樂毅列傳

Yue Yi's remote ancestor was Yue Yang. Yue Yang served as a general under Marquis Wen of Wei, conquered the state of Zhongshan, and Marquis Wen enfeoffed him at Lingshou. When Yue Yang died, he was buried at Lingshou, and his descendants settled there. Zhongshan later restored itself as a state, but King Wuling of Zhao destroyed it again, and among the later descendants of the Yue clan was Yue Yi.

Yue Yi was a man of ability who loved the art of war. The people of Zhao recommended him for office. But when King Wuling's reign ended in the Shaqiu Incident, Yue Yi left Zhao and went to Wei. He heard that King Zhao of Yan, after Qi had devastated Yan during the chaos of Zizhi's usurpation, bore a grudge against Qi and never let a day pass without thinking of revenge. Yan was small and remote, and lacked the strength to prevail, so the king humbled himself before worthy men, first honoring Guo Wei in order to attract the talented. Yue Yi was then serving as an envoy from King Zhao of Wei to Yan. The King of Yan received him with the courtesy due a guest. Yue Yi declined the honor, then pledged himself as a subject. King Zhao of Yan appointed him Vice Chancellor, and he served in that capacity for a long time.

At that time, King Min of Qi was powerful. In the south he had defeated the Chu minister Tang Mo at Chongqiu; in the west he had crushed the Three Jin at Guanjin. He then joined the Three Jin to attack Qin, helped Zhao destroy Zhongshan, and conquered Song, expanding his territory by over a thousand li. He vied with King Zhao of Qin for the title of Emperor, then renounced it. All the lords wished to turn from Qin and submit to Qi. But King Min grew arrogant, and his people could not bear it. King Zhao of Yan then asked about attacking Qi. Yue Yi replied: "Qi still has the legacy of a hegemon state — its territory is vast and its people numerous, so it cannot easily be attacked alone. If Your Majesty truly wishes to attack it, nothing would be better than allying with Zhao, Chu, and Wei." He then sent Yue Yi to make a pact with King Huiwen of Zhao, dispatched separate envoys to ally with Chu and Wei, and had Zhao present Qin with the advantages of attacking Qi. The lords all resented King Min's arrogance and cruelty, and competed to join the vertical alliance and attack Qi with Yan. Yue Yi returned with reports of success. King Zhao of Yan mobilized his entire army and appointed Yue Yi as Supreme Commander. King Huiwen of Zhao bestowed the seal of Chancellor of State upon Yue Yi. Yue Yi then took unified command of the forces of Zhao, Chu, Han, Wei, and Yan to attack Qi, and routed them west of the Ji River. The allied forces then withdrew and went home, but the Yan army under Yue Yi alone pursued the enemy all the way to Linzi. After King Min's defeat west of the Ji, he fled and took refuge at Ju. Yue Yi remained to subdue the cities of Qi, all of which shut their gates and defended their walls. Yue Yi stormed Linzi and seized all of Qi's treasures, valuables, and ritual vessels, shipping them back to Yan. King Zhao of Yan was greatly pleased. He personally came to the banks of the Ji to reward the troops, distributed gifts and feasted the soldiers, and enfeoffed Yue Yi at Changguo with the title Lord of Changguo. King Zhao then took the spoils from Qi back to Yan, and ordered Yue Yi to use his forces to reduce the remaining Qi cities that had not yet surrendered.

Yue Yi remained in Qi subduing cities for five years. He took over seventy cities and converted them all to commanderies and counties under Yan's administration. Only Ju and Jimo had not yet submitted. Then King Zhao of Yan died, and his son succeeded as King Hui of Yan. King Hui had harbored resentment toward Yue Yi since his days as crown prince. When he took the throne, Tian Dan of Qi heard of this and planted disinformation agents in Yan, spreading the story: "Only two cities of Qi remain untaken. The reason they have not fallen sooner is that Yue Yi has a rift with the new King of Yan and wants to keep the army in Qi to eventually face south and make himself King of Qi. What Qi truly fears is that another general might come." King Hui of Yan already suspected Yue Yi, and when this disinformation reached him, he sent Qi Jie to replace Yue Yi as commander and recalled him. Yue Yi knew that King Hui meant him no good by replacing him, and fearing execution, he went west and surrendered to Zhao. Zhao enfeoffed Yue Yi at Guanjin with the title Lord of Wangzhu. They honored and favored Yue Yi as a warning to both Yan and Qi.

Afterward, Tian Dan of Qi fought Qi Jie, and indeed used stratagems to deceive the Yan army. He routed Qi Jie beneath the walls of Jimo, then fought his way northward pursuing the Yan forces all the way to the Yellow River, recovering every city of Qi. He welcomed King Xiang of Qi at Ju and escorted him into Linzi.

