Zhang Yi, a historical figure who was born in Wei and died in 309 BC, is rumored to have met Su Qin, who thought he was inferior. He once went to the state of Chu to lobby the princes, but he encountered misfortune, was accused of stealing, and was arrested and tortured. His wife once laughed at him, but Zhang Yi told her with her tongue that this was the price of his pursuit of fame. The experience left him feeling very angry and humiliated. Su Qin had agreed that the Six Kingdoms would join forces, but he was very worried that the Qin State would attack the princes and destroy the alliance. When he learned that Zhang Yi had come to visit, he didn't tell his subordinates. Instead, he had people secretly prevent Zhang Yi from leaving. When Zhang Yi finally saw Su Qin, Su Qin provoked and said, "You are so talented, why did you suffer such a shame?."Can't I make you rich?But I won't leave such people.
Zhang Yi was very angry, so he decided to go to Qin, because only Qin could make Zhao distressed. However, Su Qin actually attached great importance to Zhang Yi. He thinks that Zhang Yi is a virtuous person in the world, and he can't catch up with him, but he has succeeded first. The reason why Su Qin insulted and angered Zhang Yi was only because he was worried that Zhang Yi would indulge in small profits and would not pursue greater fame. Therefore, Su Qin sent his own housekeepers to follow Zhang Yi and secretly gave him money, chariots and horses and other help. Under the rule of King Huiwen of Qin, Zhang Yi eventually obtained an official position. When Su Qin's servant asked to go back and report, Zhang Yi said that he had been reused and did not need to apologize for him. He also said that before Su Qin, he would not dare to violate the alliance agreement between the six countries.
Although Zhang Yi went through many difficulties and setbacks, his talent and courage eventually allowed him to leave his mark in history. In 329 BC, he finally reached the state of Qin. Zhang Yi's firmness and pursuit are admirable, and it also makes people realize the importance of pursuing their dreams. In 322 BCE, Zhang Yi warned Chu Xiang not to be unguarded, because he had been severely beaten, and now he might retaliate. Subsequently, Zhang Yi left Qin for Wei, where he disagreed with Hui Shi, and he wanted to attack Chu and Qi through an alliance with Wei, so that the other princes would follow Wei's example. At this time, Bashu was attacked, and Qin wanted to take the opportunity to conquer Bashu. However, Korea also began to attack the Qin state, and the Qin king hesitated. Sima Cuo advocated the destruction of Shu, while Zhang Yi believed that it would be more advantageous to attack Korea.
Zhang Yi believed that by capturing Sanchuan County in Korea, the Qin State could achieve the effect of coercing the Son of Heaven to order the world, so as to gain the support of the princes. On the contrary, the capture of remote Bashu was too far from the emperor's cause. Sima Cuo believed that expanding the land, enriching the people and strengthening the army, and extending benevolence were the conditions for the achievement of the royal industry, and the capture of Bashu could achieve these conditions. Eventually, the king of Qin adopted Sima Cuo's advice and sent troops to attack Shu in 3 BC, and the Qin state was victorious. After the fall of Shu, Qin quickly occupied Ba and captured the king of Ba, which took less than three months. The king of Qin named his son Tongguo as the Marquis of Shu and appointed Chen Zhuang as the prime minister, but soon after Chen Zhuang rebelled and killed the Marquis of Shu, Qin sent Zhang Yi, Gan Mao, Sima Cuo and others into Shu to defeat and kill Chen Zhuang.
The Qin State adopted economic means to govern Bashu, building plank roads, immigrants pouring in, building water conservancy projects, such as the famous Dujiangyan, and building Chengdu City and other cities. This move put Qin in a very advantageous position militarily. In 308 BC, Sima Cuo led an army of 100,000 to capture Qianzhong County in Chu, but Qin wanted to attack Qi, and the Qi-Chu alliance was stronger. Zhang Yi suggested to King Huai of Chu that he sever diplomatic relations with Qi and offer Shang to land, and the King of Chu readily agreed and sent envoys and Zhang Yi to Qin to accept Shang Yuland. Zhang Yi deliberately pretended to be injured, and the king of Chu thought that he would not break off diplomatic relations with the state of Qi, so he sent warriors to the state of Qi to scold the king of Qi, as a result, the king of Qi severed diplomatic relations with the state of Chu and reconciled with the state of Qin.
When the state of Chu learned of this, it was very angry, broke off diplomatic relations with the state of Qin, and sent an army to attack the state of Qin. The two countries fought at Danyang, the Chu army was defeated, and the Qin army captured Hanzhong County. King Chu Huai mobilized the whole ** team to attack Qin, but failed again in Lantian. Korea and Wei took the opportunity to send troops to attack Chu and pursued to Deng County, where the Chu army fell into the predicament of being attacked on both sides, and could only cede the city and negotiate peace with Qin. Zhang Yi: Diplomatic legend Zhang Yi of Chu State, a high-profile diplomat. On the border of the central region of Chu State, he defeated Bai Qi, the general of Qin State, with extremely exquisite strategies, and became a hot figure at that time. Later, the king of Qin wanted to use Zhang Yi's reputation in exchange for the Qianzhong land of the Chu state, but the king of Chu rejected this offer, and instead expressed his willingness to exchange the Qianzhong land to obtain Zhang Yi's annexation. So, Zhang Yi took the initiative to go to the state of Chu and ask to meet the king of Chu.
He traveled to the state of Chu without hesitation, despite knowing that he might be imprisoned or executed. In addition to believing in his own abilities, he also relied on his relationship with Jin Shang, the minister of the Chu State, and Jin Shang's relationship with Zheng Sleeve, the favorite concubine of the King of Chu, to be sure that he would be able to spend this time safely in the Chu State. Sure enough, under Jin Shang's intercession, Zheng Sleeve persuaded the King of Chu to release Zhang Yi and make peace with the Qin State. This experience inspired Zhang Yi to continue lobbying for alliances with Qin. On the way to lobby various countries, Zhang Yi's plan was thwarted by Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan had just returned from the Qi delegation and was ready to persuade the King of Chu to execute Zhang Yi. However, Zhang Yi had long been out of the control of the Chu State. Zhang Yi succeeded in persuading Chu and Korea to form an alliance with Qin, and lobbied Qi, Zhao, and Yan to form an alliance with Qin.
However, when he returned to Qin, King Huiwen of Qin had died and a new king, King Wu, had ascended the throne. Due to his dissatisfaction with Zhang Yi earlier, coupled with the provocation of his ministers, King Wu expelled Zhang Yi from the Qin State. Zhang Yi eventually went into exile in Wei, where he died a year after serving as prime minister. Zhang Yi's diplomatic achievements have left a strong mark on Chinese history.