Tiandan was a distant relative of the powerful Tian clan in the state of Qi. Under King Min of Qi, Tiandan was a low-level official in Linzi, a nobody. Later, the state of Yan sent Yue Yi to attack Qi, and King Min of Qi fled, eventually hiding in Jucheng. The Yan army swept through Qi like a wildfire, causing chaos. Tiandan managed to escape to Anping, where he had his clan reinforce their cart axles with iron bands.
When the Yan army attacked Anping, breaching the city walls, the people of Qi fled in all directions, causing chaos. Axles snapped left and right, stranding many and leaving them vulnerable to capture by the Yan army. Only Tiandan's clan members managed to escape because their cart axles were covered with iron bands, fleeing to Jimo. The Yan had conquered almost all of Qi, leaving only Jucheng and Jimo. When the Yan army heard that the King of Qi was in Jucheng, they concentrated their forces to attack the city. After Nao Chi murdered King Min in Jucheng, he held the city against the Yan for years. The defenders of Jimo came out to fight but were defeated. Jimo's citizens chose Tiandan as their general. They reasoned, "He showed his military savvy at Anping – his family escaped because they'd reinforced their carts!" And so, Tiandan became Jimo's general, tasked with holding out against the Yan.
Some time later, after King Zhao of Yan's death, King Hui ascended the throne, but he and Yue Yi didn't get along. Upon hearing this news, Tian Dan began spreading rumors in Yan. He claimed, "The King of Qi has already died, and only the cities of Jucheng and Jimo haven't been captured yet. Yue Yi is afraid of being killed, so he dares not return to his country. He pretends to be attacking Qi, but in reality, he wants to unite with other armies and declare himself king in the south. The Qi people haven't surrendered yet, so he’s temporarily delaying the attack on Jimo, waiting for the right moment. The Qi people fear other generals from Yan coming to attack; Jimo is about to fall." King Hui of Yan believed this and sent Qi Jie to replace Yue Yi.
Yue Yi had bolted back to Zhao, leaving the Yan army fuming. Tian Dan then ordered that before the people in the city ate, they must worship their ancestors in the courtyard. Suddenly, birds swarmed the courtyards, pecking at the offerings. The people of Yan found this very strange.
Tian Dan announced to the public, "The gods have spoken to me!" He then told the people in the city, "A divine person will come to be our teacher." At this moment, a soldier said, "Hey, I could be the teacher!" After saying this, he turned and ran away. Tian Dan immediately got up, pulled him back, and made him sit in the east, learning from him. The soldier said, "I lied to you; I don't have any skills." Tian Dan replied, "Don't say that!" and then cleverly manipulated the situation. Every time they went to battle, Tian Dan claimed it was under the order of the divine teacher.
He also announced to the public, "The only thing I worry about is that the Yan army will cut off the noses of any captured Qi soldiers and use them as shock troops. If that happens, Jimo won't stand a chance!" Upon hearing this, the soldiers of Yan really did as he said. The sight of the mutilated prisoners fueled the Jimo defenders' rage, hardening their resolve to fight even harder to avoid capture.
Tian Dan released another spy, saying, "I'm worried those Yan bastards are gonna desecrate our ancestors' graves. That'll chill us to the bone." Sure enough, the Yan army went and desecrated the graves, burning the bodies. The folks on the Jimo city walls saw this and burst into tears. Every last one of 'em was itching for a fight; their anger went through the roof.
Tian Dan knew he could use this to his advantage, so he grabbed a board, stuck it in the ground, and started assigning tasks. His wives and concubines even pitched in, and they shared all the food with the troops. He hid his troops, put the old folks, women, and kids on the walls, and sent envoys to talk to the Yan army. Those guys went wild with cheers.
Tian Dan raised a ton of cash—thousands of gold ingots—from the people and had Jimo's rich folks send it to the Yan generals. "We're about to surrender," he said, "so please don't loot our homes and families. Let us live in peace." The Yan generals were stoked and agreed. The Yan army got even lazier.
Tian Dan rounded up thousands of cows, decked them out in red silk with colorful dragons painted on 'em, strapped weapons to their horns, and tied oil-soaked reeds to their tails—then lit the reeds. He cut dozens of holes in the city walls, sent the cows charging out under the cover of darkness, with five thousand of his best men right behind them.
The burning cow tails enraged the cattle, which charged furiously towards the Yan army camp, terrifying the Yan troops. The blazing cow tails, shimmering in the night, looked from a distance like dancing dragons. Many soldiers were trampled and killed. Taking advantage of this, five thousand strong men quietly attacked, while the people in the city beat drums and gongs, creating a thunderous roar. The Yan army panicked, scattering and fleeing in all directions. The routed Yan army fled in disarray, pursued relentlessly by the Qi forces. Cities along the route defected to Tian Dan, and the Qi army's strength grew day by day.
The Yan army was defeated all the way, finally fleeing to the banks of the Yellow River. The Qi kingdom retook seventy-plus cities. Tian Dan then escorted King Xiang back to Juye, then to Linzi, where the king resumed his reign.
Sima Qian wrote: The way of using troops should follow the right path in order to achieve victory; those who are skilled in using troops can constantly come up with ingenious strategies. The extraordinary and the right complement each other, in an endless cycle. At the beginning, one should be initially submissive, opening the door for the enemy; later, one should be swift like a fleeing rabbit, leaving the enemy with no time to react. That was precisely Tian Dan's approach!
After Nao Chi killed King Qi Min, the people of Ju searched everywhere for King Qi Min's son, Fa Zhang. They finally found him working as a gardener at Tai Shi Xi's house, where he was treated kindly by Tai Shi Xi's daughter, who felt sympathetic towards him. Later, Fa Zhang revealed his identity to her, and they became lovers. When the people of Ju supported Fa Zhang as King of Qi and used the land of Ju to resist Yan, Tai Shi Xi's daughter became queen.
When the Yan army first entered Qi, they heard about a virtuous man named Wang Zhu in Huayi. The Yan general then ordered, "They cordoned off Huayi for thirty miles around, not letting anyone in!" This was due to Wang Zhu's reputation. After a while, the Yan general sent someone to Wang Zhu, saying, "The people of Qi highly praise your noble character, and I want to appoint you as a general and grant you the title of Marquis of Wanhu (a high-ranking noble)." Wang Zhu firmly declined. The Yan general said, "If you do not agree, I will lead the army to slaughter Huayi!" Wang Zhu replied, "A loyal man doesn't switch sides, and a good woman doesn't remarry. King Qi did not listen to my advice, so I retired to the countryside to farm. The country has already been destroyed, and I cannot turn back time; now you are using force to coerce me into becoming your general, which is equivalent to aiding a tyrant in evil deeds! Better death than dishonor!" He then placed his neck on a tree branch, struggled, and committed suicide.
The fleeing Qi nobles heard this and sighed, "If a commoner like Wang Zhu wouldn't yield, what about those who held office and drew salaries?" They gathered in Ju, found a descendant of Wang Zhu, and made him King Xiang of Qi.
