東周策

Qin raised an army and advanced on Zhou, demanding the Nine Cauldrons. The lord of Zhou was alarmed and told Yan Shuai about it. Yan Shuai said: "Your Majesty, do not worry. Allow me to go east and borrow Qi's aid."

Yan Shuai went to Qi and said to the King of Qi: "Qin is acting lawlessly. It intends to raise troops, advance on Zhou, and seize the Nine Cauldrons. Zhou's ruler and ministers have deliberated privately and concluded that rather than surrender the cauldrons to Qin, it would be better to present them to a great state. To rescue a state in peril brings a fine reputation; to obtain the Nine Cauldrons is a rich treasure. We beg Your Majesty to consider this." The King of Qi was greatly pleased and dispatched fifty thousand troops under the command of Chen Chensi to rescue Zhou. Qin withdrew its forces.

But then Qi demanded the Nine Cauldrons, and the lord of Zhou was alarmed once more. Yan Shuai said: "Your Majesty, do not worry. Allow me to go east and resolve this." Yan Shuai went to Qi and said to the King of Qi: "Thanks to the great state's righteousness, Zhou's ruler and ministers, fathers and sons, have been preserved. We wish to present the Nine Cauldrons, but we do not know by what route Your Majesty would have them brought to Qi."

The King of Qi said: "I will send them through Wei."

Yan Shuai said: "That will not do. Wei's ruler and ministers have coveted the Nine Cauldrons and plotted to obtain them — below the Hui Terrace and beside the Lesser Sea — for a long time now. If the cauldrons enter Wei, they will certainly never come out."

The King of Qi said: "Then I will send them through Chu."

"That will not do either. Chu's ruler and ministers have coveted the Nine Cauldrons and plotted in the Ye Court to obtain them for a long time. If they enter Chu, the cauldrons will certainly never come out."

The king said: "Then ultimately, by what route can I have them brought to Qi?"

Yan Shuai replied: "Our humble city has indeed been privately worrying about this on Your Majesty's behalf. The cauldrons are not like vinegar jars or sauce pots with handles — things you can tuck under your arm and carry to Qi. Nor are they like flocking birds or galloping horses that might arrive at Qi of their own accord. In ancient times, when Zhou conquered Yin and obtained the Nine Cauldrons, each single cauldron required ninety thousand men to haul it — nine times ninety thousand makes eight hundred and ten thousand men, not counting the soldiers, attendants, equipment, and provisions needed to support them. Even if Your Majesty had the men, by what route could they pass?" He sighed. "I have been privately anxious about this on Your Majesty's behalf."

The King of Qi said: "You have come here repeatedly, and it turns out you have nothing to offer me after all."

Yan Shuai said: "I would not dare deceive a great state. Decide quickly on the route, and our humble city will move the cauldrons and await your command." The King of Qi dropped the matter.

Qin attacked Yiyang. The lord of Zhou said to Zhao Lei: "What do you think will happen?"

Zhao Lei replied: "Yiyang will certainly fall."

The lord said: "But Yiyang's walls extend eight li on each side, it has a hundred thousand crack troops, grain stores for several years, Gongzhong's army of two hundred thousand, and Jing Cui leading Chu's forces to rescue it from the high ground. Surely Qin cannot succeed."

Zhao Lei replied: "Gan Mao is a man far from home. If he takes Yiyang, he becomes the Duke of Zhou reborn; if he fails, he will be finished in Qin. The King of Qin overrode his own ministers and kinsmen to attack Yiyang — if the city does not fall, the king will consider it his personal humiliation. That is why I say it will fall."

The lord said: "Then advise me — what should I do?"

Zhao Lei said: "Tell Jing Cui: 'Your rank is already Holder of the Jade Tablet. Your office is already Pillar of the State. If you fight and win, there is nothing more to be gained; if you lose, you die. Better to turn against Qin and advance your troops toward Yiyang. Qin, fearing you will exploit their exhaustion, will bribe you with treasure. Han, grateful that you fought Qin on their behalf, will also lavish their wealth on you.'"

