昭王既息民繕兵，復欲伐趙。武安君曰：「不可。」王曰：「前年國虛民飢，君不量百姓之力，求益軍糧以滅趙。今寡人息民以養士，蓄積糧食，三軍之俸有倍於前，而曰『不可』，其說何也？」

 

King Zhao[1] had let his citizens rest and his soldiers recuperate, intending to renew his attack on Zhao[2], but Lord Wu'an[3] said, "It cannot be done."

The King said, "Two years ago the state was barren and its citizens starving. Your Lordship, without bothering to assess the capacity of the hundred clans, demanded that they provide your army with grain supplies for the purpose of exterminating Zhao. Now we have rested our citizens and increased our officers' stipends, we have accumulated extensive grain reserves[4], and the wages of the three armies have been doubled, but you say it cannot be done. Why do you argue thus?"

​

武安君曰：「長平之事，秦軍大剋，趙軍大破；秦人歡喜，趙人畏懼。秦民之死者厚葬，傷者厚養，勞者相饗，飲食餔餽，以靡其財；趙人之死者不得收，傷者不得療，涕泣相哀，戮力同憂，耕田疾作，以生其財。今王發軍，雖倍其前，臣料趙國守備，亦以十倍矣。趙自長平已來，君臣憂懼，早朝晏退，卑辭重幣，四面出嫁，結親燕、魏，連好齊、楚，積慮并心，備秦為務。其國內實，其交外成。當今之時，趙未可伐也。」君所將之不能半之，而與戰之於伊闕，大破二國之軍，

 

Lord Wu'an said, "In the contention at Changping[5] Qin's army routed its adversaries[6], and Zhao's army was decisively broken. Qin's partisans were overjoyed and Zhao's were terrified. Qin's dead received lavish funerals, while the wounded received generous pensions. Those who had laboured for our victory celebrated one another's successes; they ate and drank and poured libations to the dead, dissipating their resources. Zhao's partisans could not retrieve their dead and their wounds will never heal; they wept among themselves in their sorrow. In their shared grief, they redoubled their efforts, giving all their strength to till their fields and thereby augment their resources. If Your Majesty dispatches the army now, even having doubled its size, your servant believes that Zhao will be ready to protect itself with ten times the number of defenders. Since Changping, Zhao's lords and their servants have been troubled and fearful. At dawn they make their way to the palace and in the evening they return home[7]. They speak humbly, distribute heavy strings of cash, and make marriage alliances in all directions. They have formed close connections with Yan and Wei, and fond ties with Qi and Chu. They store up schemes in their hearts and devote themselves to making preparations against Qin. Their state is thriving internally and perfecting its diplomacy abroad. At the present moment, there is no way we can attack Zhao."

​

王曰：「寡人既以興師矣。」乃使五校大夫王陵將而伐趙。陵戰失利，亡五校。王欲使武安君，武安君稱疾不行。王乃使應侯往見武安君，責之曰：「楚，地方五千里，持戟百萬。君前率數萬之眾入楚，拔鄢、郢，焚其廟，東至竟陵，楚人震恐，東徙而不敢西向。韓、魏相率，興兵甚眾，流血漂鹵，斬首二十四萬。韓、魏以故至今稱東藩。此君之功，天下莫不聞。今趙卒之死於長平者已十七、八，其國虛弱，是以寡人大發軍，人數倍於趙國之眾，願使君將，必欲滅之矣。君嘗以寡擊眾，取勝如神，況以彊擊弱，以眾擊寡乎？」

 

The King said, "We have already raised troops for this purpose." Thus he ordered Counsellor Wang Ling[8], Chief of the Five Garrisons[9], to lead the attack. Ling fought and ceded the advantage, losing all five of his garrisons.

