The Han clan and the Zhou Dynasty shared a common ancestor, both bearing the Ji surname. Later, the descendants of the Han family served in the Jin State and were granted lands in Han Yuan, becoming known as Han Wuzi. Three generations after Wuzi, there was a Han Jue, who officially changed the surname to Han.
During the third year of Jin Jingong, the Chief Justice of Jin State, Tu Anjia, attempted a coup, trying to get rid of Zhao Dun, who'd been behind the murder of Duke Ling. Zhao Dun was already dead, but Tu Anjia also wanted to kill Zhao Dun's son, Zhao Shuo. Han Jue dissuaded Tu Anjia, but Tu Anjia did not listen. Han Jue secretly told Zhao Shuo to escape. Zhao Shuo said, "As long as you can preserve the Zhao family's lineage, even if I die, it will be worth it!" Han Jue promised him. When Tu Anjia exterminated the Zhao clan, Han Jue feigned illness and stayed home. Han Jue knew about Cheng Ying and Gongsun Chuju hiding Zhao Wu, the orphan of the Zhao family.
In the eleventh year of Jingong, Han Jue commanded 800 chariots to attack the Qi State at a place called An, defeating Qi Qingong and capturing Feng Choufu. Afterwards, Jin State formed one of the six ministers, with Han Jue ranking as one of the ministers, known as Han Xianzi.
In the seventeenth year of Jingong, Jingong fell ill, and divination showed the illness stemmed from some unfinished great deed. Han Jue then spoke of Zhao Chengzi's merits, stating that there were no successors in the Zhao family, and the sacrifices had been discontinued, to sway Jingong. Jingong asked, "Are there any Zhao descendants left?" Han Jue then revealed the matter of Zhao Wu and returned the Zhao family's fields and cities to Zhao Wu, preserving the Zhao line.
In the seventh year of Jin Daogong, Han Xianzi was getting on in years. After Han Xianzi's death, his son Han Xuanzi succeeded him. Han Xuanzi moved to the state.
In 14 BC, during the reign of Duke Ping of Jin, Prince Ji Zha of Wu visited Jin and said, "The power of Jin will eventually fall into the hands of the three powerful clans of Han, Wei, and Zhao." In the twelfth year of Duke Qing of Jin, Han Xuanzi, along with the Zhao and Wei clans, carved up the ten counties of Qi and Yangshe. In the fifteenth year of Duke Ding of Jin, Han Xuanzi and Zhao Jianzi jointly attacked the Fan and Zhonghang clans. After Han Xuanzi's death, his son Han Zhenzi succeeded him and moved to live in Pingyang.
Han Zhenzi succeeded his father, Han Xuanzi; Han Jianzi succeeded his father, Han Zhenzi; and Han Zhuangzi succeeded his father, Han Jianzi; after which, Han Kangzi succeeded his father, Han Zhuangzi. Han Kangzi, along with Zhao Xiangzi and Wei Huanzi, defeated Zhibo and divided his territory, causing the Han clan's territory to expand enormously, surpassing many other states.
After Han Kangzi's death, his son Han Wuzi succeeded him. In the second year of Han Wuzi's reign, he attacked Zheng, killing Duke You. Sixteen years later, Han Wuzi died, and his son Han Jinghou succeeded him.
In the first year of Han Jinghou's reign, he attacked Zheng and occupied Yongqiu. The following year, Zheng defeated Han forces at Fushu.
In the sixth year, Jin enfeoffed the Han, Zhao, and Wei clans as vassals.
In the ninth year, Zheng besieged Han's Yangdi. Han Jinghou died, and his son Han Liehou succeeded him.
They say that after King Han Xuanhui, his grandfather, who was also a marquis, ruled as King of Han for three years, Nie Zheng assassinated Han Xianglei. Nine years later, Qin forces attacked and captured six cities in our Yiyang. Four years later, Marquis Liehou passed away, and his son Marquis Wen succeeded him, coinciding with the death of Marquis Wen of Wei.
In the second year of Duke Wen's reign, Jin invaded Zheng, capturing Yangcheng; then they attacked Song and advanced to Pengcheng, seizing the Song ruler. Seven years later, they invaded Qi and reached Sangqiu. As a result, Zheng rebelled against Jin again. Nine years later, they attacked Qi once more and reached Lingqiu. Ten years later, Duke Wen died, and his son Duke Ai succeeded him.
