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Mao Sui recommending himself [Warring States]
This article recounts the famous Warring States story of Mao Sui, a retainer who “recommended himself” to join Lord Pingyuan’s diplomatic mission to Chu. Faced with Qin’s siege of Handan, Lord Pingyuan struggled to find twenty capable men, mocking Mao Sui’s three years of obscurity. Mao Sui retorted that a needle thrusts through a…
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The Massacre at Changping [Warring States]
This article recounts the Battle of Changping, a decisive and bloody conflict during the Warring States period. It details how King Xiaocheng of Zhao replaced the defensive general Lian Po with the inexperienced theorist Zhao Kuo, following a successful deception campaign by Qin’s Fan Ju. The narrative describes the catastrophic trap set by Qin’s…
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The reconciliation of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru [Warring States]
This article recounts the legendary reconciliation of General Lian Po and Chancellor Lin Xiangru during the Warring States period. It details how Lin Xiangru, despite being ranked above the veteran general, chose to yield the road rather than provoke conflict. When Lian Po learned that this “cowardice” was actually a strategy to preserve Zhao’s…
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The Unbroken Jade: Lin Xiangru [Warring States]
This article chronicles the heroic diplomacy of Lin Xiangru during the Warring States period. It details two pivotal events: the “Returning the Jade Intact to Zhao”, where Lin retrieved the legendary He Shi Bi from the treacherous Qin court, and the Meeting at Mianchi, where he used a clay pot to force the King…