Burying Zhao Bing Alive

King Zhaoxiang followed Fan Sui's strategy of "far-flung friendship and near-attack" and made friends with Qi and Chu while invading smaller states in the vicinity, starting with Korea.

In 261 B.C. (54th year of King Hu of Zhou), King Zhaoxiang sent his general Wang Gnaw to attack Korea and captured the city of Nuo Wang [in Qingyang County, Henan Province], cutting off the connection between Shangdang [in southeastern Shanxi Province] and the capital of Korea [in Xinzheng County, Henan Province]. This left the Shangdang army alone. Feng Ting, the leader of this part of the army, said to his soldiers: "Qin has taken the city of Nao Wang, and Shang Dang can no longer be defended. I think, instead of surrendering to Qin, we should surrender to Zhao. If Zhao gets Shangdang, Qin will have to fight for it. This way, Zhao and Korea will have to unite to resist Qin." All of them agreed with his idea. At that time, they sent messengers with the map of Shang Dang to present it to King Xiao Cheng of Zhao.

King Xiaocheng of Zhao sent his minister, Lord Ping Yuan, to lead 50,000 men to Shang Dang to receive the land. When Lord Ping Yuan arrived at Shang Dang, he still sent Feng Ting as the governor of Shang Dang and made him the ruler of Hualing. Feng Ting closed his door and cried in his house, unwilling to meet with Lord Ping Yuan. When he asked him to come out, he always excused himself, saying, "I have three great sins, and I have no face to see others: I cannot defend the city for the king, which is the first great sin; I have offered the land to Zhao on my initiative, which is the second great sin; I have sacrificed the land of the state and gained wealth for myself, which is the third great sin. How can I still be the governor with such a great sin on my back?" Feng Ting had to come out with tears in his eyes to meet with Lord Ping Yuan, who was waiting at the door. He asked Lord Ping Yuan to take over Shang Dang and send someone else to be the governor. He asked him sincerely to guard Shang Dang and maintain order. Feng Ting could not resist, so he accepted the position of governor, but was not given a title. When Lord Ping Yuan was leaving, Feng Ting said to him, "If Shang Dang is returned to Zhao, Qin will attack it. When you go back, ask the king of Zhao to send a large army quickly, so that the Qin army can be repulsed."

King Ping Yuan went back and reported everything to King Xiao Cheng of Zhao, who was so happy to have the Shang Dang that he drank and celebrated every day, putting aside the matter of resisting the Qin. The Qin general Wang Gnaw then besieged Shangdang. Feng Ting's army defended the city for two months without any help from Zhao. The soldiers and civilians were so desperate that they opened the city gates and fled to Zhao at the risk of their lives. Feng Ting's defeated soldiers, with the refugees from Shangdang, reached Changping Pass [northwest of Gaoping County in Shanxi Province], and only then did they meet Lian Po, the general of Zhao, who came with 200,000 troops to rescue Shangdang, but Shangdang had already been lost.

Lian Po and Feng Ting met together and planned to counterattack. Qin's troops followed, and at once defeated Zhao's outposts. Lian Po hastily retreated and held his position, telling his soldiers to raise their fortresses and deepen their trenches, preparing to hold out against the far-away Qin army for a long time. He issued an order saying, "Whoever goes out to fight the enemy is guilty of death, and even if he wins the battle, he will be condemned as usual." Wang Gnawed repeatedly challenged the Zhao army, which said nothing to come out. After more than four months, Wang Gnaw could not think of a way to attack. He sent someone to report to King Zhaoxiang of Qin, saying, "Lian Po is an experienced general who doesn't go out to war easily. We have come all the way here and wanted to have a quick and painful battle. If we continue to fight for a long time, we will not be able to get enough food and supplies.