Qin did take Yiyang, and Jing Cui did advance his troops. Qin, alarmed, promptly ceded Zhuzao. Han likewise offered rich treasure. Jing Cui gained a city from Qin and received treasure from Han — and gave the credit to East Zhou.

East Zhou and West Zhou went to war, and Han came to West Zhou's rescue. An advisor speaking for East Zhou said to the King of Han: "West Zhou is the former seat of the Son of Heaven — it is full of famous ritual vessels and precious treasures. If you hold back your troops and do not deploy them, you can earn East Zhou's gratitude, and all of West Zhou's treasures can be yours."

East Zhou was in a dispute with West Zhou, and West Zhou sought to make peace with Chu and Han. Qi Ming said to the lord of East Zhou: "I fear West Zhou will offer treasure to Chu and Han and induce them to demand territory from East Zhou on its behalf. Better to tell Chu and Han: 'West Zhou's offer of treasure is a bluff — it is playing both sides. As long as East Zhou does not press West Zhou militarily, West Zhou's treasure will never reach Chu and Han.' If Chu and Han want the treasure, they will urge us to attack West Zhou. When West Zhou's treasure comes out, we will have obtained it for Chu and Han — earning their gratitude — while West Zhou is weakened."

East Zhou wanted to grow rice, but West Zhou would not release the water. The lord of East Zhou was troubled.

A certain Su said to the lord of East Zhou: "Allow me to make West Zhou release the water."

He went and told the lord of West Zhou: "Your Majesty's strategy is mistaken! By withholding water, you are actually enriching East Zhou. Their people have all planted wheat and nothing else. If you want to harm them, you should release the water all at once and ruin their wheat crop. When the water comes, East Zhou will switch to planting rice. Once they have planted rice, cut the water off again. Then East Zhou's people will be entirely dependent on West Zhou and will take their orders from you."

The lord of West Zhou said: "Excellent." And released the water.

Master Su collected gold from both states.

Zhao Xian was at Yangdi, and the lord of Zhou was about to send the prime minister to visit him. The prime minister did not wish to go.

Su Li argued on his behalf, saying to the lord of Zhou: "When the King of Chu met the King of Wei, Your Lordship sent Lord Chen to Chu and Lord Xiang to Wei. When Chu and Han met, Your Lordship sent Lord Xu to Chu and Lord Xiang to Han. Now Zhao Xian is not a sovereign — yet Your Lordship would send the prime minister. If his king were at Yangdi, whom would Your Lordship send?"

The lord of Zhou said: "A fair point." And cancelled the visit.

Qin asked to pass through Zhou in order to attack Han. Zhou feared that granting passage would offend Han, but refusing would offend Qin.

Shi Yan said to the lord of Zhou: "Why not have someone say to Han's Lord Gongshu: 'The reason Qin dares to cross the passes and attack Han is that it trusts East Zhou. If you were to give Zhou some territory and dispatch a major embassy to Chu, Qin would grow suspicious, lose trust in Zhou, and Han would not be attacked.'

"Then say to the King of Qin: 'Han has forced territory on us in order to make Qin suspicious of Zhou. We dare not refuse it.'

"Qin will have no grounds for complaint and will tell Zhou not to accept — but by then you will have gained territory from Han while remaining on good terms with Qin."

Chu attacked Yongshi. Zhou supplied grain to Qin and Han, and the King of Chu was furious with Zhou. The lord of Zhou was alarmed.

An advisor speaking for Zhou told the King of Chu: "If Your Majesty, powerful as you are, directs your anger at Zhou, Zhou will be terrified and will have no choice but to throw in its lot with the states it supplied grain to — thereby strengthening Your Majesty's enemies. Better to quickly relieve Zhou's fear. Having first given offence and then received forgiveness, Zhou will serve Your Majesty all the more devotedly."

