Wei Ran was King Zhao's mother, Queen Dowager Xuan's younger brother. His ancestors were from the State of Chu, with the surname Mi. When King Wu of Qin died without a son, his younger brother was appointed as King Zhao. Xuan, originally named Lady Mi, the eighth daughter, became known as Queen Dowager Xuan after King Zhao ascended the throne. She was not the mother of King Wu, who had a different mother named Queen Huiwen, and who had passed away before King Wu. Xuan had two brothers: an older half-brother named Wei Ran, courtesy name Ran, with the surname Wei; and a younger full brother named Mi Rong, who was titled Lord Huayang. King Zhao also had two other half-brothers, one named Lord Gaoling and the other named Lord Jingyang. Among these brothers, Wei Ran was the most formidable, having been involved in court affairs since the reigns of King Hui and King Wu. After King Wu's death, his brothers were all scrabbling for the throne, but only Wei Ran got Zhao onto the throne. Once King Zhao took the throne, he appointed Wei Ran as a general defending Xianyang. Wei Ran suppressed the rebellion of Lord Ji, exiled King Wu's widow to Wei, and dealt with King Zhao's disobedient brothers, scaring the whole of Qin into submission. King Zhao was young, so Queen Dowager Xuan held power and had Wei Ran help her run the country.
In the seventh year of King Zhao's reign, Shuli Zi died, and Jingyang Jun was sent to Qi as a hostage. Lou Huan, a man from Zhao, came to Qin as prime minister, but Zhao deemed it strategically disadvantageous, so they sent Qiu Ye to Qin to request that Wei Ran be made prime minister. Just before Qiu Ye's departure, his friend Song Gong said to him, "Look, if the Qin court ignores you, Lou Huan will be furious. Better to tell Lou Huan, 'Don't rush me into this.' If the King of Qin sees Zhao practically begging for Wei Ran to be prime minister but isn't pushing you to act, he won't listen to you. If you speak up and fail, you'll still gain a good reputation and win Lou Huan's friendship; if you succeed, Wei Ran will owe you big time." Qiu Ye listened to his words and did as he was told. And so, Lou Huan was dismissed, and Wei Ran was appointed as prime minister.
Later, when the Qin court decided to eliminate Lv Li, Lv Li fled to Qi. In the fourteenth year of King Zhao's reign, Wei Ran recommended Bai Qi to replace Xiang Shou as general and attack the states of Han and Wei. Bai Qi achieved a decisive victory against the Han-Wei coalition at Yi Que, killing twenty-four thousand and capturing the Wei general Gongsun Xi. The following year, he captured the cities of Wan and Ye in Chu. Wei Ran later feigned illness and resigned as prime minister, allowing Keqing Shou Zhu to take over. The next year, Shou Zhu was dismissed, and Wei Ran resumed his position as prime minister. He was then enfeoffed in Rang and Tao, and titled Marquis of Rang.
Remarkably, the Marquis of Rang received his title at the age of four. He then followed the Qin army to attack Wei. The Qin forces achieved a resounding victory, with Wei directly ceding four hundred li of land in Hedong to Qin. They subsequently seized more than sixty cities in Wei's Henei region.
In the nineteenth year of King Zhao's reign, the state of Qin declared itself an emperor, calling itself the Western Emperor, and the state of Qi followed suit, calling itself the Eastern Emperor. But that didn't last long. Then Lu Li showed up and put a stop to it, and both Qi and Qin were quick to revert to "King." After that, Wei Ran became the Prime Minister of Qin, but resigned after six years. Two years later, he was reappointed as Prime Minister. After four years, he sent Bai Qi to attack the capital of Chu, Yingdu, which led to the establishment of the Southern Commandery by Qin. Bai Qi's amazing victory in this battle earned him the title of Marquis Wu'an. It is said that Bai Qi was recommended and promoted by Rang Hou, and the two had a very good relationship. Man, Rang Hou's family was loaded! Richer than the royal family!
In the thirty-second year of King Zhao's reign, Rang Hou became the Prime Minister and attacked Wei, defeating Wei's Mang Mao, capturing Beizhai, and then besieging Daliang.
Advisor Xu Jia from Wei said to the Marquis of Rang, "I heard that officials from Wei told the King of Wei: 'Previously, King Hui of Liang attacked Zhao, won three battles, and even captured Handan; Zhao refused to cede territory, and they recovered their lost territory. Qi attacked Wei, captured Wei's capital, and killed Wei's Ziliang; Wei refused to cede land, and the lost land was regained. The reason why Wei and Zhao were able to preserve their countries, maintain strong armies, and avoid annexation by other states was that they could endure difficulties and valued reclaiming lost land. Song and Zhongshan repeatedly ceded territory to buy peace, only to be destroyed. I believe that Wei and Zhao are worth emulating, while Song and Zhongshan should serve as a warning. Qin is a rapacious and untrustworthy state. They encroached on Wei's land, swallowed up the entire Jin, defeated Wei's tyrant, seized eight counties, and before fully securing the land, the Qin army withdrew. Just how much land does Qin want? Now they have defeated Mang Mao and occupied Beizhai, not truly daring to attack Daliang, but using this as leverage to pressure the King of Wei to cede more land. Your Majesty must not agree to them. By betraying Chu and Zhao and cultivating good relations with Qin, Chu and Zhao will surely become angry, leave you, and compete with Qin for benefits, which Qin will surely accept. If Qin seizes the armies of Chu and Zhao to attack Daliang again, it will be difficult for Wei to preserve its country. I hope Your Majesty will not make peace with Qin. If you must make peace, cede less land and demand hostages; otherwise, you will surely be deceived by Qin.' This is what I heard from people of Wei, and I hope you will consider this matter. The 'Book of Zhou' says, 'Fortune does not always favor.' Defeating the tyrant and seizing eight counties was not due to Qin's excellent military strength or clever strategies, but mainly due to luck. Now, defeating Mang Mao and occupying Beizhai to attack Daliang again, they are taking luck for granted. Wise men do not act this way. I heard that Wei has dispatched all its elite soldiers to defend Daliang; I estimate at least 300,000 men. With 300,000 troops guarding the strong city of Daliang, even if Tang and Wu were alive today, it would be hard to take. Hastily abandoning the armies of Chu and Zhao to attack the fortified city of Daliang and confront 300,000 troops while still expecting to win is unprecedented. If the attack fails, Qin will surely withdraw, Taoyi will surely be lost, and all previous efforts will be in vain. Wei's wavering; offer them less land to keep them sweet. I hope you will quickly offer to cede less land to Wei before the armies of Chu and Zhao arrive in Daliang. Wei is hesitating, thinking that ceding less land is beneficial to them; they will surely accept, and you will get what you want. Chu and Zhao will be angry with Wei for making peace with Qin first; they will surely compete with Qin for benefits. Use this to drive a wedge between them, then decide what to do. Furthermore, must you only acquire land through warfare? Ceding Jin's land without Qin attacking, Wei will surely follow suit and cede Jiang and Anyi. You have opened two paths for Qin, almost occupying the entire former Song; Wei will surely follow suit and cede Danfu. Qin's strength can be preserved, and you can control them; there's nothing you can't achieve."
