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.
Han Fei warns Qin: attacking loyal, weak Han is a mistake. Ignore Zhao’s threat, drain strength, empower rivals, and risk unification failure.
Han Fei cites history: brute force fails without wisdom. Qin has unmatched strength; he risks death to offer strategies to break alliances and unify China.
Han Fei blames Qin’s ministers for three blunders: sparing collapsing Zhao, failing to take Handan, wasting strength. Now Qin is weak, rivals unite.
Han Fei mocks the anti-Qin alliance. Poor governance, empty treasuries, and unenforced rewards/punishments make them weak, destined to fail against Qin.
This article narrates the legendary assassination attempt on King Zheng of Qin (later Qin Shi Huang) by Jing Ke in 227 BCE. It details the background of the Warring States period, where Crown Prince Dan of Yan, desperate to stop Qin’s conquest, recruited Jing Ke to infiltrate Xianyang. The narrative highlights the dramatic plot:…
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…
This article narrates the tragic downfall of King Huai of Chu during the Warring States period. It details how his trust in Qin’s diplomacy led to his undoing: he was deceived by Zhang Yi over false land promises, manipulated by royal intermarriage, and finally lured into a trap at the Wuguan Summit in 299…