Canon 6: Enemy-Engineered Appointments and Dismissals
What an enemy state strives to achieve is to cloud the ruler’s judgment and lead him toward decadence. If the ruler fails to perceive this, then the enemy will control his appointments and dismissals. Thus, King Wen of Zhou subsidized Fei Zhong, and the King of Qin feared the Chu envoy; Li Ju drove away Confucius, and Gan Xiang thwarted Gan Mao. Therefore, Wu Zixu spread rumors and Zi Chang was appointed; beautiful women were accepted, and Yu and Guo perished; a letter was deliberately dropped, and Chang Hong died; chickens and boars were used in a ritual, and the heroes of Kuai were all eliminated.
Note
This excerpt is from “Canon Six: Dismissal and Appointment” in Han Feizi · Inner Congeries Part II‑Six Subtleties. It shifts focus from domestic governance to international relations, exposing a cross‑border power tactic: hostile states undermine a realm by meddling in its official appointments instead of waging war.
King Wen of Zhou and Fei Zhong:
Fei Zhong (费仲) was a favored minister of King Zhou of Shang (商纣王), known for his sycophancy. According to the commentary, King Wen of Zhou (文王) secretly subsidized Fei Zhong, encouraging him to advise King Zhou in ways that would further corrupt the Shang court. This is an early example of “investing in the enemy’s corruption” – rather than confronting a powerful rival directly, weaken it from within by supporting its worst elements.
The King of Qin and the Chu Envoy:
When the King of Chu sent an exceptionally capable envoy to Qin, the King of Qin was deeply troubled. His ministers advised: “Treat the envoy with extraordinary courtesy and secretly cultivate a relationship with him. When Chu learns of this, they will assume he has been bought by the enemy and will execute him.” This illustrates the “strip away the enemy’s strengths” approach – using the enemy’s own paranoia as a weapon.
Li Ju and Confucius:
When Confucius was governing the state of Lu, the roads were so orderly that “no one picked up lost articles on the road.” Duke Jing of Qi (齐景公) was alarmed by Lu’s rise. His advisor Li Ju (黎且) proposed: “Send female musicians and dancers to Duke Ai of Lu (鲁哀公). He will become addicted to entertainment and neglect governance. Confucius will remonstrate, and when ignored, he will leave.” The plan worked perfectly – Duke Ai became obsessed with the performers, ignored Confucius’ advice, and Confucius departed for Chu. Qi eliminated its greatest rival without firing a single arrow.
Gan Xiang and Gan Mao:
The King of Chu wanted to use Chu’s influence to install Gan Mao (甘茂), a talented statesman, as chancellor of Qin. Gan Xiang (干象), a Chu minister, strongly objected: “Gan Mao is too capable – empowering him would only strengthen Qin. Instead, install Gong Li (共立), who is deeply favored by the King of Qin but lacks real ability. A favored but incompetent chancellor will create chaos within Qin.” This is the principle of “supporting the weak to create internal disorder” applied to foreign policy.
Wu Zixu and the Rumor Campaign:
When the state of Wu was preparing to attack Chu, Wu Zixu (伍子胥) spread a rumor throughout Chu: “If Chu appoints Zi Qi (子期) as general, we will attack; if Chu appoints Zi Chang (子常), we will retreat.” The Chu court, believing the rumor, dismissed the capable Zi Qi and appointed the incompetent Zi Chang. Wu then attacked Chu and won decisively. This is one of the earliest recorded examples of psychological warfare used to manipulate enemy personnel decisions.
The Gift of Beauty and the Fall of Yu and Guo:
Duke Xian of Jin wanted to conquer the neighboring states of Yu (虞) and Guo (虢). Before launching his attack, he sent gifts of fine horses from Qu, precious jade from Chuiji, and troupes of female musicians to both rulers. The rulers became intoxicated with luxury and neglected state affairs, making them easy targets for Jin’s eventual conquest. This is the famous “borrowing a path to destroy Guo” strategy.
Shu Xiang’s Forged Letter and the Death of Chang Hong:
Shu Xiang (叔向) of Jin wanted to eliminate Chang Hong (苌弘), a wise minister of the Zhou court. He forged a letter that read: “Chang Hong says to Shu Xiang: ‘Tell the Lord of Jin that the time we agreed upon has arrived – why not bring the army immediately?’” He then “accidentally” dropped the letter in the Zhou ruler’s courtyard and hurried away. The Zhou ruler, believing Chang Hong was selling state secrets to Jin, had him executed.
Lord Huan of Zheng and the Chicken-Boar Ritual:
Lord Huan of Zheng (郑桓公) planned to conquer the state of Kuai (郐). First, he obtained the names of all Kuai’s talented officials, heroes, and brave warriors. He then created a fake registry listing these men as having received land and titles from Zheng. He buried this registry outside Kuai’s city gate in a ritual setting, sprinkling it with the blood of chickens and boars as if a secret alliance ceremony had taken place. The ruler of Kuai, seeing this “evidence” of treason, executed all his best men. Zheng then conquered the defenseless state with ease.
Blood Covenant Ritual:
In ancient China, alliances and treaties were sealed through ritual sacrifice, typically involving the blood of animals (chickens, pigs, oxen). The phrase “Chicken-Boar Ritual” refers to smearing the blood of a chicken and a boar over a document or altar as part of a covenant ceremony. Lord Huan of Zheng exploited this cultural practice by staging a fake covenant to make it appear that Kuai’s heroes had secretly allied with an external power.
Enemy-Engineered Appointments and Dismissals:
It refers to the manipulation of a state’s personnel decisions by an external enemy. The enemy’s goal is not to fight directly but to ensure that the target state’s key positions are filled by incompetent or compromised individuals, while its capable leaders are removed.
Clouding Judgment and Leading to Decadence:
It describes a two-stage process: first, the enemy disrupts the ruler’s ability to perceive reality clearly; then, the ruler drifts into complacency and moral decay. This is the strategic foundation upon which all “Enemy-Engineered Appointments and Dismissals” operations rest.
Attack from the Ancestral Temple:
This concept, introduced in the companion section to “Enemy-Engineered Appointments and Dismissals,” means “conducting warfare from the court” – achieving victory through strategic manipulation rather than military force.
“Attack from the Ancestral Temple” is the offensive counterpart to “Enemy-Engineered Appointments and Dismissals”: while the latter describes the threat, the former describes how a wise ruler should turn this same technique outward against enemies – by supporting weak factions within rival states to create internal chaos.
经六废置
敌之所务，在淫察而就靡，人主不察，则敌废置矣。故文王资费仲，而秦王患楚使；黎且去仲尼，而干象沮甘茂。是以子胥宣言而子常用，内美人而虞、虢亡，佯遗书而苌弘死，用鸡猳而郐桀尽。
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