燕策三

Qi, Han, and Wei jointly attack Yan. Yan sends its crown prince to request rescue from Chu. The King of Chu dispatches Jing Yang to lead a relief force.

At the evening encampment, Jing Yang orders his left and right marshals to each mark out a campsite, and when they finish, to plant markers. Jing Yang inspects the sites and is furious: "The sites you have marked — water will rise to cover every one of these markers. This is no place to camp!" He orders the army to relocate.

The next day a great rainstorm hits. Mountain floodwaters pour down and submerge every marker at the original campsites. The army officers are awed.

Jing Yang then decides not to rescue Yan directly but instead attacks Wei's city of Yongqiu, takes it, and gives it to Song. The three attacking states are alarmed and withdraw their forces.

But now Wei's army is to the west, Qi's army is to the east, and the Chu army, trying to return home, cannot get through. Jing Yang opens the western peace gate. By day he sends chariots and cavalry, and by night torches are visible — he is openly communicating with Wei. Qi's forces find this suspicious and conclude that Chu and Wei have struck a deal. Qi withdraws.

Once Qi has departed, Wei has lost its ally and has no means to fight Chu alone. Wei slips away in the night. The Chu army returns home.

Zhang Chou is being held as a hostage in Yan. The King of Yan wants to kill him. He flees and is about to cross the border when a border guard catches him.

Zhang Chou says: "The reason the King of Yan wants to kill me is that someone told him I possess a precious pearl, and the king wants it. But I have already lost it, and the King of Yan does not believe me. Now you are about to turn me in. When you do, I will tell the king that you seized my pearl and swallowed it. The king will certainly kill you, slit open your belly, and search through your intestines. A ruler driven by greed cannot be dissuaded by reason. I am going to die regardless — but your guts will be cut to pieces too."

The border guard is terrified and lets him go.

King Xi of Yan sends Li Fu with a hundred pieces of gold to offer birthday congratulations to King Xiaocheng of Zhao. Li Fu drinks with the Zhao court for three days, then returns and reports: "Zhao's able-bodied men all died at Changping. The orphans have not yet grown up. Zhao can be attacked."

The king summons Lord Changguo, Yue Jian, and asks: "What do you think?"

Yue Jian replies: "Zhao is a crossroads state. Its people are all experienced in war. You cannot fight them."

The king says: "What if I attack with double their numbers?"

"That will not work."

"With triple?"

"That will not work."

The king flies into a rage. His courtiers all say Zhao can be attacked. He immediately mobilizes six hundred thousand troops against Zhao: Li Fu with four hundred thousand to attack Hao, and Qing Qin with two hundred thousand to attack Dai.

Zhao dispatches Lian Po with eighty thousand to meet Li Fu at Hao, and Yue Cheng with fifty thousand to meet Qing Qin at Dai. The Yan army is catastrophically defeated. Yue Jian defects to Zhao.

The King of Yan writes a letter combining reproach and apology:

"I am without talent. I could not follow your wishes, and so you abandoned the state and left — which makes my unworthiness plain for all to see. I earnestly set forth my wishes, and you refused to listen, so I send this envoy to present my humble thoughts, which I ask you to consider.

"The saying goes: 'The humane do not sever ties lightly; the wise do not nurse grievances lightly.' Your relationship with the late king is well known to the world. I had hoped that if I were in error, you would cover for me — I did not expect you to publicly condemn me. I had hoped that if I made mistakes, you would instruct me — I did not expect you to publicly condemn me.

"Moreover, my crimes are known to every person in the state and heard throughout All-Under-Heaven. For you to subtly manifest your resentment and openly abandon me — I certainly have my faults. Even so, I fear you have not shown the fullest generosity.

"The proverb says: 'The generous do not tear others down to benefit themselves; the humane do not endanger others to claim a reputation.' Therefore, to cover another's faults is the conduct of a generous man; to rescue another from error is the way of the humane. Is there anyone in the world who might cover my faults and rescue me from error — is that not what you, in your heart, might hope to be?

"Now you received your high position from the late king and gained your honor through it, yet you lightly abandon me for your own satisfaction. To cover faults and rescue from error — this, it seems, is hard to obtain from you.

"Moreover, there are cases where a man begins poorly yet receives generous treatment, where conduct falls short yet grace is still extended. Now if I must bear the guilt of unworthiness, and you acquire the taint of disloyalty, then choosing on your behalf, I see nothing to recommend this course.

