Han Feizi tells Li Chu warned Duke Mu: distant allies Jin and Chu can’t help Lu against nearby Qi. Distant water fails near fires.
Han Fei advises Qin: use diplomacy to win Chu/Wei, ally with Han, strike Zhao. War is risky; reckless moves isolate Qin and court disaster.
Ban Chao (32–102 CE) was a distinguished statesman, general, and diplomat of the Eastern Han dynasty. His courtesy name was Zhongsheng, and he was a native of Anling, Fufeng Commandery (in present-day northeastern Xianyang, Shaanxi). He is widely recognized as one of the key figures in reopening and securing the Silk Road during the…
This article explores the intense rivalry between the Vertical Alliance (Hezong) of Su Qin and the Horizontal Alliance (Lianheng) of Zhang Yi during the Warring States period. It details how Su Qin’s coalition of six states threatened Qin, only to be countered by Zhang Yi’s diplomatic stratagems that divided them. The narrative follows Su…
This article chronicles the rise of Su Qin, the architect of the “Vertical Alliance” (Hezong) during the Warring States period. It details his transformation from a penniless outcast – mocked by family and rejected by Qin – into a master strategist through the legendary discipline of “Suspension Beam, Pricking Thigh.” The narrative follows his…