Original text
During the reign of Duke Wen of Yan, King Qin Hui made his daughter the wife of the Crown Prince of Yan. Duke Wen died and King Yi was established. King Xuan of Qi attacked Yan due to his death and captured ten cities. Su Qin, the king of Wu'an, spoke to the king of Qi for Yan, bowed again and congratulated him, and hung up because he looked up. The king of Qi stood up and said, "How can this be done so quickly?" Even though Yan is weak, the son-in-law of Qin is strong, and he is deeply enemies of Qin. Now he makes Yanxing the weak one, and controls Qin in order to recruit the best soldiers in the world. The king of Qi said, "What can I do?" He replied, "The way a sage controls things is to turn misfortunes into blessings. Therefore, Duke Huan blames his wife." The reputation of a person is beneficial, and the relationship between Han and Xian is strengthened. These are all turning disasters into blessings, and those who are able to listen to their ministers are better than returning to the ten cities of Yan and thanking Qin for knowing them. The king returned to the city of Yan on his own account, and the king of Qin must be the king. . This king used false words to annex Qin and conquered the world with ten cities. This is the so-called turning disaster into blessing. "
The king of Qi said, Yancheng. After thanking him with a thousand catties of gold, he bowed his head and expressed his willingness to plead guilty to Qin for his brothers.
Translation
During the reign of Duke Wen of Yan, King Qin Hui married his daughter to the prince of Yan as his wife. After the death of Duke Wen of Yan, King Yi succeeded to the throne. King Xuan of Qi took advantage of the great mourning of Yan State to attack Yan State and captured ten cities of Yan State. Su Qin, Lord of Wu'an, lobbied King Xuan of Qi for the benefit of Yan State.
Su Qin met King Xuan, bowed twice to express his congratulations, and then raised his head to read his condolences. King Qi took a few steps back with his hand on the iron gun, and asked: "What's going on with you? First congratulations and then read a condolence?" Su Qin replied: "When people are hungry, the reason why they don't eat aconite (a type of aconite) is Poison), thinking that even if it can fill the stomach, it will soon die. Although the Yan State is relatively weak, it is also a powerful Qin State. Now, if you let the weak Yan State be the vanguard and the powerful Qin State be the backing, and use the best soldiers in the world to attack you, it will be as dangerous as eating aconite to satisfy your hunger."
King Xuan of Qi said. "In this case, what should we do?" Su Qin replied: "A saint can turn disaster into blessing and win out of defeat. Therefore, although Duke Huan of Qi was involved in women's sex, his reputation was more noble; although Han Xianzi He was convicted of murder, but his position became more and more stable. These are all examples of turning disaster into blessing and making achievements out of defeat. Your Majesty, you can listen to my opinion. It is better to return the ten cities of Yan and express humility to Qin. When the king of Qin knew that the king had returned the ten cities of the Yan State because of him, he would be grateful to the king. The king of Yan would also be grateful to the king for taking back the cities for no reason. In this way, the king would avoid powerful enemies. , but established a deep friendship with them? Besides, Yan and Qin will please Qi, so who among the princes in the world will not obey the king's orders? The king only expressed his closeness to Qin with words, and conquered the world with ten cities. This is the cause of the overlord, and it is also a good way to turn disaster into blessing and make merit out of defeat." King Xuan of Qi was very happy after hearing this, so he sent back the ten cities of Yan State, and then returned. He sent a thousand pieces of gold to express his apology, and kowtowed along the way, hoping to become a brotherly nation, and begging Qin to forgive his sins.
Commentary
Su Qin took the lead by reciting the eulogy at the beginning, and firmly captured the heart of King Qi. Then it analyzed the interest relationship between Qin, Qi and Yan. Qin could unite with Yan to attack Qi. Qi began to change its attitude after facing this threat. Later, Su Qin discussed the present based on the past and cited extensive evidence, and pointed out that only by returning the ten cities would the disaster be turned into a blessing. The argument is very powerful, especially the experience of historical figures such as Duke Huan of Qi and Han Xianzi is quoted, which adds a sense of historical weight to the content of the debate. This historical wisdom is freely applied and integrated into the debate, giving people an irresistible feeling. of persuasion.