Preserving Han存韓
韓事秦三十餘年，出則爲扞蔽，入則爲蓆薦。秦特出銳師取地而韓隨之，怨懸於天下，功歸於强秦。且夫韓入貢職，與郡縣無異也。今臣竊聞貴臣之計，舉兵將伐韓。夫趙氏聚士卒，養從徒，欲贅天下之兵，明秦不弱則諸侯必滅宗廟，欲西面行其意，非一日之計也。今釋趙之患，而攘内臣之韓，則天下明趙氏之計矣。
Han has served Qin for more than thirty years. Abroad it has been a shield, and at home a mat and a cushion. When Qin sent out its keen troops and took land, Han followed behind, and the resentment hung over all under heaven while the merit went to strong Qin. Moreover Han offers up tribute and service, so that it is no different from a commandery or a county of Qin. Now your servant has quietly heard the plan of the honored ministers, that troops are to be raised to strike Han. The house of Zhao gathers soldiers and rears the followers of the alliance, wishing to bind to itself the troops of all under heaven; it declares that unless Qin is weakened the feudal lords will surely lose their ancestral temples, and it means to face west and carry out its purpose. This is no plan of a single day. Now, to let the trouble of Zhao lie and instead drive off Han, a subject within, would make the plan of the house of Zhao plain to all under heaven.
夫韓，小國也，而以應天下四擊，主辱臣苦，上下相與同憂久矣。脩守備，戒强敵，有畜積，築城池以守固。今伐韓，未可一年而滅，拔一城而退，則權輕於天下，天下摧我兵矣。韓叛，則魏應之，趙據齊以爲原，如此，則以韓、魏資趙假齊以固其從，而以與爭强，趙之福而秦之禍也。夫進而擊趙不能取，退而攻韓弗能拔，則陷銳之卒懃於野戰，負任之旅罷於内攻，則合羣苦弱以敵而共二萬乘，非所以亡韓之心也。均如貴臣之計，則秦必爲天下兵質矣。陛下雖以金石相弊，則兼天下之日未也。
Han is a small state, yet it has met blows from the four quarters of all under heaven, so that its ruler is disgraced and its ministers are in distress, and high and low have long shared the same care. It keeps its defenses in repair, guards against strong enemies, has stores laid by, and builds walls and moats to hold firm. Now if Han is struck, it cannot be destroyed within a year; and if one walled town is taken and the army withdraws, then our weight will be light in all under heaven and all under heaven will break our troops. If Han revolts, Wei will answer it, and Zhao will hold to Qi as its ground. If it comes to this, then Han and Wei are used to supply Zhao and Qi is borrowed to make the alliance firm, and with that alliance they contend for strength. This is good fortune for Zhao and disaster for Qin. If we advance and strike Zhao and cannot take it, and fall back and attack Han and cannot take that either, then the keen soldiers who pierce the enemy lines will be worn out in battle in the field and the troops who bear the burdens will be exhausted in attacking within, and we shall join the distressed and the weak together and make enemies of two states of ten thousand chariots at once. That is not the heart of one who would destroy Han. If matters are ordered as the honored ministers plan, Qin will surely become the target of the troops of all under heaven. Though Your Majesty hold out against them like metal and stone, the day of joining all under heaven will not come.
