Is it Su Qin’s achievement?
He Zong Thought:
The theory of He Zong is the constantly changing political and military situation during the Warring States Period, especially the disputes between the Seven Heroes in the middle and late Warring States Period, which led to the "international relations" (countries in the Chinese civilization circle) at that time. ) are the product of major changes. In the early Warring States period, the seven heroes stood side by side, equal to each other and checking and balancing each other. In the middle period of the Warring States Period, the Qin State implemented strict reforms, determined to reform, and annexed Bashu. The country was strong and the territory was dangerous; while the six countries were attriting each other, the balance of power pattern of the seven coexisting powers was broken. Su Qin had an insight into this objective reality, and promptly proposed a joint vertical strategy with the purpose of containing Qin and maintaining the balance of power among the seven powers.
"United Vertical", that is, "uniting the weak to attack a strong one", is a strategy of uniting many weak countries to resist a strong country to prevent the strong country from annexing. The purpose of Su Qin's joint vertical strategy was to prevent the further expansion of Qin's power and prevent the power imbalance from further exacerbating. The corresponding countermeasure was to contain the Qin State through the Six-Nation Alliance in order to maintain the balance of power in the east and west strategic regions bounded by Weihan and Hexi.
Su Qin’s theory of integration is first of all based on a geopolitical analysis. He is well versed in the world's mountains and rivers, and is familiar with the current power situation of various countries. Whenever he visits a country, he first reports the country's geological environment and situation to the authorities in detail. Su Qin reminds the six countries in Shandong that they should first clarify their own security conditions. He repeatedly warned the six countries. Your Majesty, you must understand this situation, that is, their common danger comes from the Qin State on the western flank. Because Qin enjoys unique geographical advantages, topographic advantages, and institutional advantages, it will definitely be a powerful force that can surpass the strength of the six countries in the future. Therefore, every country in the Six Kingdoms must not make peace with Qin alone in order to maintain peace for a while, let alone form an alliance with Qin, which is tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger. There is only one way before them: "Six countries join forces" and move westward to resist Qin.
Su Qin’s theory of alliance attaches great importance to the importance of geographical factors, and fully demonstrates the inherent relationship between the six-nation alliance and its geopolitical factors. Su Qin believes that the six countries in Shandong are geographically related to each other, have internal and external affiliations, and interdependent interests, and should be regarded as a strategic whole with completely common interests. The six countries should make full use of this integrity in order to strategically rely on each other, support each other, and act as horns for each other, thereby creating a favorable situation in the war against Qin. He repeatedly stated this relationship to the leaders of the six countries.
Su Qin’s joint vertical theory is not only a cognitive system, but also a set of action programs. It proposed a set of methods to contain Qin and maintain the balance of power, that is, to use alliance strategy and rely on the joint efforts of the six Shandong countries to restrain the expansion of Qin's power, so as to save and maintain the original balance of power. There are two action plans. One is to use offense as defense. The six countries unite and take the initiative to attack, break through Hangu Pass and go deep into the hinterland of Qin. The second is when any of the six countries is attacked by Qin, the other The five countries must not sit idly by and do nothing; they must come together to rescue. This is undoubtedly an excellent coordinated operation plan. It makes full use of the geographical correlation of the six countries in Shandong, allowing the six countries to coordinate and closely cooperate with each other in organizational guidance, force distribution, strategic coordination, and tactical response, thus making Qin Guodong When it attacks any country, it will fall into the dilemma of being surrounded by enemies on all sides and fighting on multiple fronts, thus curbing its attempt to gradually encroach on the six countries and further strengthen itself.
Su Qin wisely saw that if a country is attacked by Qin and other countries sit back and do nothing, the consequences will be extremely serious, just like dominoes, if one falls, the rest will fall in sequence! The historical development of the late Warring States period proved that Su Qin's analysis was extremely prophetic. The six countries in Shandong adopted a joint vertical strategy for a period of time. Even if it was half-hearted, it indeed effectively curbed Qin's eastward expansion for 15 years. Although the six countries were not spared the fate of being swallowed up by Qin one by one later, this cannot be attributed to the policy of unification, but it just shows that the six countries in Shandong did not consistently implement the policy of unification and the intolerance of the politicians of the six countries. It is caused by factors such as selfish interests, poor strategic vision, and intricate entanglements of interests.
