In the chaotic Warring States period, strength was important and strategy was indispensable. No matter how powerful Qin is, if it does not use strategies well, it will not be able to dominate the world in the end. Because there are too many vassal states, if they unite to besiege Qin, Qin will definitely be unable to defeat it. Strength sets the stage for political struggle, and political tactics are wonderful performances on the stage. Su Qin is an outstanding "actor".
Su Qin was a native of Luoyang (now Luoyang, Henan) in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. In order to study, Su Qin sold his property and left Luoyang to study at Guiguzi. Living in a law-abiding environment, Su Qin's behavior was simply daring the world's disapproval. His parents, brothers, sister-in-law and even his wife disapproved of his actions.
Guiguzi had already educated Pang Juan and Sun Bin, two military masters who were galloping around the world. Su Qin firmly believed that as long as he learned a skill from Guiguzi, he would definitely achieve something and leave his name in history.
Su Qin, who returned from studying at Guiguzi, decided to show off his talents and set his sights on the increasingly powerful Qin State.
It was difficult to pay homage to Duke Xiao of Qin in the past, but it is even harder to pay homage to King Qin Hui now because Qin has become stronger. In order to meet Duke Xiao of Qin, Shang Yang turned to eunuchs for help; in order to meet King Qin Hui, who was even more difficult to see, Su Qin spent a lot of money on personnel.
When he met King Qin for the first time, Su Qin eagerly expressed his views. He said that the Qin State occupies areas such as Ba, Shu, and Han, with fertile soil and rich products; its war horses come from foreign tribes in the north, can travel thousands of miles a day, and are good at conquering; in the south, there are Wushan and Qianzhong as barriers to defend against foreign enemies; Dangerous fortresses such as Hangu Pass - these are great conditions for Qin to dominate the world.
Su Qin was eloquent and eloquent. He actually just wanted to express one idea. With the strength of Qin, it was more than enough to dominate the world. As long as King Qin Hui agreed and adopted his strategy, he would be able to dominate the world.
Shang Yang had just been punished by splitting his chariot, so Su Qin's thoughts were no different from Shang Yang's, so naturally they would not be recognized by King Hui.
King Hui of Qin used his old qualifications and said that if the feathers are not plump, one cannot fly high, if the laws are not complete, rewards and punishments cannot be implemented, and a king with low moral character cannot rule the people. Political education should be in line with the will of God and the will of the people. He was very grateful to Su Qin for traveling thousands of miles to come for advice, but considering the current situation, it was best to put the matter of conquering the world on hold for the time being.
In order to meet King Qin Hui, Su Qin spent a lot of effort and personnel, so naturally he would not give up easily. At this time, Su Qin said that before he met King Qin Hui, he had thought that King Qin Hui might not adopt his suggestion. But "one general succeeds and ten thousand bones wither away." If a country wants to dominate the world, it will not work without war. Shennong attacked Busui, Huangdi attacked Chiyou, Tang Yao banished Huandou, Yushun attacked Sanmiao, Xia Yu attacked Gonggong, and Shang Tang destroyed Xia Jie. These are all living examples of fighting for domination of the world.
Shang Yang made people resentful, and Su Qin immediately advocated war. Doesn't this destroy social peace? King Qin Hui thought about it and his face became increasingly ugly. But Su Qin didn't notice this, and still kept talking: "If the monarch wants to dominate the world, he must recruit death squads and form an invincible team. On the road to dominance, he encounters powerful countries fighting against powerful countries, and encounters When a weak country destroys a weak country, we must not be merciful, let alone be soft-hearted." Su Qin concluded that only with strong military power as the backing, the people will surrender, other countries will submit, and the king will have authority.
Su Qin's domineering skills were more explosive. King Qin Hui couldn't tolerate Shang Yang, so naturally he couldn't tolerate Su Qin.
Since Su Qin was a disciple of Gui Guzi, a famous scholar at that time, he could stay in the capital of Qin at will. Su Qin is not only talented but also has perseverance. After the first lobbying failed, he did not give up and wrote more than 10 sincere memorials, hoping to be appreciated by King Qin Hui.
