燕昭王 / King Zhao of Yan
燕昭王 / King Zhao of Yan enters the wiki through 《资治通鉴·周纪》52丨 陈庄叛秦 端起碗吃饭放下碗骂娘 as Ji Ping, the son of 燕王哙. After 齐国 has broken 燕国, he returns from exile and is welcomed back by Yan’s people.
The episode makes Yan Zhaowang a recovery-through-talent case. He comforts families of the dead, shares hardship with survivors, and admits that Yan is too weak to avenge itself immediately. His first strategic move is therefore not war, but the search for people who can rebuild the state.
That search runs through 郭隗 and the “千金买骨” story. By honoring Guo Wei as a teacher, Yan Zhaowang makes respect visible enough that 乐毅, 剧辛, and other worthy people can believe Yan’s recruitment signal.
《资治通鉴·周纪》54丨我尊你是王，你当我是屁 mentions Yan Zhaowang only briefly as the last ruler 张仪 visits in the episode’s lobbying tour. The transcript does not preserve the detailed Yan speech, so this page keeps the notice source-scoped: Yan is the final stop before Zhang Yi turns back toward 咸阳 and learns that 秦惠文王 has died and 秦武王 has succeeded.
《资治通鉴·周纪》55丨 张仪痛失贵人秦惠王 gives that final stop content. Zhang Yi argues that 赵国 has already submitted enough to Qin that it can threaten Yan on Qin’s behalf, so Yan Zhaowang gives Qin five cities near Hengshan and seeks peace. The case extends his page from talent-recovery after Qi’s conquest into later exposure to Qin’s lianheng pressure.
《资治通鉴·周纪》69丨必看！古代帝王奇葩死法大盘点 fulfills the revenge branch previewed in Zhouji 52. After 齐湣王 destroys 宋国 and then overreaches, Yan Zhaowang works with 乐毅 to avoid a solitary Yan attack and instead contact Zhao, Chu, and Wei. His long recovery strategy now becomes a 共同敌人联盟 against Qi.
《资治通鉴·周纪》70丨喜欢花样作死的齐国君主 shows the revenge branch succeeding. Yan Zhaowang mobilizes Yan’s full force, places Le Yi over the coalition, then personally reaches the Ji River after the victory to reward the army. He grants Le Yi the title Changguo Jun and keeps him in charge of taking remaining Qi cities, making Yan’s earlier recovery through talent visibly pay off in the fall of 临淄.
《资治通鉴·周纪》72丨什么样的人 才是忠贞之士？ shows what that delegation becomes after the capital falls. Through Le Yi’s command, Yan tries to turn conquest into rule by disciplining troops, honoring Qi’s hidden worthies, lightening taxes, and restoring old good governance. The failed attempt to recruit 王蠋 keeps Yan Zhaowang’s talent-respect branch morally complicated: the same victorious state that honors recluses also lets coercive threat enter the recruitment process.
《资治通鉴·周纪》78丨齐国命运竟被城管给救了？ makes Yan Zhaowang’s trust in 乐毅 explicit by showing how he handles slander. When a court voice claims Le Yi is delaying 莒城 and 即墨 because he wants to rule Qi for himself, Yan Zhaowang publicly rebukes and executes the slanderer, then honors Le Yi’s family at near-royal scale. The episode’s point is not that he sees no risk, but that he chooses visible trust to preserve the commander, the army, and the conquered-Qi settlement.
Connections
- 燕国 - polity he rebuilds after Qi’s attack.
- 燕王哙 - father whose failed reign forms the contrast.
- 齐国 and 齐宣王 - conqueror context from the prior Yan branch.
- 郭隗, 乐毅, and 剧辛 - adviser and incoming talent.
- Talent Attraction Through Respect / 礼贤下士式人才吸附 and Warring States Careerist Mobility / 乱世职业经理人式流动 - concepts that make his recovery strategy legible.
- 张仪, 秦国, 咸阳, 秦武王, and 靠山更替暴露风险 - Zhouji 54 final lobbying stop and succession-risk turn.
- 包围威胁式说服, 赵国, and 连横 - Zhouji 55 five-city concession after Zhang Yi’s final speech.
- 齐湣王, 乐毅, 共同敌人联盟, and 数胜必亡式胜利反噬 - Zhouji 69 anti-Qi revenge coalition after Qi’s post-Song overreach.
- 临淄, 剧辛, 卓齿, and 礼贤下士式人才吸附 - Zhouji 70 victorious coalition, pursuit dispute, and Qi Min Wang’s final isolation.
- 王蠋, 齐国, 孟子的民本合法性, and 忠义牵连困境 - Zhouji 72 post-conquest governance and coercive-recruitment boundary.
- 燕惠王, 乐毅, 谣言侵蚀信任, and 占领区怀柔治理 - Zhouji 78 public trust defense before the successor reverses course.