During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when the Hundred Schools of Thought flourished, Confucianism was most prevalent in the states of Wey and Song. Confucius advocated that governing a state by political means alone was unworkable; beyond politics and punishment, one must also rely on “virtue” and “rites,” and these must be regarded as the primary means of governance.
Confucius was born in the late Spring and Autumn period, when rites and music were beginning to collapse. His lifelong pursuit was to change reality through his own abilities, and ultimately it all came down to “restoring the rites.” Governing by “virtue” is a highly ideal state; if it could truly be achieved, it would naturally be wonderful.
However, in the Warring States period, when rites and music had completely collapsed and political scoundrels emerged endlessly – where there was no most despicable, only more despicable, no most shameless, only more shameless – the people of Wey, deeply influenced by Confucian teachings, were mostly mild-tempered and heavily emphasized virtue, while being too lax in other aspects.
Under such national conditions, wanting to fight was difficult.
That day at Diqiu, Song Chuyi was deeply shaken by the bloodlust aroused in the soldiers. But after a moment of passion, what then?
That was why Song Chuyi asked Longgu Qing how long this fighting spirit could actually last. Judging from all current signs, Longgu Qing’s estimate was truly far too optimistic – the people of Wey felt far more grief than anger.
An army driven by grief is bound to lose. This is a military truth.
Just as Song Chuyi was thinking this, he heard Xi Hong answer, “This time the King of Wei has acted without righteousness. Our army has a just cause for going to war. If we can rouse our army’s fighting spirit, perhaps we can fight. The most important thing is the will of the people and the will of the ruler.”
Song Chuyi lowered her eyes. Hearing Xi Hong place the will of the people first, she could tell that he too belonged to the Confucian school, and likely also championed Mencius’s theory that the people are the most important and the ruler is the least.
Nan Qi snorted. “When has the King of Wei ever been righteous? At first, the six states plotted against Qin, but because the spoils were unevenly distributed, they fell apart before the fighting even began. How much of that was due to the King of Wei’s unrighteousness? If we were to seek reinforcements from other states now, it would surely be feasible. Using this reason to persuade the ruler should also carry some certainty.”
“Indeed.” Longgu Qing’s previously heavy expression relaxed slightly, and he nodded gently. Then he turned to Song Chuyi and said, “I remember that Huaijin once said at Diqiu that we could make the King of Wei taste the loss of territory as well. I wonder what insights you have?”
Song Chuyi looked up and saw everyone looking at her. After a brief moment of thought, she said, “Borrow troops. But not now. As I see it, our pressing matter now is to go at once before the Son of Heaven to bitterly denounce the King of Wei’s despicable conduct, and to spread word of it widely among the various states. This should not be difficult to accomplish – Wey has no shortage of scholars.
After that, send someone to Qin to incite the new ruler to attack Wei. Qin and Wei are longstanding enemies, and the people of Qin are brave and warlike by nature. As long as the words are appropriate, it will be no difficult matter to spark a war between the two states. Once the two states go to war, the King of Wei will inevitably focus his attention on Qin. We can take advantage of Wei’s rear being empty at that time and go to Han, Zhao, Chu, and Song to borrow troops, on the condition that we will not keep any of the Wei cities we capture. With several states launching attacks at the same time, while the King of Wei has no time to attend to everything, our state can seize the opportunity to send out troops, and with good strategy added, take back the lost cities at the smallest cost.”
Everyone was stunned into silence. This was truly using the world as a chessboard and the various states as chess pieces – and this move was ruthless indeed. Longgu Qing clapped his hands in praise and said excitedly, “Magnificent! If handled properly, perhaps Wei could be made to never recover from this!”
Song Chuyi shook her head inwardly. Difficult. Even though Wei’s hegemony was now in decline, it was still a giant tiger. Moreover, Wey had suffered a severe drain of talent, and this plan could not be carried out without people. The current Wey simply did not have that kind of strength. Being able to take back a few cities would already be good enough.
