Fan Ju (? – 255 BCE) was a prominent Chancellor of the State of Qin during the Warring States period. His courtesy name was Shu, and he was a native of Ruicheng in the State of Wei (modern-day Ruicheng County, Shanxi).
Initially, Fan Ju served as a retainer to Xu Jia, a mid-ranking minister of Wei. After suffering unjust persecution – including being beaten nearly to death on false suspicion of treason – he fled to Qin, where he gained an audience with King Zhaoxiang of Qin (r. 306–251 BCE). He impressed the king with his strategic doctrine of “allying with distant states while attacking nearby ones”, a policy that became central to Qin’s expansionist strategy.
In 266 BCE (the 41st year of King Zhaoxiang’s reign), Fan Ju was appointed Chancellor of Qin and enfeoffed at Ying (near modern Lushan County, Henan), earning the title “Marquis of Ying”. As chancellor, he centralized state power by weakening the influence of the royal consort clans (notably the “Four Nobles”) and strengthening the monarch’s direct authority – a crucial step in Qin’s path toward unification.
His most infamous stratagem occurred during the Battle of Changping (262–260 BCE) between Qin and Zhao. Fan Ju orchestrated a successful disinformation campaign, spreading rumors that the seasoned Zhao general Lian Po was too cautious and planning to defect. This led the Zhao court to replace Lian Po with the inexperienced but theoretically brilliant Zhao Kuo. The result was catastrophic: Zhao Kuo’s aggressive tactics played into Qin’s hands, culminating in the mass surrender and execution of over 400,000 Zhao soldiers – a decisive blow that crippled Zhao and accelerated Qin’s dominance.
Later in his career, however, Fan Ju recommended Zheng Anping and Wang He for high military commands; both defected to enemy states when defeated, violating Qin law that held patrons accountable for their nominees’ failures. Fearing punishment and overwhelmed by anxiety, Fan Ju resigned his post and retired to his fiefdom. He died shortly thereafter in 255 BCE.
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