Regnum Sinense

史记（三：世家）

Shiji III: Hereditary Houses

Shiji 史记 · 251 BC · 秦昭襄王五十六年

Introduction

The entries of the Hereditary Houses for this year: the houses of Yan and Zhao on Yan's attack on Zhao and its defeat at Hao and Dai, and the houses of Chu, Wei and Han on the death of King Zhao of Qin.

Text and Translation

Text: Chinese source

Text: English Translation

Annotations

[§3] 史记（三：世家）

[§3] Shiji III: Hereditary Houses

燕召公世家：今王喜四年，秦昭王卒。燕王命相栗腹约欢赵，以五百金为赵王酒。还报燕王曰：“赵王壮者皆死长平，其孤未壮，可伐也。”王召昌国君乐闲问之。对曰：“赵四战之国，其民习兵，不可伐。”王曰：“吾以五而伐一。”对曰：“不可。”燕王怒，群臣皆以为可。卒起二军，车二千乘，栗腹将而攻鄗，卿秦攻代。唯独大夫将渠谓燕王曰：“与人通关约交，以五百金饮人之王，使者报而反攻之，不祥，兵无成功。”燕王不听，自将偏军随之。将渠引燕王绶止之曰：“王必无自往，往无成功。”王蹴之以足。将渠泣曰：“臣非以自为，为王也！”燕军至宋子，赵使廉颇将，击破栗腹于鄗。乐乘破卿秦于代。乐闲奔赵。廉颇逐之五百余里，围其国。燕人请和，赵人不许，必令将渠处和。燕相将渠以处和。赵听将渠，解燕围。

Hereditary House of Duke Shao of Yan: In the fourth year of the present king, Xi1, King Zhao of Qin died. The King of Yan ordered the Chancellor Li Fu to conclude friendly relations with Zhao, and with five hundred jin of gold he feasted the King of Zhao. He returned and reported to the King of Yan: "Of the King of Zhao's men, those in their prime all died at Changping, and their orphans are not yet grown; he can be attacked." The king summoned Lord Changguo, Yue Jian, and asked him. He replied: "Zhao is a state at war on four sides2; its people are practised in arms. It cannot be attacked." The king said: "I shall attack with five against one3." He replied: "It cannot be done." The King of Yan was angry, and the assembled ministers all held that it could be done. In the end he raised two armies, two thousand chariots: Li Fu led one and attacked Hao, and Qing Qin attacked Dai4. Alone the Grand Master Jiang Qu said to the King of Yan: "To open the Passes to another and bind oneself to him in friendship, to feast another's king with five hundred jin of gold, and then, when the envoy has reported back, to turn and attack him — that is ill-omened, and the troops will have no success." The King of Yan did not listen, and himself led a detached army behind them. Jiang Qu took hold of the King of Yan's seal-ribbon to stop him, saying: "Your Majesty must on no account go yourself; if you go there will be no success." The king kicked him away with his foot. Jiang Qu wept and said: "Your servant does this not for himself but for Your Majesty!" The Yan army reached Songzi. Zhao sent Lian Po in command; he struck and defeated Li Fu at Hao. Yue Cheng defeated Qing Qin at Dai. Yue Jian fled to Zhao. Lian Po pursued them more than five hundred li and besieged their capital. The men of Yan sued for peace; the men of Zhao would not allow it, and insisted that Jiang Qu be made to handle the peace. Yan made Jiang Qu Chancellor to handle the peace5. Zhao heeded Jiang Qu and raised the siege of Yan.

楚世家：十二年，秦昭王卒，楚王使春申君吊祠于秦。

Hereditary House of Chu: In the twelfth year6, King Zhao of Qin died, and the King of Chu sent Lord Chunshen to condole and sacrifice in Qin.

赵世家：十五年，以尉文封相国廉颇为信平君。燕王令丞相栗腹约驩，以五百金为赵王酒，还归，报燕王曰：“赵氏壮者皆死长平，其孤未壮，可伐也。”王召昌国君乐闲而问之。对曰：“赵，四战之国也，其民习兵，伐之不可。”王曰：“吾以众伐寡，二而伐一，可乎？”对曰：“不可。”王曰：“吾即以五而伐一，可乎？”对曰：“不可。”燕王大怒。群臣皆以为可。燕卒起二军，车二千乘，栗腹将而攻鄗，卿秦将而攻代。廉颇为赵将，破杀栗腹，虏卿秦、乐闲。

Hereditary House of Zhao: In the fifteenth year7, the Chancellor of State Lian Po was enfeoffed with Weiwen8 as Lord Xinping. The King of Yan ordered the Chancellor Li Fu to conclude friendly relations, and with five hundred jin of gold he feasted the King of Zhao; he went back and reported to the King of Yan: "Of the men of Zhao, those in their prime all died at Changping, and their orphans are not yet grown; Zhao can be attacked." The king summoned Lord Changguo, Yue Jian, and asked him. He replied: "Zhao is a state at war on four sides; its people are practised in arms. To attack it cannot be done." The king said: "If I attack the few with the many, two against one, will it do?" He replied: "It will not." The king said: "Then if I attack with five against one, will it do?" He replied: "It will not." The King of Yan was greatly angered. The assembled ministers all held that it could be done. Yan in the end raised two armies, two thousand chariots: Li Fu led one and attacked Hao, and Qing Qin led one and attacked Dai. Lian Po was Zhao's general; he defeated and killed Li Fu and captured Qing Qin and Yue Jian9.

