齊一 THE STRATAGEMS OF QI I (A)
楚威王戰勝於徐州
King Wei of Chu Fights and Wins At XuZhou
楚威王戰勝於徐州，欲逐嬰子於齊。嬰子恐，張丑謂楚王曰：「王戰勝於徐州也，盼子不用也。盼子有功於國，百姓為之用。嬰子不善，而用申縳。申縳者，大臣與百姓弗為用，故王勝之也。今嬰子逐，盼子必用。復整其士卒以與王遇，必不便於王也。」楚王因弗逐。
King Wei of Chu[1] fought and won at Xuzhou[2], and wished to have Master Ying[3] expelled from Qi. Master Ying was afraid. Zhang Chou[4] spoke to the King of Chu, saying: "If your Majesty fought and won at Xuzhou, it was because they did not employ Master Pan[5]. Master Pan has achieved great things in his state[6], and the hundred clans have placed themselves entirely at his disposal. Master Ying does not care for him, and employed Shen Zhuan[7]. As for Shen Zhuan, the great servants of the state and the hundred clans[8] refuse to place themselves at his disposal, therefore you secured victory over him. Now if Master Ying is expelled[9], Master Pan will certainly be employed again. He will reorganise Qi's military units and use them to meet Your Majesty in battle; it will certainly not go easy for you." The King of Chu ensured that Master Ying would not be expelled.
[1] King Wei of Chu (339–329 BCE) enjoyed a quiet reign.
[2] Xuzhou is still called Xuzhou, and is in Jiangsu. The battle was against Qi.
[3] Tian Ying, who was a high-ranking member of the Qi royal house and held lands around Xuzhou at the time.
[4] Zhang Chou crops up repeatedly throughout the book as an active member of Tian Ying's entourage.
[5] Tian Pan, another distinguished member of Qi's ruling family. He led Qi's armies to several significant victories, before being defeated by Chu at Xuzhou.
[6] I.e. for Qi. The commentaries suggest reading 國而 for 國.
[7] Shen Zhuan was a Qi General.
[8] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear.
[9] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear.
[7] Presumably because the Qi rank and file did not feel motivated by gratitude to do a particularly good job for him.
齊將封田嬰於薛
Qi Intends to Grant Tian Ying Lands in Xue
齊將封田嬰於薛。楚王聞之，大怒，將伐齊。齊王有輟志。公孫閈曰：「封之成與不，非在齊也，又將在楚。閈說楚王，令其欲封公也又甚於齊。」嬰子曰：「願委之於子。」
Qi intended to grant Tian Ying[1] land in Xue[2]. The King of Chu[3] heard of this, grew extremely angry, and intended to attack Qi. The King of Qi[4] resolved to stop him. Gongsun Han[5] said, "The success or failure of this land grant lies not in Qi but in Chu. I will go and persuade the King of Chu. I will make him want to grant Your Lordship the land even more than Qi does."
Master Ying said, "I wish to entrust you with this commission."
公孫閈為謂楚王曰：「魯、宋事楚而齊不事者，齊大而魯、宋小。王獨利魯、宋之小，不惡齊大何也？夫齊削地而封田嬰，是其所以弱也。願勿止。」楚王曰：「善。」因不止。
Gongsun Han spoke to the King of Chu on his behalf[6], saying, "If Lu and Song are serving Chu's interests, and Qi is not, it is because Qi is big and Lu and Song are small. Do you intend only to profit from the degradation of Lu and Song, without begrudging the growth of Qi? If Qi[7] cedes land as a grant to Tian Ying, then it will be weakening itself. I hope you will not prevent this."
The King of Chu said. "Very well." As a result he did not prevent it.
[1] Tian Ying was a high-ranking member of the Qi royal house and held lands near the Qi-Chu border at the time.
[2] Xue was in the area of Tengzhou, in modern Shandong.
[3] King Qingxiang of Chu (298–263 BCE) was the son of King Huai, and ascended the throne while his father was still held prisoner in Qin.
[4] King Xuan of Qi (319–301 BCE) is best known for receiving advice from Mencius and establishing the Jixia Academy.
[5] Gongsun Han served in the entourage of Tian Ying, and later under his son, Lord Mengchang.
[6] According to the commentaries 為 here may be superfluous. In this case, the sentence would read "Gongsun Han spoke to the King of Chu, saying".
