The Rise of Rival Strategists

In the tumultuous Warring States period (475–221 BCE), two master strategists emerged from the same school yet became bitter adversaries: Su Qin and Zhang Yi. Both studied under the legendary philosopher Guiguzi, mastering the art of persuasion and statecraft. Their rivalry would shape the political landscape of their time, as they championed opposing alliances—Su Qin advocating the “Vertical Alliance” (合纵) of six states against Qin, while Zhang Yi promoted the “Horizontal Alliance” (连横) with Qin as the dominant power.

Su Qin, the more flamboyant of the two, rose to unprecedented heights by persuading six states to unite against Qin. His rhetorical brilliance earned him the rare honor of serving as chancellor for all six states simultaneously. His signature tactic—flattery followed by veiled threats—proved devastatingly effective. For instance, he famously advised smaller states: “Better to be a rooster’s head than an ox’s tail,” convincing them to resist Qin’s dominance.

The Art of Manipulation and Scandal

Zhang Yi, however, was no less cunning. Recognizing Su Qin’s fatal flaw—hubris—he orchestrated a campaign to undermine him. Su Qin’s arrogance grew with his success; he flaunted his wealth, distributed gold to old acquaintances, and, fatally, engaged in a reckless dalliance with the widowed mother of King Yi of Yan. Though initially dismissed as gossip, rumors of their affair grew increasingly lurid, thanks to Zhang Yi’s covert influence. Whispers morphed into claims that Su Qin planned to seduce the kingdom itself, forcing him to flee Yan under the pretense of disgrace.

Exile and Downfall

Su Qin resurfaced in Qi, where he convinced King Min to drain the treasury through extravagant projects—ostensibly to display national strength, but in reality to weaken Qi for Yan’s benefit. Yet Zhang Yi’s shadow loomed. Paranoid, Su Qin obsessed over his rival’s schemes, unaware that Qi’s own ministers resented his outsider status. In a tragic irony, his fixation on Zhang Yi blinded him to the threat within: a Qi nobleman’s assassin struck him down.

Mortally wounded, Su Qin devised one final stratagem. He urged King Min to publicly execute his corpse by “chariot tearing” (车裂), branding him a traitor to lure out his killers. The plan worked—the assassin was captured and executed—but Su Qin’s dream of exposing Zhang Yi’s network failed.

Legacy of the Feud

The duel between Su Qin and Zhang Yi epitomized the cutthroat diplomacy of the Warring States. Their tactics—propaganda, psychological warfare, and calculated betrayal—prefigured modern statecraft. Yet their rivalry also underscored a timeless truth: in power struggles, the dead cannot defend themselves. As historian Sima Qian noted, “The first to die suffers the disadvantage”—a lesson etched in Su Qin’s posthumous humiliation.

Their story endures in Chinese culture as a cautionary tale about ambition, rivalry, and the peril of underestimating one’s enemies. Even today, their names symbolize the razor’s edge between genius and self-destruction.