《资治通鉴·周纪》50丨张仪是怎样把楚怀王忽悠瘸的

Summary

This 芮淇讲透资治通鉴 episode covers 周赧王’s second year, 313 BCE, moving from 樗里子’s attack on 赵国 to 张仪’s mission to break the 齐国-楚国 alliance. The core story is Zhang Yi’s promise that 秦国 will give 楚怀王 six hundred li of 商於 if Chu cuts ties with Qi, followed by his return to Qin, delay tactic, and reduction of the promised land to six li. The episode presents 陈枕 as the clear-eyed adviser whose verification-first and post-error containment advice is rejected, turning a diplomatic misjudgment into isolation and war.

Key Claims

• The first 313 BCE notice has 樗里子 attack 赵国, take Lingcheng, and capture the Zhao defender Zhuang Bao.
• 秦惠文王 wants to attack 齐国 but first has to address the Qi-Chu 合纵 relationship.
• 张仪 offers 楚怀王 six hundred li of 商於, Qin women, and a Qin-Chu marriage bond if Chu publicly breaks with Qi.
• Chu Huaiwang treats the offer as enormous territorial gain; the episode notes that six hundred li would be comparable to a major state’s territory.
• 陈枕 warns that Qin values Chu only because Chu is allied with Qi; once Chu cuts Qi loose, Qin no longer needs to pay the promised land.
• Chen Zhen’s proposed hedge is to break with Qi only outwardly, keep the alliance privately, send an envoy with Zhang Yi, and wait until Qin actually transfers the land before severing the Qi tie.
• Chu Huaiwang rejects the warning, gives Zhang Yi a ministerial seal and rich gifts, and openly breaks with Qi.
• Zhang Yi returns to Qin and feigns a fall from his carriage, staying away from court for three months while Chu Huaiwang tries to prove the break with Qi is complete.
• Chu escalates by sending Song Yi under a Song credential to insult 齐宣王, pushing Qi into an agreement with Qin.
• Once Qi has been alienated, Zhang Yi tells the Chu envoy that the promised land is six li, not six hundred li.
• Chen Zhen’s second advice is now damage control: do not attack Qin after already offending Qi; if necessary, buy Qin cooperation and recover losses from Qi instead.
• Chu Huaiwang again refuses, sends Qu Gai against Qin, and Qin responds under the shuzhang Wei Zhang, leaving the military outcome to the next episode.
• The episode explicitly leaves the deeper explanation for Chu Huaiwang’s credulity to the sequel, despite noting that he was experienced, middle-aged, and ruling a powerful Chu.

Key Quotes

“六百里” / “六里” - the episode’s compact contrast between Zhang Yi’s promise and delivery.

“张仪是无耻的骗子” - Chen Zhen’s warning as summarized in the episode.

Connections

• 张仪, 秦惠文王, 秦国, 连横, and 纵横家外交 - Qin-side use of Zhang Yi to isolate Chu from Qi before attacking Qi.
• 楚怀王, 陈枕, 楚国, 齐国, and 齐宣王 - target court, ignored adviser, broken alliance, and offended ally.
• 未验地先断交陷阱, 商於, 君臣反馈失灵, and 战术信用成本 - concepts that preserve the six-hundred-li promise, advice failure, and credibility cost.
• 合纵, 共同敌人联盟, 联盟自保失灵, and 秦国东进压力 - broader pattern in which Qin first survives coalitions, then breaks them apart.
• 樗里子, 赵国, and 周赧王 - opening campaign notice and annalistic frame.

Contradictions

• No direct contradiction found in existing wiki claims.
• This source should be kept distinct from 欲擒故纵式让利外交: earlier Zhang Yi cases turn real concessions into larger gains, while this episode turns an unverified territorial promise into an alliance-breaking trap.
• The source extends rather than contradicts Zhouji 45: after the failed five-state anti-Qin campaign, Qin still faces eastern alliance structures, but by 313 BCE it can attack those structures through targeted diplomacy.