The King wished to appoint Lord Wu'an in his place, but Lord Wu'an claimed to be sick and would not go. Accordingly, the King sent Marquis Ying[10] to seek an audience with Lord Wu'an and rebuke him, saying, "Chu has five thousand square li of land and millions of halberdiers, but Your Lordship previously led a group just a few tens of thousands strong into Chu, overwhelming Yan[11] and Ying[12] and burning their ancestral temples, proceeding east as far as Jingling[13]. Chu's partisans trembled in fear and fled eastwards, not daring to glance behind them. Han and Wei both sent reinforcements, raising as many battalions as they could. The forces under Your Lordship's command could not have totalled half their numbers[14], but you fought them at Yique[15], inflicting devastating destruction upon the armies of the two states. The blood flowed deep enough to float a shield and two hundred and forty thousand were beheaded. Thus Han and Wei were brought to such a point that they are now[16] forced to call themselves our eastern border guards. Such were Your Lordship's achievements, and there is no one in All-Under-Heaven who has not heard of them. Seven or eight out of every ten of Zhao's troops already died at Changping, and its state is barren and weak. This being so, if we[17] send out our entire army, it will be several times the size of Zhao's battalions. We would like be sure of wiping them out, which is why we wish to appoint you as its general. You have already attacked with smaller forces and secured godlike victories. How much more will you achieve when you are using a strong force to strike a weaker one, a large army to attack a smaller one?"

​

武安君曰：「是時楚王恃其國大，不恤其政，而群臣相妒以功，諂諛用事，良臣斥疏，百姓心離，城池不修，既無良臣，又無守備。故起所以得引兵深入，多倍城邑，發梁焚舟以專民，以掠於郊野，以足軍食。當此之時，秦中士卒，以軍中為家，將帥為父母，不約而親，不謀而信，一心同功，死不旋踵。楚人自戰其地，咸顧其家，各有散心，莫有鬥志。是以能有功也。伊闕之戰，韓孤顧魏，不欲先用其眾。魏恃韓之銳，欲推以為鋒。二軍爭便之力不同，是以臣得設疑兵，以待韓陣，專軍并銳，觸魏之不意。魏軍既敗，韓軍自潰，乘勝逐北，以是之故能立功。皆計利形勢，自然之理，何神之有哉！今秦破趙軍於長平，不遂以時乘其振懼而滅之，畏而釋之，使得耕稼以益蓄積，養孤長幼以益其眾，繕治兵甲以益其強，增城浚池以益其固。主折節以下其臣，臣推體以下死士。至於平原君之屬，皆令妻妾補縫於行伍之間。臣人一心，上下同力，猶勾踐困於會稽之時也。以合伐之，趙必固守。挑其軍戰，必不肯出。圍其國都，必不可剋。攻其列城，必未可拔。掠其郊野，必無所得。兵出無功，諸侯生心，外救必至。臣見其害，未睹其利。又病，未能行。」

 

Lord Wu'an said, "At that time, the King of Chu[18], relying upon the size of his state, paid no heed to political matters. His private secretaries were all avid to scupper one another's successes and pursued their own interests by means of flattery[19]. Faithful advisors were neglected, the hundred clans were alienated, and the its walls and moats left in a state of disrepair. Having thus lost his best servants, there was no one to make any preparations for Chu's defence. Therefore, I was able to lead my troops deep into his state, skirting multiple fortified cities. I severed the bridges behind us and burnt our boats to concentrate the minds of our people[20], ransacking Chu's hinterlands for food sufficient to feed my army. At that time, both Qin's officers and its troops regarded the army as their home and their superiors as their parents. Even when there were no covenants between us we acted in solidarity[21], even when we had made no advance plans we were able to depend on one another[22]. With one mind we achieved our shared successes, not shrinking in the face of death. Chu's people were fighting on their own territory, constantly glancing backwards towards their homes, the mind of each distracted, lacking any fighting spirit. This is why I was able to achieve some success. During the Battle of Yique[23], Han was isolated and thus turned to Wei, not wanting to have recourse to its own battalions as a first resort, while Wei was dependent upon Han's elite troops, and wanted them to serve as its vanguard. The two armies were so busy struggling to take advantage of one another that they were unable to coordinate their forces. This being so, your servant was able to deploy decoy troops to hold off[24] Han's columns while regrouping our elite forces to take Wei by surprise. Thus Wei's army was defeated, and Han retreated of its own accord. Riding high on this victory and the subsequent rout, we were thereby able to consolidate our success. In all of my strategies I took advantage of contingent circumstances, following their natural logic. What is godlike about that? Qin has now broken Zhao's army at Changping, but we did not pursue them at the moment of victory and wipe them out when they were still shaken. We frightened them and let them go, allowing them to return to their ploughing and their harvesting, thus replenishing their stores, to raise their orphans, thus replenishing their battalions. They are repairing their armour and training their troops to bolster their strength, reinforcing their walls and deepening their moats to consolidate their positions. The Lord of Zhao has abased himself before his advisors and his advisors have humbled themselves before their front-line officers. Some have even gone as far as Lord Pingyuan[25], who ordered all his wives and concubines to go among the troops to mend their armour. Zhao's citizens are all of one mind. Superiors and subordinates have united their forces, just as when Goujian[26] was surrounded at Kuaiji[27]. If we attack now[28], they will certainly mount a robust defence. If we try to provoke their army to a pitched battle, they will be unwilling to advance. If we surround their capital, we will not be able to overrun it. If we attack their fortifications, we will never bring them down. If we ransack their countryside, we will gain nothing. If we dispatch troops and do not achieve anything, the sovereign lords will start to get ideas, and reinforcements from abroad will arrive. Your servant can foresee the potential harm in this, but is yet to identify any profit. So, once again, I am sick and I cannot go." 

