"Li Shiqi" redirects here. For the Malaysian actress, see Carrie Lee Sze Kei.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.

Li Yiji[a] (酈食其; Lì Yìjī; 268–204 BC) was a Chinese scholar who served as an adviser to Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu), the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. He is best known for helping Liu Bang gain control of Chenliu (present-day Kaifeng, Henan) during the rebellions towards the end of the Qin dynasty (c. 209–206 BC), and for advising Liu Bang to seize Aocang (in present-day Xingyang, Henan) during the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC). In 204 BC, Liu Bang sent him as an emissary to persuade Tian Guang, the King of Qi, to surrender. Li Yiji was initially successful, but was boiled alive by Tian Guang after the latter thought he had tricked him to buy time for Liu Bang's general Han Xin to attack Qi.

Early life

Li Yiji was from Gaoyang County (高陽縣) in Chenliu Commandery (陳留郡), which is around present-day Qi County, Kaifeng, Henan. Known for being very studious, he was born in an impoverished family but managed to find a job as a low-ranking officer in the county office. During this time, he was described as a "crazy scholar" (狂生) and, despite his lowly status, the local elites did not dare to bully him.

Around 209 BC, when uprisings against the ruling Qin dynasty broke out, several rebel groups passed through Chenliu Commandery. Li Yiji felt that the leaders of these rebel groups were rather selfish, petty and opinionated. Thinking that they would be unreceptive to his advice, he decided to maintain a low profile and refused to join any of them.

Meeting Liu Bang

When Liu Bang led his rebel group to Chenliu, he asked his men if they knew of any talents living in the area. At the time, one of Liu Bang's horsemen was the son of Li Yiji's neighbour, and he dropped by to visit Gaoyang. Li Yiji met the horseman and told him,

"I heard that the Duke of Pei[b] is arrogant and condescending, yet ambitious and far-sighted. He is someone I would like to follow, but I haven't found anyone to introduce me to him. When you see him, can you tell him this? "In my hometown, there is a Scholar Li who is around 60 years old and eight chi tall. People call him a 'crazy scholar', but he says he is not.""[1]

The horseman replied, "The Duke of Pei dislikes (Confucian) scholars. When they visit him, he takes off their hats and urinates in them. He also yells at them. If you want to visit him, you can't say that you are a scholar."[2] Li Yiji insisted that the horseman tell Liu Bang exactly what he had said, so the horseman did.

Liu Bang later came to Gaoyang and summoned Li Yiji to meet him at the local guesthouse. When Li Yiji showed up, he saw Liu Bang sitting on a bed and having his feet washed by two maids, so he did not kneel before Liu Bang and instead did a fist-and-palm gesture before asking, "Do you want to help Qin attack the rebels? Or do you want to lead the rebels to defeat Qin?"[3]

Hearing that, Liu Bang scolded him, "Stupid scholar! Everyone has been suffering under Qin rule for a long time. This is why everyone is rising up against Qin! What do you mean when you ask if I want to help Qin attack the rebels?"[4]

Li Yiji replied, "Of course, you want to rally everyone to rise up and destroy the barbaric Qin dynasty! Yet, you shouldn't be so disrespectful when you receive an elderly visitor."[5]

Liu Bang immediately stopped washing his feet, tidied his clothes, and invited Li Yiji to take a seat before apologising for his rude behaviour. After Li Yiji shared his views on current affairs, Liu Bang was so pleased that he offered Li Yiji food and asked what he should do next. Li Yiji said,

"You have rallied supporters and gathered stragglers, but you don't have at least 10,000 men now. If you go into Qin territory like that, it will be akin to putting yourself in a tiger's maw. Chenliu is a strategic location as it is well-connected to other places and its counties are well-stocked with grain. I know the governor well. You may send me as your emissary to meet him and I will persuade him to surrender to you. If he refuses, you may then attack him and I will help you from the inside."[6]

Liu Bang then heeded Li Yiji's advice and led his men to capture Chenliu. To honour Li Yiji for his achievement, Liu Bang gave him the title "Lord Guangye" (廣野君). Li Yiji's younger brother Li Shang also led a few thousand men to join Liu Bang in capturing the lands southwest of Chenliu. During this time, Li Yiji was often sent by Liu Bang as an emissary to meet the other rebel leaders.

Service under Liu Bang during the Chu–Han Contention

After the Qin dynasty was overthrown in 206 BC, the empire was divided into the Eighteen Kingdoms. Liu Bang was made the ruler of the Kingdom of Han based in Hanzhong and Shu (present-day Sichuan and Chongqing). From 206 to 202 BC, a power struggle – historically known as the Chu–Han Contention – broke out between Liu Bang and his rival Xiang Yu, the King of Chu, for control over China. Li Yiji continued serving as an adviser under Liu Bang during this time.