[7] Reading 齊之 for 齊, per the commentaries.
靖郭君將城薛
Lord Jingguo Intends Fortify Xue
靖郭君將城薛，客多以諫。靖郭君謂謁者，旡為客通。齊人有請者曰：「臣請三言而已矣！益一言，臣請烹。」靖郭君因見之。客趨而進曰：「海大魚。」因反走。君曰：「客有於此。」客曰：「鄙臣不敢以死為戲。」君曰：「亡，更言之。」對曰：「君不聞大魚乎？網不能止，鉤不能牽，蕩而失水，則螻蟻得意焉。今夫齊，亦君之水也。君長有齊陰，奚以薛為？夫齊，雖隆薛之城到於天，猶之無益也。」君曰：「善。」乃輟城薛。
Lord Jingguo[1] intended to fortify Xue[2], but his entourage put forward many criticisms[3]. Lord Jingguo told his footmen not to allow any of them in to discuss the matter. A person from Qi pleaded, saying, "I beg permission to say three words, and that will be enough! If I add one more word, I beg to be boiled alive." As a result Lord Jingguo granted him an audience. The guest hurried in and said, "Big sea fish." Then he turned to leave.
Lord Jingguo said, "You must have more than that."
The guest said, "Your humble servant is not brave enough to die as the punchline of a joke."
Lord Jingguo said, "You will not. Speak on."
The guest replied, "Has Your Lordship not heard about the the big fish? Nets could not stop it, hooks could not reel it in, but once the water it floated in was drained away, then grasshoppers and ants could do what they liked with it. Now Qi is Your Lordship's pond. As long as you hold sway and are sheltered by Qi[4], why would you need Xue? If you lose Qi[5], then even if you build the walls of Xue up to the sky, you will gain nothing."
Lord Jingguo said, "Very well." Accordingly he stopped building walls in Xue.
[1] Lord Jingguo was the title given to Tian Ying, a high-ranking member of the Qi royal house and the father of Lord Mengchang.
[2] Xue was in the area of Tengzhou, in modern Shandong.
[3] Because it will make the King of Qi suspect that Lord Jingguo is trying to go into business on his own account.
[4] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear.
[5] Reading 失 for 夫, as in the Han Feizi version. The commentaries disagree regarding the reading of this sentence, but this seems like a plausible interpretation.
靖郭君謂齊王
Lord Jingguo Speaks to the King of Qi
靖郭君謂齊王曰：「五官之計，不可不日聽也而數覽。」王曰：「說五而厭之。」今與靖郭君。
Lord Jingguo[1] spoke to the King of Qi[2], saying, "It is unacceptable that the books of the Five Officials are not audited daily with multiple checks."
The King said, "If you tell me to do five a day then I'll come to loathe the job."[3] He had Lord Jingguo do it[4].
[1] Lord Jingguo was the title given to Tian Ying, a high-ranking member of the Qi royal house and the father of Lord Mengchang.
[2] King Wei of Qi (356–320 BCE) was widely recognised as a capable ruler.
[3] The commentaries disagree with the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear.
[4] Reading 令 for 今, per the commentaries. The point of this persuasion is not necessarily clear to a modern reader. Whoever audited the books of the state's officials was King in all but name. Lord Jingguo is set on making the process as painful as possible for King Wei, with the aim of having it delegated onto him, whereupon he will have full control over the entire civil service machinery.
靖郭君善齊貌辨
Lord Jingguo Indulges Qimao Bian
靖郭君善齊貌辨。齊貌辨之為人也多疵，門人弗說。士尉以証靖郭君，靖郭君不聽，士尉辭而去。孟嘗君又竊以諫，靖郭君大怒曰：「剗而類，破吾家。苟可慊齊貌辨者，吾無辭為之。」於是舍之上舍，令長子御，旦暮進食。
Lord Jingguo[1] indulged Qimao Bian[2]. Qimao Bian was feckless by nature[3] and the hangers-on at Lord Jingguo's gate were not happy. Shi Wei[4] argued as much, but Lord Jingguo would not listen. Shi Wei excused himself and left. Lord Mengchang[5] privately remonstrated with Lord Jingguo, and he grew extremely annoyed, saying, "Wipe out my lineage and ruin my household, if it brings satisfaction to Qimao Bian, I will not hesitate!" Accordingly, he had Qimao Bian lodged in the best guest rooms, ordering his own oldest son[6] to wait upon him[7], bringing him food morning and evening.