​

應侯慚而退，以言於王。王曰：「微白起，吾不能滅趙乎？」復益發軍，更使王齕代王陵伐趙。圍邯鄲八、九月，死傷者眾，而弗下。趙王出輕銳以寇其後，秦數不利。武安君曰：「不聽臣計，今果何如？」王聞之怒，因見武安君，彊起之，曰：「君雖病，彊為寡人臥而將之。有功，寡人之願，將加重於君。如君不行，寡人恨君。」武安君頓首曰：「臣知行雖無功，得免於罪。雖不行無罪，不免於誅。然惟願大王覽臣愚計，釋趙養民，以諸侯之變。撫其恐懼，伐其憍慢，誅滅無道，以令諸侯，天下可定，何必以趙為先乎？此所謂為一臣屈而勝天下也。大王若不察臣愚計，必欲快心於趙，以致臣罪，此亦所謂勝一臣而為天下屈者也。夫勝一臣之嚴焉，孰若勝天下之威大耶？臣聞明主愛其國，忠臣愛其名。破國不可復完，死卒不可復生。臣寧伏受重誅而死，不忍為辱軍之將。願大王察之。」王不答而去。

 

Marquis Ying was embarrassed and withdrew to tell the King. The King said, "Never mind Bai Qi, can I not wipe Zhao out myself?" Reinforcements were raised and sent to join Qin's army. Meanwhile, the King appointed Wang He[29] to replace Wang Ling and launch another attack. He besieged Handan[30] for eight or nine months, and many of his troops were killed or injured, but the city did not fall. The King of Zhao[3!] dispatched his elite light units to harass Qin's rear. Qin did much and gained nothing.

Lord Wu'an said, "You did not listen to your servant's strategies; how did that turn out for you[32]?"

The King heard about this and was so irritated that he went to see Lord Wu'an, forcing him to get up, and said, "However ill you may be, you will just have to grit your teeth lead our troops from your sickbed. If you succeed and achieve our aims, we will elevate your position even higher. If you do not go, you will truly have earned our resentment." 

Lord Wu'an bowed his head and said, "I know that if I go - even if I do nothing of any merit - then I will be able to avoid censure. If I do not go - even if I do nothing deserving of censure - there will be no evading a capital sentence. Nevertheless, I hope that Your Majesty will glance over your servant's simple-minded plan: to abandon Zhao and take care of our own citizens in order to better to deal with the tumults among the sovereign lords[33]. By calming the fearful, attacking the proud, and wiping out the unprincipled, we will be able to command the sovereign lords and pacify All-Under-Heaven. Why must we attack Zhao first? Following such a plan could be described as abasing oneself to a subordinate to secure victory over All-Under-Heaven. If Your Majesty is not willing to consider my humble strategy, then it must be because you wish to please Zhao by convicting me on this pretext. This is can be described as vanquishing a subordinate only to abase oneself before All-Under-Heaven. Is managing to subdue a subordinate really as impressive as winning a victory over All-Under-Heaven? I have heard that a devoted servant cherishes his reputation just as an enlightened sovereign cherishes his state. A ruined state can never be made whole again, and dead troops cannot be brought back to life. I would be happier to bow my head, accept the ultimate penalty and go to my death, rather than endure life as the general of a humiliated army. I hope that Your Majesty will consider this." The King left without giving any reply.  

