Biography of Lord Mengchang, Chapter 15

Lord Mengchang was named Wen and his surname was Tian. Wen's father was Lord Jingguo, Tian Ying. Tian Ying was the youngest son of King Wei of Qi and a half-brother of King Xuan of Qi. Tian Ying held office and wielded power from the time of King Wei of Qi. He once led troops together with Marquis Cheng, Zou Ji, and Tian Ji to rescue Han and attack Wei. Marquis Cheng and Tian Ji competed for favor, and Marquis Cheng betrayed Tian Ji. Tian Ji became afraid, made a surprise attack on a border town of Qi, failed to win, and fled. It happened that King Wei of Qi died, and King Xuan of Qi ascended the throne. Knowing that Marquis Cheng had betrayed Tian Ji, he recalled Tian Ji and made him a general. In the second year of King Xuan of Qi, Tian Ji, together with Sun Bin and Tian Ying, attacked Wei, defeated the Wei army at Maling, captured Crown Prince Shen of Wei, and killed the Wei general Pang Juan. In the seventh year of King Xuan of Qi, Tian Ying went as an envoy to Han and Wei, and both Han and Wei submitted to Qi. Tian Ying met with Marquis Zhao of Han and King Hui of Wei at a gathering south of Dong'a, and they formed an alliance before departing. The following year, he again met with King Hui of Liang at Zhen. That same year, King Hui of Liang died. In the ninth year of King Xuan of Qi, Tian Ying became prime minister of Qi. King Xuan of Qi and King Xiang of Wei met at Xuzhou and mutually honored each other as kings. When King Wei of Chu heard of this, he became very angry with Tian Ying. The following year, Chu defeated the Qi army at Xuzhou and sent someone to expel Tian Ying. Tian Ying sent Zhang Chou to persuade King Wei of Chu, and only then did King Wei of Chu desist. Tian Ying served as prime minister of Qi for eleven years. King Xuan of Qi died, and King Min of Qi ascended the throne. In the third year of King Min of Qi's reign, he enfeoffed Tian Ying with Xue.

Initially, Tian Ying had over forty sons. His concubine had a son named Wen, who was born on the fifth day of the fifth month. Tian Ying told Wen's mother, "Do not raise him." Wen's mother secretly raised him. When Wen grew up, his mother, through Wen's brothers, had Wen meet with Tian Ying. Tian Ying was furious with Wen's mother and said, "I ordered you to abandon this child, and you dared to raise him—why?" Wen kowtowed and then asked, "Father, why do you not raise a child born on the fifth day of the fifth month? What is the reason?" Tian Ying said, "A child born on the fifth day of the fifth month will grow to be as tall as the door lintel, and will bring harm to his parents." Wen said, "Is a person's fate determined by Heaven, or by the door lintel?" Tian Ying fell silent. Wen said, "If fate is certainly determined by Heaven, what is there for you to worry about? If fate is certainly determined by the door lintel, then simply raise the door lintel higher—who could grow that tall!" Tian Ying said, "Be quiet."

After a long time, Wen took an opportunity to ask his father Tian Ying, "What is the son of a son called?" He replied, "Called a grandson." "What is the son of a grandson called?" He replied, "Called a great-grandson." "What is the son of a great-grandson called?" He replied, "That is unknown." Wen said, "You have held power and served as prime minister of Qi, now through three kings. The territory of Qi has not expanded, yet your personal wealth has accumulated ten thousand in gold, and among your followers there is not a single worthy person. I have heard that within the gates of a general there must be generals, and within the gates of a minister there must be ministers. Now your rear palace concubines tread on silk and satin, yet scholars cannot even wear coarse cloth; your servants and maids have more fine grains and rich meat than they can eat, yet scholars cannot even fill themselves with husks and dregs. Now you further hasten to accumulate and store up wealth, intending to leave it to someone unknown, yet you forget that the public enterprise is daily being harmed. I privately find this very strange." From then on, Tian Ying began to value Wen and put him in charge of household affairs and receiving guests. The number of guests increased day by day, and Wen's fame spread among the feudal lords. The feudal lords all sent people to request that Lord Xue, Tian Ying, establish Wen as his heir, and Tian Ying agreed. Tian Ying died and was posthumously titled Lord Jingguo. And Wen indeed inherited the fief at Xue—this was Lord Mengchang.

