In my view, Han Fei adorns his extravagant fallacies with polished writing and extremely sophisticated rhetoric. I fear Your Majesty may be misled by his eloquence and yield to his ulterior motives, failing to examine the true state of affairs carefully.
In my humble opinion: if Qin dispatches troops without publicly declaring whom it intends to attack, the leading ministers of Han will adopt a policy of submitting to Qin.
I, Li Si, ask permission to go and meet the King of Han, persuading him to come to Qin for an audience. When Your Majesty receives him, detain him and not send him back. Then gradually summon Han’s key state ministers, use them as bargaining chips to negotiate with Han, and large tracts of Han’s land can be ceded to Qin.
Next, order Xiang Wu to mobilize soldiers from the Eastern Commandery, station troops on the border without announcing their destination. The people of Qi will grow fearful and follow Jing Su’s diplomatic plan. In this way, without dispatching troops on a real campaign, the powerful Han will be subdued by military pressure, and the strong Qi will submit out of prudence.
When news spreads among the feudal lords, Zhao will be stricken with terror, and Chu will fall into hesitation, surely adopting a neutral and compliant stance. If Chu remains inactive, Wei will pose no threat at all. Thereafter, all feudal states can be gradually annexed one by one, and Qin will be fully capable of confronting Zhao head-on.
I earnestly beg Your Majesty to examine my humble strategy and not overlook it lightly.
Note
This text embodies the typical Legalist political craft: defame political rivals, lure and detain foreign rulers, use military posturing for psychological deterrence, and annex vassal states step by step to achieve hegemony.
Famous Legalist thinker from the royal clan of Han. He went to Qin to present political proposals, but was framed by Li Si as using fine rhetoric to cover hidden intentions favoring his home state Han.
Li Si
Prime Minister of Qin, Legalist statesman, fellow disciple of Han Fei. He slandered Han Fei and proposed aggressive diplomatic and military stratagems to annex the six eastern states.
King of Han
Ruler of the weak State of Han, easily pressured and lured into visiting Qin, becoming a potential hostage in Qin’s political scheme.
Xiang Wu
A Qin military general tasked with deploying border troops to display military intimidation.
Jing Su
A diplomat from Qin. King of Qin sent Jing Su as an envoy to the state of Qi, attempting to persuade Qi to break off diplomatic relations with Zhao in order to undermine the alliance of the six states.
Rhetorical Slander in Court Politics
Warring States ministers often attacked political rivals by accusing them of polished fallacies and hidden loyalty to their home states, to undermine the ruler’s trust.
Hostage Politics
Detaining foreign kings and high ministers as hostages was a common geopolitical tactic, used to force territorial concessions and political submission.
Military Intimidation Without Declaration
Stationing troops on borders without announcing targets was a classic ancient stratagem, designed to create psychological pressure and force neighboring states to yield without actual war.
Gradual Annexation Strategy
Legalist statecraft advocated silent intimidation, diplomatic coercion, and piecemeal land seizure instead of reckless full-scale war, slowly swallowing weaker states and isolating stronger ones.
臣視非之言，文其淫說，靡辯才甚。臣恐陛下淫非之辯而聽其盜心，因不詳察事情。今以臣愚議：秦發兵而未名所伐，則韓之用事者，以事秦為計矣。臣斯請往見韓王，使來入見，大王見、因內其身而勿遣，稍召其社稷之臣，以與韓人為市，則韓可深割也。因令象武發東郡之卒，闚兵於境上而未名所之，則齊人懼而從蘇之計，是我兵未出而勁韓以威擒，強齊以義從矣。聞於諸侯也，趙氏破膽，荊人狐疑，必有忠計。荊人不動，魏不足患也，則諸侯可蠶食而盡，趙氏可得與敵矣。願陛下幸察愚臣之計，無忽。
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