The Statesman (Part 2)

Author: Zhi Junfeng, Qu Jin, Hu Jianhua (Translation and Annotation)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The War States Strategy (Zhan Guo Ce) is an important historical document concerning the conflicts and military-political affairs during the Warring States period. It was not written by a single person at a single time. Its initial compiler was a strategist or a wandering scholar from the late Warring States period to the Qin and Han dynasties. In the late Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang compiled and organized various books, selecting and simplifying the content of The War States Strategy (Zhan Guo Ce), arranging it according to the twelve states of the Eastern Zhou, Western Zhou, Qin, Qi, Chu, Zhao, Han, Yan, Song, Wei, and Zhongshan, and extending from the Spring and Autumn period to the unification of the six states by Qin, covering over 240 years and 33 chapters, naming it The War States Strategy. Unlike other pre-Qin historical prose that reflected Confucian thought, The War States Strategy primarily records the political ideas and strategies of strategists and advisors when they persuaded feudal lords or engaged in political debates, reflecting the thought and actions of the strategists. For example, in politics, they valued strategy, emphasized seizing the moment, and pursued fame, wealth, and power. In action, they traveled to persuade and assist Qin in its expansion or unite states to resist Qin, determining the success or failure. The War States Strategy is a historical record that reflects the turbulent and unpredictable nature of the prosperous Warring States period. It serves as an important source for understanding and studying the history of the Warring States period, but it is by no means a reliable historical account. Its elaborate language, dramatic plot, vivid allegories, and anecdotes are highly literary, leaving later generations in awe. The ups and downs of the plot and the lifelike portrayal of characters make The War States Strategy highly novelistic. One of the reasons we chose The War States Strategy is to allow more ordinary readers to experience with us the era of changing fortunes but also of great freedom and enlightenment, where rulers and feudal lords showed respect for talent, officials and subjects worked together to achieve their goals, scholars demonstrated their extraordinary abilities through strategic maneuvering, and people were cherished and valued as human beings.