Lord Mengchang, at Xue, recruited guests from all the feudal lords, as well as fleeing criminals, and all these people attached themselves to Lord Mengchang. Lord Mengchang abandoned his family estate and treated them generously, and therefore talented people from all under Heaven inclined toward him. His retainers numbered several thousand, and regardless of their status, he treated them all equally as himself. When Lord Mengchang received guests while sitting and talking, there was often a scribe attending behind a screen, responsible for recording the content of Lord Mengchang's conversations with his guests, as well as asking about the residences of their relatives. After the guests left, Lord Mengchang had already sent someone to offer condolences and give gifts to their relatives. Lord Mengchang once entertained guests at night during a meal. One person blocked the torchlight. The guest became angry, thinking the food was different, so he set down his meal and prepared to leave. Lord Mengchang stood up, took his own meal, and compared it with the guest's. The guest felt ashamed and committed suicide. Because of this, most scholars attached themselves to Lord Mengchang. Lord Mengchang made no selection among his guests and treated them all well. Each person believed that Lord Mengchang was particularly close to him.

King Zhao of Qin heard of Lord Mengchang's worthiness and first sent Lord Jingyang to Qi as a hostage, in order to request a meeting with Lord Mengchang. Lord Mengchang was about to go to Qin, but none of his guests wished him to go. All of them remonstrated with him, but he would not listen. Su Dai said to him, "This morning I came from outside and saw a wooden figurine and a clay figurine talking. The wooden figurine said, 'It is about to rain, and you will be destroyed.' The clay figurine said, 'I was born from the earth; if destroyed, I return to the earth. If the rain comes, it will carry you away floating, and I do not know where you will stop.' Now Qin is a state like a tiger or wolf, and you wish to go there. If you cannot return, will you not be ridiculed by the clay figurine?" Lord Mengchang then desisted.

In the twenty-fifth year of King Min of Qi, he finally sent Lord Mengchang to Qin, and King Zhao of Qin immediately appointed Lord Mengchang as prime minister of Qin. Someone said to King Zhao of Qin, "Lord Mengchang is very worthy, and moreover he is a member of the royal house of Qi. Now that he serves as prime minister of Qin, he will surely consider Qi first and then Qin—Qin is in danger." So King Zhao of Qin desisted. He imprisoned Lord Mengchang and plotted to kill him. Lord Mengchang sent someone to seek help from King Zhao of Qin's favored concubine. The favored concubine said, "I wish to obtain your white fox fur robe." At that time, Lord Mengchang had a white fox fur robe worth a thousand gold pieces, the only one of its kind under Heaven. After arriving in Qin, he had presented it to King Zhao of Qin and had no other fur robe. Lord Mengchang was very worried and asked all his guests, but no one could think of a plan. In the lowest seat there was a guest who could steal like a dog, and he said, "I can obtain that white fox fur robe." So at night he disguised himself as a dog, entered the treasury of the Qin palace, retrieved the white fox fur robe that had been presented to King Zhao of Qin, and gave it to King Zhao of Qin's favored concubine. The favored concubine interceded on Lord Mengchang's behalf with King Zhao of Qin, and King Zhao of Qin released Lord Mengchang. Lord Mengchang managed to escape, immediately galloped away, changed his travel documents, and altered his name in order to pass through the pass. He arrived at Hangu Pass at midnight. King Zhao of Qin regretted releasing Lord Mengchang and sent people to find him, but he had already left. He immediately sent people riding post-horses to pursue him at full speed. When Lord Mengchang reached Hangu Pass, the pass regulation required that travelers be allowed to leave only at cockcrow. Lord Mengchang feared that the pursuers would arrive. Among his guests, there was one of low rank who could imitate a rooster's crow. When he crowed, many roosters all crowed in response, and so they presented their documents and left the pass. About the time it takes to eat a meal after leaving the pass, the Qin pursuers indeed reached the pass, but they had fallen behind Lord Mengchang's departure and had to return. Initially, when Lord Mengchang had included these two men among his guests, the other guests felt ashamed. But when Lord Mengchang encountered danger in Qin, in the end it was these two who saved him. From then on, all the guests were impressed.