Hezong is a grand strategy that revolves around the geopolitical relationship between the seven heroes of the Warring States Period. It is also a principle and method for dealing with international political and military relations. The purpose of joint vertical cooperation is to maintain the balance of power, with geopolitical theory as the cognitive basis, and alliance strategy as the response method. With its thorough argumentation, broad vision, exquisite analysis, and lofty purpose, it is no exaggeration to call him a pioneer of geopolitical theory. Su Qin used geopolitical factors as the main basis for analyzing the international situation and formulating response strategies. This analysis method undoubtedly has modern significance.
The Art of Lobbying:
Persuasion Mode
Su Qin pursued a joint vertical strategy and advocated "uniting the weak and attacking the strong" to build a multinational alliance. Therefore, Su Qin His lobbying is full of enthusiasm, he does not hesitate to use rhetoric, and he is extremely extravagant, thus forming a unique lobbying model: "the method of benefiting and guiding" (affirming the advantages - pointing out the crisis - making suggestions - analyzing the pros and cons, and guiding them with advantages), that is, analyzing powerfully, showing off the advantages, And point out hope and good prospects to facilitate it and make the other party willing to accept your proposition.
First, analyze the opponent’s objective advantages such as geographical conditions, military strength, military supplies, national strength, and peripheral relations, and then combine it with subjective factors such as the virtuous monarch and the bravery of the soldiers to fully affirm its favorable conditions. Pay attention to the analysis based on the specific conditions of each vassal state, and emphasize the characteristics of that country in a targeted manner.
In short, no matter which country is targeted, its advantages should be emphasized first to relieve their psychological pressure of fearing a powerful Qin.
Then it points out where the crisis lies, analyzes the causes of the crisis, and lays the foundation for the joint vertical strategy. Then plan for the other party, give ideas, and design a plan to get out of the crisis (joint vertical strategy). Finally, further analysis is powerful, tempting it with benefits, and guiding it with reason.
Strategic Methods
Because Su Qin has an in-depth understanding of the political situation of various countries, and his familiarity with the world's political situation and its changing trends is far better than that of the kings of various countries, he can lobby He maneuvers both vertically and horizontally, and nimbly selects various required materials and arguments to deceive and persuade the other party. His lobbying activities have some basic strategies and methods:
Every time he lobbies a country, he ostensibly starts from the interests of the other country. He seems to put himself in the other country's shoes and consider the problems for the other country, and never talks about other countries or himself. Benefit from the cooperation and make it easier for the other party to accept.
When stating one's own views, one always takes the hostile relationship between this country and Qin as the premise, and discusses the conflict of interests between this country and Qin under this premise. In fact, the interests and constraints between countries are quite complex and changing rapidly. The key is to discard the rest and emphasize a certain aspect in the complex contradictions of things, and on this basis to make an implicit or hypothetical premise. Su Qin is lobbying It simply emphasizes the contradiction between the Six Kingdoms and Qin and the interdependence between the Six Kingdoms, while avoiding talking about other contradictory aspects. It uses this as a premise to explain its own vertical proposition, which has a certain degree of deception for the kings of the Six Kingdoms.
Present to the other party the consequences of implementing one's own opinions and not implementing them, exaggerating the degree of benefit from the first behavioral choice and the degree of harm from the second behavioral choice, and intensifying both The contrast prompts the other party to make up his mind to adopt his own ideas.
When necessary, use objective geographical conditions to strengthen the persuasion of the other party.
He returns the favor when necessary. Due praise should be mixed with corresponding motivation.
Su Qin was not reused after the first lobbying. Later, Zhou Shu studied hard, so that "the head hung on the beam, the cone stabbed the buttocks". After gaining something, he traveled again. Until Qin, it was not used. It happened that King Zhao of Yan was recruiting wise men. Su Qin entered Yan and was deeply trusted by King Zhao of Yan. Su Qin believed that if Yan State wanted to avenge Qi, it must first express submission and obedience to Qi, conceal its desire for revenge, and gain the time needed to revitalize Yan State. Secondly, he wanted to encourage Qi to continuously attack other countries to prevent Qi from attacking Yan and consuming its national power. To this end, he persuaded the King of Qi to attack Song and join forces to attack Qin. In 285 BC, Su Qin went to the State of Qi to instigate relations between Qi and Zhao, gained the trust of King Min of Qi, and was appointed Prime Minister of Qi, but secretly he was still planning for the State of Yan. King Min of Qi did not know the truth and still appointed Su Qin to lead troops to resist the Yan army. When the Qi and Yan armies fought, Su Qin deliberately caused the Qi army to fail and 50,000 people died. He caused disharmony among the ministers of Qi State and alienated the people, which laid the foundation for Leyi's five-nation coalition to attack Qi State. After that, Su Qin persuaded Zhao to unite Han, Wei, Qi, Chu, and Yan to attack Qin. The king of Zhao was very happy and rewarded Su Qin with many treasures. Su Qin received help from Zhao, and went to Han to lobby King Xuan of Han; to Wei to lobby King Xiang of Wei; to Qi to lobby King Xuan of Qi; and to Chu to lobby King Wei of Chu. The princes all praised Zhou, Su and Qin's plan, so the six countries reached a joint alliance. Su Qin became the leader of the alliance and served as the prime minister of the six countries. After returning to the Kingdom of Zhao, King Zhao named him Lord Wu'an. Qin was shocked when he knew the news. For the next fifteen years, the Qin soldiers did not dare to attack Hangu Pass.
