After Qin Shi Huang unified China by conquering the six warring states, he frequently toured his vast empire.
The Failed Assassination at Bolangsha
In the spring of 218 BCE, his grand procession arrived at Bolangsha (in present-day Henan Province). As the imperial convoy rounded a bend, a thunderous crash echoed through the air – a massive iron mace came flying out of nowhere and shattered one of the carriages. Qin Shi Huang happened to be in the lead carriage; a splintered piece of wood from the destroyed vehicle nearly struck him. Alarmed, the entire entourage halted immediately. Soldiers swiftly scoured the area and soon captured the assassin.
The First Emperor demanded that the mastermind behind the plot be found. Though the assassin refused to speak, in a moment of rage he inadvertently let slip a clue – before realizing his mistake and taking his own life to avoid further interrogation. From his fragmented words, officials deduced that the instigator was likely the son of a former Han minister. Qin Shi Huang issued an urgent warrant for the arrest of this “Han nobleman,” intensifying searches throughout the region. To evade capture, the young man changed his name to Zhang Liang – also known as Zhang Zifang.
A Nobleman’s Vow of Revenge
Zhang Liang hailed from a distinguished lineage: both his grandfather and father had served as chancellors of the now-defunct state of Han. When Han fell to Qin, Zhang was still young, but his resolve to avenge his homeland burned fiercely. He sold his family estate under the pretense of seeking scholarly education abroad – but in truth, he was hunting for an opportunity to assassinate the tyrant emperor. His quest led him to a formidable strongman willing to risk his life for the cause. This warrior wielded an iron mace weighing 120 jin (approximately 60 modern jin, since a Qin-Han jinequaled half a modern jin).
Tracking the emperor’s eastern tour, Zhang and his ally lay in ambush at Bolangsha. They hurled the mace with deadly intent – but missed the imperial carriage. The assassin was caught and killed himself, while Zhang fled southward, eventually reaching Xiapi (in modern Jiangsu Province). Though in hiding, Zhang used his remaining wealth to build friendships and continued plotting revenge. Within a year, he became locally renowned as a learned scholar – though no one suspected he was the fugitive Han prince behind the Bolangsha attack.
An Unexpected Teacher on the Bridge
One morning, while strolling alone, Zhang Liang came upon an old man sitting on a bridge. Clad in a plain yellow robe, the elder dangled one foot over the edge, rhythmically tapping his bare sole against the stone. As Zhang approached, the old man deliberately kicked off his shoe into the river below and called out, “Young man, fetch my shoe!”
Initially angered, Zhang softened upon seeing the elder’s snow-white beard, deeply lined face, and frail yet dignified presence. He descended to retrieve the shoe and returned it. But instead of taking it, the old man extended his foot and commanded, “Put it on for me.” Suppressing his annoyance, Zhang knelt and carefully slipped the shoe onto the elder’s foot.
To Zhang’s astonishment, the man merely smiled, stood up slowly, and walked away without a word of thanks. Intrigued by the elder’s unusual vigor and demeanor, Zhang followed him. After about half a mile, the old man turned and said, “You have promise. I shall teach you.” Recognizing wisdom when he saw it, Zhang immediately knelt and bowed, declaring, “I take you as my master.”
Lessons in Patience and Punctuality
The elder instructed Zhang to return to the bridge at dawn five days later. Zhang arrived early – but the old man was already waiting, furious: “How dare you keep an elder waiting?” Chastened, Zhang apologized and was told to return again in five more days.
On the second attempt, Zhang arrived at cockcrow – yet the elder was again there first, scolding him once more. Only on the third try, after spending the night awake and arriving at midnight, did Zhang finally meet his teacher before him. Pleased, the elder handed him a book and said, “Study this well, and you shall become a man of great wisdom.” Before Zhang could ask his name, the old man vanished into the pre-dawn mist.
At sunrise, Zhang opened the book to discover it was the Taigong’s Art of War – a legendary military treatise attributed to Jiang Ziya (also known as Taigong), strategist to King Wen of Zhou. From that day forward, Zhang immersed himself in its teachings, mastering its strategies while still watching closely for news of Qin Shi Huang.
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