乐毅列传

He learned that King Zhaowen of Yan had been humiliated by Qi after the chaos caused by Zi Zhi, and he bore a deep grudge against Qi, never forgetting for a single day his desire for revenge. Yan was a small state, remote and weak, unable to act alone. Therefore King Zhaowen humbled himself before men of worth, first treating Guo Wei with courtesy to attract other capable men. At this time Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → was serving as an envoy from King Zhaowen of Wei to Yan. The King of Yan received him as a guest and treated him with great respect. Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → declined and remonstrated, but finally accepted a lord's commitment and became a minister. King Zhaowen of Yan made him Deputy Minister. He held this position for a long time.

At that time King Min of Qi was powerful. To the south he defeated Chu's minister Tang Mo at Chongqiu; to the west he shattered the Three Jin forces at Guanjin. He then joined with the Three Jin to attack Qin, helped Zhao destroy Zhongshan, conquered Song, and extended Qi territory by over a thousand li. He even contended with King Zhaowen of Qin for the title of Emperor, though he eventually relinquished it. All the vassal states wished to abandon Qin and submit to Qi. King Min became arrogant, and the common people could no longer bear his rule.

At that time King Min of Qi was powerful. To the south he defeated Chu's minister Tang Mo at Chongqiu; to the west he shattered the Three Jin forces at Guanjin. He then joined with the Three Jin to attack Qin, helped Zhao destroy Zhongshan, conquered Song, and extended Qi territory by over a thousand li. He even contended with King Zhaowen of Qin for the title of Emperor, though he eventually relinquished it. All the vassal states wished to abandon Qin and submit to Qi. King Min became arrogant, and the common people could no longer bear his rule.

At that time King Min of Qi was powerful. To the south he defeated Chu's minister Tang Mo at Chongqiu; to the west he shattered the Three Jin forces at Guanjin. He then joined with the Three Jin to attack Qin, helped Zhao destroy Zhongshan, conquered Song, and extended Qi territory by over a thousand li. He even contended with King Zhaowen of Qin for the title of Emperor, though he eventually relinquished it. All the vassal states wished to abandon Qin and submit to Qi. King Min became arrogant, and the common people could no longer bear his rule.

King Zhaowen of Yan then inquired about the possibility of attacking Qi. Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → replied: "Qi is a state that has inherited the legacy of a hegemon. Its territory is vast and its population numerous. It would not be easy to attack alone. If Your Majesty truly wishes to strike, you would do better to ally with Zhao, Chu, and Wei." He was accordingly sent to negotiate with King Huiwen of Zhao, while others were dispatched to bind Chu and Wei. Zhao was persuaded to recognize the advantages of attacking Qi. The vassal lords, suffering from King Min's arrogance and cruelty, all competed to form alliances with Yan against Qi.

Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → reported back, and King Zhaowen of Yan mobilized his entire army, appointing Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → Supreme Commander. King Huiwen of Zhao conferred upon him the seal of Chancellor. Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → then commanded the combined forces of Zhao, Chu, Wei, Yan, and Han against Qi, defeating them west of the Ji River. The allied armies returned home, but Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → of Yan pressed on alone, advancing as far as Linzi. When King Min of Qi was defeated west of the Ji, he fled and took refuge in Ju. Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → remained alone to reduce the territories of Qi. The cities all fortified themselves and held their defenses. Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → entered Linzi and seized all the precious treasures and ceremonial vessels of Qi, transporting them to Yan.

King Zhaowen of Yan was overjoyed. He personally traveled to the banks of the Ji to honor the army, distributed rewards and feasts for the soldiers, and enfeoffed Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → at Changguo, conferring on him the title of Lord of Changguo. King Zhaowen then gathered the spoils from Qi and returned home, leaving Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → to complete the pacification of the remaining cities.

Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → spent five years reducing the territories of Qi, capturing over seventy cities, all of which were organized as commanderies and counties under Yan's control. Only Ju and Jimo remained unsubdued.

Then King Zhaowen of Yan died, and his son ascended the throne as King Hui of Yan. King Hui had been dissatisfied with Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → ever since his days as Crown Prince. When he came to the throne, Tian DanTian DanHere's the translation to English: **The General Who Rebuilt Qi from Ruins**When Yan captured Qi and reduced it to two cities, one man saved the kingdom — using fire, faith, and a clever trick with fish to rally his people.View profile → of Qi heard of this and deployed a counter-intelligence operation against Yan. He spread the rumor: "Only two cities in Qi remain unconquered. The reason Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → has not captured them sooner is that he has fallen out with the new King of Yan and wishes to keep his army here, eventually declaring himself King of Qi. What Qi fears most is the arrival of another general."