Su Qin served as an official in Yan, and his main activity was to alienate the relationship between Qi and Zhao in order to reduce Qi's pressure on Yan. He also joined forces with Zhao and Li Dui to unite the five kingdoms to attack Qin. Later, he left Yan and came to Qi, where he was reused by King Min. However, Su Qin was still loyal to Yan and secretly served Yan. The strategy he adopted was to persuade Qi to attack Song in order to divert Qi's attention from Yan. So King Zhao of Yan sent Le Yi to suddenly send troops to attack Qi. Qi was caught off guard and was defeated by Yan. The activities of Su Qinyin and Yan conspiring with Qi were exposed at this point, and Qi was sentenced to death by being beaten to death. This was a sensational event in the late Warring States period, and was reflected in many writings of people at the time, such as the bamboo slips of "The Art of War by Sun Tzu" unearthed from Yinqueshan, Shandong. "Yongjian", which contains the words "When Yan was prosperous, Su Qin was in Qi". Another example is "Lu's Spring and Autumn Period·Zhidu", which said "Qi used Su Qin and the world knew its demise". These records show that during the Warring States Period, everyone knew that Su Qin served Qi for the sake of Yan, and in the end, Qi fell and Yan prospered, but he himself also made sacrifices for Yan. Su Qin was quite famous in the late Warring States Period. "Xunzi·Chen Dao" compared "Su Qin of Qi" with "Marquis of Chu" and "Zhang Yi of Qin". During the Western Han Dynasty, Su Qin was still praised by others. For example, "Historical Records·Zou Yang Biography" praised him for being a loyal minister of Yan. "Huainanzi" also mentions him in many places, and affirms that he has the advantage of knowing the tactics. Sima Qian thought that Su Qin showed his extraordinary intelligence in the process of "connecting the six countries to each other".
Speaking of Qi's return to Yan
In his later years, King Yan gave up the throne to the minister Zizhi, which caused a rebellion by Prince Ping and General Shiqi. The State of Qi took the opportunity to send troops to attack Yan, and occupied the entire territory of the State of Yan in just over fifty days. As a result, the state of Yan was ruined. King Wuling of Zhao escorted Prince Yan back to the country and established him as King Zhao of Yan.
King Yan Zhao recruited wise men and actively prepared to carry out large-scale military retaliation against Qi. Su Qin came to Yan State at this time. , King Zhao sent him to Qi to negotiate for the land of Yan that was still occupied by Qi. When Su Qin arrived in Qi, he said to King Qi Xuan: "King Zhao of Yan is the son-in-law of Duke Mu of Qin, and he has strong Qin as his backing. If Qi occupies the land of Yan, both Yan and Qin must be dissatisfied with Qi.
If the king can return the ten cities of Yan State to Yan State, then Yan and Qin will be grateful to the king for his kindness. The king can use Qin Yan as his support to command the world. No one in the world dares to disobey, and then Qi will achieve hegemony. "King Xuan was overjoyed and returned the old land of Yan State. Su Qin returned to Yan and was highly valued by King Zhao of Yan.
Persuading King Qi to attack Song
Su Qin understood King Zhao's intention to attack Qi and offered his advice. King Zhao said: "Although we have taken back the land that was occupied by Qi. However, the hatred for the subjugation of the country must not be unavenged. If the west of Qi is exhausted by Song and the south is exhausted by Chu, we can take the opportunity to launch an attack and destroy Qi in one fell swoop. I request to go to Qi State to persuade King Xuan to attack Song Dynasty. "King Zhao of Yan then worshiped Su Qin as his high minister and sent him as an envoy to Qi.
