For more than thirty years, Han has served Qin. Externally, it acts as Qin’s defensive shield; internally, it serves like a mat and cushion for Qin. Whenever Qin sends elite troops to seize Han’s land, the resentment incurred falls upon the other states, while all merit belongs solely to powerful Qin. Moreover, Han pays tribute and fulfills official obligations to Qin, no different from one of Qin’s own commanderies and counties.
Now I have privately heard that your high-ranking ministers plan to raise troops and attack Han. The State of Zhao has long gathered soldiers and nurtured followers of the Vertical Alliance, intending to assemble the armies of all under heaven. Zhao understands clearly that if Qin remains undiminished, all feudal lords will eventually have their ancestral temples destroyed. Thus Zhao has long planned to march west to defy Qin, and this scheme is no recent thought.
If you set aside the peril of Zhao and instead attack Han, which has long submitted like a loyal internal subject, all the world will see through Zhao’s stratagem plainly.
Han is merely a small state, yet it endures assaults from all sides. Its ruler suffers humiliation, its ministers endure hardship, and ruler and people have shared common anxiety for a long time. Han has repaired defences, guarded against powerful foes, stockpiled supplies, and built city walls to hold firm.
It would take more than a single year to conquer Han. If Qin captures only one city and then retreats, Qin’s authority will be belittled under heaven, and all states will disparage Qin’s military strength.
If Han rebels, Wei will respond in alliance; Zhao will rely on Qi as its backing. In this way, attacking Han will supply Han and Wei to Zhao, allow Zhao to use Qi to solidify the Vertical Alliance, and jointly contend against Qin. This will be a blessing for Zhao and a disaster for Qin.
If Qin advances to strike Zhao yet cannot conquer it, and retreats to attack Han yet cannot subdue it, elite soldiers will be worn out in field battles, and supporting troops exhausted in internal campaigns. Eventually the weary and weakened states will unite to confront the two major powerful states. This is far from the original intention of eliminating Zhao.
If you follow the scheme of your noble ministers, Qin will surely become the common target of all armies under heaven. Even if Your Majesty exhausts your lifetime and national strength, the day of unifying the realm will never come.
Note
This passage delivers a key Legalist strategic view:
Do not attack a compliant buffer state while ignoring the real ambitious rival. Short-sighted military campaigns drain strength, ruin diplomatic layout, and empower the enemy alliance, dooming the dream of unification.
State of Han
One of the Three Jin states, the smallest and weakest among them. Geographically adjacent to Qin, it adopted a policy of long-term submission to Qin, acting as a buffer and vassal state.
State of Zhao
A major military power of the Warring States Period. It led and nurtured the Vertical Alliance, aiming to unite eastern states to contain and resist Qin’s expansion.
High-ranking Qin Ministers
Refers to influential court officials of Qin who proposed attacking Han without considering overall strategic layout, focusing only on short-term gains.
Han Fei
Legalist thinker and strategist. He analyzed the geopolitics of Warring States, warning Qin against strategic misjudgment and emphasizing prioritizing the main enemy rather than attacking submissive minor states.
Vassal State Tributary System
Weak states paid regular tribute to powerful hegemons, politically and economically dependent, treated almost as internal administrative counties rather than independent rivals.
Vertical Alliance (Hezong)
The coalition of eastern feudal lords uniting to resist Qin’s west-to-east expansion, the core geopolitical conflict of the late Warring States Period.
Warring States Geopolitical Strategy
A core principle: distinguish major hidden threats from submissive minor states. Attacking a compliant buffer state will only push it into the enemy alliance and strengthen the rival’s power.
Strategic Prestige of a Hegemon
A powerful state’s authority relied on consistent strategic judgment. Unfruitful wars that seize only isolated cities and retreat would damage national prestige and invite contempt from other lords.
韩事秦三十余年，出则为扞蔽，入则为席荐。秦特出锐师取地而韩随之，怨悬于天下，功归于强秦。且夫韩入贡职，与郡县无异也。今日臣窃闻贵臣之计，举兵将伐韩。夫赵氏聚士卒，养从徒，欲赘天下之兵，明秦不弱则诸侯必灭宗庙，欲西面行其意，非一日之计也。今释赵之患，而攘内臣之韩，则天下明赵氏之计矣。
夫韩，小国也，而以应天下四击，主辱臣苦，上下相与同忧久矣。修守备，戎强敌，有蓄积，筑城池以守固。今伐韩，未可一年而灭，拔一城而退，则权轻于天下，天下摧我兵矣。韩叛，则魏应之，赵据齐以为原，如此，则以韩、魏资赵假齐以固其从，而以与争强，赵之福而秦之祸也。夫进而击赵不能取，退而攻韩弗能拔，则陷锐之卒勤于野战，负任之旅罢于内攻，则合群苦弱以敌而共二万乘，非所以亡赵之心也。均如贵臣之计，则秦必为天下兵质矣。陛下虽以金石相弊，则兼天下之日未也。
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