西周策

The Lord of Xue used Qi's forces to attack Chu on behalf of Han and Wei, and then joined Han and Wei in attacking Qin, meanwhile requisitioning troops and grain from West Zhou. Han Qing, speaking for West Zhou, said to the Lord of Xue:

"My lord, you have used Qi to fight Chu for Han and Wei. After nine years you took Wan, Ye, and the territory north of them, thereby strengthening Han and Wei. Now you attack Qin to benefit them further. If Han and Wei have no Chu to worry about in the south and no Qin to fear in the west, their territory will expand, their weight will grow, and Qi will inevitably be diminished. Power shifts between root and branch; substance and emptiness have their seasons — I fear for you, my lord.

"Better to let our humble city secretly make terms with Qin while you stand down your attack and stop requisitioning troops and grain. Station your army at Hangu Pass but do not attack, and let our humble city tell the King of Qin on your behalf: 'The Lord of Xue is determined to destroy Qin in order to aggrandize Han and Wei. The reason he has advanced his troops is that he wants Your Majesty to make Chu cede its eastern territories to Qi.' The King of Qin will release the King of Chu to make peace.

"Then let our humble city present this to Qin as an act of loyalty. Qin, having been spared destruction and able to buy its safety with Chu's eastern territories, will certainly agree. Once the King of Chu is released, he will turn to Qi. Qi gains the eastern territories and grows stronger, and the house of Xue will be secure for generations. Qin will not be greatly weakened and will remain on the Three Jin's western flank — so the Three Jin will have to respect Qi."

The Lord of Xue said: "Excellent." He dispatched Han Qing to Qin, halted the three states' attack on Qin, and stopped requisitioning troops and grain from West Zhou.

Qin attacked Wei's general Xiwu at Yique, then advanced to attack Zhou. Someone speaking for Zhou Zui said to Li Dui:

"My lord, you should stop Qin from attacking Zhou. Zhao's best strategy is to keep Qin and Wei fighting each other. If Qin attacks Zhou and takes it, Qin's forces will be badly depleted. If Qin then waits to consolidate its conquest of Zhou, it will not attack Wei. And if Qin attacks Zhou and fails, it will have the exhaustion of beating Wei behind it and the defeat at Zhou ahead of it — again it will not attack Wei.

"Now if you restrain Qin while Qin has not yet made peace with Wei — if Zhao, preserving its full strength, orders Qin to halt — Qin will not dare disobey. This way you push back Qin and save Zhou. Once Qin withdraws from Zhou, it will resume attacking Wei. Wei, unable to hold out, will seek peace through you — and your influence grows. If Wei does not seek peace and fights on, then you have saved Zhou while Qin and Wei exhaust each other. Either way, all the leverage accrues to Zhao."

Qin sent Chuli Ji into Zhou with a hundred chariots. The lord of Zhou received him with an armed escort, treating him with great ceremony. The King of Chu was furious and rebuked Zhou for honoring Qin's envoy.

You Teng said to the King of Chu:

"In ancient times, Zhi Bo wanted to attack Qiuyou. He sent them a great bell, transported on a wide-gauge cart — and then followed the cart in with troops. Qiuyou was destroyed because it had not prepared. When Duke Huan attacked Cai, he publicly announced he was attacking Chu, but in truth he was striking Cai.

"Now Qin is a state of tigers and wolves with designs on swallowing Zhou. It sent Chuli Ji in with a hundred chariots, and the lord of Zhou, alarmed, took the lessons of Cai and Qiuyou to heart. He placed long weapons in front and strong crossbows behind — nominally to guard Chuli Ji, but in reality to hold him captive. How could the lord of Zhou not love his own state? He fears its destruction any day and worries on Your Majesty's behalf."

The King of Chu was pleased.

During the siege of Yongshi, Han requisitioned armor and grain from Zhou. The lord of Zhou was distressed and told Su Dai. Su Dai said:

"Why worry? I can make Han stop requisitioning armor and grain from Zhou, and I can even get you the city of Gaodu."

The lord of Zhou was overjoyed: "If you can do that, I will entrust the entire state to your counsel."

Su Dai went to see Han's chancellor, Gongzhong, and said: "Have you not heard Chu's plan? Zhao Ying told the King of Chu: 'Han is exhausted by war, its granaries are empty, it cannot defend its cities. If we press them while they starve, it will take no more than a month to break them.' But you have been besieging Yongshi for five months without taking it — which means Chu is the one in trouble. The King of Chu is starting to lose faith in Zhao Ying's plan.

"Now if you requisition armor and grain from Zhou, you are announcing to the world that you are in trouble. When Zhao Ying hears of it, he will urge the King of Chu to send more troops to hold Yongshi, and Yongshi will certainly fall."

Gongzhong said: "You make a good point. But my envoys have already been sent."

Su Dai said: "Why not give Gaodu to Zhou?"

Gongzhong was angry: "Not requisitioning armor and grain is concession enough. Why should I give away Gaodu?"