Qin has always been on good terms with Song. If Qi attacks Song, it must break off diplomatic relations with Qin. It happens that Qin sends people to Qi to discuss *** Su Qin took the opportunity to persuade King Qi: "If Qi and Qin both become emperors, will the world respect Qi or Qin? King Qi said: "Of course I respect Qin!" "Then if Qi gives up the imperial title, will the world love Qi or Qin?" "Of course it's Aiqi!" "Two emperors stand side by side. Which one is more advantageous, the Japanese army makes an appointment to attack Zhao, or the Qi army attacks Song Dynasty alone?" "The King of Qi replied: "Of course it will be beneficial to defeat the Song Dynasty! Su Qin then persuaded the King of Qi: "If we claim the title of emperor like Qin, the world will only respect Qin. If we give up the title of emperor, the world will love Qi and call Qin a strong one. It is better to attack Song alone than to attack Zhao alone." Therefore, I advocate giving up the imperial title to conform to the world. "
The King of Qi followed Su Qin's suggestion and united with the State of Zhao to form an alliance in Adi, agreeing to fight against Qin together. The relationship between Qin and Qi deteriorated. Su Qin took the opportunity to persuade the King of Qi to attack the Song Dynasty: "The king of the Song State was extravagant and extravagant. , The world is extremely angry. If we send our troops to the west to attack the Song Dynasty, it will be a heroic act to punish the king. The king will definitely be famous among the princes, and we will get practical benefits, making Qi dominate the east and become the leader of the princes in the Central Plains. " Qi then attacked Song. In order to gain Qi's trust, Yan sent troops to assist Qi. Under the attack of the coalition forces, Song cut Huaibei for peace, and Qi's strength was also weakened by the war.
Joint vertical attack Strengthening Qin
Su Qin continued to work to weaken Qi in Qi. He advised the king of Qi to build large-scale construction projects and indulge in pleasure, and to engage in wars with foreign countries, which worsened the relationship between Qi and Qin. In addition, Qi attacked Song. King Qin was very angry. Su Qin persuaded King Qi to take military action to curb the development of Qi's power.
King Qi was worried about Yan. Defending Yan, he said: "Yan is a small and weak country and has always relied on the strong Qi. The reason why Qi can command the world is precisely because of Yan's support. This kind of friendly relationship is what the people of Yan country want, so how can they have different intentions? "The King of Qi was relieved. So Su Qin sent an envoy to help the King of Qi join forces to attack Qin.
Su Qin lobbied the kings of the four kingdoms of Han, Zhao, Wei, and Yan, respectively, to send troops and food to attack Qin, and elected the prime minister of Zhao to serve Yangjun is the leader of Hezong, but Qi is actually the real organizer and commander of Hezong. In name, Qi is just using Qi to control Qin, so that it cannot escape to save Song Dynasty. Attack Song again. Su Qin strongly advocated attacking Qin, but Qi did not work hard, and Zhao, Han, and Wei Yan naturally refused to advance. Therefore, the coalition forces never engaged in large-scale war with Qin. It still greatly damaged the country's strength.
Co-ordinated counterattack against Qi
While King Qi launched his attack on Qin, he also launched a second attack on Song. This actually put the other four kingdoms in a dilemma. In this situation, they could neither join forces to attack Qin nor withdraw their troops immediately, so all the countries were secretly dissatisfied. Originally, Su Qin went south to attack Qin, but secretly he was actively trying to contact Su Qin's allies for Yan. Seeing that the various countries were disloyal, he secretly advised Mengchang Lord in Wei: "In the past, when you were in Qi State, you made great contributions to Qi, but the King of Qi was ignorant and not only did not use him in a serious way, but also made you leave your hometown and come back to Wei. Now they have abandoned their faith and integrity and played tricks on all the countries in the coalition. The Yan army intends to attack Qi, and the Zhao state has long had a grudge against Qi. If they unite to attack Qi from the east, the Central Plains will be powerful, and Mr. Wei He will definitely become famous all over the world. "Mengchangjun agreed to Su Qin's suggestion.
Su Qin also persuaded the King of Qi to seek peace with Qin: "Wei and Zhao are close to Qin and Qi is far away from Qin. If our five kingdoms cannot defeat Qin together, Wei and Zhao will not be able to defeat Qin. The country must seek peace from Qin. Once Qin unites with other countries, it will definitely attack Qi. I hope the king will make preparations early and negotiate peace with Qin first to avoid a passive situation. "The King of Qi thought that what Su Qin said was reasonable, so he made a friendly gesture to Qin first and planned to use Han Nie, who was pro-Qin, as prime minister.
Feng Yangjun of Zhao State was busy attacking Qin together. , saw that the King of Qi had made peace with Qin without consulting, and was very angry, so he united with Wei Yan to start a war against the Qi State, which was busy attacking the Song Dynasty. The King of Qi hurriedly withdrew from the Song Dynasty and promised to give the land of Fengyang to Lord Fengyang. Juncai stopped attacking Qi.
