Su Qin

The allies of the Vertical Alliance advanced on the State of Qin but were easily defeated due to internal discord between the former enemies.

His successor King Huiwen of Qin, detested the political reformer Shang Yang of whom the former Duke had been an avid supporter and promptly had him executed.

Much impressed by the idea, the Zhao ruler rewarded Su Qin financially and invited him to venture forth and discuss an alliance with the other states.

At the end of this period of canvassing, Su Qin became chief administrator of the Vertical Alliance and wore the insignia of the six member nations.

His parents welcomed him thirty li from home, his sister-in-law crawled like a snake whilst the surprise showed on his wife but she dared not look at him, her former stubbornness having become respect.

According to the records of the Vertical Alliance, the Qin State went into decline and would not dare cross the strategic Hangu Pass for a further fifteen years.

When Xuan died, King Min ascended the throne and Su Qin vied with the ministers of state for the monarch's favor.

In conjunction with Gongsun Yan, Su Qin continued Zhang Yi's mutual confrontation with the Horizontal Alliance of Xi Shou.

He also pored over the books in Yu Qi's collection and found one titled "Minister Yin Fu’s Plan", which Su Qin studied hard for many years, and accepted that its methods would be enough to gain the support of the reigning monarch.

In 292 BCE, the tripartite forces of Qi, Zhao and Qin were using all their efforts to fight over territory belonging to the State of Song.

Su Qin suggested a plan to King Zhao of Yan whilst guaranteeing that he could be "trusted as much as Wei Sheng"[3] and that details of his secret meetings would go with him to the grave.

Sima Qian also commented, "Su Qin undertook a strategy of sowing dissention which led to his execution and all under heaven now mock him".

In 1972, circumstantial evidence unearthed from the number one grave at Yinque Mountain, Linyi Prefecture, Shandong Province provided Han Dynasty bamboo slips inscribed with "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.

Li Ling believes that this "Sun Tzu" is not the same as the one handed down to later generations and is clearly the history of the late Warring States period.