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Ranghou said, "Very well." So the siege of Daliang was called off.
The following year, Wei betrayed Qin and forged an alliance with Qi. Qin then sent Ranghou to attack Wei, achieving a decisive victory, killing forty thousand Wei soldiers. The Wei general Baoyuan fled, and Qin seized three Wei counties. As a result, Ranghou was subsequently promoted.
In the following year, Rang Hou, along with Bai Qi and the advisor Hu Yang, attacked the states of Zhao, Han, and Wei. They defeated the Wei army at Huayang, slaughtering 100,000 enemy troops, and captured the territories of Juan, Caiyang, and Changshe from Wei. Zhao also lost Guanjin. Meanwhile, Qin sent some troops to Zhao to attack Qi. King Xiang of Qi was afraid, so he secretly sent a letter to Rang Hou through Su Dai, saying, "I heard a rumor that Qin's sending 40,000 troops to Zhao to hit Qi, but I personally think King Qi won't believe it because King Qin is wise and good at planning, and Rang Hou is intelligent and experienced; they would never do such a thing." "Why? Because the Three Jins (Han, Zhao, Wei) and Qin are mortal enemies, and deception and betrayal are common; trust is nonexistent. Now, what benefit would it be for Qin to strengthen Zhao by defeating Qi? Zhao is Qin's archenemy, which is not good for Qin. If Qin's strategists are smart, they must be thinking of defeating Qi first, weakening Jin and Chu, and then dealing with them. However, Qi is already very weak; using the entire country's strength to attack Qi is like shooting a tattered sack with a strong crossbow—Qi will undoubtedly lose, and it’s impossible to weaken Jin and Chu. If Qin sends out few troops, Jin and Chu won't believe Qin; if they send out many troops, Jin and Chu will be under Qin's control. Qi is scared; they won't flee to Qin, they'll definitely run to Jin and Chu. Qin will use Qi's land as bait to lure Jin and Chu, and they will send their troops against Qin, leaving Qin facing enemies on both sides. So, Jin and Chu use Qin to deal with Qi, and use Qi to deal with Qin, showcasing how clever Jin and Chu are and how foolish Qin and Qi are. Therefore, it's better to appease them with Anyi, eliminating any worries. If Qin secures Anyi, Han won't be able to hold Shangdang. Comparatively, securing a strategically vital location and worrying about the army not returning after sending them out—which is more advantageous? That's why I said King Qin is wise, good at planning, and Rang Hou is intelligent and experienced; they would never send 40,000 troops to Zhao to attack Qi." Heeding Su Dai's advice, Rang Hou withdrew his forces.
In the year 273 BC, during the 36th year of King Zhao of Qin's reign, the Prime Minister of Qin, Lord Ranghou, told King Zhao that he wanted to attack the state of Qi, capture the cities of Gang and Shou, and expand his territory around Taoyi.
At that time, a man from the state of Wei named Fan Sui, who called himself Mr. Zhang Lu, thought Lord Ranghou's plan to attack Qi was terrible. He said it was like bypassing the Three Jins (Han, Zhao, Wei) and going straight to attack Qi, which was not a wise move. Fan Sui used some smooth talking to persuade King Zhao of Qin. King Zhao believed Fan Sui's words and then promoted him.
Fan Sui told King Zhao that the Queen Mother had too much power, and Lord Ranghou had too much influence among the vassals, while Jingyang and Gaoling were living the high life, even more lavishly than the royal family. After hearing this, King Zhao suddenly realized and then dismissed Lord Ranghou from his position as Prime Minister and ordered Jingyang and the others to leave Xianyang and return to their fiefdoms. When Lord Ranghou left Xianyang, he had over a thousand carts of luggage!
Lord Ranghou eventually died in Taoyi and was buried there. Qin later took back Taoyi and made it a commandery.
Sima Qian said: Ranghou was King Zhao of Qin's uncle. Ranghou was the brains behind Qin's eastward expansion, weakening other states and almost unifying China – everyone was bowing down to Qin! However, when his power and wealth reached their peak and became unimaginable, he was brought down by just a few words from someone and lost his power, leading to his death in sorrow. What about those lowly guest officials? Talk about a fall from grace!
