouring Han's territory piece by piece and cutting it in two, expecting to receive Shangdang as a matter of course. The reason Han does not surrender it to Qin is to transfer its disaster to Zhao. Qin did the work and Zhao takes the profit — even a great power cannot simply take from the weak, so how can the weak simply take from the great? How can this not be called a windfall? Moreover, Qin uses its irrigated fields to supply its armies and has warriors who fight with redoubled ferocity. It carves up the territories of the great states, and its policies are effective. You cannot make trouble with it — you must not accept."

The king said: "If we mobilised a million troops to attack, we might campaign for a year or more without taking a single city. Now seventeen walled towns are being presented to us as tribute."

Zhao Bao withdrew. The king summoned the Lord of Pingyuan and Zhao Yu and told them. They replied: "To mobilise a million troops and campaign for a year without taking a single city — and now to receive seventeen walled towns while sitting down — this is a great advantage that must not be lost." The king said: "Good." He ordered Zhao Sheng to receive the territory and informed Feng Ting: "Our humble state's envoy, your minister Sheng, has been commanded by our lord to convey his decree: three prefectures of ten thousand households shall be enfeoffed to the governor, three prefectures of one thousand households to the county magistrates, all to hold hereditary lordships. All officials and people shall receive three promotions in rank, and those who maintain peace shall each be given six units of gold."

Feng Ting wept and refused to see the envoy, saying: "I will not abide three acts of unrighteousness. I was charged with defending territory for my lord but could not hold it to the death — that is the first unrighteousness. I refused to surrender it to Qin, defying my lord's command — that is the second. I am profiting from selling my lord's land — that is the third."

Zhao then dispatched troops to occupy Shangdang. General Lian Po stationed his army at Changping.

In the seventh month, Lian Po was relieved of command and Zhao Kuo replaced him. The Qin army surrounded Zhao Kuo. Zhao Kuo surrendered with his army, and over four hundred thousand soldiers were buried alive. The king regretted not heeding Zhao Bao's counsel, and so came the catastrophe of Changping.

The king returned and refused to submit to Qin's demands. Qin besieged Handan. The commandant of Wuyuan — Fu Bao, Wang Rong, and Su She — led Yan's forces in rebellion and returned to Yan territory. Zhao enfeoffed Lord Chunshen, the chancellor of Chu, with Lingqiu.

In the eighth year, the Lord of Pingyuan went to Chu to request aid. He returned, and Chu sent a relief force. Lord Xinling of Wei also came to Zhao's aid, and the Qin siege of Handan was lifted.

In the tenth year, Yan attacked Changzhuang and captured it in the fifth month. The Zhao generals Yue Cheng and Qing She attacked Qin's Xinliang army and defeated it. The crown prince died. Qin attacked the Western Zhou domain and conquered it. Tufu Qi departed. In the eleventh year, Zhao fortified Yuanshi and established Shangyuan as a county. Lord Wuyang, Zheng Anping, died, and his territory was recovered. In the twelfth year, the granaries of Handan burned. In the fourteenth year, the Lord of Pingyuan, Zhao Sheng, died.

In the fifteenth year, Chancellor Lian Po was enfeoffed with Weiwen and given the title Lord Xinping. The King of Yan ordered his chancellor Li Fu to conclude a friendship pact, presenting five hundred pieces of gold as a toast to the King of Zhao. On his return, Li Fu reported to the King of Yan: "Zhao's able-bodied men all died at Changping; their orphans have not yet grown to manhood. Zhao can be attacked."

The king summoned Lord Changguo, Yue Jian, and asked his opinion. Yue Jian replied: "Zhao is a state beset on all four sides by enemies — its people are accustomed to war. You cannot attack it." The king said: "If I attack with superior numbers, two against one — can it be done?" "It cannot." "Then five against one?" "It cannot." The King of Yan was furious. All the other ministers said it could be done.

Yan raised two armies with two thousand chariots. Li Fu commanded the attack on Hao, and Qing Qin commanded the attack on Dai. Lian Po, as Zhao's general, crushed and killed Li Fu and captured Qing Qin and Yue Jian.

In the sixteenth year, Lian Po besieged Yan. Yue Cheng was given the title Lord Wuxiang. He led forces to support Chancellor Xinping in the attack on Yan. Qin meanwhile seized thirty-seven of Zhao's cities including Yuci. In the nineteenth year, Zhao and Yan exchanged territories: Zhao gave Longdui, Fenmen, and Linle to Yan; Yan gave Ge, Wuyang, and Pingshu to Zhao.