Su Qin was detained in Zhao
Fengyang Jun got the promise of land from the king of Qi, and the relationship with Qi became harmonious again, while Su Qin was there. The secret activities to alienate the relationship between Yan and Zhao were also noticed by Fengyang Jun, so Fengyang Jun detained Su Qin in Zhao State and restricted his actions.
Su Qin asked the King of Yan for help and planned to continue. The king of Yan made a serious protest to Zhao Fengyang Jun, and Fengyang Jun released Su Qin. However, Su Qin could no longer find a chance to act in Zhao. He wanted to see the envoys sent by Qi to Zhao, but Zhao had no choice but to leave Zhao. Come together.
Since Chen Gongyu Guo
After Su Qin entered Qi, King Yan Zhao became suspicious of him, because he tried to dissuade King Yan Zhao from attacking Qi Qi several times, saying that the time had not come yet. So King Zhao planned to let someone else replace Su Qin and return to the country. Su Qin felt very aggrieved and wrote a letter to King Yan to defend himself. This letter can be said to be his comment on the merits and demerits of his life. He said: Yan and Qi have a long history of hatred. I worked hard for Yanqi's diplomatic relations, but it was difficult to gain the trust of all parties. Qi is a serious concern of the Yan State. When I am in the Qi State, I can prevent Qi from attacking Yan, but I can break the relationship between Qi and Zhao, so as to prepare for the king's important events. When the Five Kingdoms attacked Qin, although Yan sent troops and supplies, firstly, it saved Qi from the shame of proclaiming himself emperor and Yan became a minister, and secondly, there was no danger of Qi and Zhao attacking Yan. Later, Lord Fengyang accepted the fiefdom of Qi and detained me in the State of Zhao. The king rescued his subordinates out of misfortune. Now Qi and Zhao are not planning to attack Yan. Yan has been able to build up its national strength. Although I have done nothing, I think I can be exempted. As a minister of Yan, when I am active in Qi, there will be rumors. If I am a noble person in Qi, the officials of Yan State will not trust me; if I am a lowly person in Qi, the world will look down on me. If I am put in important use by the King of Qi, Dr. Yan will have hopes for me. If his hopes are not met, it will only lead to more complaints. If there is anything disadvantageous to Yan in the state of Qi, all the responsibility will be placed on me. If the people of the world do not attack Qi, they will say that I am good at planning for Qi. My situation can also be said to be dangerous enough. I am not afraid of death to serve the king, but the king suspects and blames his subordinates. I am really afraid. Although I think I can be listed among the nobles of the world, I have no guilt. If your Majesty only values ??talented and wise people, I am willing to cooperate with him seriously in Qi. If your Majesty does not trust me, I will return to Yan to serve your Majesty in order to forgive your Majesty. worries. King Yan Zhao finally did not replace Su Qin.
What happened after Dangdang's death
In order to worsen the relations between Qi and Zhao and make Qi Guang an enemy, Su Qin persuaded the King of Qi to attack Song. In 286 BC, Qi defeated Song. Qi's national power also gradually declined. At the same time, because Fengyang Jun asked Qi for a fiefdom, there was another rift in the relationship between Qi and Zhao. Su Qin's frequent activities were finally discovered by King Qi and Doctor Qi. The king of Qi broke Su Qin's chariot in the market. Su Qin was more than fifty years old when he died. After Su Qin's death, the five kingdoms of Yan, Zhao, Wei, Qin and Han united and led a large-scale attack on Qi under the leadership of Yan general Le Yi, and captured more than 70 cities. The king of Qi fled and was killed. Although Qi later regained its territory, its national power declined greatly and it never recovered. The reason why the four kingdoms of Yan, Zhao, Wei and Qin launched this war was largely due to Su Qin's activities during his lifetime.
The strategist category of "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" contains thirty-one chapters of "Su Zi", which is believed to be a collection of Su Qin's works or his deeds recorded by later generations. It seems to also include the Su Dynasty, Su Some of Li’s persuasive words. "Su Zi" is the longest one in the Zonghengjia category. It can be seen that from the Warring States Period to the Western Han Dynasty, the works or related materials belonging to the Su brothers in Zonghengjia were very important and widely circulated. After the Han Dynasty, the book was no longer popular. The silk book "Books from the Zongheng Family" unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha contains eleven pieces written by Su Qin to King Yan or King Zhao, which are not found in ancient books such as "Warring States Policy" and "Historical Records". There are also two pieces whose parts are found in "Warring States Period". Policy", these thirteen articles are important new materials for understanding Su Qin's deeds.