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.
韓事秦三十餘年，出則為扞蔽，入則為蓆薦，秦特出銳師取韓地，而隨之怨懸於天下，功歸於強秦。且夫韓入貢職，與郡縣無異也。今臣竊聞貴臣之計，舉兵將伐韓。夫趙氏聚士卒，養從徒，欲贅天下之兵，明秦不弱，則諸侯必滅宗廟，欲西面行其意，非一日之計也。今釋趙之患，而攘內臣之韓，則天下明趙氏之計矣。夫韓、小國也，而以應天下四擊，主辱臣苦，上下相與同憂久矣。修守備，戒強敵，有蓄積、築城池以守固。今伐韓未可一年而滅，拔一城而退，則權輕於天下，天下摧我兵矣。韓叛則魏應之，趙據齊以為原，如此，則以韓、魏資趙假齊以固其從，而以與爭強，趙之福而秦之禍也。夫進而擊趙不能取，退而攻韓弗能拔，則陷銳之卒，懃於野戰，負任之旅，罷於內攻，則合群苦弱以敵而共二萬乘，非所以亡趙之心也。均如貴臣之計，則秦必為天下兵質矣。陛下雖以金石相弊，則兼天下之日未也。
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