Su Dai said: "Give them Gaodu, and Zhou will align decisively with Han. When Qin hears of it, Qin will be furious — it will burn Zhou's diplomatic credentials and cut off its envoys. So for the price of a minor city like Gaodu, you gain the whole of Zhou. Why would you not?"

Gongzhong said: "Excellent." He cancelled the requisitions, gave Zhou Gaodu, and in the end Chu failed to take Yongshi and withdrew.

The lord of Zhou was going to Qin. Someone said to Zhou Zui:

"You should praise the King of Qin's filial devotion, and on that pretext propose that the city of Ying be designated as a maintenance estate for the Queen Dowager. The King of Qin and the Queen Dowager will be pleased, and you will have won Qin's favor. If relations improve, the lord of Zhou will credit you for it. If they sour, the one who advised the lord of Zhou to visit Qin will take the blame."

Su Li said to the lord of Zhou:

"The one who defeated Han and Wei, killed Xiwu, attacked Zhao, and took Lin, Lishi, and Qi — that was all Bai Qi. He is brilliantly aggressive in using troops, and he has heaven's favor besides. Now he is about to attack Liang. Liang will certainly fall, and if Liang falls, Zhou is in danger. My lord, you should stop him.

"Say to Bai Qi: 'In Chu there was a man called Yang Youji, a master archer. He could stand a hundred paces from a willow leaf and hit it — a hundred shots, a hundred hits. Everyone around him said: "Magnificent!" But one man passing by said: "A fine shot — now I can teach you archery." Yang Youji said: "Everyone praises me, yet you say you can teach me? Why don't you take my place and shoot?" The man replied: "I cannot teach you how to brace your left arm and flex your right. But when you shoot willow leaves at a hundred paces and hit every one, and you do not stop while you are still at your best — soon your strength will flag, your bow will waver, your arrows will skew. One miss, and all your previous achievements are erased."

"'Now, my lord, you have defeated Han and Wei, killed Xiwu, attacked Zhao to the north, and taken Lin, Lishi, and Qi — all your work. Your achievements are immense. But now you mean to take Qin's troops beyond the passes, march through the two Zhous, trample Han, and attack Liang. One failure, and all your former glory is wiped out. Better to plead illness and decline the command.'"

Chu's troops were at Shannan, and Wu De was about to direct Chu's anger against Zhou. Someone said to the lord of Zhou:

"You should send the Crown Prince and your generals to receive Wu De ceremonially at the border, and go yourself to welcome him in the suburbs — let All-Under-Heaven see how much you honor Wu De. Then leak to Chu: 'The gifts the lord of Zhou presented to Wu De were ritual vessels, and the campaign plan is specifically titled "Strategy Against Chu."' The King of Chu will demand to see the plan, and Wu De will have nothing to show. The king will certainly punish him."

Chu requested passage through the territory between the two Zhous in order to threaten Han and Wei. The lord of Zhou was alarmed.

Su Qin said to the lord of Zhou: "Clear the road and extend it to the Yellow River. Han and Wei will be hostile to the idea. Qi and Qin, fearing Chu will seize the Nine Cauldrons, will surely rescue Han and Wei and attack Chu. If Chu cannot even hold its territory beyond Fangcheng, how could it march through the two Zhous?

"But if the four states do not object, then even if you do not wish to grant passage, Chu will simply take it."

Minister of Justice Bu, speaking on behalf of Zhou Zui, said to the lord of Zhou:

"You sent someone to tell the King of Qi that Zhou Zui is unwilling to become Crown Prince. I cannot approve of this.

"The swordsmith Hanzhi once bought a fine sword for Duke Tai of Qi. The duke did not recognize its quality, returned the sword, and demanded his money back. A man from Yue offered a thousand in gold for it, but Hanzhi refused to sell. On his deathbed, he instructed his son: 'Never let yourself be the only one who knows something's value.'

"Now your plan to make Zhou Zui the Crown Prince is a private arrangement that no one else has endorsed — the world does not believe in it. I fear the King of Qi will actually install Guo as crown prince and then graciously 'yield' the position to Zhou Zui — thereby pawning the arrangement off on Qi. You are known for cleverness; Zhou Zui is known for cunning. Why not invest in credibility instead? Provide for Zhou Zui generously and let the whole world see it."

Qin summoned the lord of Zhou, and the lord of Zhou found it difficult to go. Someone said to the King of Wei on the lord of Zhou's behalf:

"Qin has summoned the lord of Zhou, intending to use him to attack Wei's Nanyang. Why does Your Majesty not deploy troops at Henan? When the lord of Zhou hears of it, he will use it as his excuse to Qin and decline the summons. If the lord of Zhou does not go to Qin, Qin will not dare cross the river to attack Nanyang."

After Xiwu's defeat at Yique, the lord of Zhou went to Wei to seek aid. The King of Wei refused, citing the emergency at Shangdang.

On his way back, the lord of Zhou passed the royal park at Liang and admired it. Qimu Hui said to the lord of Zhou: "The park at Wen is just as fine, and closer besides. I can get it for you."

He went back to see the King of Wei. The king asked: "Does the lord of Zhou resent me?"