In the twentieth year, King Zheng of Qin first took the throne. Qin captured Jinyang from Zhao.

In the twenty-first year, King Xiaocheng died. Lian Po was commanding an attack on Fanyang and captured it. When Yue Cheng was sent to replace him, Lian Po turned and attacked Yue Cheng. Yue Cheng fled, and Lian Po defected to Wei. Prince Yan succeeded to the throne as King Daoxiang.

In the first year of King Daoxiang, Zhao made extensive military preparations against Wei. An attempt to open the road between Pingyi and Zhongmou failed.

In the second year, Li Mu served as general, attacked Yan, and captured Wusui and Fangcheng. Qin summoned Lord Chunping and then detained him. Xie Jun intervened on his behalf, saying to the Marquis of Wenxin: "The King of Zhao loves Lord Chunping dearly, but the palace attendants are jealous of him. They conspired, saying 'If Chunping goes to Qin, Qin will certainly detain him,' and so they maneuvered him into going. If you now detain him, you sever relations with Zhao and play into the attendants' scheme. Better to release Chunping and keep Pingdu instead. Chunping's word is trusted by the king — the king will surely cede a large portion of Zhao to ransom Pingdu." The Marquis of Wenxin said: "Good," and released him. Zhao fortified Hangao.

In the third year, Pang Nuan served as general, attacked Yan, and captured its general Ju Xin. In the fourth year, Pang Nuan led the elite forces of Zhao, Chu, Wei, and Yan to attack Qin at Zui but could not take it; he redirected his attack against Qi and took Rao'an. In the fifth year, Fu Di commanded forces at Pingyi; Qing She led the army east of the Yellow River to guard the river crossings. In the sixth year, the Lord of Chang'an was enfeoffed with Rao. Wei ceded Ye to Zhao.

In the ninth year, Zhao attacked Yan and took Liyang. Before the army could return, Qin attacked Ye and captured it. King Daoxiang died, and his son, King Youmu ("the Dark and Foolish"), named Qian, took the throne.

In the first year of King Youmu Qian, Zhao fortified Bairen. In the second year, Qin attacked Wucheng. Hu Zhe led a relief force, but his army was defeated and he was killed.

In the third year, Qin attacked Chili and Yi'an. Li Mu led his forces to engage them at Feixia and drove them back. Li Mu was granted the title Lord Wu'an. In the fourth year, Qin attacked Fanwu. Li Mu fought them and drove them back.

In the fifth year, a great earthquake struck the Dai region: from Lexu westward, north to Pingyin, over half of all towers, buildings, and walls collapsed. The earth split open for one hundred and thirty paces from east to west. In the sixth year, there was a terrible famine. The people circulated a rumor: "Zhao is for weeping, Qin is for laughing. If you do not believe it, look — the ground sprouts hair."

In the seventh year, Qin attacked Zhao. Zhao's supreme commander Li Mu and General Sima Shang led the defense. Li Mu was executed. Sima Shang was dismissed. Zhao Cong and the Qi general Yan Ju replaced them. Zhao Cong's army was destroyed and Yan Ju fled. King Qian surrendered.

In the tenth month of the eighth year, Handan became part of Qin.

The Grand Historian comments: I have heard Feng Wangsun say: "King Qian of Zhao — his mother was a singing girl who was favored by King Daoxiang. King Daoxiang set aside his legitimate son Jia and installed Qian instead. Qian had always been a man of no character who believed slander, and so he executed his finest general Li Mu and relied on Guo Kai." Was this not a grievous error!

After Qin captured Qian, the surviving grandees of Zhao jointly installed Jia as king. He ruled Dai for six years before Qin advanced its armies, defeated Jia, and annexed Zhao as a commandery.

The line of Zhao shared a common ancestor with Qin. When King Mu of Zhou pacified Xu, he enfeoffed Zao Fu. Shu Dai first served Jin; Zhao Su first held land. Tu'an Gu falsely condemned the clan; Han Jue restored Zhao Wu. A divine talisman arrived at Dai, and the succession passed to Bolu's line. Lord Jian dreamt of a Di hound; the Ling Palace echoed with a maiden's song. Though nomad dress brought strength, the succession was wrongly placed. When Lian Po and Li Mu went unused, King Qian was taken prisoner.