by Han Fei
Long ago, Duke Wu of Zheng wanted to attack the State of Hu.
So he first married his daughter to the ruler of Hu to please and reassure him.
Then he asked his ministers: “I wish to use military force; which state can we attack?”
A minister named Guan Qisi replied: “We can attack Hu.”
Duke Wu flew into a rage and had him executed, saying:
“Hu is a brother state to us. Why do you speak of attacking it?”
When the ruler of Hu heard this, he believed Zheng was friendly toward him and therefore stopped guarding against Zheng.
The Zheng army then launched a surprise attack on Hu and conquered it.
Note
Duke Wu of Zheng
A ruler of the State of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn Period, known for being shrewd, scheming, and ruthless in politics and military strategy.
Guan Qisi
A minister of Zheng who spoke frankly but naively, not understanding the duke’s hidden plot, and was sacrificed as part of the deception.
Ruler of Hu
King of the small state of Hu, who was credulous and negligent in defense, leading to his country’s downfall.
Han Fei
A major Legalist philosopher of the Warring States Period. He used this story to illustrate political stratagems, deception, and the danger of overconfidence.
Political marriage
Marrying royal women to other rulers was a common diplomatic tool in ancient China to build alliances or disguise hostile intentions.
Legalist view of statecraft
Han Fei emphasized that for rulers, achieving state interests often required cunning, strict control, and disregard for personal morality or sentiment.
昔者郑武公欲伐胡，故先以其女妻胡君，以娱其意。因问于群臣：”吾欲用兵，谁可伐者？”大夫关其思对曰：”胡可伐。”武公怒而戮之，曰：”胡，兄弟之国也，子言伐之，何也？”胡君闻之，以郑为亲己，遂不备郑。郑人袭胡，取之。
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