蘇秦將為從北說燕文侯
Su Qin Travels North to Persuade Marquis Wen of Yan
蘇秦將為從，北說燕文侯曰：「燕東有朝鮮、遼東，北有林胡、樓煩，西有雲中、九原，南有呼沱、易水。地方二千餘里，帶甲數十萬，車七百乘，騎六千疋，粟支十年。南有碣石、雁門之饒，北有棗粟之利，民雖不由田作，棗粟之實，足食於民矣。此所謂天府也。夫安樂無事，不見覆軍殺將之憂，無過燕矣。大王知其所以然乎？
「夫燕之所以不犯寇被兵者，以趙之為蔽於南也。秦、趙五戰，秦再勝而趙三勝。秦、趙相蔽，而王以全燕制其後，此燕之所以不犯難也。且夫秦之攻燕也，逾雲中、九原，過代、上谷，彌地踵道數千里，雖得燕城，秦計固不能守也。秦之不能害燕亦明矣。今趙之攻燕也，發興號令，不至十日，而數十萬之眾軍於東垣矣。度呼沱，涉易水，不至四五日，距國都矣。故曰，秦之攻燕也，戰於千里之外；趙之攻燕也，戰於百里之內。夫不憂百里之患，而重千里之外，計無過於此者。是故願大王與趙從親，天下為一，則國必無患矣。」
燕王曰：「寡人國小，西迫強秦，南近齊、趙。齊、趙，強國也，今主君幸教詔之，合從以安燕，敬以國從。」於是齎蘇秦車馬金帛以至趙。
Su Qin sets out to forge the north-south coalition. He travels north and addresses Marquis Wen of Yan:
"Yan has Joseon and Liaodong to the east, the Linhu and Loufan tribes to the north, Yunzhong and Jiuyuan to the west, and the Hutuo and Yi rivers to the south. Its territory spans over two thousand li. It commands hundreds of thousands of armored troops, seven hundred war chariots, six thousand cavalry horses, and ten years' worth of stored grain. To the south it has the abundance of Jieshi and Yanmen; to the north, the wealth of dates and chestnuts. Even if the people never till a single field, the dates and chestnuts alone are enough to feed them. This is what is called a Natural Treasury.
"For security and ease, free from the fear of armies destroyed and generals killed — no state surpasses Yan. Does Your Majesty understand why this is so?
"The reason Yan has not suffered invasion is that Zhao serves as a shield to the south. Qin and Zhao have fought five times; Qin won twice and Zhao three times. Qin and Zhao exhaust each other, and Your Majesty holds intact Yan behind them — this is why Yan has not faced danger. Moreover, if Qin were to attack Yan, it would have to cross Yunzhong and Jiuyuan, pass through Dai and Shanggu — covering thousands of li of unbroken terrain. Even if Qin took Yan's cities, it could never hold them. That Qin cannot harm Yan is obvious.
"But Zhao attacking Yan? Once the mobilization order goes out, within ten days hundreds of thousands of troops are at Dongyuan. Cross the Hutuo, ford the Yi River — within four or five days they are at your capital. Therefore I say: when Qin attacks Yan, it fights from a thousand li away; when Zhao attacks Yan, it fights from a hundred li away. To ignore the threat a hundred li away and obsess over one a thousand li distant — no strategic error is greater than this.
"Therefore I urge Your Majesty to join in a north-south alliance with Zhao. When All-Under-Heaven acts as one, your state will face no danger."
The King of Yan says: "I rule a small state, pressed by mighty Qin to the west, with Qi and Zhao close to the south. Qi and Zhao are powerful states. Now that you, sir, have graciously instructed me to join the north-south coalition to secure Yan, I respectfully commit my state to the alliance."
Thereupon he furnishes Su Qin with chariots, horses, gold, and silk, and Su Qin proceeds to Zhao.
Notes
Su Qin (蘇秦, d. 284 BC) is the legendary architect of the north-south coalition (合縱), the grand anti-Qin alliance linking the six eastern states from Yan in the north to Chu in the south. The historical Su Qin was probably rather different from the Zhanguoce version — the Mawangdui silk texts suggest he was primarily a Yan agent — but the Zhanguoce portrays him as a freelance strategist who sold the coalition idea to each state in sequence. His pitch here to Yan is notable for its candor about Yan's real strategic position: the actual threat is Zhao, not Qin, and the coalition is less about fighting Qin than about neutralizing Zhao.
Marquis Wen of Yan (燕文侯) is more commonly referred to as Duke Wen of Yan (燕文公). His exact dates are uncertain, but he likely ruled in the early-to-mid 4th century BC. The text uses 侯 (marquis) rather than 公 (duke), reflecting the Zhanguoce's inconsistent usage of titles.
Joseon (朝鮮) here refers to the ancient Korean polity of Gojoseon, which shared a border with Yan's northeastern territory of Liaodong. This is one of the earliest Chinese references to the Korean peninsula as a geographic marker.
Su Qin's pitch follows a formula he deploys at every court: (1) flatter the state's resources, (2) identify the real threat, (3) sell the coalition as the solution. The twist in Yan's case is revealing — Su Qin essentially admits that the coalition is a protection racket. The real danger to Yan is Zhao (four days' march), not Qin (thousands of li away). Joining the coalition means Zhao won't attack. The logic is sound, but the subtext is unmistakable: pay up or your neighbor will eat you.
天府 ('Natural Treasury' or 'Celestial Storehouse') is a stock phrase in the Zhanguoce persuader's toolkit — Su Qin uses it for every state he visits. The term implies divinely blessed abundance, which is flattering but also somewhat formulaic: every state apparently has a Natural Treasury if you squint hard enough.