Su Qin didn't stay in Qin for long, and he spent all his money, including food and accommodation.
In order to persuade King Qin Hui, Su Qin staked the rest of his life, but in the end he came up empty-handed, which was very heartbreaking. During these days in the Qin State, Su Qin even wore out his precious sable fur coat in order to write a memorial and submit it. Looking at the broken clothes, Su Qin thought of his passionate heart, which was frozen by the incompetent King Qin Hui and finally shattered.
Frustrated in life and penniless, Su Qin had to leave the capital of Qin.
"Warring States Policy" records that Su Qin failed in lobbying King Qin Hui. "He was walking on stilts, carrying books and ladles. His appearance was haggard, his face was black and black, and his appearance was dull" ("Warring States Policy·Qin Policy One"). That is to say, Su Qin tied his calves with rags, wore straw sandals, carried books on his back, and carried a load on his shoulders. He looked haggard, his face was charred, his bag was empty, and he was extremely guilty, and he returned home step by step.
Su Qin walked home from Qin State. He had been walking for several months at least and was exhausted. After failing in his career, he originally wanted to gain the warmth of his family, but who would have thought that his family would look down on him when they saw him coming back in such a mess. When his wife saw Su Qin come back, she continued to weave and regarded Su Qin as if he had nothing. When her sister-in-law cooked, everyone had a share, except Su Qin's. Su Qin turned to look at his parents, who ate their own food without looking at Su Qin. The attitude of his relatives greatly stimulated Su Qin, and he was determined to do something big.
Su Qin learned from the painful experience and decided to study hard. After numerous selections, Su Qin selected Jiang Taigong's book "Yin Fu" as his must-read book. Jiang Taigong used a straight hook to fish, and his behavior was fishing, but his purpose was to catch the king of Zhou. The king of Zhou reused Jiang Taigong and finally achieved hegemony. Su Qin chose this book because in addition to the practical knowledge in the book, he also admired Jiang Taigong's career.
"Yin Fu" is an ancient book with simple language but profound meaning. Reading this kind of book can be said to be a matter of taste and wisdom, which is a great test for those who read the book. Su Qin studied "Yin Fu" carefully and studied it day and night without slacking off at all.
He often studied until late at night. In order to have more time to study, he often prepared an awl. When he dozed off, he would use the awl to prick his thigh. He used the pain to wake himself up and keep reading.
After more than a year of suffering from a cone stabbing his leg and bleeding to the point of bleeding, Su Qin learned the "Yin Fu" and decided to enter the world again. "Warring States Policy" records that after Su Qin completed his studies, he said: "This can really be said to be the king of the world!" This means that Su Qin has real abilities and can move freely in the world.
After completing his studies, Su Qin decided to be born again and realize his ambition. However, he had no money to travel, so he had to go through all kinds of hardships and borrow 100 yuan from his neighbor. Others regard Su Qin as a jobless vagrant, so one can imagine how difficult it is to borrow money.
Su Qin has since embarked on a difficult road of lobbying.
When Su Qin completed his studies, Wei had been reduced to a second-rate country and was no match for Qin. Considering that only Zhao State was the most convenient and powerful to compete with Qin State, Su Qin went to lobby.
It is a pity that Zhao is a country that looks strong but is actually very corrupt. The king of Zhao, Zhao Suhou, was a nepotist and appointed his incompetent brother as the prime minister, known as Fengyang Jun. Fengyang Jun didn't understand military affairs and only liked beautiful words. He neither understood nor was interested in Su Qin's tricks.
Feeling disappointed, Su Qin left Zhao State and braved the wind and snow all the way north to the small Yan State. Su Qin waited for more than a year before meeting the pampered King Yan.
It is difficult to see the King of Yan because Yan is located in the north and is not threatened by the powerful Qin. If the country is free from foreign aggression, the monarch will not be so eager for talents. The King of Yan at this time was Marquis Wen of Yan. Su Qin grasped this key point and talked about it nonstop.