數年，威王薨，宣王立。靖郭君之交，大不善於宣王，辭而之薛，與齊貌辨俱留。無幾何，齊貌辨辭而行，請見宣王。靖郭君曰：「王之不說嬰甚，公往必得死焉。」齊貌辨曰：「固不求生也，請必行。」靖郭君不能止。齊貌辨行至齊，宣王聞之，藏怒以待之。齊貌辨見宣王，王曰：「子，靖郭君之所聽愛夫！」齊貌辨曰：「愛則有之，聽則無有。王之方為太子之時，辨謂靖郭君曰：『太子相不仁，過頤豕視，若是者信反。不若廢太子，更立衛姬嬰兒郊師。』靖郭君泣而曰：『不可，吾不忍也。』若聽辨而為之，必無今日之患也。此為一。至於薛，昭陽請以數倍之地易薛，辨又曰：『必聽之。』靖郭君曰：『受薛於先王，雖惡於後王，吾獨謂先王何乎！且先王之廟在薛，吾豈可以先王之廟與楚乎！』又不肯聽辨。此為二。」宣王大息，動於顏色，曰：「靖郭君之於寡人一至此乎！寡人少，殊不知此。客肯為寡人來靖郭君乎？」齊貌辨對曰：「敬諾。」
After some years, King Wei[8] passed away and King Xuan[9] took the throne. Lord Jingguo's relations with King Xuan were extremely bad, so he made his excuses and left for Xue[10], where he intended to stay with Qimao Bian. Not long after, Qimao Bian went to take his leave, intending to beg an audience with King Xuan. Lord Jingguo said, "The King is profoundly unhappy with me. If you go, you will certainly end up dead."
Qimao Bian said, "I do not seek to go on living, I am begging permission because I must go." Lord Jingguo could not stop him.
Qimao Bian travelled to Qi, and King Xuan heard that he had arrived. Containing his anger, he waited. When Qi Maobian came to see him, the King said, "Master Qi, the man loved and obeyed by Lord Jingguo!"
Qimao Bian said, "I am loved, but not obeyed. When Your Majesty was still the Crown Prince, I spoke to Lord Jingguo, saying, 'The Crown Prince does not seem benevolent; you can see he has the jowls of a pig. Someone like this will betray your trust. It would be better to get rid of this Crown Prince and replace him with Consort Wey's[11] boy, Jiaoshi[12].' Lord Jingguo wept and said, 'Impossible, I would not be able to endure it.' If he had listened to me and proceeded accordingly, then he would not be suffering such troubles today. This was the first incident. When he arrived in Xue, Zhao Yang[13] begged him to accept lands several times larger in exchange for Xue, and once again I said, 'You should listen to him.' But Lord Jingguo said, 'I received Xue from the former King[14]. Even if I am hated by his successor, how could I justify this to the former King[15]? Moreover, the former King's shrine is in Xue; how could I give the former King's shrine to Chu?' Once again he was unwilling to listen to me. That makes two times."
King Xuan gave a long sigh, and his expression changed. He said, "So that is Lord Jingguo's position towards us! We are young and we were outstandingly unaware. Would you be willing to bring Lord Jingguo back for us?"
Qimao Bian replied, "I respectfully assent."
靖郭君衣威王之衣，冠舞其劍，宣王自迎靖郭君於郊，望之而泣。靖郭君至，因請相之。靖郭君辭，不得已而受。七日，謝病強辭。靖郭君辭不得，三日而聽。
Lord Jingguo dressed in King Wei's livery, put on his cap and slid his sword through his belt[16]. King Xuan went personally to welcome Lord Jingguo on the outskirts of the capital, and upon seeing him broke down in tears. After Lord Jingguo had arrived, the King took advantage of this to invite him to serve as Chancellor. Lord Jingguo protested, but finally had no choice but to accept[17]. After seven days, he gave the excuse of illness and firmly renounced the position. After three days, the King agreed[18].
當是時，靖郭君可謂能自知人矣！能自知人，故人非之不為沮。此齊貌辨之所以外生樂患趣難者也。
This episode shows that Lord Jingguo could be described as capable when it came to appraising human nature. Because he was capable of appraising human nature, he was not put off by others' ciriticisms. That was the reason why Qimao Bian was willing to set aside his own life for Lord Jingguo, being happy to suffer for him and and help him surmount his difficulties.
