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Now I offer my humble strategy: send envoys to the State of Chu, lavish generous gifts on its influential ministers, and clarify how Zhao has deceived Qin. Exchange hostages with Wei to calm its intentions, then align with Han to campaign against Zhao. Even if Zhao unites with Qi, it will pose no grave…
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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…
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Moreover, I have heard an old saying: Be cautious and trembling in mind, growing more prudent day by day. If one upholds the right way with caution, the whole realm may be obtained.
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The State of Zhao lay in the central plain, a land inhabited by mixed peoples. Its folk were frivolous and hard to command. Its government decrees were ill‑regulated, rewards and punishments lacked credibility, its terrain offered no strategic advantage, and its ruler could not fully mobilize the strength of the people. Zhao already bore…
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I have heard that the feudal states secretly favor Yan and side with Wei, ally with Chu and stabilize Qi, win over Han to form the vertical alliance. They intend to march westward to confront the powerful State of Qin, yet I secretly laugh at their attempt.
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Brief: 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…
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Brief: 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…
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Introduction: 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…