昔秦、韓戮力一意以不相侵，天下莫敢犯，如此者數世矣。前時五諸侯嘗相與共伐韓，秦發兵以救之。韓居中國，地不能滿千里，而所以得與諸侯班位於天下、君臣相保者，以世世相教事秦之力也。先時五諸侯共伐秦，韓反與諸侯先為鴈行以嚮秦軍於關下矣。諸侯兵困力極，無奈何，諸侯兵罷。杜倉相秦，起兵發將以報天下之怨而先攻荊，荊令尹患之曰：「夫韓以秦為不義，而與秦兄弟共苦天下。已又背秦，先為鴈行以攻關。韓則居中國，展轉不可知。」天下共割韓上地十城以謝秦，解其兵。夫韓嘗一背秦而國迫地侵，兵弱至今；所以然者，聽姦臣之浮說，不權事實，故雖殺戮姦臣不能使韓復強。

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[1]In the past, Qin and Han united their forces with the aim of preventing each from offending against the other, and within All-Under-Heaven none dared violate our borders. This arrangement lasted for many generations. In former times, when the five sovereign lords[2] came together to attack Han, Qin dispatched troops to provide aid. Han is hemmed in by the central states and your territory cannot add up to more than ten thousand square li, but this arrangement ensured that the feudal lords would grant you a place among them within All-Under-Heaven. Lord and servant protect one another, and generations of Han ministers have taught and worked in Qin, augmenting our strength. At another time, when the five sovereign lords united to attack Qin, Han stood in opposition to them, leading our retaliation mission beyond the Pass[3]. Thus the forces of the sovereign lords were contained at their apogee, and had no choice but to abandon their efforts. When Du Cang[4] was chancellor of Qin, he raised troops and ordered their general to avenge Qin's wrongs upon All-Under-Heaven, beginning with an attack on Jing[5]. The Lord President of the Privy Council of Jing was worried, and said, "Han feels Qin's behaviour to be iniquitous, and yet they formed a brotherhood to bring misery to All-Under-Heaven, with Han later betraying Qin and leading the revenge attack on the Pass. Han being hemmed in by the central states, its twists and turns are ever unpredictable." All-Under-Heaven then united to give Han's ten northernmost forts to Qin by way of apology before disbanding their troops. Thus the one time that Han turned its back on Qin, your state was threatened and your lands violated - your army remains weak to this day. This situation arose because you listened to the vacillating arguments of treacherous advisors rather than weighing the facts - to such a point that even executing these advisors was insufficient to restore your strength.    

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今趙欲聚兵士卒，以秦為事，使人來借道，言欲伐秦，其勢必先韓而後秦。且臣聞之：『脣亡則齒寒。』夫秦、韓不得無同憂，其形可見。魏欲發兵以攻韓，秦使人將使者於韓。今秦王使臣斯來而不得見，恐左右襲曩姦臣之計，使韓復有亡地之患。臣斯不得見，請歸報，秦、韓之交必絕矣。斯之來使，以奉秦王之歡心，願效便計，豈陛下所以逆賤臣者邪？臣斯願得一見，前進道愚計，退就葅戮，願陛下有意焉。今殺臣於韓，則大王不足以強，若不聽臣之計，則禍必搆矣。秦發兵不留行，而韓之社稷憂矣。臣斯暴身於韓之市，則雖欲察賤臣愚忠之計，不可得已。邊鄙殘，國固守，鼓鐸之聲於耳，而乃用臣斯之計晚矣。且夫韓之兵於天下可知也，今又背強秦。夫棄城而敗軍，則反掖之寇必襲城矣。城盡則聚散，聚散則無軍矣。城固守，則秦必興兵而圍王一都，道不通，則難必謀，其勢不救，左右計之者不用，願陛下熟圖之。若臣斯之所言有不應事實者，願大王幸使得畢辭於前，乃就吏誅不晚也。

 

Now Zhao seeks to raise troops and mobilise officers[6], apparently with Qin as its target. It will send its envoys to beg a route through Han, saying that it wishes to attack Qin, but once granted it will certainly take advantage of this strategic position to turn on Han first, and only then attack Qin. Your servant has heard that "when the lips are gone the teeth grow cold". That neither Qin nor Han can sustain a misfortune without the other suffering likewise is plain to see. When Wei intended to dispatch troops to attack Han, Qin sent envoys of its own and ensured that it would send peace negotiators instead. Now the King of Qin[7] has sent me here, only to receive no audience. Hence our fear that Your Majesty has - as of old - fallen victim to the schemes of the nefarious advisors surrounding you, and our concern that you are once more about to place yourself on perilous ground. If you will not grant your servant an audience, I beg permission to return to Qin and report as much. Relations between Qin and Han will certainly be severed as a result. If I came here as an envoy, it was in order to present my king's sincere good wishes and work with you to elaborate the most effective strategy possible. Why would Your Majesty seek to avoid me? All I want is a single interview in order to present my simple plans. This done, may I be dragged out and torn to pieces should Your Majesty will it. If I am now killed in Han before Your Majesty has heard my stratagems, your strength will not be sufficient to prevent misfortune from overwhelming you. Qin will dispatch battalion after battalion to the distress of Han's altars of earth and grain[8]. Once my body has been exposed upon the marketplace in Han, then even should you wish to consider your humble servant's simple suggestions, it will be impossible to do so. When your borders have fallen and only the walls of the capital remain - when the sounds of Qin's drums and bells reach your ears[9] - then it will be too late for you to employ my advice. The nature of your military capacity is well-known throughout All-Under-Heaven, and once you have betrayed Qin, once your fortifications have been abandoned and your armies defeated, it will be your own rebels who overrun your cities. Once your fortified cities are gone, your people will scatter. Once your people have scattered, you have no more army. When all that remains are your capital walls, then Qin will certainly raise troops and surround your last remaining stronghold. With no way out, it will be difficult for you to carry out any plans at all. You will be beyond help. Even the best stratagem will be of no use to you. I hope Your Majesty will plan intensively for this. If, your servant's words in any way fail to correspond to reality, then I beg Your Majesty - before I have even finished my speech - to have me executed without delay.

秦王飲食不甘，遊觀不樂，意專在圖趙，使臣斯來言，願得身見，因急與陛下有計也。今使臣不通，則韓之信未可知也。夫秦必釋趙之患而移兵於韓，願陛下幸復察圖之，而賜臣報決。

The King of Qin neither relishes his meals nor his sight-seeing trips[10] - his attention is entirely monopolised by his designs on Zhao. Thus he sent me to speak here, hoping to obtain a personal interview as urgently as possible in order to share his strategies. If his envoy's mission does not succeed, he will have no reason to believe he can trust Han. In this case, Qin will certainly release Zhao from its toils and turn its troops towards Han, so I hope that Your Majesty will favour my plans with some consideration and do me the honour of furnishing a response.

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[1] This is the text of a memorial submitted to the King of Han (who had previously refused to speak to Li Si) in the wake of Si's dispute with Han Fei. The context can be found here. 

[2] I.e. Chu, Qi, Wei, Zhao and Yan.

[3] The Hangu Pass, which was the eastern border of Qin. It is located in modern Henan.

[4] This person is not otherwise well-known, but he may have served as chancellor after Lü Buwei.

[5] I.e. Chu.

[6] Liao suggests that 兵 may be superflous here.

[7] King Zheng of Qin (247-210 BCE) would later unify China and rule under the name Qin Shihuang.

[8] These represented the survival of the state.

[9] Liao suggests 盈於耳 for 於耳 here.

[10] An activity of which King Zheng was notably fond.