[1] Lord Jingguo was the title given to Tian Ying, a high-ranking member of the Qi royal house.
[2] Qi Maobian is known principally via this story. The commentaries suggest that he may also have been known as Kun Bian (昆辯).
[3] Following the interpretation given by the commentaries.
[4] Shi Wei is known only via this story.
[5] Tian Wen, Lord Mengchang was Lord Jingguo's son, and a star of the Qi military bureaucracy.
[6] Lord Mengchang's elder brother.
[7] Reading 御之 for 御, per the commentaries.
[8] King Wei of Qi (356–320 BCE) was the father of Tian Ying and the grandfather of Tian Wen. He enjoyed a successful reign and was well-respected.
[9] King Xuan of Qi (319–301 BCE) is best known for receiving advice from Mencius and establishing the Jixia Academy. He was also Tian Ying's half-brother.
[10] ] Xue was in the area of Tengzhou, in modern Shandong.
[11] This person is not otherwise well-known.
[12] This person is not otherwise well-known.
[13] Zhao Yang was Chancellor of Chu.
[14] It is not clear which King is referenced here. Elsewhere it is implied that the fiefdom of Xue was not bestowed upon the family until the reign of King Min, who followed King Xuan.
[15] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear.
[16] Reading 帶 for 舞, per the commentaries.
[17] Reading 受之 for 受, per the commentaries.
[18] According to the commentaries 靖郭君辭不得 here is superfluous.
邯鄲之難
Trouble in Handan
邯鄲之難，趙求救於齊。田侯召大臣而謀曰：「救趙孰與勿救？」鄒子曰：「不如勿救。」段干綸〔五〕曰：「弗救，則我〔六〕不利。」田侯曰：「何哉？」「夫魏氏兼邯鄲，其於齊何利哉！」田侯曰：「善。」乃起兵，曰：「軍於邯鄲之郊。」段干綸曰：「臣之求利且不利者，非此也。夫救邯鄲，軍於其郊，是趙不拔而魏全也。故不如南攻襄陵以弊魏，邯鄲拔而承魏之弊，是趙破而魏弱也。」田侯曰：「善。」乃起兵南攻襄陵。七月，邯鄲拔。齊因承魏之弊，大破之桂陵。
During the trouble in Handan[1], Zhao requested aid from Qi. Marquis Tian[2] summoned his principal private secretaries to plan, saying, "Would it be better to help Zhao or to refrain?"
Master Zou[3] said, "Better refrain."
Duangan Lun[4] said, "If we do not help we will not profit."
Marquis Tian said, "How so?"
Duangan Lun replied[5], "If the House of Wei annexes Handan[6], why would this benefit Qi?"
Marquis Tian said, "Very well." Consequently troops were raised and stationed in suburbs of Handan.
Duan Ganlun said, "When your servant said that helping is more profitable than not helping, I did not mean in this way. If we help Handan by stationing troops in the suburbs, then Zhao will not be seized and Wei will also remain whole. Therefore, it would be better to attack Xiangling[8] in the South and thereby exhaust the Wei army. If Handan falls, we can exploit Wei's exhaustion. This way Zhao will be broken and Wei left weakened."
Marquis Tian said, "Very well." Accordingly an army was raised and sent South to attack Xiangling. After seven months, Handan was seized. Qi took advantage and exploited Wei's exhaustion to launch a large-scale attack on Guiling[9].
[1] This refers to an episode when Handan was beseiged by Wei, not the Qin seige described in earlier chapters.
[2] According to commentaries this was actually King Xuan of Qi (319–301 BCE).
[3] Zou Ji was Chancellor of Qi, he engaged in successful legal reforms and strengthened the state.
[4] Duangan Lun was a politician and general in Qi. Elsewhere, this strategy is attributed to Sun Bin.
[5] Reading 對曰「夫魏氏兼 for 「夫魏氏兼, per the commentaries.
[6] Handan was the capital of Zhao. It is still called Handan, and is in Hebei.
[7] Reading 甲 for 曰, per the commentaries.
[8] Xiangling was in what is now Xiangfen County, Shanxi. At the time it belonged to Wei.
[9] This was the Battle of Guiling in 354 BCE, the story of which is very famous. Guiling is now Changyuan in Henan.