"A state has borders, just as a house has walls — they exist to preserve harmony and conceal what is ugly. When a household cannot get along and goes complaining to the neighbors, that is not wise strategy. To abandon a man openly when no visible offense has occurred — that is not the fullest generosity.

"Even if I am not observant, I am not so disordered as Tyrant Zhou of Yin. Even if you are frustrated, your burden is not as heavy as that of Shang Rong or Jizi. If you do not cover for me internally but instead air your grievances externally, I fear this will damage your reputation for loftiness and diminish your conduct — unless that is not the case.

"If making your righteous stance clear and establishing your lofty reputation requires me to bear a bad name, I will not refuse it. But the intent is to expose my shallowness — while you gain no credit for depth. To advertise my disgrace — while you gain no glory. This is a move that produces two losses at once. The righteous do not diminish others to benefit themselves — how much less should they harm others to damage themselves as well!

"I beg you not to let my unworthiness tarnish the beauty of past deeds. Long ago, Liuxia Hui served as an official in Lu and was dismissed three times but did not leave. Someone told him he could go. Liuxia Hui said: 'If I am different from other men, where could I go and not be dismissed? Since I will be dismissed regardless, I would rather it be in my homeland.' Because Liuxia Hui did not let three dismissals burden him, his former achievements were not forgotten. Because he did not set his heart on leaving, neither near nor far did anyone criticize him.

"Now my crimes are not yet known to my own people, and yet those who criticize me are spread across All-Under-Heaven. The saying goes: 'In deliberation, do not cultivate grudges. In discussion, do not accumulate grievances. The humane do not sever ties lightly. The wise do not dismiss achievements casually.' To discard great achievements is abandonment. To lightly sever ties of substantial benefit is resentment. Abandonment and discard, resentment and burden — these are things expected of distant men, not hoped for from you.

"Since I am without crime, why would you bear a grudge? I beg you to set aside your resentment, remember the late king, and once again instruct me. Perhaps you will say: 'I will conceal my feelings to enable your errors, disregarding the late king to expose your wickedness, leaving you unable to advance in achievement or retreat to correct mistakes' — is this what you intend? I ask you to consider it. These are my foolish thoughts. I respectfully submit them in writing."

Yue Jian and Yue Cheng resent that their counsel was not heeded. Both remain in Zhao and do not reply.

Qin annexes Zhao and turns north toward Yan. The King of Yan, hearing this, sends an envoy to congratulate the King of Qin. The envoy passes through Zhao, and the King of Zhao detains him.

The envoy says: "When Qin and Zhao are united, All-Under-Heaven submits. The reason I accepted this mission through Zhao was for Qin's sake. Now I am on a mission to Qin, and Zhao detains me — this suggests a rift between Qin and Zhao. If there is a rift between Qin and Zhao, All-Under-Heaven will not submit, and Yan will not accept your commands. Moreover, my mission to Qin does nothing to prevent Zhao from attacking Yan."

The King of Zhao agrees and releases him.

The envoy sees the King of Qin and says: "The King of Yan has humbly heard that Qin has annexed Zhao, and sends an envoy with congratulations of a thousand pieces of gold."

The King of Qin says: "Yan is lawless. I have given it to Zhao to deal with. What is there to congratulate?"

The envoy says: "I have heard that when Zhao was intact, its southern neighbor was Qin and to the north below Quyang was Yan. Zhao was three hundred li wide and contested with Qin for over fifty years. The reason it could never prevail against Qin was that its state was small and had nowhere to expand. Now if Your Majesty allows Zhao to annex Yan to the north, Yan and Zhao united in strength will certainly no longer submit to Qin. I am privately anxious about this on Your Majesty's behalf."

The King of Qin agrees and raises an army to rescue Yan.

Crown Prince Dan of Yan has been a hostage in Qin and escapes home. Seeing that Qin is on the verge of annihilating the six states and its armies are approaching the Yi River, he fears the catastrophe is imminent. Prince Dan is distraught and says to his Grand Tutor Ju Wu: "Yan and Qin cannot coexist. I beg the Grand Tutor to devise a plan."

Ju Wu replies: "Qin's territory covers All-Under-Heaven. Its power threatens Han, Wei, and Zhao. The lands north of the Yi River are not yet secure. How can you, nursing a personal grudge, attempt to stroke the dragon's scales the wrong way?"

The prince says: "Then what is to be done?"

The Grand Tutor says: "Allow me to retire and think on it."