​

[1] King Zhaoxiang of Qin (306–251 BCE) began life as a relatively minor prince, and served as a child hostage in Zhao before being sneaked out by Queen Xuan (his mother), her brother Wei Ran, and King Wuling of Zhao to assume the throne following the premature death of his brother, King Wu. Upon coming of age, he exiled Queen Xuan and Wei Ran, and worked with a succession of important figures of the age (Gan Mao, Fan Ju, Bai Qi...) to expand Qin's territory during the course of a long and successful reign.

[2] This refers to the aftermath of the siege of Handan, between 259 and 257 BCE.

[3] Bai Qi, also known as Lord Wu'an, was a Qin General famous for his mass murders. At the time of this story he has just returned from the Battle of Changping.

[4] Reading 實 for 食, per the commentaries. 

[5] Changping was in what is now Gaoping, in Shanxi.

[6] The commentaries suggest 克 for 剋. 

[7] The commentaries suggest 罷 for 退. Arriving at the office at dawn and leaving at dusk implied that a state's bureaucrats were industrious and uncorrupt. 

[8] Wang Ling is known principally via this story.

[9] It is not entirely clear to what this referred at the time.

[10] Fan Ju, also known as Marquis Ying, was Chancellor of Qin.

[11] Yan was in modern Yicheng, Hubei. It was the capital of Chu for a time.

[12] Ying was in modern Jingzhou, Hubei. It was also the capital of Chu for a time.

[13] Jingling was in modern Zhongxiang, Hubei.

[14] Reading 之卒 for 之, per the commentaries. 

[15] Yique was in modern Luoyang, in Henan.

[16] According to some of the commentaries, the 至今 here may be superfluous.

[17] This speech uses royal pronouns, implying that Fan Ju is simply reporting King Zhaoxiang's words.

[18] 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.

[19] Reading 諛諂 for 諂諛, per the commentaries.   

[20] The commentaries disagree regarding the precise reading of this sentence, but the general sense is clear.

[21] This probably refers to the collective responsibility contracts that had, in fact, been in use at least since the days of Shang Yang. Under these agreements soldiers were grouped in units of five, with the members being obliged to ensure each other's compliance with official orders.

[22] I.e. they knew each other well enough to be able to anticipate colleagues' movements even when out of contact or when no plans to act in concert had been made.

[23] The Battle of Yique was a key step in Qin's expansion, and took place in 293 BCE.

[24] Reading 持 for 待, per the commentaries. 

[25] Lord Pingyuan​ was also known as Zhao Sheng, and was a successful Zhao general, having helped to lift the siege of Handan and push back Qin's forces.

[26] King Goujian of Yue (496–465 BCE) was captured by King Fuchai of Wu early during his reign and forced to serve him for three years. When he was finally released, he set about political and military reforms in Yue, making it strong enough to attack and wipe out Wu, forcing Fuchai to kill himself.  

[27] Kuaiji is now called Shaoxing, and it is in modern Zhejiang.

[28] Reading 今 for 合, per the commentaries. 

[29] Wang He was a Qin general.

[30] Handan was the capital of Zhao. It is still called Handan, and is in Hebei.

[31] King Xiaocheng of Zhao (265-245 BCE) inherited the throne at a young age, and almost immediately oversaw Zhao's greatest defeat by Qin at the Battle of Changping. While the state survived, it never regained its previous status.

[32] Reading 如何 for 何如, per the commentaries.

[33] The commentaries are not sure if this sentence is correct.