Li Ssu
Geomobility in the Qin Dynasty
Sam Al-Bahish
Early Life: Shang-ts’ai
Li Ssu was a native of Shang-ts’ai in Ch’u. In his youth, when he served as a minor officer in his commandery, he saw that rats which lived in the privy of the officers’ quarters ate the filth and when they grew near to people and dogs, they [people and dogs] often frightened them; when Ssu entered the granary, he observed those rats in the granary eating the stored grain. Living under the great room, they were not worried by the men or dogs. At this, Li Ssu just sighed and said, “A man’s worthiness or unworthiness can be compared to these rats, it rests merely with where one situates himself.” Thereupon, Li Ssu studied the arts of emperors and kings with His Excellency Hsün.
After completing his study, judging that the King of Ch’u was not worth serving, and that the Six States were all weak, and there was none for which could he establish merit, he intended to go west into Ch’in. He bade farewell to His Excellency Hsün:
“I have heard that when one obtains opportunity, he should not idle [it away]. In a time when the ‘The Ten Thousand Chariots’ are vying with each other, the travelling [advisors] are [going to be] in charge of state affairs. The King of Ch’in now intended to swallow up the world and rule with the title of Emperor. This is the time for commoners to gallop forth and the season of the travelling advisors. Those who were situated in a mean position yet plans to do nothing, this is [like] catching a deer just to look at the meat, having a human face, but only being able to walk with difficulty. Thus there is no greater shame than a mean position, nor deeper grief than destitution. To remain for long in a mean position or state of destitution, [yet] criticizing the world and detesting profit, giving oneself over to Non-activity –such are not the sentiments of a gentleman. Thus I will go west to advise the King of Ch’in.”
Arrival in Ch'in
Arriving in Ch’in just after King Chuang-hsiang (r. 249–247 BC) had expired, Li Ssu then sought to become a Member of the Suite of Lü Pu-wei, Marquis Wen-hsin and Prime Minister of Ch’in. [Lü] Pu-wei thought him worthy and appointed him a Gentleman. Li Ssu was thus able to present his advice. He advised the King of Ch’in [the future First Emperor]:
“One who waits casts aside his opportunities. One who accomplishes great deeds does so through seizing flaws and chinks and concluding matters without mercy. Long ago, when Duke Mu of Ch’in (r. 659–621 BC) was Hegemon, he did not go east to annex the Six States in the end.Why was this? The feudal lords were still numerous, and the moral force of Chou had not yet decayed. Hence the Five Hegemons arose one after another, but each in his turn respected the House of Chou. Since the time of Duke Hsiao of Ch’in (r. 361–338 BC), the House of Chou has declined, the feudal lords have annexed one another, east of the Pass has become the Six States, and already for six generations Ch’in has followed through on its victories to control the feudal lords. Today the feudal lords have submitted to Ch’in as if they were its commanderies and counties. Ch’in’s might and your worthiness, Great King, are sufficient to destroy the feudal lords as easy as brushing off the top of a kitchen stove, to finally fulfilling the aspiration to emperorship, and to bring unity to the world. This is a single opportunity in tenthousand generations! If you are negligent now and do not urgently move on this opportunity at once, the feudal lords will regain their might and join together in a vertical alliance; then even with the worthiness of the August Emperor you could not annex them.” The King of Ch’in in response appointed Li Ssu Chief Clerk, listened to his stratagems, and secretly sent strategists, carrying gold and jade, to travel about advising the feudal lords. For those famous knights of the feudal lords who could be bribed by material goods, [Ch’in’s strategists] bound with them through rich gifts; for those who were unwilling [to cooperate], they stabbed them with sharp swords. After [employing these] stratagems to alienate rulers and vassals, the King of Ch’in then sent his able generals following after them. The King of Ch’in appointed Li Ssu a Foreign Excellency.
At this time, a native of [the state of] Hann named Cheng Kuo 鄭國 had come as a spy into Ch’in, to [ostensibly] construct a drainage and irrigation canal, [but] after a short while his status was discovered. The clansmen of the House of Ch’in and the high officials all said to the King of Ch’in: “The men of the feudal lords who come to serve Ch’in mostly only seek to advise or spy on Ch’in for their own rulers. We ask that you expel all foreigners with no exception.” Li Ssu was also proposed as one of those to be expelled.
[Li] Ssu thus submitted a memorial arguing against the ban.Only then did the King of Ch’in revoke the decree expelling foreigners, restore Li Ssu’s position, and eventually adopt his schemes. [His] position reached Commandant of Justice. After more than twenty years, [Ch’in] finally united the world, honored its ruler as the August Emperor and made Li Ssu Chancellor. [The Emperor] leveled the city walls of the commanderies and counties and melted their weapons to show that they would not be used again. He caused Ch’in to be without a single foot of land in fief, and did not enthrone his sons and younger brothers as kings, nor invest the meritorious vassals as feudal lords, to free posterity from the troubles of warfare.
Inside the Palace: Hsien-yang
In the thirty-fourth year of the First Emperor [213 BC] he gave a feast in his palace at Hsien-yang. Chou Ch’ing-ch’en, the Supervisor of the Erudites, and others extolled the First Emperor’s awe-inspiring virtue. Ch’un-yü Yüeh, a native of Ch’i, came forward and admonished:
“I have learned that Yin and Chou, ruling as kings for more than one-thousand years, enfeoffed their sons, brothers and meritorious ministers act as aid and support for themselves. Now Your Majesty possesses the lands within the seas, yet your sons and brothers are all ordinary men. If there were suddenly ministers like T’ien Ch’ang 田常58 or the Six Ministers,59 without support or aid [from your sons and brothers], who would there be to rescue you?60 Someone who doesn’t take antiquity as his teacher and yet exists for long, no one has ever heard of. Now Ch’ing-ch’en and these others increase the magnitude of your error still further by flattering you to your face. These are no loyal ministers.”