Some time passes. General Fan escapes from Qin and comes to Yan. The prince takes him in. Grand Tutor Ju Wu remonstrates: "This is dangerous. The King of Qin is violent and has already accumulated grievances against Yan — enough to make one's blood run cold. How much worse when he hears that General Fan is here! This is like placing raw meat across a hungry tiger's path. The disaster will be irreversible. Even Guan Zhong and Yan Ying could not plan a way out. I beg the prince to send General Fan to the Xiongnu immediately to eliminate any pretext. Then negotiate alliances with the Three Jin to the west, link up with Qi and Chu to the south, and make peace with the Chanyu to the north. Only then can we formulate a plan."

Prince Dan says: "The Grand Tutor's plan requires too much time. My heart is in turmoil — I fear we have not even a moment. And it is not only that. General Fan was desperate and destitute throughout All-Under-Heaven and entrusted himself to me. I will never, under pressure from mighty Qin, abandon a man who came to me in his hour of need and cast him among the Xiongnu. This is the moment my fate is decided. I beg the Grand Tutor to reconsider."

Ju Wu says: "In Yan there is a Master Tian Guang. His wisdom runs deep; his courage is steady. He is someone you can consult."

The prince says: "Could I, through the Grand Tutor, arrange a meeting with Master Tian?"

Ju Wu says: "Respectfully agreed." He goes out to see Tian Guang and conveys the prince's words: "He wishes to consult with you on a matter of state."

Tian Guang says: "I respectfully accept." And goes to call on the prince.

The prince kneels to welcome him, walks backward to lead the way, kneels again and sweeps the mat. When Master Tian is seated and there is no one around, the prince leaves his mat and says: "Yan and Qin cannot coexist. I beg you, sir, to give this your attention."

Tian Guang says: "I have heard that the thoroughbred in its prime can gallop a thousand li in a day. But in its decline, even a nag outruns it. The prince has heard of me in my prime, but does not know that my spirit has already faded. Even so, I dare not let my inadequacy neglect a matter of state. There is a man I hold in esteem — Jing Ke. He can be sent."

The prince says: "Could I, through you, sir, be introduced to Jing Ke?"

Tian Guang says: "Respectfully agreed." He rises and hurries out. The prince escorts him to the gate and says: "What I have disclosed, and what you, sir, have discussed — these are great matters of state. I beg you not to reveal them."

Tian Guang looks down, smiles, and says: "Agreed."

He walks, stooped with age, to see Jing Ke and says: "You and I are close — everyone in Yan knows this. The prince has heard of me in my prime but does not know that my body is no longer up to the task. He has been kind enough to tell me: 'Yan and Qin cannot coexist. I beg you to give this your attention.' I have taken the liberty of recommending you to the prince. I ask you to go see the prince at the palace."

Jing Ke says: "I respectfully accept."

Tian Guang says: "I have heard that the conduct of a man of honor does not invite suspicion. But the prince told me: 'What we have discussed is a great matter of state. I beg you not to reveal it.' This means the prince doubts me. When a man's conduct invites suspicion, he is not a true knight-errant." He intends to kill himself to spur Jing Ke to action: "I beg you to go to the prince at once and tell him that Tian Guang is dead — to prove that I have not spoken."

He cuts his own throat and dies.

Jing Ke goes to see the prince and tells him that Tian Guang is dead, proof that he did not speak. The prince bows twice, kneels, shuffles forward on his knees weeping, and after a long moment says: "The reason I asked Master Tian not to speak was to bring the great plan to fruition. That Master Tian has died to prove his silence — was that ever my intention?"

When Jing Ke is seated, the prince leaves his mat, bows his head to the ground, and says:

"Master Tian did not know how unworthy I am, yet he arranged for you to come before me and hear my plea. This is heaven taking pity on Yan and not abandoning its orphan. Qin's appetite is insatiable. It will not be satisfied until it has consumed every inch of All-Under-Heaven and made vassals of every ruler within the seas. Qin has already captured the King of Han and absorbed all his territory. It has raised armies to attack Chu to the south and presses Zhao from the north. Wang Jian leads hundreds of thousands of troops to the banks of the Zhang and toward Ye, while Li Xin advances from Taiyuan and Yunzhong. Zhao cannot withstand Qin and must submit. Once Zhao submits, the calamity reaches Yan.

"Yan is small and weak, repeatedly battered by war. By my reckoning, the entire state is not enough to withstand Qin. The other lords have submitted to Qin, and none dares join a coalition. My private plan — foolish as it may be — is this: if we can truly obtain the bravest warrior All-Under-Heaven has to offer and send him to Qin, dangling rich profits before the Qin king, the king's greed for the gifts will ensure he grants an audience.

