[3] A native of the State of Wei,[4] Zhang Yi studied under Guiguzi[4] and learnt politics and foreign relations.

[5] He received a severe beating at a banquet in the house of a minister of Chu when he was wrongly accused of stealing a gem.

[3][5] King Hui accepted him as a high minister, and in 328 BC he led a successful campaign against his native state, by which Qin acquired a large part of Wei.

[4] At that time, Su Qin's vertical alliance tactic still influenced China, and formed a sort of unity between the states of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi.

[3] Zhang first drew the attention of the king by bestowing expensive gifts to his favoured official, Jin Shang.

[3] Zhang repeatedly negotiated with Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi, thereby destroying their relationships with horizontal alliances, and paving the way for Qin's unification of China.