Lord Mengchang passed through Zhao, and Lord Pingyuan of Zhao received him. The people of Zhao heard that Lord Mengchang was worthy and all came out to see him. They all laughed and said, "We originally thought Lord Xue was a stalwart giant, but seeing him now, he is merely this small man!" When Lord Mengchang heard these words, he became very angry. The guests who came with him jumped down from their chariots, hacked and killed several hundred people, and then destroyed an entire district before leaving.

King Min of Qi felt uneasy, because it was he who had sent Lord Mengchang to Qin. After Lord Mengchang returned to Qi, King Min of Qi appointed him as the prime minister of Qi to oversee state affairs.

Lord Mengchang resented Qin and planned to use Qi’s strength to attack Chu on behalf of Han and Wei, taking the opportunity to join Han and Wei in attacking Qin, while also borrowing troops and grain from Western Zhou. Su Dai, acting on behalf of Western Zhou, said to Lord Mengchang: "You have used Qi’s power to attack Chu for Han and Wei for nine years, seizing the territories north of Wan and Ye to strengthen Han and Wei. Now you are attacking Qin again to increase their power. Once Han and Wei have no threat from Chu in the south and no danger from Qin in the west, then Qi will be in peril. Han and Wei will surely despise Qi and fear Qin, and I consider this dangerous for you. You would be better off letting us in Western Zhou form a deep alliance with Qin, while you refrain from attacking Qin and do not borrow troops or grain from us. Advance your forces to Hangu Pass but do not attack, and let us in Western Zhou inform King Zhao of Qin of your position, saying: ‘Lord Xue will certainly not defeat Qin just to strengthen Han and Wei. The reason he attacks Qin is to make you, Great King, order the King of Chu to cede eastern lands to Qi, while Qin releases King Huai of Chu to negotiate peace.’ Let us in Western Zhou use this approach to confer favor on Qin. If Qin can avoid being attacked and use its eastern lands to avert disaster, Qin will surely be willing. The King of Chu, if released, will certainly be grateful to Qi. Qi will gain the eastern lands and become stronger, and the fief of Xue will be free from trouble for generations. Qin will not be greatly weakened, and it will remain west of the Three Jin states; the Three Jin will surely hold Qi in high regard." Lord Xue said, "Good." So he had Han and Wei congratulate Qin, ensuring that none of the three states attacked Qin, nor did they borrow troops or grain from Western Zhou. At that time, King Huai of Chu had gone to Qin, and Qin detained him, so Lord Mengchang wanted to secure his release. In the end, Qin did not release King Huai of Chu.

When Lord Mengchang served as prime minister of Qi, his retainer Wei Zi went to collect rents from his fief on his behalf. He went three times but brought back nothing. Lord Mengchang asked the reason, and he replied: "There is a worthy man; I privately lent the grain to him, so I collected no rent." Lord Mengchang angrily dismissed Wei Zi. Several years later, someone slandered Lord Mengchang before King Min of Qi, saying: "Lord Mengchang is about to start a rebellion." When Tian Jia later kidnapped King Min of Qi, the king suspected Lord Mengchang, who then fled. The worthy man to whom Wei Zi had given grain heard of this, submitted a memorial stating that Lord Mengchang would not rebel, and offered to guarantee this with his life. He then committed suicide at the palace gate to prove Lord Mengchang’s innocence. King Min of Qi was startled and sent people to investigate and verify; indeed, Lord Mengchang had no intent to rebel, so he summoned Lord Mengchang back. Lord Mengchang then pleaded illness and asked to return to Xue to retire. King Min of Qi granted this.