King Hui of Yan had already suspected Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile →, and upon receiving Qi's false intelligence, he dispatched Qi Jie to replace Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → as commander, summoning Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → back. Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → understood that the new king harbored ill will toward him and feared that if he surrendered command, he would be punished. Therefore he crossed westward and submitted to Zhao. Zhao enfeoffed him at Guanjin, giving him the title Lord of Wangzhu. This honor was meant to alarm both Yan and Qi.

King Hui of Yan had already suspected Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile →, and upon receiving Qi's false intelligence, he dispatched Qi Jie to replace Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → as commander, summoning Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → back. Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → understood that the new king harbored ill will toward him and feared that if he surrendered command, he would be punished. Therefore he crossed westward and submitted to Zhao. Zhao enfeoffed him at Guanjin, giving him the title Lord of Wangzhu. This honor was meant to alarm both Yan and Qi.

King Hui of Yan had already suspected Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile →, and upon receiving Qi's false intelligence, he dispatched Qi Jie to replace Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → as commander, summoning Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → back. Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → understood that the new king harbored ill will toward him and feared that if he surrendered command, he would be punished. Therefore he crossed westward and submitted to Zhao. Zhao enfeoffed him at Guanjin, giving him the title Lord of Wangzhu. This honor was meant to alarm both Yan and Qi.

Later, Tian DanTian DanHere's the translation to English: **The General Who Rebuilt Qi from Ruins**When Yan captured Qi and reduced it to two cities, one man saved the kingdom — using fire, faith, and a clever trick with fish to rally his people.View profile → of Qi clashed with Qi Jie. Using a clever stratagem, he deceived the Yan army and defeated Qi Jie at Jimo. He then pressed northward, recovering all the cities of Qi. He escorted King Xiang of Qi back to Ju and brought him to Linzi.

"Our late father entrusted his entire realm to you, General. You destroyed Qi for Yan and avenged our former king. The entire world was struck with awe—no one dared remain indifferent. How could I possibly forget your achievements for a single day?

Yue YiYue YiThe General Who Almost Destroyed QiA Wei general forced into exile who nearly erased the state of Qi from the map — and whose loyalty endured through every political betrayal.View profile → replied in a letter:

"Your servant is without ability and cannot fulfill Your Majesty's commands or accommodate the wishes of your ministers. I feared that this might diminish the late king's reputation and harm Your Majesty's righteousness. Therefore I withdrew to Zhao.

"I have heard that sage and virtuous rulers do not bestow favors on their favorites merely from personal affection; they reward those who achieve much and place in office those who are worthy. Thus a ruler who assesses ability before granting office is one who succeeds; one who evaluates conduct before forming friendships is one who establishes a lasting reputation.

"The late king commanded me: 'Our kingdom harbors deep resentment toward Qi. Though we are weak, we intend to make war on Qi.' I replied: 'Qi is a state that has inherited the legacy of a hegemon and retains the traditions of its victories. Its soldiers are well-trained and experienced in warfare. If Your Majesty wishes to attack it, you must do so with the support of the realm. To secure such support, nothing is better than an alliance with Zhao. Moreover, the regions of Huaibei and Song are what Chu and Wei desire. If Zhao agrees and the four kingdoms unite in the attack, Qi can be thoroughly defeated.'

"The late king agreed. He prepared credentials and sent me south to Zhao. When I returned with their favorable response, he mobilized the army to strike Qi. By heaven's favor and the late king's good fortune, our forces swept across the lands north of the Yellow River and assembled on the banks of the Ji. The armies received their orders and attacked Qi, dealing them a crushing defeat. Our light troops and sharp weapons pressed on without stopping, reaching deep into Qi territory. King Min fled to Ju, barely escaping with his life. His precious jewels, treasures, carriages, armor, and rare vessels all fell into Yan's hands. Qi's ceremonial vessels were displayed in the Ning Tai hall; its great bells were arranged in Yuan Ying; the lost tripods returned to their ancestral shrine; and the rushes of Jiqiu were planted by the waters of Wenhuang.