In Duke Ai's first year, he joined Zhao and Wei in carving up Jin's territory. In the second year, he conquered Zheng and moved the capital there. Six years later, Duke Ai was killed by Han Yan (a Han official), and his son Duke Yi succeeded him.
In the second year of Duke Yi's reign, Wei routed our army at Maling. Five years later, Duke Yi met with King Hui of Wei at Zhaiyang. Nine years later, we suffered a defeat at Hui at the hands of Wei. Twelve years later, Duke Yi died, and his son Duke Zhao succeeded him.
In Duke Zhao's first year, Qin defeated our army stationed in Xishan. In the second year, Song occupied Huangchi and Wei took Zhudi. Six years later, we attacked Zhou, occupying Lingguan and Xingqiu.
Eight years later, Shen Buhai became Han's chief minister. His reforms brought stability and prosperity, discouraging further invasions from other vassals. Ten years later, Han Ji killed Duke Dao of Han. Eleven years later, Duke Zhao visited Qin. Twenty-two years later, Shen Buhai passed away. Twenty-four years later, Qin attacked us in Yiyang again.
In the twenty-fifth year, there was a drought, and Duke Zhao ordered the construction of a tall gate. Qu Yijiu said, "Duke Zhao, you'll never walk through that gate." "Why?" Duke Zhao asked. "The timing is not right," Qu Yijiu replied. "When I say timing, I mean the favorable and unfavorable times for individuals. You were in prosperity before, so you didn't build a tall gate. In the past few years, Qin attacked Yiyang, and this year there is a drought. Instead of sympathizing with the suffering of the people, you have become more extravagant. This is 'forcing strength at an inopportune time'!" In the twenty-sixth year, the tall gate was completed, and Duke Zhao indeed died without leaving through it. His son, King Xuanhui, took the throne.
Five years into King Xuanhui's reign, Zhang Yi became the chief minister of the Qin kingdom. Eight years later, the Wei kingdom defeated our Han general Han Ju. Eleven years later, we got a king and met with the Zhao kingdom in Qu Shu. Fourteen years later, the Qin kingdom defeated our army in Yan territory.
Sixteen years ago, the Qin kingdom defeated us in Xiu Yu and captured the Han general Yu Sou and Shen Cha at Zhuoze. Han was in a real pickle, and Gong Zhong said to the Han king, "Look, relying on others ain't gonna cut it! Qin's been itching to get at Chu. Why don't we use Zhang Yi to make peace, throw 'em a city, and lend 'em some troops to go south and take on Chu? It's a two-for-one deal!" The Han king thought it was a good idea and prepared to send Gong Zhong to the Qin kingdom to offer gifts and sue for peace.
King Chu of Chu was terrified when he heard about this matter and quickly called Chen Zhen to discuss. Chen Zhen said, "The Qin State has long wanted to attack the Chu State, and now they’ve picked up a Han city and army for free. A Qin-Han alliance against Chu is exactly what Qin had been dreaming of! Now that their wish has come true, the Chu State will definitely suffer. Listen to me, Your Majesty, quickly put the whole country on alert, publicly declare that we want to save the Han State, order the chariots to block all roads, and send many lavishly equipped envoys to make the Qin State believe that we are truly going to save the Han State. Even if Han ignores us, they'll be grateful, and won't side with Qin. This way, there will be internal strife between the Qin and Han States. Even if the Qin State's army comes, our Chu State will not suffer greatly. If the Han State listens to us and cuts off relations with the Qin State, the Qin State will surely be very angry and then retaliate harshly against the Han State. A strong Chu-Han relationship will make Han disdain Qin and ignore Qin's demands, thus we can use the war between the Qin and Han States to avoid disaster for the Chu State." King Chu thought it made sense and ordered the whole country to be on alert, publicly declared that they wanted to save the Han State, ordered the chariots to block all roads, sent many lavishly equipped envoys, and also told King Han of Han, "Chu is small, but we've sent every last soldier we have! We hope that the great powers will stand up to Qin, and our Chu State is willing to sacrifice for the Han State." King Han was very happy to hear this and stopped Gong Zhong from going to the Qin State as an envoy.
