“Now Zhao intends to gather troops to target Qin and sends envoys to ask passage through Han, claiming it will attack Qin. In reality, Zhao will inevitably strike Han first before moving against Qin.
Moreover, I have heard the ancient saying: When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. Qin and Han inevitably share common dangers, and this situation is clear to see.
Wei plans to send troops to attack Han, while Qin also dispatches envoys to your state. Now the King of Qin has sent me, Li Si, yet I cannot obtain an audience with Your Majesty. I fear your ministers may repeat the mistakes of former treacherous courtiers, bringing Han once more the peril of lost territory.
If I fail to meet you and request to return and report, the alliance between Qin and Han will surely break off.
I come on this mission to please the King of Qin and offer beneficial strategies. Is this how Your Majesty rejects me? I only beg for one audience to present my humble plans. Even if I face cruel execution afterward, I accept it willingly. I hope Your Majesty will understand my sincerity.
If you kill me in Han now, Your Majesty will gain no strength from it. If you ignore my advice, disaster will surely come. Qin will send troops without delay, and Han’s ancestral state will be in peril.
If my body is exposed in Han’s marketplaces, even if Your Majesty later wishes to examine my loyal counsel, it will be too late. When borders are ruined and cities stand under siege, with war‑drums ringing in your ears, it will be far too late to adopt my strategies.
Furthermore, Han’s military weakness is well‑known across the realm. Now you turn against powerful Qin. Once cities fall and armies are defeated, internal rebels will seize the chance to attack your strongholds. If all cities are lost, people will scatter, and no army will remain.
If you defend cities stubbornly, Qin will surely send troops to besiege one of your capitals. With transportation cut off, your plans cannot be carried out and rescue will be impossible. Your ministers’ schemes will be useless. I beg Your Majesty to consider carefully.
If my words prove untrue, I ask Your Majesty to let me finish my statement in your presence before sentencing me to punishment.
The King of Qin now finds no joy in food or travel, for his mind is fixed on conquering Zhao. He sent me to speak with you, hoping to meet you personally and discuss urgent strategies.
If I am denied access, Qin cannot judge Han’s sincerity. Qin will surely abandon its threat from Zhao and shift its troops to attack Han. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider carefully and grant me a clear reply to report back.”
Note
This passage fully displays Legalist diplomatic tactics: using ancient proverbs to reason, pointing out fatal geopolitical risks, mixing loyalty rhetoric with direct military threat, to compel a weak state to submit unconditionally to a stronger one.
Li Si
Legalist statesman and prime minister of Qin. Sent as envoy to Han, he used both persuasion and threat to force Han into submission, protecting Qin’s strategic interests.
King of Han
Ruler of the weak Central Plains state Han, caught between powerful Qin, Zhao and Wei, facing diplomatic and military pressure constantly.
Zhao
Military‑strong Warring States state seeking to unite eastern states against Qin. Zhao was accused by Han Fei of attempting to first attack and seize the state of Han first as a stepping‑stone before plotting to contend with the state of Qin.
Wei
Another eastern state hostile to Han and Qin.
Idiom: When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold (唇亡齿寒)
A famous ancient Chinese political proverb, warning that neighboring states share common survival interests; if one falls, the other faces danger. Widely used in interstate diplomacy of the Warring States Period.
Hostile Geopolitics of Central Plains
Smaller states like Han were squeezed between great powers, often forced to choose sides, with betrayal leading to swift military retaliation.
Diplomatic Coercion
Powerful states used envoys to threaten weaker ones: promising protection for submission, threatening war for defiance. This was standard Warring States diplomatic practice.
Execution as Political Warning
Executing an envoy from a powerful state was a serious political provocation that would trigger immediate military conflict.
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