魏世家：二十六年，秦昭王卒。

Hereditary House of Wei: In the twenty-sixth year10, King Zhao of Qin died.

韩世家：二十二年，秦昭王卒。

Hereditary House of Han: In the twenty-second year11, King Zhao of Qin died.

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Terms

Chancellor / 相n. the chief minister of a state.
jin of gold / 金n. the unit in which sums of gold are reckoned: a yi 镒 under the Warring States and Qin, a jin 斤 under Han.
Grand Master / 大夫n. a rank of officials below the ministers (卿).
Pass / 关n. a fortified pass.
seal-ribbon / 绶n. the silk ribbon by which the seal of office was hung from the belt.
Chancellor of State / 相国n. the chief minister, addressed by his full title.
Chancellor / 丞相n. the head of the administration; the fuller form of the title the texts also write as 相.

Persons

King Xi of Yan 燕王喜King of Yan from 254 BC; son of King Xiao.
King Zhaoxiang of Qin 秦昭襄王King of Qin, reigned 306–251 BC; personal name Ji 稷. Called King Zhao in the Basic Annals of Zhou and King Zhaoxiang in the Basic Annals of Qin.
Li Fu 栗腹Chancellor of Yan (the Suoyin: a surname and personal name; the Chancellor of Yan).
King Xiaocheng of Zhao 赵孝成王King of Zhao, reigned 265–245 BC.
Yue Jian 乐闲Lord Changguo 昌国君 of Yan, son of Yue Yi 乐毅, whose title he held; went over to Zhao in 251 BC. Written 乐闲 or 乐间.
Qing Qin 卿秦A Yan general (the Suoyin: a surname and personal name; or else 卿 is an office and 秦 the name). The Zhanguoce writes 爰秦, Yuan being the surname (Suoyin), or 庆秦 (Zhengyi).
Jiang Qu 将渠Grand Master 大夫 of Yan, made Chancellor in 251 BC (the Suoyin: a surname and personal name; or else 将 is an office and 渠 the name).
Lian Po 廉颇General of Zhao, Chancellor of State; enfeoffed as Lord Xinping 信平君 in 251 BC (the Zhengyi: a title, "steadfast in good faith and peaceable").
Yue Cheng 乐乘Zhao general.
King Kaolie of Chu 楚考烈王King of Chu, reigned 262–238 BC; personal name Wan.
Lord Chunshen 春申君Huang Xie 黄歇, Chancellor of Chu from 262 BC, enfeoffed as Lord Chunshen.

Places

Yan 燕the state of Yan, with its capital at Ji (modern Beijing).
Zhao 赵the state of Zhao, with its capital at Handan, Hebei; one of the three states formed from Jin.
Changping 长平in the Shangdang region; modern Gaoping, Shanxi.
Hao 鄗a Zhao town; modern Gaoyi, Hebei.
Dai 代Zhao's northern commandery; around modern Yu County, Hebei.
Songzi 宋子a Zhao town; Xu Guang: in Julu; north-east of modern Zhao County, Hebei.
Qin 秦the state of Qin, with its capital at Xianyang, Shaanxi.
Weiwen 尉文the fief granted to Lian Po; the Suoyin: probably a place name, or else 尉 an office and 文 a name; the Zhengyi: probably land in Weizhou (modern Yu County, Hebei).

Notes

1 fourth yearThe fourth year of King Xi of Yan, 251 BC; the text calls him "the present king" (今王).
2 four sides四战之国: the Zhengyi: Zhao borders Yan to the east, Qin to the west, Han and Wei to the south and the Hu and Mo to the north, hence "at war on four sides".
3 five against oneThe Suoyin: five men against one.
4 attacked DaiThe Suoyin and the Zhengyi cite the Zhanguoce, which differs: Lian Po met Li Fu at Hao with two hundred thousand men, Yue Cheng met Qing Qin at Dai with fifty thousand, and the men of Yan were heavily defeated. The Zhanguoce writes the general's name 爰秦 (Suoyin) or 庆秦 (Zhengyi).
5 handle the peaceThe Suoyin: Zhao wished to have Jiang Qu put in charge of making the peace; the Jijie: Yan made Jiang Qu its Chancellor.
6 twelfth yearThe twelfth year of King Kaolie of Chu, 251 BC.
7 fifteenth yearThe fifteenth year of King Xiaocheng of Zhao, 251 BC.
8 Weiwen尉文: the Suoyin: probably a place name, or else 尉 an office and 文 a name, the grant being the land that Wen had held; the Zhengyi: probably land in Weizhou.
9 capturedThe Hereditary House of Yan, above, has Yue Jian flee to Zhao.
10 twenty-sixth yearThe twenty-sixth year of King Anxi of Wei, 251 BC.
11 twenty-second yearThe twenty-second year of King Huanhui of Han, 251 BC.