93 Bai Qi and Yang Youji

A4.76

In the thirty-fourth year, Su Li said to the Lord of Zhou: "Qin conquered Han and Wei, defeated Xiwu, and seized Lin and Lishi from Zhao in the north. This was all due to Bai Qi's contribution. He is good at commanding battles and had the will of heaven. Now he is going to lead his army out of the border to attack Liang State. Once Liang State was conquered, Zhou State would be in danger. Why don't you send someone to lobby Bai Qi? To tell him that ‘there was a man named Yang Youji in the Chu state who is good at archery. He shot arrows at the willow leaves from a distance of 100 steps, and he hit the target 100 times. Thousands of people were watching, and they all said he was a good archer. There was a man standing beside him and said, "Good, you can be taught archery." Yang Youji was angry, put down his bow and grabbed his sword, saying, "How can a guest teach me how to shoot?" The guest said, "It is not my ability to teach you to bend left or right. You shoot your arrows at the willow leaf from a hundred steps away, and you hit it a hundred times out of a hundred times. But if you don’t rest well, after a while you will run out of strength and become tired. The bow will be crooked and the arrow will be bent. If one arrow misses the target, the previous hundred arrows will be wasted." You have already made great contributions by defeating the armies of Han and Wei, killing Shi Wu, and taking Lin and Lishi from Zhao in the north. Now you are going to lead your troops out of the border again, passing through the east and west, with Han at your back, to attack the State of Liang. If you fail in one battle, all your previous efforts will be wasted. It is better for you to claim illness and not go to the battle. "

三十四年，苏厉谓周君曰：“秦破韩、魏，扑师武，北取赵蔺、离石者，皆白起也。是善用兵，又有天命。今又将兵出塞攻梁，梁破则周危矣。君何不令人说白起乎？曰‘楚有养由基者，善射者也。去柳叶百步而射之，百发而百中之。左右观者数千人，皆曰善射。有一夫立其旁，曰“善，可教射矣”。养由基怒，释弓搤剑，曰“客安能教我射乎”？客曰“非吾能教子支左诎右也。夫去柳叶百步而射之，百发而百中之，不以善息，少焉气衰力倦，弓拨矢钩，一发不中者，百发尽息”。今破韩、魏，扑师武，北取赵蔺、离石者，公之功多矣。今又将兵出塞，过两周，倍韩，攻梁，一举不得，前功尽弃。公不如称病而无出’。”