Lin Xiangru
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Lin Xiangru () (died July 260 BCE) was a politician and general of the
Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...
, who served the
state of Zhao Zhao () was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han and Wei, in the 5th century BC. Zhao gained significant strength from the mil ...
. He figures prominently in two stories of the period, namely the episode and the namesake '' chengyu'' of " Returning the Jade to Zhao" (), as well as the story and the namesake ''chengyu'' of "Carrying Thorned Grass and Pleading Guilt" ().


Background

Lin Xiangru was born sometime in the reign of
King Wuling of Zhao King Wuling of Zhao () (died 295 BCE, reigned 325 BCE – 299 BCE) reigned in the State of Zhao during the Warring States period of Chinese history. His reign was famous for one important event: the reforms consisting of "Wearing the Hu (styled) A ...
in present day Mengmen town,
Liulin County Liulin ( is a county of western Shanxi province, China, bordering Shaanxi province and the Yellow River to the west. It is under the administration of Lüliang city. The county is the site of the Xiangyan Temple ( zh). Liulin has been inhabited ...
,
Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
. Due to his intellect and superior skills, he rose quickly through the ranks of the Zhao bureaucracy.


Returning the Jade to Zhao

Emissaries from the King of Qin came over to the Zhao court one day, offering to exchange fifteen cities for the sacred
Heshibi Mr. He's jade or ''Heshibi'' was a sacred ceremonial '' bi (璧, "jade-disk with a round hole in center")'' used as regalia, which had an important role in Chinese history. First appearing during the mid-8th century BCE, it was cut into a ritua ...
jade disk. At this stage of the Warring States period,
Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...
was the most powerful state, making it difficult to decline. On the other hand, the Kings of Qin had historically been untrustworthy, and
King Huiwen of Zhao King Huiwen of Zhao () (born 310 BCE - died 266 BCE, reigned 298 BCE – 266 BCE) reigned in the State of Zhao during the Warring States period of Chinese history. During his reign, the Zhao state reached its apogee, with famous administrators and ...
did not trust the King of Qin to keep his side of the bargain. Lin Xiangru volunteered to go to the Qin court with the He Shi Bi, promising to trade the jade for the cities if the King of Qin kept his word, and to return the jade safely if he did not. At the Qin court, the King of Qin passed the He Shi Bi among his ministers and concubines, making no mention of the promised 15 cities. Lin concluded that the King of Qin was not intending to keep his word. He tricked the King of Qin by claiming that there was a tiny flaw in the jade, and when the King of Qin returned the jade to him so that he could point out the flaw, Lin threatened to smash both the jade and his head (i.e. commit suicide) against a pillar if the King of Qin tried to take it back by force. He demanded the King of Qin fast for three days and receive him with proper ceremonies before surrendering the jade. The Qin king, unwilling to see the jade ruined, agreed. That night, still not trusting the King of Qin, Lin ordered his henchman to take the jade back to Zhao in secret; he himself would stay in Qin and face the King. Three days later, the King of Qin was furious that the jade had been returned to Zhao. However, unwilling to execute a Zhao diplomat, he could do nothing but let Lin go. The incident made Lin famous throughout the Warring States as the man who had shamed the Qin king. His status rose and soon he was chief minister of Zhao.


Carrying Thorned Grass and Pleading Guilt

Many people were jealous of Lin's meteoric rise, most notably the old general
Lian Po Lian Po (; – 243 BC), was a prominent general of the Zhao state in the Warring States period of Chinese history. He was named by Chinese historians as one of the four greatest generals of the late Warring States period, along with Bai Qi, W ...
, one of the most experienced commanders during that time. Lian Po was so jealous that he swore enmity between the two of them. When Lin had caught wind of this, he decided that the best way to deal with the problem was to not confront Lian at all. In one incident, Lian's and Lin's carriage met on a narrow road. Lin, as the higher-ranking minister, normally had right of passage; however, he turned and backed out of the street in order to let Lian pass. Many saw it as a sign of weakness, not least Lian Po himself, who reckoned that Lin, an academic, was too scared to fight such a warrior as he. Lin's courtiers, too, grew dissatisfied by the subservient way Lin was behaving, and many left. But when Lin's chief courtier demanded to know why he was behaving in such a manner, Lin Xiangru replied: "The feud between me and Lian Po is a personal one; but I am in charge of the nation's government, and he the nation's security: I cannot let my personal life ruin that of the kingdom!" When Lian Po finally heard of this, all his jealousy turned into shame. Deciding to apologize to Lin, he strapped brambles to his bare back and walked from his house to that of Lin Xiangru's, begging for his forgiveness. Lin Xiangru forgave him, and from then on, they became good friends. The alliance between chief minister and general kept Zhao peaceful for years.