Zhou Zui said to Shi Li: "Why not use Qin to attack Qi? Allow me to arrange for Qi to make you its chancellor. If you then serve Qin through Qi, your position will be unassailable. Have me stationed in Wei to assist — then All-Under-Heaven will be under your control. You will carry weight in Qi to the east and honour in Qin to the west. If Qin and Qi are aligned, your influence will be permanent."

The Zhou chancellor Lü Cang presented a guest to the lord of Zhou. The former chancellor Gongshi Ji, fearing the guest might harm his interests, had someone tell the lord: "This guest is a skilled debater, but the reason he is unreliable is that he loves to slander people."

Lord Wen of Zhou dismissed the officer Gongshi Ji and appointed Lü Cang as chancellor. The people were displeased, and the lord was anxious.

An advisor said to Lord Wen: "Every state has its critics and its praise. A loyal minister draws criticism onto himself and directs praise upward to his ruler. The Lord of Song conscripted his people in the busy season to build a terrace, and the people blamed him — because he had no loyal minister to serve as a shield. Zi Han gave up the chancellorship to become Minister of Works; the people criticised Zi Han and praised the lord. Duke Huan of Qi had seven markets inside his palace and seven hundred courtesans; the people condemned him. So Guan Zhong deliberately built himself a lavish estate to draw criticism away from Duke Huan — it was not out of personal vanity.

"The Spring and Autumn Annals record ministers who assassinated their lords by the hundreds — they were all ministers who had won the people's praise. When a great minister gains popular acclaim, it is not a good thing for the state. Commoners joined together become powerful; earth piled up becomes a mountain."

The lord of Zhou did not proceed with the dismissal.

A man from Wen went to Zhou, and Zhou refused him entry. "A visitor?" they asked.

He replied: "No, a resident."

They asked which lane he lived in, and he did not know. So they detained him.

The lord sent someone to question him: "You are not from Zhou. Why do you claim you are not a visitor?"

He replied: "From my youth I have recited the Odes. The Odes say: 'Under the wide heaven, all is the king's land; to the shores of the sea, all are the king's subjects.' Since the lord of Zhou is lord of All-Under-Heaven, then I am a subject of the Son of Heaven — how could I be a visitor? Therefore I said: a resident."

The lord had him released.

Someone spoke to Jin Tou on Zhou Zui's behalf: "Qin has used Zhou Zui's presence in Qi to make All-Under-Heaven suspicious. Moreover, Qin knows Zhao would find it difficult to fight Qi, and fears that Qi and Han may ally. So Qin will seek to ally with Qi first. If Qin and Qi join forces, your state will be left exposed.

"Better to rescue Qi, then assist Qin in attacking Han and Wei. Shangdang and Changzi would then be Zhao's. You would collect treasure from Qin in the east, take territory from Han in the south, use Wei as an intermediary, and gradually work eastward. Then you will have secured an alliance."

Zhou Zui said to Jin Tou: "You are making Qin fight powerful Qi. If Qin wins, it will absorb Qi and use it as a vassal — requiring only minimal cessions while dictating the outcome of all wars in the realm. If Qin loses, it will be badly damaged and will have no choice but to submit to Qin's demands anyway.

"If Qin takes all of Han and Wei's Shangdang and Taiyuan, everything west will belong to Qin. Qin's territory would then be half of All-Under-Heaven, controlling the fate of Qi, Chu, and the Three Jin. Your state's survival — and your own life — would be in danger. What kind of strategy is this?"

Shi Xing of Qin said to the Senior Fabricator: "If you wish to establish a hegemon's reputation, you should recruit eloquent and clever men from the two Zhou states."

He then told the lord of Zhou: "Your Lordship should send eloquent and clever men to advocate on your behalf at Qin."