In the autumn of 204 BC, Xiang Yu defeated Liu Bang at the Battle of Xingyang, forcing the latter to retreat to Gong County and Luoyang. At the time, Liu Bang's general Han Xin had defeated a rival kingdom Zhao, while Liu Bang's ally Peng Yue was raiding Xiang Yu's supply lines in the Liang lands; Xiang Yu had no choice but to split up his forces to deal with them. While Han Xin was attacking another rival kingdom Qi, Liu Bang felt tired of battling Xiang Yu at Xingyang and Chenggao, so he considered giving up the territories east of Chenggao and focus on fortifying his positions at Gong County and Luoyang.

When Li Yiji heard about it, he advised Liu Bang,

"I heard that those who understand Heaven's will become rulers, while those who fail to understand don't. People are of the greatest importance to rulers; the people see food as the most important thing to them. Aocang[c] has been a place for stockpiling grain for a long time. I heard that it now contains a huge amount of grain. Chu forces have taken Xingyang, but they leave Aocang weakly defended and headed east instead. It is Heaven's will that Aocang should belong to Han. The Chu forces at Aocang are easy to defeat, yet we decide to retreat and give up the chance to take Aocang. Personally, I think this is a big mistake. The two great powers – Chu and Han – cannot coexist and have been in a stalemate for a long time. The people are not at peace; the empire is in chaos; farmers cannot farm; and weavers cannot weave. The people are unsure of which side to support in this war. I hope you will send troops to recapture Xingyang, claim the grain at Aocang, reinforce Chenggao, block the paths from the Taihang Mountains, defend Feihu Pass,[d] and guard Boma Ford.[e] By doing this, you will show the other rulers the reality of the situation, and everyone will have a better idea of which side they should support. As of now, the Yan and Zhao kingdoms have been pacified, and only the |Qi Kingdom remains to be conquered. Tian Guang rules the vast territories of Qi; Tian Wen leads a Qi army of 200,000 at Licheng. The various branches of the Tian clan are also very influential. They have natural defences from the sea and rivers, and they share borders with Chu in the south. The people of Qi are very crafty and unpredictable. Even if you send an army of 100,000 to attack them, you might not be able to conquer Qi even after months or years. I request that you appoint me as your emissary to meet the King of Qi and persuade him to be a vassal of Han."[7]

Liu Bang heeded Li Yiji's advice and approved his request.

Persuading Tian Guang to surrender

When Li Yiji met Tian Guang, the King of Qi, he asked him, "Do you know who the people support?" After Tian Guang replied that he did not know, Li Yiji told him, "If you know, Qi will be safe. If you don't, Qi will be conquered." Tian Guang then asked, "So who do the people support?" Li Yiji replied, "(The Kingdom of) Han." Tian Guang asked, "Why do you say so?" Li Yiji replied,

"When the King of Han and Xiang Yu were fighting against the Qin dynasty, they had an agreement that whoever entered Xianyang first would be king. Although the King of Han got to Xianyang first, Xiang Yu disregarded their agreement and forced him to relocate to Hanzhong instead. When the King of Han heard that Xiang Yu had ordered the assassination of Emperor Yi, he immediately led his forces out of Shu to attack the Three Qins and come out of Hangu Pass in an attempt to save Emperor Yi. He wanted to gather the scattered forces, and make the descendants of the various kingdoms' royal families the rulers of their respective kingdoms. Whenever he conquered a city, he would immediately award titles to those who had contributed, and distribute the spoils of war among the troops. When he shares his gains with others, he attracts heroes and talents to serve under him. Many lords lead their men to pledge allegiance to him, and boats carrying food supplies keep coming from Shu. Xiang Yu has earned a bad reputation for not keeping his word and has become known for being unrighteous when he killed Emperor Yi. He doesn't remember people for their contributions, and holds grudges against those who had wronged him. His troops don't get rewards after victories and his followers don't receive titles for their contributions. He doesn't trust those who are not from his own clan. Even when he has title seals carved for his men who had made contributions, he plays with the seals to taunt them and refuse to give them. He would rather keep the spoils of war after a battle and not distribute them among his men. This is why everyone has turned against him. Talented people hate him and refuse to serve under him. Instead, they choose to follow the King of Han and take orders from him. The King of Han has led his forces out of Shu, pacified the Three Qins, conquered the lands west of Xihe, incorporated elite forces from Shangdang, conquered Jingxing, killed Lord Cheng'an, defeated Wei Bao, and occupied 32 cities. His army is like Chiyou's. Its strength doesn't come from people, but from Heaven's blessing. Now, we have obtained stores of grain from Aocang, reinforced Chenggao, guarded Boma Ford, blocked the paths from the Taihang Mountains, and defended Feihu Pass. Those who are thinking of surrendering last will be the first to be conquered. If you submit to the King of Han, the Kingdom of Qi will survive. If you don't, disaster will soon be upon you."[8]

Tian Guang was convinced by Li Yiji's speech so he ordered his troops to withdraw from Licheng and threw a party for Li Yiji.