King Hui of Yan later regretted sending Qi Jie to replace Yue Yi, since this had caused the army's destruction, the loss of the commander, and the forfeiture of Qi. He also resented Yue Yi's defection to Zhao and feared that Zhao would use Yue Yi to exploit Yan's weakness and attack. King Hui therefore sent a messenger to reproach Yue Yi, while also offering conciliation: "The late king entrusted the entire state to the General, and the General shattered Qi for Yan, avenging the late king's enmity — there was none in All-Under-Heaven who was not shaken. How could I dare forget the General's merit for even a single day! But the late king passed away, I had just come to the throne, and those around me misled me. When I sent Qi Jie to replace the General, it was because the General had been long exposed to hardship in the field, and I wished to recall him for rest and consultation. The General listened to false reports and believed there was a rift between us, and so abandoned Yan for Zhao. The General may have acted in his own interest, but how does this repay the spirit in which the late king treated him?"

Yue Yi sent the following letter in reply to King Hui of Yan:

"I am without talent and could not carry out Your Majesty's commands in a way that satisfied those around you. Fearing I would tarnish the late king's discernment and damage Your Majesty's sense of honor, I fled to Zhao. Now Your Majesty sends someone to enumerate my faults. I fear that your attendants do not understand why the late king favored me, nor do they grasp the spirit in which I served the late king. Therefore I presume to reply in writing.

"I have heard that a wise and sagely ruler does not use stipends to favor his relatives — he rewards those with the greatest merit and places those whose abilities fit the task. Therefore a ruler who examines ability and confers office is one who achieves success; a man who judges conduct and forms friendships is one who establishes a name. I observed that the late king had ambitions that transcended his era, so I borrowed credentials from Wei and presented myself for inspection in Yan. The late king elevated me beyond my worth, placed me among the guests and above the ministers, and without consulting his kinsmen, appointed me Vice Chancellor. I did not presume to understand my own worthiness — I simply believed that in following orders and accepting instruction I might hope to avoid fault, and so I accepted the appointment without declining.

"The late king commanded me, saying: 'I have a deep accumulation of resentment and anger against Qi. I do not measure my own weakness, yet I wish to make Qi my concern.' I replied: 'Qi still has the legacy of a hegemon state and the heritage of its greatest victories. Its troops are seasoned and its armies practiced in war. If Your Majesty wishes to attack it, you must plan it with All-Under-Heaven. And to plan it with All-Under-Heaven, nothing is better than securing an alliance with Zhao. Moreover, Huaibei and the former Song territories are what Chu and Wei desire. If Zhao agrees and four states are pledged to attack, Qi can be utterly shattered.' The late king agreed, furnished me with credentials, and sent me south as envoy to Zhao. I returned with a completed mission, and the army was raised to strike Qi. By the way of Heaven and the spirit of the late king, the lands north of the Yellow River rallied to him as he marched to the banks of the Ji. The army at the Ji received the order to attack Qi and dealt them a devastating defeat. Swift troops and elite soldiers drove straight to the capital. The King of Qi fled to Ju, barely escaping with his life. Pearls, jade, treasure, chariots, armor, and precious vessels were all seized and sent to Yan. Qi's ritual bronzes were displayed in the Ning Terrace, the Great Lü bell was set up in the Yuanying hall, the ancient cauldrons returned to their rightful place, and the plantings of Ji Hill were transplanted to the banks of the Wen. Since the time of the Five Hegemons, no ruler had achieved a feat to match the late king's. The late king felt content in his ambitions, so he divided land and enfeoffed me, allowing me to rank with the minor lords. I did not presume to assess my own worth — I simply believed that in following orders and accepting instruction I might hope to avoid fault, and so I accepted without declining."

"I have heard that for a wise and sagely ruler, once merit is established it is not discarded — hence it is recorded in the Annals. For a man of foresight, once his name is established it is not destroyed — hence he is praised by later generations. As for the late king's avenging his resentment and washing away his shame, leveling a state of ten thousand chariots and seizing eight hundred years of accumulated wealth — even when the day came that he departed from his ministers, his legacy of governance had not faded. The officials entrusted with administration upheld the laws and took care with succession, extending their concern to the common people. All of this is worthy to instruct posterity.

"I have heard it said: one who begins well need not finish well; one who starts well need not end well. In the past, Wu Zixu's counsel was heeded by King Helu, and the armies of Wu marched deep into Ying. But King Fuchai rejected his advice, bestowed upon him a leather sack, and cast him into the river. The King of Wu did not realize that the earlier counsel could have established lasting achievements, and so he drowned Wu Zixu without regret. Wu Zixu, for his part, did not see early enough that his masters were of different caliber, and so he came to be cast into the river without transforming the outcome.