Gong Zhong was having none of it: "No way! It’s the state of Qin that’s truly attacking us, while the state of Chu is just pretending to help. You're buying Chu's sweet talk hook, line, and sinker, while ignoring the Qin juggernaut. That's a recipe for disaster! You'll be the laughingstock of the whole empire! Furthermore, Chu and Han aren't exactly best buds, and there's no pact against Qin. Chu's suddenly all 'let's go to war,' claiming to rescue Han—that's gotta be Chen Zhen's doing. You've already sent word to Qin; backing out now is a straight-up lie! Trusting Chu's schemers and lying to Qin? You'll regret this!" King Han blew him off and severed ties with Qin. Qin exploded, massed its troops, attacked Han, and a huge battle erupted—but Chu's reinforcements never showed. Nineteen years later, Qin defeated us at Anmen, and Crown Prince Cang was sent to Qin as a hostage for peace.
299 BC: We teamed up with Qin against Chu, defeated Chu's general Qu Gai, and killed 80,000 people in Danyang. That year, King Xuanhui of Wei died, and Crown Prince Cang succeeded him, becoming King Xiang of Wei.
In 296 BC, King Xiang of Wei met with King Wu of Qin in Linjin. In the autumn, Qin sent Gan Mao to attack our Yi Yang in Wei. 295 BC brought another Qin attack, capturing Yi Yang and killing 60,000 people. King Wu of Qin also died that year. In 294 BC, Qin struck again, battling us at Wusui. 291 BC saw Qin take Wusui. In 290 BC, Crown Prince Ying went to Qin to pay a visit and then returned. In 289 BC, Qin attacked us and occupied Rang. We and Qin then crushed Chu's general Tang Mei.
In 288 BCE, Crown Prince Ying died. A power struggle ensued between Prince Jiu and Prince Shi for the succession. At that time, Shi was held hostage in Chu. Su Dai said to Han Jiu, "Shi is currently in Chu, and the King of Chu is eager to install him. A massive Chu army, over one hundred thousand strong, lies encamped outside Fangcheng. Why not have the King of Chu build a new city near Yongshi, large enough for tens of thousands? Han would certainly intervene militarily. You'll command the army. With Han and Chu's combined forces, you can reclaim Shi. Chu and Han will bow to your authority, and you'll be crowned king." Han Jiu adopted Su Dai's strategy.
The State of Chu surrounded Yong, and the State of Han sought help from the State of Qin. Before Qin took action, they sent Gongsun Mai to the State of Han. Gong Zhong from Han asked Gongsun Mai, "Do you think Qin will help Han?" Gongsun Mai replied, "The King of Qin said, 'Please allow my army to pass through Nanzheng and Lantian, and then send troops to attack the State of Chu to support you.' Sounds fishy to me." Gong Zhong asked again, "So what do you think Qin will actually do?" Gongsun Mai said, "The King of Qin will definitely use the same old tricks and follow Zhang Yi's strategy. When King Wei of Chu attacked the State of Wei before, Zhang Yi said to the King of Qin, 'Let's team up with Chu and attack Wei. Once Wei falls, they'll surrender to Chu, leaving Han all alone. That's bad for us. Instead, we should go to assist Wei, let Chu and Wei fight a big battle, and we can grab the land west of the Xihe River and take advantage of the situation.' The current situation is that Qin's pretending to be our ally while secretly helping Chu. Han is waiting for Qin to come to the rescue and will definitely underestimate the enemy and fight against Chu. Chu secretly knows that Qin will not send troops and will easily outmaneuver Han. If Han defeats Chu, Qin will divide Chu with Han and then take control of the land of Sanchuan; if Han cannot defeat Chu, Chu will occupy Sanchuan, defend it, and Han will not be able to get help. I'm worried sick about Han. Sima Geng went to Yingdu three times, Gan Mao and Zhao Yu met in Shangyu, and they were talking about getting the Jade Seal back. They'd secretly made a deal." Gong Zhong was very scared and asked, "What should we do then?" Gongsun Mai said, "Han needs to look after itself first, then worry about Qin and Zhang Yi. You should team up with Qi and Chu right away. They'll back you up." So Chu called off the siege.