From the geographical point of view, Yan State has Liaodong in the east, Linhu and Loufan in the north, Yunzhong and Jiuyuan in the west, and Hutuo and Yishui in the south. Yishui is the place that became famous after the knight Jing Ke crossed it. These are all small countries and tribes and do not pose a threat to Yan State.
In terms of military strength, the Yan State has hundreds of thousands of troops, more than 600 chariots, more than 6,000 war horses, and enough food reserves to last for several years. The Yan State has a small territory, many soldiers, and sufficient food reserves. The monarch does not have to worry about the disaster of national subjugation.
Besides, the Jieshi and Yanmen areas in the south of Yan State are very fertile; the soil in the north is not good, but it is rich in red dates and chestnuts. Su Qin joked that even if Yan's crops failed, the people would not starve to death if they only ate red dates and chestnuts.
The Yan State was able to stay in peace and avoid the disaster of war, all because the powerful Zhao State unintentionally acted as a barrier. Su Qin said that Qin and Zhao fought five wars, and Qin only won twice, while Zhao won three times, with both sides suffering casualties. Qin and Zhao fought, and both sides suffered losses. The Yan State watched silently, and it can be said that it was reaping the benefits, because Qin and Zhao were weakened and had no time to attack the Yan State.
If the Qin State attacks the Yan State, the army must pass through Yunzhong and Jiuyuan, cross Daijun and Shanggu, and travel thousands of miles, which is not cost-effective. Even if the Qin army occupies Yan State, it may not be able to hold it because there is a powerful Zhao State between Yan and Qin. Qin wanted to dominate the world, and Zhao also had the same idea. If the Qin army went on an expedition, Zhao would not take it lightly, and would definitely take the opportunity to weaken Qin. Therefore, Qin is not a foreign invasion of Yan, and Yan should not focus its worries on Qin.
After the rise of Qin, it looked covetously at other countries. Marquis Wen of Yan was afraid of being attacked by Qin, so he wanted to make friends with Qin and let Qin protect Yan.
The main purpose of Lian Heng is to "make one strong to attack the weak". If the Yan State serves a strong Qin, it will unintentionally contribute to the hegemony of a strong Qin. In order to destroy the strong Qin, Su Qin adopted a joint strategy, that is, "uniting the weak to attack the strong". The "strong" here refers to Qin, and the "weak" refers to all countries other than the strong Qin, even including those established by ethnic minorities. Zhongshan Kingdom.
After successfully diverting Yan Wenhou's attention, Su Qin focused his attention on Zhao Guo. Su Qin said that the State of Zhao borders the State of Yan. Once a war broke out, hundreds of thousands of Zhao State's troops would immediately gather in the border area of Donghuan (today's east of Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province) and cross Hutuo and Yishui one after another. Within half a month, the capital of the State of Yan would be destroyed. Must be trapped.
Su Qin's words successfully created the impression that Yan was sandwiched between the two powerful countries of Qin and Zhao. The State of Qin is the sibling trouble of the State of Yan, which is not to be feared; the State of Zhao is the trouble of the State of Yan's confidants, which is worrying. Su Qin's mist was successfully dispersed, and Yan Wenhou suddenly discovered that there was a fierce tiger lying next to his couch, and he couldn't help but be afraid.
At this time, Su Qin told King Yan that if the Yan State participated in the joint vertical plan, the joint vertical countries would be united into one, their strength would be greatly increased, and they would definitely be able to compete with the powerful Qin.
When Marquis Wen of Yan heard about the alliance strategy, he smiled happily and said that Zhao, Qi, and Chu were all big countries and posed a great threat to Yan. If these countries all participated in the alliance, Yan would be safe and sound.
After successfully persuading the State of Yan to participate in the joint policy, Su Qin's life began to change. Marquis Wen of Yan handed over the prime minister's seal to Su Qin, and gave him a large number of chariots, horses, money, and treasures. He ordered Su Qin to lobby the State of Zhao and strive to realize the alliance.