"If we can seize the King of Qin and force him to return all the territory he has taken from the other lords — as Cao Mo did with Duke Huan of Qi — that would be the best outcome. If that fails, we assassinate him. With his great generals commanding armies abroad and great upheaval within, ruler and ministers will suspect each other. In the resulting chaos, the other lords can form a coalition, and the defeat of Qin will be certain. This is my highest hope. But I do not know to whom to entrust my life. I ask only that you, Sir Jing, give this your attention."

After a long silence, Jing Ke says: "This is a great matter of state. I am dull and lowly — I fear I am not equal to the mission."

The prince kneels and bows his head to the floor, earnestly begging him not to refuse. Jing Ke then agrees.

The prince thereupon honors Jing Ke as Senior Minister, lodges him in the finest residence, visits him daily, provides the grand sacrifice and rare delicacies, and periodically presents chariots, horses, and beautiful women — indulging Jing Ke's every desire to suit his mood.

Much time passes, and Jing Ke shows no sign of departing. Qin's General Wang Jian destroys Zhao, captures the King of Zhao, seizes all Zhao's territory, and advances north, conquering as he goes, until he reaches Yan's southern border.

Prince Dan is terrified and says to Jing Ke: "Qin's troops will cross the Yi River any day now. Even if I wished to attend you forever, how could that be possible?"

Jing Ke says: "Even without the prince's words, I was about to request this mission. But to go without credentials would mean Qin cannot be approached. Now, General Fan — the King of Qin has placed a bounty of a thousand jin of gold and a fief of ten thousand households on his head. If I could obtain General Fan's head, together with a map of Yan's Dukang territory, and present them to the King of Qin, the king will certainly be delighted to receive me, and I will have a chance to repay the prince."

The prince says: "General Fan came to me in desperate poverty. I cannot bear, for my own private ends, to hurt a man of honor's feelings. I beg you to reconsider."

Jing Ke knows the prince cannot bring himself to do it. So he goes privately to see Fan Yuqi and says: "Qin's treatment of the general has been cruel beyond measure. Your parents and your entire clan have been executed. Now I hear there is a bounty on your head — a thousand jin of gold and a fief of ten thousand households. What will you do?"

General Fan looks up at heaven, heaves a great sigh, weeps, and says: "Every time I think of it, the pain reaches my marrow. But I have no plan."

Jing Ke says: "Now I have a proposal that would resolve Yan's crisis and avenge the general's wrong. What do you say?"

Fan Yuqi steps forward: "What would you have me do?"

Jing Ke says: "I ask for the general's head to present to Qin. The King of Qin will certainly be delighted and grant me an audience. I will seize his sleeve with my left hand and drive a dagger into his chest with my right. Then the general's vendetta will be avenged and Yan's humiliation erased. Is the general willing?"

Fan Yuqi bares one shoulder, grips his wrist, and steps forward: "This is what I have gnashed my teeth and beaten my breast over day and night. Now at last I hear the way." He cuts his own throat.

The prince hears of it, races to the scene, throws himself on the body, and weeps in utter grief. When there is nothing more to be done, he has Fan Yuqi's head collected and sealed in a box.

The prince has already procured the sharpest dagger in All-Under-Heaven — the dagger of Xu Furen of Zhao, bought for a hundred pieces of gold — and has had artisans temper it with poison. Tested on a man, the blood soaks the fabric and the man dies instantly.

He outfits Jing Ke for the journey. In Yan there is a warrior named Qin Wuyang who killed a man at the age of twelve; no one dares meet his gaze. Qin Wuyang is made Jing Ke's second. Jing Ke is waiting for someone — he wants this person to accompany him — but the man lives far away and has not yet arrived, so Jing Ke delays.

After some time with no departure, the prince grows impatient and suspects Jing Ke is having second thoughts. He says: "The days are running out. Does Sir Jing have no intention of going? Let me send Qin Wuyang ahead."

Jing Ke is furious and rebukes the prince: "To go today with no return — that is what a boy does! I am carrying a single dagger into the unfathomable might of Qin. The reason I have delayed is that I am waiting for my associate to travel with me. Since the prince finds me slow, I request leave to depart now." He sets out.

The prince and the retainers who know the mission all dress in white caps and robes to see him off. At the Yi River bank, after the road sacrifice, they take to the road. Gao Jianli strikes the zhu, and Jing Ke sings in harmony — in the mournful bian-zhi mode. Every knight weeps.