Someone said to Lord Mengchang: "The King of Qi expelled Zhou Zui, heeded Zhu Fu, and appointed Lü Li as chancellor — all in order to draw closer to Qin. If Qin and Qi join forces, Zhu Fu and Lü Li will gain power, and Qin will inevitably slight you.

"You should send troops north immediately, rally Zhao using Qin and Wei, and take Zhou Zui into your service as a rearguard. This would reverse the King of Qi's trust, and check the alignment of All-Under-Heaven. If Qi has no Qin, the realm is up for grabs, Zhu Fu will flee, and the King of Qi will have no one left to run his state."

Qi heeded Zhu Fu and shut out Zhou Zui. Someone said to the King of Qi: "You expelled Zhou Zui, heeded Zhu Fu, and appointed Lü Li as chancellor — all to draw closer to Qin. But if Qin obtains All-Under-Heaven, its attack on Qi will be devastating.

"When Qi allies with others, Zhao fears being attacked and rushes its troops to show Qin its readiness. Whether Qin attacks with Zhao or attacks Zhao through Qi, the logic is the same — neither arrangement will hold. Following Zhu Fu's advice means following the logic of the entire realm against Qi's interests."

Su Li spoke to Su Qin on Zhou Zui's behalf: "You should persuade the king to heed Zhou Zui and use territory to ally with Wei. Zhao will certainly be angered and will ally with Qi. This way, you will have used Wei to bring Qi together with mighty Chu. If you wish to exploit Zhou Zui's efforts, then the credit for allying with Qi goes to you, while the cost of ceding territory falls on Zhou Zui."

Someone said to Zhou Zui: "Qiu He is serving as chancellor of Song in order to observe how Qin responds to Zhao and Song, and to defeat the three states. If the three states are not defeated, Qiu He will rally Zhao and Song to form an eastern coalition and isolate Qin. He is also watching whether Han and Wei are firmly committed to Qin — if not, he will use Song to defeat the three states, or else sell out Zhao and Song to the three states.

"Why not have someone say to the kings of Han and Wei: 'If you want Qin and Zhao to turn on each other, appoint Zhou Zui as joint chancellor. Make the arrangement appear unbreakable, and Qin and Zhao will each try to sell the other out in order to win your favour.'"

An advisor speaking for Zhou Zui said to the King of Wei: "Qin knows Zhao would find it hard to fight Qi, and fears an alliance between Qi and Zhao, so it will covertly strengthen itself. Zhao, not daring to fight and fearing Qin will not accept it, will seek to ally with Qi first.

"If Qin and Zhao compete for Qi while Your Majesty has no representative there, that is unacceptable. Your Majesty should not dismiss Zhou Zui. Join forces and win Qi over, and if the military situation becomes urgent, attack Qi — but do not act without proper cause."

Someone said to Zhou Zui: "The King of Wei entrusted his state to you in order to ally with Qin and attack Qi. Lord Mengchang has abandoned his own fief of Xue and disregarded his ancestors' tombs — yet you alone cling to empty principles, cultivate fine conduct, stand on ceremony before ministers, and resist the former lord. Refusing to join the attack on Qi and provoking mighty Qin is not viable.

"Better to tell the King of Wei and Lord Mengchang: 'Allow me to enter Qi on Your Majesty's behalf. If the realm cannot harm Qi, and there is a crisis, I will rescue Qi for you; if there is no crisis, Your Majesty can proceed to attack. Moreover, if I become Qi's vassal, it will not burden Your Majesty's relations with the realm. Your Majesty has already treated me generously. Once I enter Qi, Your Majesty will also be free of Qi as a liability.'"

Zhao seized Zhou's sacrificial land. The lord of Zhou was alarmed and consulted Zheng Zhao.

Zheng Zhao said: "Your Lordship need not worry. Give me thirty pieces of gold and I will recover the land."