Su Dai said to Mi Rong, the Queen Dowager of Qin's brother: "Gong Shu Bo Ying's worried about Qin and Chu being suspicious of each other. Why don't you ask Chu for a Han hostage? If the King of Chu agrees to send a hostage to Han, then Gong Shu Bo Ying will know that they won't be suspicious of one another and will definitely unite with Han to oppose them. If they use Han to threaten Wei, then Wei won't dare to ally with Qi, leaving Qi isolated. If you ask Chu for another hostage on behalf of Qin and they refuse, they'll hold a grudge against Han. Han, Qi, and Wei will surround Chu, and Chu will definitely value you. With Qin and Chu's favor, you can accumulate merits in Han, and Gong Shu Bo Ying will surely entrust the country to you." As a result, the suspicion between Qin and Chu did not affect Han. Han made the Crown Prince the scapegoat. The kings of Qi and Wei came to congratulate.
Fourteen years ago, we Han fought against Qin with Qi and Wei and set up camp at Hangu Pass. Sixteen years ago, Qin fought against us at the west of the Yellow River and Wusui. King Xiang died, and Crown Prince Jiu succeeded him, becoming King Li.
King Li reigned for three years and sent Gongsun Xi with troops from Zhou and Wei to attack Qin. As a result, Qin defeated us, killing more than 20,000 men, captured Gongsun Xi, and imprisoned him in Yique. Five years later, Qin took our city of Wancheng. In the sixth year, we lost two hundred li of land to Qin in Wusui. In the tenth year, Qin defeated our army at Xiashan. In the twelfth year, I met with King Zhao of Qin in Xizhou and helped Qin defeat Qi. Qi was defeated, and King Man of Qi fled. In the fourteenth year, we met with Qin again between the two weeks. In the twenty-first year, I sent General Bao to rescue Wei, but he was defeated by Qin and retreated to Kaifeng in defeat.
In the twenty-third year, Zhao and Wei attacked our Huayang. The state of Han appealed to Qin for help, but Qin ignored them. The Prime Minister of Han said to Chen Shi, "It's urgent; even if you're sick, please go." Chen Shi met with the Qin lord Rang. Rang asked, "Is the situation very urgent? Is that why they sent you?" Chen Shi replied, "It's not too urgent yet." Rang got angry, "Is that how you're supposed to be representing your country? Envoys are constantly coming and going, all saying our city is in urgent need, and you say it's not urgent, what's going on?" Chen Shi explained, "If it were really urgent, they'd have already changed tactics. Since it's not urgent now, that's why they sent me again." Rang said, "Forget seeing the Qin king. I'm sending troops to Han right now." Eight days later, they arrived at Huayang and defeated the Zhao-Wei coalition. That year, King Li died, and his son Huanhui took the throne.
In the first year of Huanhui's reign, he attacked the state of Yan. Nine years later, Qin took Xingcheng from us and built a fort on the Fen River. A decade later, Qin defeated us in the Taihang Mountains, and the Shangdang magistrate surrendered his territory to Zhao. In the fourteenth year, Qin captured Shangdang in Zhao and slaughtered over 400,000 of our men at Changping, including Ma Fuszi. In the seventeenth year, Qin took our Yangcheng and Fushu. In the twenty-second year, King Zhao of Qin died. In the twenty-fourth year, Qin captured our Chenggao and Xingyang. In the twenty-sixth year, Qin took over all of Shangdang. In the twenty-ninth year, Qin captured thirteen of our cities.
In the thirty-fourth year, Huanhui died, and his son An succeeded to the throne. An reigned for five years, and Qin attacked the state of Han. Facing a desperate situation, Han sent Han Fei to Qin for help, only to have him arrested and executed. In the ninth year, Qin captured King An and took over all of Han's land, setting up Yingchuan commandery. Han thus perished.
Sima Qian said that Han Jue advised Jin Jingong and helped the Zhao orphan, Wu, grow up, enabling the righteous deeds of Cheng Ying and Gongsun Chujiu. This was truly an unsung virtue under the heavens! The Han family's contribution to Jin history has never been surpassed. However, the Han family, along with the Zhao and Wei families, eventually became lords, continuing for more than ten generations—a fitting reward for their actions! Sima Qian thought what Han Jue did at that time was remarkable. Not only did he persuade Jin Jingong, but he also saved the Zhao orphan, allowing Cheng Ying and Gongsun Chujiu's noble acts to come to fruition. This was a silent great merit! The Han family's contribution to Jin is significant. Just think, later the Han family also became lords, like the Zhao and Wei families, continuing for several generations—all thanks to their good deeds!
