Strategic Studies

The Warring States Period

East Zhou: The Execution of Guan Ta

...own destruction." The messenger deliberately allowed the letter to be intercepted by the authorities of East Zhou. The Lord of East Zhou read it and, believing Guan Ta was a double agent, immediately had him executed. This completes the story from the previous page: West Zhou successfully tricked East Zhou into killing their own valuable defector using a planted letter and a bribe.

The Siege of Jimo

When the people of the State of Yan attacked the State of Qi, Tian Dan—who served as a minor market official in the district of Anping—instructed his clansmen to take iron axle-guards Original: 鐵籠 (tielong), literally "iron cages." In this context, it refers to iron plates or tubes wrapped around the ends of wooden chariot axles to reinforce them against impact. and fasten them to the hubs of their chariots. When the city collapsed and the people scrambled to flee through the gates, the wooden axles of their chariots collided and shattered, leading to the capture of the refugees. Only Tian Dan’s clansmen managed to escape because their reinforced axles held firm. They fled to the city of Jimo.

At that time, almost all of the territory of Qi had fallen under the control of Yan. Only the cities of Ju and Jimo remained The people of Jimo were also in a state of disarray. unsubdued. The Yan general, Yue Yi, united his forces to besiege them. When the Grandee of Jimo The high-ranking official or governor of the city. was killed in battle, the people of Jimo said: "During the battle at Anping, Tian Dan’s clan survived because of his use of iron axle-guards. This shows he is a man of great wisdom and experienced in military matters." They subsequently appointed him as their general.

Yue Yi besieged the two cities for a full year but could not conquer them. He then ordered his troops to lift the immediate siege, pulling back nine li A traditional unit of distance, roughly 500 meters or 1/3 of a mile. from the city walls to construct He had met his match. fortified camps. He issued a command stating: "Do not capture those who emerge from the city. If they are in need, provide them with relief and allow them to resume their former occupations." Three years passed, yet the cities still did not surrender. Some officials slandered Yue Yi to King Zhao of Yan, saying: "Yue Yi’s intelligence and strategic mind surpass all others. He is called..."