The lord gave him the gold. Zheng Zhao presented it to Zhao's Grand Diviner and told him about the sacrificial land. When the King of Zhao fell ill and ordered divination, the Grand Diviner declared: "Zhou's sacrificial land is causing a curse."

Zhao returned the land.

Du He wanted to raise Jing Cui's standing at Zhou. He said to the lord of Zhou: "Your state is small, yet you exhaust your treasures and jade to serve the great lords. You must be more discerning.

"Consider the bird-catcher spreading his net. If he sets it where there are no birds, he catches nothing all day. If he sets it where birds are thick, he frightens them away. He must set it at the boundary between where birds are and where they are not — only then will he catch many.

"If you lavish gifts on the powerful, they will think nothing of you. If you give to nobodies, they have nothing to offer in return and you waste your wealth. You must invest in men who are currently without position but who are destined to become powerful. That is how you get what you want."

The crown prince of Zhou Gong died. There were five sons by concubines, all equally beloved, and no legitimate heir had been designated.

Sima Jian said to the King of Chu: "Why not enfeoff Prince Jiu and request that he be made crown prince?"

Zuo Cheng said to Sima Jian: "If the lord of Zhou does not agree, it will show that your judgement was wrong and cost you your relationship with Zhou. Better to tell the lord of Zhou: 'Which son do you wish to designate? Tell me privately, and I will have the King of Chu support him with territory.'

"If you want to influence the choice of crown prince, have someone tell Chancellor Yu Zhangzi and Qiangfu Kong: 'It appears the king wants this particular man for the position.' This man is a strong personality — if installed in the middle of court, the chancellor will find him inconvenient."

The chancellor had the man made crown prince.

Three states were pressing Qin. Zhou ordered its chancellor to go to Qin, but because Qin was thought to be in a weak position, the chancellor delayed.

Someone said to the chancellor: "Whether Qin is truly weak or strong is not yet known. Qin wants intelligence on the three states' intentions. You should go ahead and see the King of Qin, saying: 'Allow me to report to Your Majesty what the eastern states have settled on.' Qin will then value you highly.

"This enhances your standing, which enhances Zhou's, which in turn wins Qin's respect. Qi once valued Zhou precisely for this reason and thereby gained access to Qin. This way, Zhou never loses the friendship of a major power."

Chang Ta defected from West Zhou to East Zhou and revealed all of West Zhou's secrets. East Zhou was delighted; West Zhou was furious.

Feng Qie said: "I can have him killed." The lord gave him thirty catties of gold.

Feng Qie had someone carry gold and a letter, which was secretly delivered to Chang Ta. It read: "Tell Chang Ta: if the plan can succeed, press on; if not, flee at once. The affair will soon leak, and you will get yourself killed."

At the same time, Feng Qie had someone tip off East Zhou's border guard: "Tonight a spy will try to enter."

The guard caught the messenger and turned him over to East Zhou. East Zhou immediately executed Chang Ta.

Zhao Jian was on bad terms with East Zhou. Someone said to him: "Let me draw up a secret plan for you."

Zhao Jian asked: "What is it?"

"West Zhou deeply hates East Zhou and has always wanted East Zhou to fall out with Chu. West Zhou will certainly send an assassin against you and then spread the word that East Zhou did it, in order to use West Zhou's relationship with the King of Chu."

Zhao Jian said: "Good point. But I also fear that East Zhou might assassinate me and blame West Zhou to damage its standing with Chu."

He promptly reconciled with East Zhou.

The Yan clan turned bandit, and Yang Jian joined them. They passed through Zhou, and the lord of Zhou detained them for fourteen days, then sent them off with a chariot and a team of four horses.

Han sent someone to rebuke Zhou. The lord of Zhou was alarmed.

An advisor said to the lord: "Simply tell Han straight: 'I knew the Yan clan were bandits and that Yang Jian was with them. I detained them for fourteen days awaiting your instructions. A small state cannot afford to harbour criminals either, but since your envoy never arrived, I had no choice but to release them.'"