Jing Ke steps forward and sings:

"The wind howls, the Yi River is cold. The warrior departs and does not return."

Then he shifts to the fierce yu mode, full of righteous indignation. Every knight's eyes go wide; their hair rises until it lifts their caps.

Jing Ke mounts the carriage and departs. He never looks back.

Arriving in Qin, he carries gifts worth a thousand jin and lavishes them on the King of Qin's favored courtier, the Palace Attendant Meng Jia. Meng Jia speaks to the King of Qin first: "The King of Yan is truly awed by Your Majesty's might and dares not raise arms to resist. He wishes to offer his entire state as an inner vassal, to be ranked among the lords, and to pay tribute and perform duties like a commandery — if only he may be permitted to maintain the ancestral temples of his forebears. Terrified and unable to present this himself, he has reverently beheaded Fan Yuqi and offers the map of Yan's Dukang territory, sealed in a case. The King of Yan bowed farewell in his own court and sends this envoy to inform Your Majesty. He awaits Your Majesty's command."

The King of Qin is overjoyed. He dons his court robes, arranges the ceremony of the Nine Guests, and receives the Yan envoy at Xianyang Palace.

Jing Ke carries the box containing Fan Yuqi's head. Qin Wuyang carries the map case. They advance in order. At the foot of the steps, Qin Wuyang's face changes color and he trembles with fear. The courtiers are alarmed. Jing Ke looks back at Wuyang, laughs, steps forward, and apologizes: "He is an uncouth man from the northern borderlands who has never seen the Son of Heaven. Hence his terror. May Your Majesty indulge him a moment, so that he may complete his mission before you."

The King of Qin tells Jing Ke: "Rise. Take the map that Wuyang carries."

Jing Ke takes the map and presents it. He unrolls it. The map unrolls completely — and the dagger is revealed.

He seizes the King of Qin's sleeve with his left hand and thrusts the dagger at his chest with his right. Before the blade reaches flesh, the king recoils, springs to his feet, and tears free, ripping off his sleeve. He reaches for his sword, but the sword is long and catches in its scabbard. In his panic, the blade is stuck fast and cannot be drawn.

Jing Ke chases the King of Qin. The king runs around a pillar. The courtiers are stunned — the crisis has erupted so suddenly that they are completely at a loss. By Qin law, courtiers attending in the throne hall are forbidden to carry weapons of any size. The palace guards are armed but stationed below the hall, and without a royal decree they may not ascend. In the emergency there is no time to summon them. So Jing Ke chases the King of Qin, and in the general panic no one has any way to strike at Jing Ke — they can only grapple him with their bare hands.

At this moment the royal physician Xia Wuqie hurls his medicine bag at Jing Ke. The king is still running around the pillar in a panic, not knowing what to do, when his attendants shout: "Your Majesty, swing the sword over your back! Swing the sword over your back!"

The king draws the sword over his shoulder and strikes Jing Ke, severing his left thigh. Jing Ke, crippled, hurls the dagger at the King of Qin. He misses — it hits a pillar. The king strikes Jing Ke again. Jing Ke sustains eight wounds.

Knowing the mission has failed, Jing Ke leans against the pillar and laughs. He sits with legs spread in deliberate contempt and curses: "The reason it failed is that I wanted to take you alive — to force a binding treaty and repay the prince."

The attendants rush forward and kill Jing Ke. The King of Qin's vision blurs and he is dazed for a long time.

When the rewards are assessed and punishments assigned to those who should have acted, each receives his due. The physician Xia Wuqie is given two hundred yi of gold. The king says: "Wuqie cared for me — he threw his medicine bag at Jing Ke."

Qin is enraged at Yan. It accelerates troop deployments toward Zhao and redirects Wang Jian's army to attack Yan. In ten months, Yan's capital Ji falls. King Xi of Yan, Prince Dan, and the others flee east with their elite troops and hold out in Liaodong. Qin's General Li Xin pursues. The king, in desperation, follows the advice of King Jia of Dai and kills Prince Dan, hoping to offer his head to Qin. Qin advances again. Five years later, Yan is destroyed. King Xi of Yan is captured. Qin unifies All-Under-Heaven.

Afterward, Jing Ke's associate Gao Jianli gains an audience with the First Emperor of Qin as a zhu player, and strikes at the emperor with his instrument to avenge Yan. He misses, and is killed.