齊策五

Su Qin persuades King Min of Qi:

"I have heard that those who use force and delight in acting before All-Under-Heaven end in worry; those who form alliances and delight in taking the lead in enmities end in isolation. Those who rise later gain leverage; those who distance themselves from enmity gain time. Therefore the sage, in conducting affairs, must rely on strategic advantage and attend to the moment. Strategic advantage governs all things; timing governs all undertakings. Without strategic advantage, and against the momentum of the times, few succeed.

"Even the swords Ganjiang and Moye cannot cut without human strength behind them. The hardest arrows with the sharpest points cannot kill at distance without the power of the bowstring. The arrows are not unsharp, the swords not dull — what is missing? The leverage is not in place.

"How do we know this is so? In the past, Zhao attacked Wei, driving without rest through relay stations. Wei's walls were leveled, and of Wei's eight gates, two had already collapsed — this was the shape of a doomed state. The lord of Wei walked barefoot to beg help from Wei. The King of Wei personally donned armor and drew his sword, challenging Zhao to battle. Handan fell into turmoil; the region between the Yellow River and the mountains was thrown into disorder. Wei, gaining this leverage, rallied its remaining troops, turned northward, ravaged Gangping, and destroyed the outer walls of Zhongmou. Wei was not stronger than Zhao — Wei was the arrow, and the great state of Wei was the bowstring. Borrowing Wei's strength, small Wei gained territory east of the Yellow River.

"When Zhao grew frightened, Chu rescued Zhao by attacking Wei, fighting west of Zhou, advancing through Liangmen, encamping in the forest, and watering horses at the Great River. Zhao, gaining this leverage, also struck Wei's territory north of the Yellow River, burning Jigou and toppling Huangcheng.

"The destruction of Gangping, the fall of Zhongmou, the toppling of Huangcheng, the burning of Jigou — none of these were what Zhao and Wei desired. Yet both states were driven to action. Why? Because Wei understood how to exploit timing and leverage.

"But states in the present age do otherwise. Their armies are weak yet they love to challenge the strong. Their states are exhausted yet they love to accumulate enmities. Their enterprises fail yet they love to pursue them to the end. Their armies are weak yet they disdain to yield to others. Their territory is small yet they love to challenge the great. Their enterprises fail yet they love prolonged deception. Anyone who practices these six things and seeks hegemony is far from it.

"I have heard that those who govern well follow the people's wishes and assess their army's capabilities before engaging with All-Under-Heaven. Their alliances do not make them the primary target of resentment; their campaigns do not make them the primary crusher of the strong. In this way, armies are not wasted, leverage is not diminished, territory can expand, and ambitions can be achieved.

"In the past, when Qi joined Han and Wei in attacking Qin and Chu, Qi's fighting was not the fiercest, and its share of conquered territory was not greater than Han's and Wei's. Yet All-Under-Heaven blamed Qi alone. Why? Because Qi had taken the lead in provoking enmity for Han and Wei. Moreover, the whole world was at war — Qi and Yan fought while Zhao annexed Zhongshan; Qin and Chu warred endlessly with Han and Wei; Song and Yue deployed their own armies. All ten states were preoccupied with mutual antagonism, yet they all singled out Qi. Why? Because in alliances Qi loved to take the lead in enmity, and in campaigns Qi loved to take the lead in crushing the strong.

"The danger of being large and powerful is the temptation to dominate others. The danger of being small and weak is the temptation to scheme against others. This is why great states become imperiled and small states perish.

"For a great state, the best strategy is to rise last and to strike only the unjust with overwhelming force. Rising last means having many allies and strong armies — you pit the many and strong against the few and exhausted, and your forces will certainly prevail. If your cause does not obstruct the world's desires, advantage will naturally flow to you. A great state that follows this course will find that titles and honors come unsought, and hegemony establishes itself without effort.

"For a small state, the best strategy is to keep perfectly still and place little trust in the feudal lords. Keep still, and your four neighbors will not turn against you. Trust the feudal lords sparingly, and the world will not sell you out. If none betray you abroad and none rebel at home, then disasters wither unused and tribute silks rot undisturbed. A small state following this path will find blessings without sacrifice and sufficiency without borrowing.

"Therefore it is said: those rooted in benevolence become kings; those who establish righteousness become hegemons; those who exhaust themselves in war perish.

"How do we know? King Fuchai of Wu, relying on his strength, rushed to act before All-Under-Heaven — he stormed Ying, cornered Yue, and led the feudal lords in person. Yet in the end he died and his state was destroyed, becoming a laughingstock. Why? Fuchai plotted kingship in peacetime and delighted in bringing All-Under-Heaven's troubles upon himself first.