"To preserve one's person while establishing merit, thereby illuminating the late king's legacy — that is your servant's highest strategy. To suffer slander and vilification that would tarnish the late king's name — that is what your servant most fears. To face unfathomable punishment and treat survival as mere good fortune — that is what honor will not permit me to do.

"I have heard that the gentleman of antiquity, when a friendship is severed, does not speak ill; and that a loyal minister, upon leaving his state, does not trumpet his own virtue. Though I am without talent, I have received instruction from gentlemen more than once. I fear that your attendants listen only to those at hand and do not examine the conduct of those far away. Therefore I presume to submit this letter. I only hope that Your Majesty will give it thought."

Thereupon the King of Yan appointed Yue Yi's son Yue Jian as the new Lord of Changguo. Yue Yi traveled between the two states, resuming relations with Yan, and both Yan and Zhao employed him as a guest minister. Yue Yi died in Zhao.

Yue Jian lived in Yan for over thirty years. King Xi of Yan, following the plan of his minister Li Fu, wished to attack Zhao, and consulted the Lord of Changguo, Yue Jian. Yue Jian said: "Zhao is a state surrounded by enemies on four sides — its people are practiced in war. It cannot be attacked." The King of Yan would not listen and went ahead with the attack. Zhao sent Lian Po to strike back, and he crushed Li Fu's army at Hao, capturing both Li Fu and Yue Sheng. Yue Sheng was of the same clan as Yue Jian. Yue Jian then fled to Zhao. Zhao proceeded to besiege Yan. Yan was forced to cede substantial territory to make peace with Zhao, and only then did Zhao withdraw.

The King of Yan regretted not having listened to Yue Jian. With Yue Jian now in Zhao, he sent him a letter saying: "In the time of King Zhou of Shang, Jizi's counsel was not heeded, yet he persisted in remonstrance without tiring, hoping the king would listen. Shang Rong's path was blocked, and he bore humiliation in his own person, hoping for a change. Only when the people's hearts had turned away and prisoners released themselves from jail did these two men withdraw into seclusion. Thus King Zhou bore the burden of his cruelty, while the two men kept their names as loyal sages. Why? Because they had exhausted every effort of concern. Now I may be foolish, but I am not as brutal as King Zhou; and though the people of Yan are troubled, they are not as desperate as those of Yin. When there are words spoken within the household but not fully shared, one should not go telling the neighbors. These two points — I do not hold them against you."

Yue Jian and Yue Sheng, resentful that Yan had not heeded their counsel, both remained in Zhao. Zhao enfeoffed Yue Sheng as Lord Wuxiang.

The following year, Yue Sheng and Lian Po led Zhao's forces to besiege Yan. Yan offered rich terms for peace, and only then did the siege lift. Five years later, King Xiaocheng of Zhao died. King Xiang sent Yue Sheng to replace Lian Po. Lian Po attacked Yue Sheng; Yue Sheng fled, and Lian Po went into exile in Wei. Sixteen years after that, Qin destroyed Zhao.

More than twenty years later, Emperor Gaozu of Han passed through Zhao and asked: "Does Yue Yi have any descendants?" He was told: "There is Yue Shu." The Emperor enfeoffed him as Yue Qing with the title Lord of Huacheng. The Lord of Huacheng was Yue Yi's grandson. In the Yue clan there were also Yue Xiagong and Yue Chengong. When Zhao was about to be destroyed by Qin, they fled to Gaomi in Qi. Yue Chengong was skilled in the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, and became renowned in Qi, where he was called a worthy teacher.

The Grand Historian comments: In Qi, Kuai Tong and Zhufu Yan, whenever they read Yue Yi's letter in reply to the King of Yan, never failed to set the book aside and weep. Yue Chengong studied the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi. His original teacher was known as the Elder of the Riverbank, whose origins are unknown. The Elder of the Riverbank taught Anqi Sheng, Anqi Sheng taught Mao Xigong, Mao Xigong taught Yue Xiagong, Yue Xiagong taught Yue Chengong, and Yue Chengong taught Master Gai. Master Gai taught at Gaomi and Jiaoxi in Qi and became the teacher of Cao, the Chancellor of State.

The Lord of Changguo was loyal and outspoken beyond any subject. He united the armies of five states, and west of the Ji River laid waste to the enemy. The King of Yan was deceived by counter-agents, and we hear only his reply in writing. A righteous warrior, passionate and stirred — a discerning lord who saluted the worthy from his carriage. Jian and Sheng carried on as generals; the fragrant standard did not waver.