Subsequent events

When Lian Po was on the verge of being replaced as overall commander in the
Battle of Changping The Battle of Changping () was a military campaign during the Warring States period of ancient China, which took place from 262 BC to 260 BC at Changping (northwest of present-day Gaoping, Shanxi province), between the two strongest military pow ...
by the much younger and much more inexperienced
Zhao Kuo Zhao Kuo (; died 260 BCE) was a general of the state of Zhao during the Warring States period in ancient China. He lost the epic Battle of Changping between the states of Zhao and Qin."Records of the Grand Historian", vol. ''Han Dynasty I'', tr ...
, Lin Xiangru, then already gravely ill, begged King Xiaocheng of Zhao to reconsider the decision. However, his advice was not heeded, and disaster followed.(子孝成王立。七年,秦与赵兵相距长平,时赵奢已死,而蔺相如病笃,赵使廉颇将攻秦,秦数败赵军,赵军固壁不战。秦数挑战,廉颇不肯。赵王信秦之间。秦之间言曰:“秦之所恶,独畏马服君赵奢之子赵括为将耳。”赵王因以括为将,代廉颇。蔺相如曰:“王以名使括,若胶柱而鼓瑟耳。括徒能读其父书传,不知合变也。”赵王不聽,遂将之。 ) ''Shiji'', vol.81 Lin Xiangru died probably around Zhao's final defeat at the Battle of Changping.


Legacy

*
Sima Xiangru Sima Xiangru ( , ; c. 179117BC) was a Chinese musician, poet, and politician who lived during the Western Han dynasty. Sima is a significant figure in the history of Classical Chinese poetry, and is generally regarded as the greatest of all com ...
, a poet during the western
Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
, named himself after Lin Xiangru as a result of having fostered great admiration for the latter during his studies.


Popular culture

Lin Xiangru is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game ''
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI'', also known as ''Sangokushi 11'' (三國志11), is the 11th installment in the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sangokushi'') grand strategy game series by Koei. The game was released for the PC on March ...
'' by
Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...
. Lin Xiangru also appears in the manga ''
Kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
'' as one of the original "Three Great Heavens of Zhao" alongside
Lian Po Lian Po (; – 243 BC), was a prominent general of the Zhao state in the Warring States period of Chinese history. He was named by Chinese historians as one of the four greatest generals of the late Warring States period, along with Bai Qi, W ...
(Ren Pa) and
Zhao She Zhao She ( 3rd century BC; zh, 趙奢) was a Chinese bureaucrat and general for the State of Zhao during the Warring States period. Biography Zhao She's origins and early life were unknown, other than he was initially employed as a land tax co ...
(Chou Sha) under his Japanese name "Rin Shou Jo", fostering a friendly rivalry with the former. He was regarded as a prodigy for warfare but died early in his career, and most of his retainers went down performing suicide charges, stricken by grief, except for two who stayed at his deathbed. Many years later, the remaining two joined their master after being killed. Lin Xiangru is portrayed by Tan Yang in the last episode of ''
The Legend of Mi Yue ''The Legend of Mi Yue'' () is a 2015 Chinese television series directed by Zheng Xiaolong and based on eponymous historical novel. It stars Sun Li in the title role of Mi Yue. The series aired 2 episodes daily on Beijing TV and Dragon TV from 30 ...
'' (2015) as a guest appearance, depicting the "Returning the Jade to Zhao" incident.


References

{{Reflist Chinese chancellors Zhou dynasty people 3rd-century BC Chinese people Zhao (state)