南梁之難
Trouble in Nanliang
南梁之難，韓氏請救於齊。田侯召大臣而謀曰：「早救之，孰與晚救之便？張丐對曰：「晚救之，韓且折而入於魏，不如早救之。」田臣思曰：「不可。夫韓、魏之兵未弊，而我救之，我代韓而受魏之兵，顧反聽命於韓也。且夫魏有破韓之志，韓見且亡，必東愬於齊。我因陰結韓之親，而晚承魏之弊，則國可重，利可得，名可尊矣。」田侯曰：「善。」乃陰告韓使者而遣之。
During the trouble in Nanliang[1] the House of Han requested help from Qi. Marquis Tian[2] summoned his principal private secretaries to plan, saying, "Would it be more convenient to help them immediately or delay?"
Zhang Gai[3] said, "If we wait to help them they will cut off relations with us and turn to Wei. It would be better to help them immediately.
Tian Chensi[4] said, "We cannot do it. The armies of Han and Wei are not yet exhausted. If we help them, we will just be absorbing Wei's attacks on Han's behalf while looking to Han for our orders. Moreover, Wei is determined to destroy Han. If Han sees that it is about to be exterminated, it will certainly turn eastwards and inform Qi of the fact. We can take advantage of this to form secret ties and grow close to Han, and then wait to profit from Wei's exhaustion. Then our state can increase its influence, gain profits and ensure that its name will be respected."
Marquis Tian said, "Very well." Accordingly he made secret promises to Han's envoy, and then sent him off.
韓自以專有齊國，五戰五不勝，東愬於齊，齊因起兵擊魏，大破之馬陵。魏破韓弱，韓、魏之君因田嬰北面而朝田侯。
Believing that it had Qi on its side[5], Han fought five battles and did not win any of them. It turned East and informed Qi. Qi took the opportunity to raise an army and struck against Wei, inflicting a great defeat on Wei at Maling[6]. Wei was defeated and Han weakened. The Lords of Han and Wei paid respects[8] to Marquis Tian in the court of Qi.
[1] This does not refer to southern Wei, but rather to a city in Han. It was probably Ruzhou in modern Henan.
[2] King Wei of Qi (356–320 BCE) was the father of Tian Ying and the grandfather of Tian Wen. He enjoyed a successful reign and was well-respected.
[3] Zhang Gai was a politician in Qi.
[4] Tian Chensi was a celebrated Qi general. With Sun Bin he led the army at the Battle of Guiling, mentioned earlier.
[5] According to the commentaries, the 專 here may be superfluous.
[6] The Battle of Maling, which took place in 342 BCE, was another celebrated conflict. Maling was in modern Shen County, Henan.
[7] According to the commentaries, the characters 田嬰 are superfluous here.
[8] Literally they "faced north", the position that would be taken by anyone addressing the sovereign, who sat facing south.
成侯鄒忌為齊相
Zou Ji, Marquis Cheng, Serves as Chancellor of Qi
成侯鄒忌為齊相，田忌為將，不相說。公孫閈謂鄒忌曰：「公何不為王謀伐魏？勝，則是君之謀也，君可以有功；戰不勝，田忌不進，戰而不死，曲撓而誅。」鄒忌以為然，乃說王而使田忌伐魏。
Zou Ji, Marquis Cheng[1], served as Qi's Chancellor; Tian Ji[2] served as its General. They were not keen on one another. Gongsun Han[3] spoke to Zou Ji, saying, "Why not plot an attack on Wei on the King's[4] behalf? If we win, it will be on account of Your Lordship's plans and you can make the achievement your own. If we fight and do not win, Tian Ji will never be promoted. If he does not die in the battle, he will be executed for running away." Zou Ji recognised the truth of this, and consequently persuaded the King to send Tian Ji to attack Wei.
田忌三戰三勝，鄒忌以告公孫閈，公孫閈乃使人操十金而往卜於市，曰：「我田忌之人也，吾三戰而三勝，聲威天下，欲為大事，亦吉否？」卜者出，因令人捕為人卜者，亦驗其辭於王前。田忌遂走。
Tian Ji engaged in three battles and won three. Zou Ji informed Gongsun Han of this. Consequently Gongsun Han sent one of his partisans to take ten gold coins to a fortune teller in the marketplace, saying, "I am one of Tian Ji's people, we have fought three battles and won three, and our power is talked of throughout All-Under-Heaven. We wish to move onto greater things[6]: is the time propitious or not?" As soon as he had left the fortune teller's shop, he sent people to detain the fortune teller, who[7] testified and was cross-examined before the King. Tian Ji fled.