Afterward, Lü Li, a general who had defected from Qin, became prime minister of Qi and sought to make trouble for Su Dai. Su Dai then said to Lord Mengchang: "Zhou Zui is deeply loyal to Qi, yet the King of Qi expelled him and, heeding Qin Fu’s advice, appointed Lü Li as prime minister—this is to seek Qin’s support. If Qi and Qin ally, then Qin Fu and Lü Li will be favored. Once they are favored, Qi and Qin will surely despise you. You should quickly march north, urge Zhao to make peace with Qin and Wei, and at the same time take in Zhou Zui to enhance your reputation, regain the King of Qi’s trust, and prevent upheaval in the realm. If Qi lacks Qin’s support, then the other states will incline toward Qi, Qin Fu will surely flee, and with whom will the King of Qi then govern his state?" So Lord Mengchang followed his plan, and Lü Li consequently resented him and sought to harm him.

Lord Mengchang grew afraid and sent a letter to Marquis Rang, Wei Ran, the prime minister of Qin, saying: "I have heard that Qin intends to use Lü Li to ally with Qi. Qi is a powerful state in the world, and you will surely be belittled because of this. If Qi and Qin join forces to deal with the Three Jin (Han, Zhao, Wei), Lü Li will certainly serve as prime minister of both Qi and Qin, and by allying with Qi, you will only elevate Lü Li’s position. If Qi is spared attacks from all the states, its enmity toward you will deepen. You would be better off advising the King of Qin to attack Qi. If Qi is broken, I will request that the lands obtained be enfeoffed to you. Once Qi is broken, Qin will fear the strength of Jin (referring to the Three Jin), and Qin will surely rely on you to win over Jin. Jin, having been defeated by Qi and fearing Qin, will surely rely on you to form ties with Qin. Thus, you will gain merit by breaking Qi, and by controlling Jin, you will increase your own power; in this way, breaking Qi will secure your fief, and both Qin and Jin will respect you. If Qi is not broken and Lü Li is again favored, you will certainly fall into great difficulty." Thereupon, Marquis Rang urged King Zhao of Qin to attack Qi, and Lü Li fled.

Later, King Min of Qi destroyed Song and became even more arrogant, wanting to expel Lord Mengchang. Lord Mengchang, afraid, went to Wei. King Zhao of Wei made him prime minister, and he allied westward with Qin and Zhao, joining Yan to attack Qi together. King Min of Qi fled to Ju and eventually died there. King Xiang of Qi ascended the throne, and Lord Mengchang remained neutral among the states, not aligning with any. King Xiang of Qi, newly enthroned, feared Lord Mengchang and made peace with him, reestablishing friendly relations with Lord Xue. Tian Wen died and was posthumously titled Lord Mengchang. His sons fought over the inheritance, and Qi and Wei together destroyed the fief of Xue. Lord Mengchang’s line was cut off; he had no descendants.

In the beginning, Feng Huan, hearing that Lord Mengchang was fond of guests, came to see him wearing straw sandals. Lord Mengchang said: "You have come from afar; what instruction do you have for me?" Feng Huan replied: "I heard that you are fond of scholars, and being poor, I have come to seek refuge with you." Lord Mengchang placed him in the common guesthouse and after ten days asked the person in charge of the guesthouse: "What is that guest doing?" He replied: "Mr. Feng is very poor; he has only one sword, and its hilt is wrapped with straw rope. He taps his sword and sings: ‘Long sword, let us go back, there is no fish to eat at meals.’" Lord Mengchang moved him to the middle guesthouse, where he had fish at meals. After five days, he again asked the person in charge. He replied: "The guest again tapped his sword and sang: ‘Long sword, let us go back, there is no carriage to go out in.’" Lord Mengchang moved him to the upper guesthouse, where he could ride in a carriage when going out. After another five days, Lord Mengchang again asked the person in charge. He replied: "The gentleman once again tapped his sword and sang: ‘Long sword, let us go back, there is no way to support my family.’" Lord Mengchang was displeased.