今賤臣之愚計，使人使荊，重幣用事之臣，明趙之所以欺秦者；與魏質以安其心，從韓而伐趙，趙雖與齊爲一，不足患也。二國事畢，則韓可以移書定也。是我一舉二國有亡形，則荊、魏又必自服矣。故曰：「兵者，凶器也。」不可不審用也。以秦與趙敵衡，加以齊，今又背韓，而未有以堅荊、魏之心。夫一戰而不勝，則禍搆矣。計者，所以定事也，不可不察也。趙、秦强弱，在今年耳。且趙與諸侯陰謀久矣。夫一動而弱於諸侯，危事也；爲計而使諸侯有意我之心，至殆也。見二踈，非所以强於諸侯也。臣竊願陛下之幸熟圖之！攻伐而使從者間焉，不可悔也。
Now the foolish plan of your lowly servant is this. Send a man as envoy to Chu and make the gifts to the ministers in office generous, and make plain the ways in which Zhao has deceived Qin; exchange hostages with Wei to settle its heart; and follow Han in striking Zhao. Then, though Zhao become one with Qi, it will not be worth troubling over. When the business of the two states is finished, Han can be settled by a letter. Thus at a single stroke two states take on the shape of ruin, and Chu and Wei too will surely submit of themselves. Therefore it is said, "Arms are an ill-omened instrument." They cannot but be used with care. Qin stands against Zhao as on a balance, and Qi is added to it, and now we would turn our back on Han as well, with nothing done to make the hearts of Chu and Wei firm. If we fight once and do not win, disaster is knit together. A plan is what settles affairs, and it cannot but be examined. Whether Zhao or Qin is the stronger rests upon this year alone. And Zhao has been laying secret plans with the feudal lords for a long time. To move once and be made weaker than the feudal lords is a perilous business; to make a plan that gives the feudal lords a mind to watch for their chance against us is perilous in the extreme. To show these two slacknesses is not the way to grow strong among the feudal lords. Your servant quietly asks that Your Majesty think this through with care. If we attack and strike and those of the alliance find their opening in it, there will be no room even for regret.
詔以韓客之所上書，書言韓子之未可舉，下臣斯。臣斯甚以爲不然。秦之有韓，若人之有腹心之病也，虚處則㤥然，若居濕地，著而不去，以極走，則發矣。夫韓雖臣於秦，未嘗不爲秦病，今若有卒報之事，韓不可信也。秦與趙爲難，荊蘇使齊，未知何如。以臣觀之，則齊、趙之交未必以荊蘇絶也；若不絶，是悉秦而應二萬乘也。夫韓不服秦之義而服於强也，今專於齊、趙，則韓必爲腹心之病而發矣。韓與荊有謀，諸侯應之，則秦必復見崤塞之患。
By command Your Majesty handed down the letter presented by the guest from Han, a letter saying that Han cannot yet be taken, and handed it to your servant Li Si (李斯). Your servant Li Si holds strongly that it is not so. Qin's having Han is like a man's having a sickness in the belly. At rest it aches dully, as though he were living on damp ground; it clings and does not go; and when he runs hard, it breaks out. Though Han is a subject of Qin, there has never been a time when it was not a sickness to Qin, and now, if some sudden matter arises, Han cannot be trusted. Qin is contending with Zhao, and Jing Su (荊蘇) has gone as envoy to Qi, and how that will turn out is not yet known. As your servant sees it, the friendship of Qi and Zhao will not necessarily be broken by Jing Su; and if it is not broken, then we pour out all of Qin to face two states of ten thousand chariots. Han submitted not to the rightness of Qin but to its strength, and now, if we bend all our force upon Qi and Zhao, Han will surely become the sickness in the belly and break out. If Han lays plans with Chu and the feudal lords answer them, Qin will surely see once more the trouble of the barrier at Mount Xiao.
非之來也，未必不以其能存韓也爲重於韓也。辯說屬辭，飾非詐謀，以釣利於秦，而以韓利闚陛下。夫秦、韓之交親，則非重矣，此自便之計也。
It cannot be said that Han Fei came here with no thought of growing weighty in Han through his skill in preserving Han. He strings together words and fits phrases, dresses up what is wrong and contrives deceits, to fish for profit in Qin and to spy upon Your Majesty for the profit of Han. If the friendship of Qin and Han grows close, Han Fei grows weighty. This is a plan for his own ease.
