I have heard that the feudal states secretly favor Yan and side with Wei, ally with Chu and stabilize Qi, win over Han to form the vertical alliance. They intend to march westward to confront the powerful State of Qin, yet I secretly laugh at their attempt.
There are three paths to ruin in the world, and the allied states have fallen into all of them — this is exactly what it means.
As a saying goes:
He who assails an orderly state with chaos shall perish; he who assails righteousness with wickedness shall perish; he who assails what is legitimate with rebellion shall perish.
Now the treasuries of the allied states are unfilled, and their granaries are empty. They conscript all their people to form armies numbering hundreds of thousands.
Among those who claim to be generals and vow to fight to the death, fewer than a thousand are truly willing to sacrifice themselves; the rest only speak brave words in vain.
With sharp blades before them and execution axes behind them, the soldiers still retreat and flee, refusing to fight to the death.
It is not that the common people and soldiers lack the will to die in battle, but that their rulers fail to govern properly. Promised rewards are never granted, and threatened punishments are never enforced. Without credibility in reward and punishment, the people and soldiers will never lay down their lives for the state.
Note
This passage reveals the inevitable failure of the Six States’ alliance against Qin: superficial unity cannot make up for internal poverty, political chaos, and unenforced laws. It reflects Han Fei’s core view: internal governance outweighs external alliances.
Warring States Alliances
The Vertical Alliance (Hezong) refers to the union of six eastern states – Yan, Wei, Chu, Qi, Han, Zhao – joining forces to resist the State of Qin in the west. Qin used the Horizontal Alliance (Lianheng) to break the coalition.
Han Fei
A leading Legalist philosopher of the Warring States Period. He insisted that strict rule, credible reward and punishment, and solid national strength are the foundation of survival; empty alliances without internal governance are meaningless.
Legalist Political Philosophy
Legalists believed credibility in reward and punishment is the core of governing a country and commanding troops. Rulers who fail to keep their word lose the loyalty of their people and soldiers.
Three Paths to Ruin
The summarized principle: chaos cannot conquer order, evil cannot conquer justice, rebellion cannot conquer legitimacy. It became a classic political judgment standard in ancient Chinese statecraft.
Warfare and National Strength
Ancient state power relied on full granaries, wealthy treasuries, disciplined troops, and reliable governance, rather than mere verbal alliances or empty military posturing.
臣聞天下陰燕陽魏，連荊固齊，收韓而成從，將西面以與秦強為難，臣竊笑之。世有三亡，而天下得之，其此之謂乎！臣聞之曰：「以亂攻治者亡，以邪攻正者亡，以逆攻順者亡。」今天下之府庫不盈，囷倉空虛，悉其士民，張軍數十百萬。其頓首戴羽為將軍，斷死於前，不至千人，皆以言死。白刃在前，斧鑕在後，而卻走不能死也。非其士民不能死也，上不能故也。言賞則不與，言罰則不行，賞罰不信，故士民不死也。
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