After a year passed, Feng Huan said nothing more. At that time, Mengchang Jun served as the chancellor of Qi and held a fief of ten thousand households in Xue. His retainers numbered three thousand. The income from the fief was insufficient to support the guests, so he sent people to Xue to lend money. For over a year, there was no revenue, and most of those who borrowed money could not pay the interest on time. The support for the guests was about to run out. Mengchang Jun worried about this and asked those around him, "Who can be sent to Xue to collect the debts?" The head of the guesthouse said, "Feng, the guest from the Dai Lodge, appears to be very eloquent in appearance and is a man of integrity, but he has no other skills. He should be suitable to be sent to collect the debts." Mengchang Jun then invited Feng Huan in and said to him, "The guests do not despise my unworthiness, and over three thousand have come to me. The income from the fief is not enough to support them, so I lent money in Xue to collect interest. There has been no harvest in Xue for a year, and most of the common people do not pay the interest on time. Now the guests' meals are likely insufficient. I hope you, sir, can go and press for these debts." Feng Huan said, "Very well." He took his leave and set out. Arriving in Xue, he summoned all those who had borrowed money from Mengchang Jun to gather, obtaining one hundred thousand in interest money. Then he had plenty of wine brewed, bought fat cattle, and summoned all the borrowers—those who could pay interest and those who could not—to come, each bringing their loan contracts for verification. At the gathering, they killed cattle and set out wine every day. When the wine was flowing freely, he brought out the contracts and verified them as before. For those who could pay interest, he set a repayment deadline; for those too poor to pay interest, he took their contracts and burned them. He said, "The reason Mengchang Jun lent you money was to provide capital for those without means to make a living; the reason he collected interest was that he had no funds to support his guests. Now the wealthy have set deadlines, and the poor have had their contracts burned and debts forgiven. All of you, eat and drink to your hearts' content. With such a lord, how could you betray him!" Those present all rose and bowed twice.

When Mengchang Jun heard that Feng Huan had burned the contracts, he angrily sent someone to summon him back. Feng Huan arrived, and Mengchang Jun said, "I have three thousand retainers, so I lent money in Xue. My salary and fief are small, and many common people still do not pay interest on time. The guests' meals are likely insufficient, so I asked you, sir, to go and press for the debts. I heard that after you got the money, you prepared large amounts of beef and wine and burned the contracts. Why is this?" Feng Huan said, "Yes. Without ample beef and wine, I could not have gotten everyone to gather, and then I would not have known who had surplus and who had deficiency. For those with surplus, I set repayment deadlines. For those with deficiency, even if I guarded them and pressed for ten years, the interest would only increase, and if pressed too hard, they would flee to escape the debts. If pressed urgently, in the end they could not repay. To those above, you would be seen as greedy for profit and unkind to the people; to those below, the people would have a reputation for turning against you and repudiating their debts. This is not a way to encourage the gentry and people or to enhance your reputation. Burning these useless false bonds and abandoning these uncollectible false accounts lets the people of Xue draw close to you and enhances your good name. What is there for you to doubt!" Mengchang Jun then clapped his hands and apologized to him.