[1] Zou Ji was Chancellor of Qi, he engaged in successful legal reforms and strengthened the state.
[2] Otherwise known as Tian Chensi, Tia Ji was a celebrated Qi general. With Sun Bin he led the Qi army at the Battle of Guiling.
[3] Gongsun Han served in the entourage of Tian Ying, and later under his son, Lord Mengchang. His name may actually be written 閱.
[4] King Wei of Qi (356–320 BCE) was the father of Tian Ying and the grandfather of Tian Wen. He enjoyed a successful reign and was well-respected.
[6] The implication is that Tian Ji wishes to usurp the throne.
[7] According to the commentaries 亦 here may be superfluous.
田忌為齊將
Tian Ji Serves as Qi's General
田忌為齊將，係梁太子申，禽龐涓。孫子謂田忌曰：「將軍可以為大事乎？」田忌曰：「奈何？」孫子曰：「將軍無解兵而入齊。使彼罷弊於先弱守於主。主者，循軼之途也，𡀝擊摩車而相過。使彼罷弊先弱守於主，必一而當十，十而當百，百而當千。然後背太山，左濟，右天唐，軍重踵高宛，使輕車銳騎衝雍門。若是，則齊君可正，而成侯可走。不然，則將軍不得入於齊矣。」田忌不聽，果不入齊。
Tian Ji[1] served as Qi's General; he ensnared Crown Prince Shen[2] of Liang and captured Pang Juan[3]. Master Sun[4] spoke to Tian Ji, saying, "Is your army capable of achieving great things?"[5]
Tian Ji said, "How would I manage it?"
Master Sun said, "Do not demobilise your troops when you return to Qi. Send your weary and worn out, old[6] and weak troops to guard Zhu[7]. At Zhu the road is a single cart track, where carriages' axles knock and grind against each other when they pass. If your weary and worn out, old[8] and weak troops are guarding Zhu, then one will soldier be equal to ten, ten will be equal to a hundred, and a hundred will be equal to a thousand. Then with your back to Mount Tai[9], the Ji River[10] on your left, Tiantang[11] on your right, and your heavy wagons following on to Gaowan[12], you can send your light chariots and elite cavalry galloping towards Yongmen[13]. If this is done, then you can control the Lord of Qi, and Marquis Cheng[14] will probably flee. If not, then you and your army will be unable to return to Qi." Tian Ji did not follow his advice, and as a result did not return to Qi.[14]
[1] Otherwise known as Tian Chensi, a celebrated Qi general. With Sun Bin he led the army at the Battle of Guiling, mentioned earlier.
[2] Crown Prince Shen was captured at the Battle of Maling and executed.
[3] Pang Juan was Sun Bin's long-running adversary.
[4] Sun Bin was a celebrated strategist, and descendant of Sun Tzu.
[5] I.e. staging a coup.
[6] Reading 老 for 先, per the commentaries.
[7] It is not clear where this was.
[8] Reading 老 for 先, per the commentaries.
[9] Mount Tai is in Shandong.
[10] The Ji River was often used as shorthand to imply the northern boundary of the Chinese cultural sphere, even though by this point the states had expanded far beyond that point.
[11] Tiantang is now Gaotang County, in Shandong.
[11] Gaowan is now in Zouping, Shandong. The location Sun Bin is describing would be somewhere around modern Jinan, with the troops heading Eastwards into the Qi heartlands.
[13] Yongmen was the West gate of the Qi capital, Yingqiu, in modern Changle County, Shandong.
[13] Marquis Cheng, aka Zou Ji, was Chancellor of Qi, he engaged in a long-running feud with Tian Ji.
[14] Zou Ji was Chancellor of Qi, he engaged in successful legal reforms and strengthened the state. Unusually, this stratagem is a continuation of the previous one. The point is that Sun Bin knows that Zou Ji will have Tian Ji executed if he returns to Qi, so the only way for Tian Ji to return home is to use his (already exhausted) troops to conquer the state for himself, and force Zou Ji into exile. Tian Ji decided that he could not do this, and sought refuge in Chu instead.