“Bravo!” Everyone came back to their senses and praised in unison.
Immediately afterward, Nan Qi began picking at flaws. “Why do you think that once Qin and Wei go to war, the King of Wei will neglect defenses elsewhere?”
“That statement is mistaken. It is not neglect, but laxity. The King of Wei has always harbored ambitions of hegemony, yet in reality he has been fixated on the single corner that is Qin. If, while his hegemony was still secure, he had taken the opportunity to contend for the Central Plains, the great cause of Wei’s unification would not have been impossible. But what has the King of Wei been doing all these years? Gnawing stubbornly on the bare bone that is Qin,” Song Chuyi said.
Qin had endured four generations of chaotic rule, with foreign wars and civil strife never ceasing. By the time of Duke Xiao of Qin, it had become so poor that even birds would not bother to defecate there and rabbits would not dig burrows. Although Qin held the Longxi region and posed the greatest threat to Wei once it grew strong, if Wei had built itself up to the point of being an unshakable hegemon, what could Qin have done?
Song Chuyi smiled leisurely and said, “Now that bone called Qin has grown fat, but the King of Wei is old and his teeth are loose – he can no longer bite into meat.”
Ji Mian looked at Song Chuyi, his eyes brightening. “Ha, that is an amusing way to put it.”
“The new ruler of Qin has just ascended the throne, and I have heard that internal troubles are not yet settled. How could he lightly speak of sending troops to clash with Wei?” Ji Yan asked doubtfully.
Song Chuyi had once been very close to Qin, so she had firsthand experience and understood the people of Qin even better. “My plan is to be completed within half a year. If possible, you may all go to Qin and see for yourselves. From top to bottom, the people of Qin gnash their teeth at the mere mention of Wei, wishing they could immediately charge out through Hangu Pass and fight Wei to the death – their hatred runs as deep as the sea. As for the so-called ‘internal troubles,’ they are merely the old clans once again raising the matter of overturning the new laws. And the old clans hate Wei most of all. As long as they are given the slightest opportunity, they will certainly let it go.”
“You seem to know Qin very well?” Hui Shuyun asked.
“I know a thing or two,” Song Chuyi replied, unwilling to waste her mental energy concocting a fabricated background for herself.
“Excellent! I will go at once to persuade the ruler. The rest of you, discuss how exactly to carry out this strategy.” Unable to contain his excitement, Longgu Qing strode out in large steps.
Before Song Chuyi could even react, he was already out of the room.
At this point, the way everyone looked at Song Chuyi had changed somewhat. They had originally thought that even if she was clever, being so young, she could never compare to adults in experience and strategy. Yet the words she had just spoken made them feel they had truly underestimated her. “Huaijin, to have such insight at such a young age is truly rare.” Xi Hong walked over and patted her on the shoulder.
Nan Qi sneered. “It is a good plan, but you know perfectly well that Wey may not have the ability to carry it out. It is nothing more than seeking fame and reputation.”
Song Chuyi looked at him with raised eyes, her tone indifferent. “In a matter of life and death, if one still dares not stake everything on a single gamble, then one might as well advise the ruler early on to offer all his fiefs to the King of Wei and demote himself to a mere lord. That would be very safe indeed. What do you think?”
Ji Mian slapped the table and abruptly stood up, then launched into an impassioned speech. “Exactly! Stubbornly clinging to the old ways, knowing only how to think of escaping difficulty under oppression, yet never daring to imagine defeating a strong enemy in the midst of hardship – the future of such a state is truly worrying. Qin has suffered no less bullying from Wei than Wey has. The difference is that the people of Qin would rather die than submit and scheme for self-strengthening, while the people of Wey constantly compromise and settle for the status quo. That is why Qin grows ever stronger and Wey ever weaker.”
“Wumei must be a Legalist, so sharp and so impassioned,” Song Chuyi said with a smile.