臣視非之言，文其淫說靡辯，才甚。臣恐陛下淫非之辯而聽其盜心，因不詳察事情。今以臣愚議，秦發兵而未名所伐，則韓之用事者以事秦爲計矣。臣斯請往見韓王，使來入見，大王見，因内其身而勿遣，稍召其社稷之臣，以與韓人爲市，則韓可深割也。因令象武發東郡之卒，闚兵於境上而未名所之，則齊人懼而從蘇之計，是我兵未出而勁韓以威擒，强齊以義從矣。聞於諸侯也，趙氏破膽，荊人狐疑，必有忠計。荊人不動，魏不足患也，則諸侯可蠶食而盡，趙氏可得與敵矣。願陛下幸察愚臣之計，無忽。
Looking at Han Fei's words, your servant sees that he adorns his overflowing arguments and his ornate pleading, and his talent is very great. Your servant fears that Your Majesty may be carried away by Han Fei's pleading and listen to his thieving heart, and so not examine the true state of affairs closely. Now, by your servant's foolish reckoning, if Qin sends out troops and does not name what it will strike, those who hold office in Han will make the serving of Qin their plan. Your servant Li Si asks leave to go and see the king of Han and have him come and present himself. When the great king has seen him, take his person in and do not send him away, and summon the ministers of his altars of soil and grain little by little, and bargain with the men of Han. Then Han can be cut away deeply. After that, have Xiang Wu (象武) send out the soldiers of Dongjun and show troops upon the border without naming where they will go. Then the men of Qi will be afraid and follow the plan of Jing Su, and so, before our troops have gone out, stubborn Han will be seized by our awe and strong Qi will follow us out of rightness. When this is heard among the feudal lords, the gall of the house of Zhao will be broken and the men of Chu will waver in doubt, and they will surely make loyal plans. If the men of Chu do not move, Wei is not worth troubling over, and the feudal lords can be eaten up wholly as a silkworm eats, and the house of Zhao can be faced as an equal. Your servant asks that Your Majesty look into the plan of your foolish servant and not make light of it.
Interlinear notes 1
The base text has 象武; some read it as 蒙武, Meng Wu. — translator
秦遂遣斯使韓也。
Qin then sent Li Si as envoy to Han.
李斯往詔韓王，未得見，因上書曰：「昔秦、韓勠力一意，以不相侵，天下莫敢犯，如此者數世矣。前時五諸侯嘗相與共伐韓，秦發兵以救之。韓居中國，地不能滿千里，而所以得與諸侯班位於天下，君臣相保者，以世世相教事秦之力也。先時五諸侯共伐秦，韓反與諸侯先爲鴈行以嚮秦軍於關下矣。諸侯兵困力極，無柰何，諸侯兵罷。杜倉相秦，起兵發將以報天下之怨而先攻荊。荊令尹患之，曰：『夫韓以秦爲不義，而與秦兄弟共苦天下。已又背秦，先爲鴈行以攻關。韓則居中國，展轉不可知。』天下共割韓上地十城以謝秦，解其兵。夫韓嘗一背秦而國迫地侵，兵弱至今，所以然者，聽姦臣之浮說，不權事實，故雖殺戮姦臣，不能使韓復强。
Li Si went to deliver the command to the king of Han, and when he could not gain an audience he sent up a letter, saying, "In ancient times Qin and Han joined their strength in one purpose and did not encroach upon each other, and all under heaven did not dare to offend against them; so it was for several generations. In an earlier time five feudal lords once joined together to strike Han, and Qin sent out troops to save it. Han lies in the middle and its land does not fill a thousand li, and yet the reason it has been able to stand in rank with the feudal lords in all under heaven, and that ruler and minister have preserved one another, is the strength of generation after generation teaching the service of Qin. Before that, when five feudal lords joined to strike Qin, Han instead went with the feudal lords and took the lead, ranged in line like wild geese, and turned against the Qin army below the pass. The feudal lords' troops were worn out and their strength was spent, and there was nothing to be done, and the feudal lords' troops withdrew. Du Cang (杜倉) became prime minister of Qin, raised troops and sent out generals to repay the resentment of all under heaven, and struck Chu first. The prime minister of Chu was troubled by this and said, 'Han calls Qin unrighteous, and yet it became a brother to Qin and together with Qin gave all under heaven distress. Then it turned its back on Qin and took the lead, ranged in line, to attack the pass. Han lies in the middle and rolls this way and that, so that there is no knowing it.' All under heaven together cut away ten walled towns of Han's upper land to make apology to Qin and to loosen its troops. Han turned its back on Qin once, and its state was pressed and its land encroached upon, and its troops have been weak to this day. The reason it is so is that it listened to the empty words of treacherous ministers and did not weigh the facts. Therefore, though the treacherous ministers were killed, Han could not be made strong again.