Qimu Hui replied: "He does not resent you. But who would? I am worried on Your Majesty's behalf. The lord of Zhou is a master strategist. He offered to use his state as a buffer against Qin for you, and you gave him nothing in return. I foresee that he will serve Qin instead. If Qin takes all its frontier forces plus Zhou's troops and attacks Nanyang, both your Shangdang territories will be cut off."

The King of Wei said: "Then what should I do?"

Qimu Hui said: "The lord of Zhou is not the type to serve Qin for trivial gain — but he does enjoy trivial pleasures. If Your Majesty grants him a garrison of thirty thousand troops plus the park at Wen, the lord of Zhou can justify it to his elders and people, and he will enjoy the park as his private retreat. He will not ally with Qin.

"I have heard that the park at Wen yields eighty pieces of gold per year. If the lord of Zhou receives it, he will serve Your Majesty at a cost of one hundred and twenty gold per year. That means for each Shangdang emergency, you profit by forty gold."

The King of Wei dispatched Meng Mao to present the park at Wen to the lord of Zhou, along with the promised garrison.

Han and Wei proposed a territorial exchange, which was not in West Zhou's interest. Fan Yu said to the King of Chu:

"Zhou is doomed. In this exchange, Han gains two counties and Wei loses two counties. But the reason they do it is that by rearranging their borders, they can completely encircle the two Zhous — worth more than two counties — and the Nine Cauldrons are there for the taking.

"Moreover, if Wei holds Nanyang, the Zheng lands, and Sanchuan while encircling both Zhous, then Chu's territory beyond Fangcheng is in danger. If Han consolidates both Shangdang regions and looks down on Zhao, then Zhao's territory above the Yangchang Pass is in danger. So the day this exchange is completed, both Chu and Zhao lose weight."

The King of Chu was alarmed and worked through Zhao to block the exchange.

Qin was planning to attack Zhou. Zhou Zui said to the King of Qin:

"Anyone thinking clearly about Your Majesty's interests would not attack Zhou. Attacking Zhou yields too little profit to benefit the state, while the spectacle of it will terrify All-Under-Heaven. If the world fears Qin's intentions, it will unite behind Qi in the east. You will have exhausted your troops on Zhou while driving the whole world into Qi's arms — then Qin will be isolated and will never become supreme.

"In fact, it is because the other states want to exhaust Qin that they encourage you to attack Zhou. If Qin and the whole world exhaust each other simultaneously, your commands will no longer run unchallenged."

Gong Ta said to the lord of Zhou:

"Wan relied on Qin and slighted Jin — when Qin suffered a famine, Wan perished. Zheng relied on Wei and slighted Han — when Wei attacked Cai, Zheng perished. Zhu and Ju were destroyed by Qi. Chen and Cai were destroyed by Chu. All of these relied on a distant patron and disregarded a nearby enemy.

"Now you rely on Han and Wei while slighting Qin. The state may be harmed. You should send Zhou Zui to secretly forge ties with Zhao as insurance against Qin. Then you will be safe."

Someone said to the King of Qi: "Why does Your Majesty not use gifts of territory to support Zhou Zui's candidacy for Crown Prince?"

The King of Qi ordered Sima Han to go to Zhou with bribes to promote Zhou Zui. Zuo Shang said to Sima Han:

"If Zhou refuses, your intelligence will look poor and your relations with Zhou will be severed. Better to say to the lord of Zhou: 'Whom do you wish to install? Have someone quietly inform me, and I will ask the king to promote your candidate with gifts of territory.'"

Through this, Zuo Shang gained employment.

Three states returned from attacking Qin, and West Zhou feared that Wei would demand passage through its territory. Someone speaking for West Zhou said to the King of Wei:

"Chu and Song do not want Qin to be grateful to your three states. They are about to attack Your Majesty's garrisons to please Qin."

The King of Wei was alarmed and ordered his forces to march east at speed.

After Xiwu's defeat, Zhou sent Zhou Zu to Qin. Someone said to Zhou Zu:

"Why not say to the lord of Zhou: 'If I go to Qin, relations between Qin and Zhou will certainly deteriorate. Moreover, one of Your Lordship's ministers — someone Qin values who wants to be chancellor — will slander me to the Qin court, and my mission will fail. I beg to be relieved of my post before I depart. If you then appoint that person chancellor, once he has the position, he will not sabotage Zhou's relations with Qin.'

"The lord of Zhou values Qin too much. If he sends you as chancellor and then relieves you mid-journey, that would look like slighting Qin — so he will certainly not relieve you. If you make this speech and then go, and relations with Qin go well, it will be your achievement. If relations go badly, the blame will fall not on you but on the slanderer — and he will be punished."

Su Li said to the lord of Zhou: "The one who defeated Han and Wei, killed Xiwu, attacked Zhao, and took Lin, Lishi, and Qi — that was all Bai Qi. He is brilliantly aggressive in war and has heaven's favor besides. Now he attacks Liang. Liang will surely fall, and when it does, Zhou is in danger. My lord, you should stop him."