"In the past, Lai and Ju loved to scheme; Chen and Cai loved to deceive. Ju relied on Yue and was destroyed; Cai relied on Jin and perished. These were all cases of cultivating deception internally while trusting the feudal lords externally.

"A proverb says: 'When the thoroughbred flags, the nag pulls ahead. When Meng Ben tires, a woman can defeat him.' It is not that nags and women have stronger sinews and bones than thoroughbreds and Meng Ben. The advantage lies in rising after.

"In the present world, where states do not annihilate one another simultaneously, if one holds back its forces and rises later — directing enmity against the unjust, deploying force sparingly in the name of righteousness — then mastery of All-Under-Heaven can be achieved by sitting on one's heels and waiting.

"Those who understand the relations among the feudal lords and perceive the logic of terrain do not need formal alliances to be united, do not need hostage exchanges to be secure. They do not need to rush yet are swift; they handle many affairs without reversal; they exchange territory without breeding resentment; they fear the strong yet draw closer to them. Why? Because shared strategic circumstances unite them, and armies naturally flow toward advantage.

"How do we know? In the past, Qi and Yan fought at the bend of Huan. Yan lost, its hundred-thousand-man army annihilated. The Hu tribes then raided several counties of Yan's Loufan region and seized its cattle and horses. The Hu had no prior alliance with Qi, and their attack on Yan was not arranged by treaty — yet they struck more eagerly than any ally would. Why? Shared strategic circumstances, and armies flowing toward advantage.

"Therefore an enlightened ruler and a perceptive minister who truly aspire to royal hegemony do not place battle and siege first. War is the ruin of states, the drain of cities and counties. When ruin and drain have already come first, few can lead the feudal lords afterward.

"The ruin that war brings: when soldiers hear that battle is coming, they spend their private wealth to stock the army market and prepare food for the doomed. Officers break up their carriage shafts for firewood and slaughter oxen to toast the troops — this is the road of exhausting the ruler. Throughout the heartland, people pray at shrines; the ruler hides and brews; in every city and small county, altars are set up and in every town with a market all business stops to serve the campaign — this is the strategy of emptying the interior.

"On the day after battle, the dead are laid out and the wounded are carried home. Though there may be a claim of victory, the army's expenses and the weeping at home wound the ruler's heart. The dead must have their families bankrupted for burial. The wounded drain their savings for medicine. The uninjured hold feasts and entertainments. The cost to the survivors equals that of the casualties. What the people expend cannot be recouped by ten years of farming.

"What the army expends: spears and halberds broken, bowstrings and rings snapped, crossbows damaged, chariots destroyed, horses exhausted, more than half the arrows lost. The armor and weapons — what the government grudgingly issued, what the officers concealed, what the camp servants pilfered — ten years of farming cannot replace them. A state that bears this double drain and still leads the feudal lords: such cases are rare.

"The cost of siege warfare: the people prepare mantlets and shields, raise battering rams and siege towers, bring their household ropes, dig themselves into tunnels, and are exhausted by blades and metal inside. Soldiers are ground down by earthworks, generals never remove their armor — and to take a city even after several deadlines is considered fast. The commanders are wearied by drilling, the soldiers worn out by combat. After taking three cities, few can still defeat the enemy. This is why battle and siege are not what should come first.

"How do we know? In the past, Zhi Bo Yao attacked the Fan and Zhonghang clans, killed their lords, and destroyed their states. He then besieged Jinyang to the west, swallowing two states and threatening one lord — this was the peak of military achievement. Yet Zhi Bo ended up dead and his house destroyed, a laughingstock. Why? He put battle first and the destruction of two houses brought disaster upon him.

"Recently, Zhongshan mobilized its entire force to meet Yan and Zhao. Fighting south at Changzi, it defeated Zhao. Fighting north at Zhongshan, it crushed Yan's army and killed its general. Zhongshan was a thousand-chariot state that took on two ten-thousand-chariot states and won both battles — this was the highest distinction in the use of arms. Yet the state was subsequently destroyed and its ruler and ministers ended up in Qi. Why? It was not frugal with the costs of battle.

"What the present age calls 'good generalship' — winning every battle and holding every defense — is praised by All-Under-Heaven. But if a single state achieves this and holds the territory, it is not actually in the state's interest. I have heard that the side that wins great battles suffers many dead and its army grows weaker; the side whose defenses cannot be breached exhausts its people and exposes its walls. When soldiers die abroad, the people are wasted at home, and walls are laid bare at the borders — this is no cause for a king's pleasure.