「今趙欲聚兵士，卒以秦爲事，使人來借道，言欲伐秦，其勢必先韓而後秦。且臣聞之：『脣亡則齒寒。』夫秦、韓不得無同憂，其形可見。魏欲發兵以攻韓，秦使人將使者於韓。今秦王使臣斯來而不得見，恐左右襲曩姦臣之計，使韓復有亡地之患。臣斯不得見，請歸報，秦韓之交必絶矣。斯之來使，以奉秦王之歡心，願效便計，豈陛下所以逆賤臣者邪？臣斯願得一見，前進道愚計，退就葅戮，願陛下有意焉。今殺臣於韓，則大王不足以强，若不聽臣之計，則禍必搆矣。秦發兵不留行，而韓之社稷憂矣。臣斯暴身於韓之市，則雖欲察賤臣愚忠之計，不可得已。邊鄙殘，國固守，鼓鐸之聲於耳，而乃用臣斯之計，晩矣。且夫韓之兵於天下可知也，今又背强秦。夫弃城而敗軍，則反掖之寇必襲城矣。城盡則聚散，聚散則無軍矣。城固守，則秦必興兵而圍王一都，道不通，則難必謀，其勢不救，左右計之者不用。願陛下熟圖之。若臣斯之所言有不應事實者，願大王幸使得畢辭於前，乃就吏誅不晩也。秦王飲食不甘，遊觀不樂，意專在圖趙，使臣斯來言，願得身見，因急與陛下有計也。今使臣不通，則韓之信未可知也。夫秦必釋趙之患而移兵於韓，願陛下幸復察圖之，而賜臣報決。」
Now Zhao wishes to gather soldiers and make Qin its business at last, and has sent a man to borrow a road, saying that it wishes to strike Qin; but the shape of things is that it will surely take Han first and Qin after. And your servant has heard it said, 'When the lips are gone the teeth are cold.' That Qin and Han cannot but share the same care may be seen in the shape of things. Wei wished to send out troops to attack Han, and Qin sent a man to conduct its envoy to Han. Now the king of Qin has sent your servant Li Si, and he cannot gain an audience; your servant fears that those about Your Majesty are repeating the plan of the treacherous ministers of former days, and will bring upon Han once more the trouble of losing land. If your servant Li Si, unable to gain an audience, asks leave to return and report, the friendship of Qin and Han will surely be broken. Li Si came as envoy to uphold the glad heart of the king of Qin and to offer a plan for your ease. How should Your Majesty turn away your lowly servant for that? Your servant Li Si wishes for one audience; let him come forward and set out his foolish plan, and then withdraw and go to be minced and put to death. Your servant asks that Your Majesty give his mind to this. Now, though your servant be killed here in Han, that is not enough to make the great king strong; and if you do not listen to your servant's plan, disaster will surely be knit together. If Qin sends out troops and does not halt their march, the altars of soil and grain of Han are in peril. If your servant Li Si lies exposed as a corpse in the marketplace of Han, then, though Your Majesty should wish to look into the plan of a lowly servant's foolish loyalty, it will not be to be had. When the border lands are ruined and the state holds fast behind its walls and the sound of drums and bells is in your ears, then to use the plan of your servant Li Si will be too late. Moreover what the troops of Han amount to in all under heaven may be known, and now Han turns its back on strong Qin as well. If the walled towns are abandoned and the army is beaten, then the bandits who turn upon Han from under its own arm will surely fall upon the towns. When the towns are gone, what was gathered scatters; and when what was gathered scatters, there is no army. If the towns are held fast, Qin will surely raise troops and surround one city of the king, and when the roads are closed you will plan against the hardship, but the shape of things will not be to be saved, and the words of those who plan at your side will not be used. Your servant asks that Your Majesty think this through with care. If there is anything in what your servant Li Si has said that does not answer to the facts, your servant asks that the great king graciously let him finish his words in your presence, and then it will not be too late to hand him to the officers and put him to death. The king of Qin finds no sweetness in his food and drink and no joy in his outings, and his mind is set wholly on planning against Zhao, and so he sent your servant Li Si to speak. He wishes to be seen in person, so that he may plan with Your Majesty without delay. Now, if the envoy cannot get through, the good faith of Han cannot be known. Qin will surely let the trouble of Zhao lie and move its troops against Han. Your servant asks that Your Majesty graciously look into this and plan again, and grant your servant a decision in reply."