{"id":15335,"date":"2025-11-20T19:37:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T18:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/?p=15335"},"modified":"2026-04-21T11:50:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T09:50:06","slug":"atc-slippery-slope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/atc-slippery-slope\/","title":{"rendered":"ATC – Slippery Slope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\n

ATC<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/td>\n

\u00a0Slippery Slope<\/span>
\n\u201cIf you cede land to Ch\u2019in once, you will soon lack land enough to satisfy her.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

(*) Her<\/em> = the imperialist state of Ch’in<\/p>\n

Background information<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u2013 On the Warring States Period – Maps
\n\u2013 On the Chan-kuo Ts’e<\/em><\/p>\n

During the Warring States period (5th-3rd century BCE), the expansionist state of Qin fought the six states of Zhao, Yan, Qi, Chu, Wei, and Han.<\/em>
\nThe following passage is taken from the \u00ab\u00a0<\/em>Chan-kuo Tse\u00ab\u00a0,also known as the \u00ab\u00a0A<\/em>nnals of the Warring States\u00a0\u00bb or \u00ab\u00a0<\/em>Strategies of the Warring States.\u00ab\u00a0<\/em>
\nSu Chin<\/strong> is one of the most famous \u00ab\u00a0wandering persuaders\u00a0\u00bb of that era. In this passage, he persuades the <\/em>King of Han<\/strong> to join the state of Chao<\/strong> and the \u00ab\u00a0vertical alliance\u00a0\u00bb.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

1. When Su Ch’in formed the alliance for Chao, he persuaded the King of Han thus:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a72-\u00a73: Su Ch’in boosts the self confidence of the king of Han\u00a0<\/em>
\n\u2014 Its\u00a0 system of defense and its natural protection:<\/em>
\n\u201cIn the North of Han there are the bastions of Kung-lo and Ch’eng-kao \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 The quality of its archery<\/em>
\nThe most powerful bows and the staunchest crossbows in the world come from Han. \u2026<\/strong>
\nUsed against an ennemy, they can cleave asunder the stoutest armour, shields, leather boots, and helmets. \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014The quality of her troops:<\/em>
\nGiven the bravery of Han troops, their stout armour, their staunch <\/strong>crossbows and their keen blades, no one will deny that one Han soldier can withstand a hundred men from elsewhere!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a74-10 Facing the consequences of a surrender to Chin<\/em>:
\n4. Now, taking into account the strength of Chao and Your Majesty\u2019s merit, why should you face West and serve Ch\u2019in , proclaim yoursel her eastern bulwark? Wherefore should you built her a palace fit for imperial dignity, accept Chin\u2019s cap and sash, supply her needs for spring and autumn sacrifice, and submit to her with folded arms? No action could bring greater shame to your state, or more derision from the empire! It is for these reasons that I would have Your Majesty make careful plans here.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A slippery slope<\/em>
\n<\/strong>5. If Your Majesty serve Ch\u2019in, she will certainly ask for territories of Yi-yang and Ch\u2019ebg-kao. If today you do as you are bidden, next year there will be greater exaction. If you cede land to Ch\u2019in once, you will soon lack land enough to satisfy her. Yet if you refuse her but a single time, you forfeit all your previous merit and will suffer even greater calamity at her hand.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. Now, since Your Majesty\u2019s lands are\u00a0 limited and Ch\u2019in\u2019s demand are not, the use of limited resources to head off limitless demand,\u00a0 can be called \u2018going to the market for ill will and buying calamity\u2019\u00a0 \u2014 all your territory will be lost bCh<\/span>\u2019in, she will certainly ask for your territories will be lost before you have fought a single battle.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Authority of popular saying<\/em>
\n7. I have heard a vulgar saying which goes: \u2018Better to be the beak of a chicken than the rump-end of an ox.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

8. Presently, your majesty has drawn close to Ch\u2019in. You face the West, submit to and serve Ch\u2019in \u2014 how does this differ from playing the rump of the ox? I find it shameful that a ruler of Your Majesty\u2019s worth who controls a state with the power Han has should yet have a name for acting the ox\u2019s rump.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The king of Han is persuaded
\n<\/em>9. The king of Han colored in anger, pushed back his sleeves, put his hand on his sword, raised his face to the heavens, and with a sigh said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

10. \u201cThough I die for it, I shall never submit to Ch\u2019in. Now that you have come to me and instructed me on what the king of Chao requires, I respectfully offer you my state in compliance.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ATC \u00a0Slippery Slope \u201cIf you cede land to Ch\u2019in once, you will soon lack land enough to satisfy her.\u201d (*) Her = the imperialist state of Ch’in Background information \u2013 On the Warring States Period – Maps \u2013 On the Chan-kuo Ts’e During the Warring States period (5th-3rd century BCE), the expansionist state of Qin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-atc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15335"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15360,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15335\/revisions\/15360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}