The First Emperor handed down his proposal to the Chancellor [Li Ssu]. The Chancellor thought his advice mistaken and rejected his explanations. He then sent up a memorial.
The First Emperor approved his proposal, collected and discarded the Book of Odes, the Book of Documents, and the sayings of the hundred schools to keep the populace ignorant, so as to prevent the world from using the past to criticize the present. Clarification of the legal system and formulation of the laws and ordinances all were initiated by the First Emperor. He unified the legal documents and built separate detached palaces throughout the world. In the next year he again made a tour of inspection and drove out the barbarians of the four directions. [Li] Ssu contributed much to all of these.
Trip to Mount K'ua-chi
In the tenth month of the thirty-seventh year of the First Emperor [211 BC] his entourage set out [from the capital] to tour [Mount] K’uai-chi.
Lang-ya Commandery
They then went along the seacoast, then went north, arriving at Lang-ya [Commandery]. Li Ssu, the Chancellor, and Chao Kao, Prefect of the Palace Chariots, concurrently in charge of matters concerning the imperial seal, both followed him. The First Emperor had more than twenty sons. Because Fu-su, the eldest son, had frankly admonished the sovereign several times, the sovereign sent him to supervise military affairs in Shang-chün [Commandery] with Meng T’ien as his commander. A younger son, Hu-hai, was cherished. When he asked to accompany [the Emperor on tour], The sovereign allowed it. None of the other sons accompanied.
The Emperor's Death: Shach'iu
In the seventh month of this year, when the First Emperor arrived at Shach’iu, his illness worsened. He commanded Chao Kao to write a letter to present to the Noble Scion Fu-su:
“Entrust the troops to Meng T’ien, take part in my funeral [preparations], meet in Hsien-yang to bury me!”
The letter had already been sealed but not yet handed to the messenger when the First Emperor passed away. The letter and the imperial seal were both in Chao Kao’s place. Only [the Emperor’s] son, Hu-hai, the Chancellor Li Ssu, Chao Kao, and five or six favored eunuchs knew that the First Emperor had passed away. None of the other officials knew. Li Ssu kept it secret because the Emperor had passed away outside [of the capital] and there was no true Heir. They put the body in the Heated and Cooled Carriage. The hundred officials presented matters and offered food as before, and the eunuchs would then approve all the matters from inside the Heated and Cooled Carriage [as if the Emperor were still alive].
After this they planned things together, pretending to have received an edict from the First Emperor which ordered the Chancellor to establish the Emperor’s son Hu-hai as the Heir.
They sealed the letter with the imperial seal and sent Hu-hai’s retainer to take the letter and present it to Fu-su in Shang-chün [Commandery]. When the envoy arrived, he unsealed the letter; Fu-su wept, went into his inner apartments and prepared to kill himself. Meng T’ien stopped Fu-su: “His Majesty is staying outside [the capital] and has not yet established an Heir; he sent me, his vassal, to command a host of 300,000 defending the border, and you, Noble Scion, as the Supervisor. This is the world’s weightiest responsibility! Now with the arrival of a single envoy you are about to kill yourself. How do you know this is not a trick? I beg you to request confirmation. After you request confirmation, it will still not be too late to die.” The envoy pressed them several times. By nature, Fu-su was humane; he told Meng T’ien, “When a father grants his son death, how can [the son] request confirmation?” Then he killed himself. Meng T’ien refused to die; the envoy delivered him to a legal officer who imprisoned him at Yang-chou.
Tragic Reign Under the Second Emperor
When the envoy returned and reported, Hu-hai, [Li] Ssu and [Chao] Kao were overjoyed. Having arrived at Hsien-yang and proclaimed the [Emperor’s] death, the Heir was established as the Second Generation Emperor. He made Chao Kao his Palace Prefect of Gentlemen, and [Chao Kao ]was in regular attendance on the Emperor in the palace and wielded power.
The laws and ordinances, penalties and punishments were daily made more severe. Each of the assembled vassals felt himself in danger and there were many who wanted to revolt. [The Second Emperor] decided to build the O-p’ang Palace and lay out the Straight Road and the Speedway. Taxes became more burdensome and conscription and the corvée were without fixed terms. At this the garrison soldiers of Ch’u, Ch’en Sheng and Wu Kuang and their followers, rebelled, rising in revolt East of the Mount. Men of ability stood up one after another, established themselves as marquises or kings, and revolted against Ch’in. When their troops arrived at Hung-men, they were driven back.
Li Ssu several times wanted to request a secret audience to admonish [the Second Emperor], but could not get his permission. Instead the Second Emperor reproved Li Ssu.
In the seventh month of the second year of the Second Emperor [208 BC] it was proclaimed that [Li] Ssu should be sentenced to the five punishments and cut in half at the waist in the marketplace of Hsien-yang. When [Li] Ssu was brought out of prison, he was sent in custody [to the marketplace] with his second son. He looked at him and said, “Even if I wished once more to go out the eastern gate of Shang-ts’ai with you, leading our yellow dog to chase a wily rabbit, how could I do it?” With these words, father and son wailed together and his clan to the third degree [of relationship] was wiped out. After Li Ssu died, the Second Emperor appointed Chao Kao as the Chancellor within the Palace.All affairs major and minor were decided by [Chao] Kao alone.