"A target hung on a post has committed no offense against anyone, yet everyone draws a bow and shoots at it — those who hit it feel pleased, those who miss feel ashamed. Young and old, noble and base all want to pierce it. Why? Because it presents itself as a challenge. Now to win every battle and hold every position presents not merely a challenge but an actual threat. All-Under-Heaven will certainly treat such a state as an enemy.

"To exhaust your soldiers, expose your state, and make enemies of the whole world — an enlightened ruler does not permit this. To deplete strong armies through constant use — a perceptive minister does not do this. Under an enlightened ruler and perceptive minister, the five weapons need not stir and the feudal lords submit; courteous yielding brings in heavy tribute. The enlightened ruler's campaigns: armored troops do not leave camp yet enemy states are defeated; battering rams are not deployed yet border cities surrender; the people do not even know it, yet the king's enterprise arrives. The enlightened ruler's affairs: spending little, taking a long view, and reaping lasting benefit. This is why I say: if arms rise later, the feudal lords can be marshaled at will.

"What I have heard of the Way of conquest without armies: though you have a million troops, arrange them from the audience hall; though you face generals like He Lu and Wu Qi, capture them from the doorway of your chamber; a wall of a thousand zhang — take it from between the wine vessels; a hundred-foot battering ram — break it at the banquet mat.

"When the bells, drums, pipes, and zithers never fall silent, territory can expand and ambitions can be fulfilled. When the laughter of jesters, singers, and dwarfs never ceases, the feudal lords can be summoned on the same day.

"A reputation to match heaven and earth is not considered too grand; profit that commands the realm is not considered too great. The one who truly builds the king's enterprise toils All-Under-Heaven while keeping himself at ease, disorders All-Under-Heaven while keeping himself secure. When the feudal lords have no mature plans, the state has no lingering worries.

"How do we know? Ease and order belong to me; toil and disorder belong to All-Under-Heaven — this is the royal Way. Repel sharp forces when they come, address threats as they arise, and ensure no feudal lord achieves a settled strategy — then the state has no lingering worries.

"In the past, the King of Wei commanded a territory of a thousand li, armored troops numbering three hundred and sixty thousand. At the height of his power he took Handan, besieged Dingyang to the west, and led twelve feudal lords to pay court to the Son of Heaven, plotting westward against Qin. The King of Qin was terrified — he could not sleep, could not eat, issued orders throughout the realm to turn every battlement into a weapons depot, erected defenses everywhere, assigned commanders to suicide battalions, and prepared to meet Wei.

"Shang Yang proposed to the King of Qin: 'Wei's achievements are great and its authority extends over All-Under-Heaven. With twelve feudal lords, it paid court to the Son of Heaven. Its allies must be numerous. For one Qin to face the great Wei — I fear we cannot prevail. Why not let me visit the King of Wei? I guarantee I will defeat Wei.'

"The King of Qin agreed. Shang Yang visited the King of Wei and said: 'Your Majesty's achievements are great indeed. Your authority extends over All-Under-Heaven. Yet the twelve feudal lords you lead are merely Song, Wei, Zou, Lu, Chen, and Cai — states you can drive with a whip. They are not enough to make you king of All-Under-Heaven. Your Majesty would do better to take Yan in the north and attack Qi in the east — then Zhao will follow. Take Qin in the west and attack Chu in the south — then Han will follow. If Your Majesty holds the ambition to attack Qi and Chu and pursues All-Under-Heaven's allegiance, then the king's enterprise is in sight. Your Majesty should first adopt the royal vestments, and afterward plan against Qi and Chu.'

"The King of Wei was delighted by Shang Yang's words. He enlarged the royal palace, erected vermilion-painted pillars, raised the nine-streamer standard, and adopted the seven-star banner. These are the trappings of the Son of Heaven, and the King of Wei assumed them.

"At this, Qi and Chu were enraged. The feudal lords flocked to Qi. Qi attacked Wei, killed its crown prince, and annihilated its hundred-thousand-man army. The King of Wei was terrified, walked barefoot, pulled back his troops within his borders, and submitted to Qi. Only then did All-Under-Heaven relent.

"At that very moment, the King of Qin sat with folded hands and received the lands west of the Yellow River — without even having to feel grateful to the King of Wei.

"Thus when Shang Yang first plotted with the King of Qin, the strategy was laid without leaving the banquet mat, the words were spoken between the wine vessels, the plan was completed in the audience hall — and Wei's generals were already as good as captured by Qi. Before a single battering ram was deployed, the lands west of the Yellow River had entered Qin.

"This is what I mean by arranging armies from the audience hall, capturing generals from the doorway, taking cities from between the wine vessels, and breaking siege engines at the banquet mat."