Duke Wen of Teng asked Mencius: “Teng is a small state, squeezed between the great powers of Qi and Chu. Should we submit to Qi, or align ourselves with Chu?”
After Qi conquered Yan, the feudal lords began plotting to rescue Yan. Alarmed, King Xuan of Qi asked Mencius, “Many states are now scheming to attack me – what should I do?”
When the state of Qi invaded and defeated Yan, King Xuan asked Mencius: “Some advise me not to annex Yan; others urge me to take it. We, a great state of ten thousand chariots, conquered another great state in just fifty days – surely this is Heaven’s will! If I refuse to take it,…
Mencius went to see King Xiang of Liang. Coming out from the interview, he said to his companion, “When I looked at him from a distance, he did not appear to be a sovereign; when I came up to him, I found nothing about him that inspired respect. “
Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang, who said, “Venerable sir, you have traveled a thousand miles to see me – surely you must have some way to benefit my state?”
This article recounts the ingenious stratagem of Ru Er, a scholar of the Warring States period, who single-handedly saved the small kingdom of Wey from annihilation by Wei in 311 BCE. Facing a superior army, Ru Er employed a masterful three-stage psychological operation. He first convinced the warmongering minister, Chengling Jun, that mercy was…
This article details the final military campaigns that led to the Qin unification of China in 221 BCE. It chronicles the systematic destruction of the rival states—starting with the punitive campaign against Yan and the strategic flooding of Wei’s capital. The narrative highlights the pivotal clash with Chu, where veteran general Wang Jian secured…
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:…