The King of Qi, misled by slander from Qin and Chu, believed that Mengchang Jun's reputation surpassed his own lord's and that he monopolized the power of Qi, so he deposed Mengchang Jun. When the various guests saw Mengchang Jun deposed, they all left him. Feng Huan said, "Lend me a carriage, and I can enter Qin. I will surely make you honored in Qi and your fief even larger. Is that acceptable?" Mengchang Jun then prepared a carriage, horses, and gifts and sent him off. Feng Huan then went west to lobby the King of Qin, saying, "The traveling persuaders who drive their carriages west into Qin all wish to strengthen Qin and weaken Qi; those who drive their carriages east into Qi all wish to strengthen Qi and weaken Qin. These are states of equal strength, and in their situation they cannot both stand as rivals. The one that dominates will win the world." The King of Qin straightened up and asked, "How can Qin avoid being in a weak position?" Feng Huan said, "Does Your Majesty know that Qi has deposed Mengchang Jun?" The King of Qin said, "I have heard of it." Feng Huan said, "What made Qi valued by the world was Mengchang Jun. Now the King of Qi, because of slander, has deposed him. His heart is resentful, and he will surely turn against Qi. If he turns against Qi and enters Qin, then all the real conditions and human affairs of Qi will be told to Qin, and the territory of Qi can be obtained. How could it be merely a matter of dominating! Your Majesty should quickly send an envoy with gifts to secretly welcome Mengchang Jun, and not miss the opportunity. If Qi realizes this and reappoints him, then who will be the male and who the female cannot be predicted." The King of Qin was greatly pleased and dispatched ten carriages and a hundred yi of gold to welcome Mengchang Jun. Feng Huan took his leave and went ahead. Arriving in Qi, he lobbied the King of Qi, saying, "The traveling persuaders who drive their carriages east into Qi all wish to strengthen Qi and weaken Qin; those who drive their carriages west into Qin all wish to strengthen Qin and weaken Qi. Qin and Qi are states like male and female; if Qin is strong, Qi will be weak, and in their situation they cannot stand as rivals. Now I have privately heard that Qin has sent an envoy with ten carriages and a hundred yi of gold to welcome Mengchang Jun. If Mengchang Jun does not go west, it is well; but if he goes west and becomes chancellor of Qin, then the world will turn to him, Qin will become the male state and Qi the female. If Qi is the female, then Linzi and Jimo will be in danger. Why does Your Majesty not, before the Qin envoy arrives, restore Mengchang Jun to his position and increase his fief to apologize to him? Mengchang Jun will surely accept gladly. Although Qin is a strong state, can it invite away another state's chancellor with a carriage procession! This will thwart Qin's plot and cut off their strategy for domination and hegemony." The King of Qi said, "Good." He then sent someone to the border to wait for the Qin envoy. Just as the Qin envoy's carriage train entered the Qi border, the Qi envoy galloped back to report. The King of Qi summoned Mengchang Jun, restored him to his chancellorship, returned his original fief, and added another thousand households. When the Qin envoy heard that Mengchang Jun had been reinstated as chancellor of Qi, they turned their carriages around and went back.

Since the King of Qi had deposed Mengchang Jun due to slander, the various guests had all left. Later, when he was recalled and restored to his position, Feng Huan went to welcome him. Before they reached the capital, Mengchang Jun sighed and said, "I have always been fond of guests, treating them without any discourtesy. My retainers numbered over three thousand, as you, sir, know. When the guests saw me deposed for a single day, they all turned their backs on me and left, not one looking back. Now, thanks to you, sir, I have regained my position. How can those guests have the face to see me again? If they come to see me again, I will spit in their faces and greatly humiliate them." Feng Huan reined in his horses and bowed. Mengchang Jun dismounted to help him up and said, "Is you, sir, apologizing on behalf of the guests?" Feng Huan said, "I am not apologizing for the guests; it is because your words are wrong. Things have their inevitable patterns, and affairs have their common principles. Do you know this?" Mengchang Jun said, "I am dull and do not understand what you mean." Feng Huan said, "That which lives must die—this is the inevitable pattern of things. When one is wealthy and noble, many scholars gather; when one is poor and lowly, friends are few—this is the common principle of affairs. Haven't you, sir, seen those who go to the market? At dawn, they jostle shoulders and push to get through the gate. After sunset, those passing by the market walk past without even a glance. This is not because they favor the morning and dislike the evening, but because what they expected is no longer there. Now you lost your position, and the guests all left. It is not worth resenting the scholars over this, for it would only cut off their path to you. I hope you will treat the guests as before." Mengchang Jun bowed twice and said, "I respectfully accept your instruction. Having heard your words, sir, how dare I not accept your teaching?"

The Grand Historian says: I once passed through Xue, and the customs of the villages there were mostly marked by unruly and violent youths, unlike those of Zou and Lu. When I asked the reason, they said: "Lord Mengchang gathered wandering knights-errant from all under heaven, and about sixty thousand households of wicked people entered Xue." The world says that Lord Mengchang took delight in guests and thus gained renown—his reputation was indeed not false.

The son of Lord Jingguo, the grandson of King Wei of Qi. He both made his state strong and in fact elevated his own standing. He delighted in guests and cherished scholars, and was esteemed by Lord Pingyuan. Men like the cock-crowers and dog-thieves, Wei Zi, and Feng Huan. How can one judge only by appearances? Xue stands empty in vain!