Death

Meanwhile, Liu Bang's general Han Xin, who had been leading the invasion of Qi, was stunned to hear that Li Yiji had managed to get the Qi Kingdom, which had over 70 cities, to surrender just by using his oratorical skills. Heeding Kuai Tong's advice, Han Xin led his troops to attack Qi forces at Pingyuan at night.

When Tian Guang heard about Han Xin's attack, he thought that Li Yiji had tricked him to buy time for Han Xin to attack Qi. He threatened Li Yiji, "If you stop the Han forces, I will let you live. If not, I will boil you alive!" Li Yiji replied,

"Those who want to do great things will not be overly concerned with minor details. Those who have great virtue will not hesitate when they need to be decisive. I will speak no further on this."[9]

Tian Guang then had Li Yiji boiled alive before he led his forces to retreat east.

Descendants

In 195 BC, after Li Yiji's brother Li Shang helped Liu Bang suppress Ying Bu's rebellion, the emperor was rewarding his subjects for their contributions when he remembered Li Yiji. Li Yiji's son, Li Jie (酈疥), had fought in battles but his achievements were insufficient to earn him a marquis title. However, Liu Bang made an exemption on account of Li Jie's father and enfeoffed Li Jie as the hereditary Marquis of Gaoliang (高粱侯). The marquisate was passed down over three generations and renamed to Marquis of Wusui (武遂侯) at one point.

In 122 BC, Li Yiji's great-grandson Li Ping (酈平) attempted to trick Liu Ci (劉賜), the Prince of Hengshan, out of a hundred catty of gold but was caught and sentenced to death. He died of illness before his execution and the marquisate was disbanded.

Anecdotes

The Chinese phrase "drinker from Gaoyang" (高陽酒徒), which originated from an anecdote about Li Yiji, is used to describe someone who indulges heavily in alcohol and behaves in a wanton and unrestrained manner. The anecdote says that when Li Yiji first came to meet Liu Bang, the latter refused to see him upon learning that he was a scholar, so Li Yiji told the sentry to introduce him as a "drinker from Gaoyang". When Liu Bang heard that, he invited Li Yiji to come in immediately.

Notes

  1. ^ Note that 食其 is read "Yìjī" instead of "Shíqí" in Mandarin. The Chinese character 食, when used in a person's name, is read "Yì". The Chinese character 基 was non-existent during the Han dynasty, and the 土 radical was only added later, so 其 was read "jī" during the Han dynasty just like 基 in modern Chinese.
  2. ^ Liu Bang was known as the Duke of Pei (沛公) at the time.
  3. ^ Aocang (敖倉) was located northwest of present-day Xingyang, Henan.
  4. ^ Feihu Pass (蜚狐口) was a mountain pass located near present-day Laiyuan County and Yu County, Hebei.
  5. ^ Boma Ford (白馬津) was located in present-day Hua County, Henan.

References

  1. ^ (後聞沛公將兵略地陳留郊，沛公麾下騎士適酈生裏中子也，沛公時時問邑中賢士豪俊。騎士歸，酈生見謂之曰：「吾聞沛公慢而易人，多大略，此真吾所願從游，莫為我先。若見沛公，謂曰『臣里中有酈生，年六十餘，長八尺，人皆謂之狂生，生自謂我非狂生』。」) Shiji, Volume 97.
  2. ^ (騎士曰：「沛公不好儒，諸客冠儒冠來者，沛公輒解其冠，溲溺其中。與人言，常大罵。未可以儒生說也。」) Shiji, Volume 97.
  3. ^ (酈生入，則長揖不拜，曰：「足下欲助秦攻諸侯乎？且欲率諸侯破秦也？」) Shiji, Volume 97.
  4. ^ (沛公罵曰：「豎儒！夫天下同苦秦久矣，故諸侯相率而攻秦，何謂助秦攻諸侯乎？」) Shiji, Volume 97.
  5. ^ (酈生曰：「必聚徒合義兵誅無道秦，不宜倨見長者。」) Shiji, Volume 97.
  6. ^ (酈生曰：「足下起糾合之眾，收散亂之兵，不滿萬人，欲以徑入彊秦，此所謂探虎口者也。夫陳留，天下之衝，四通五達之郊也，今其城又多積粟。臣善其令，請得使之，令下足下。即不聽，足下舉兵攻之，臣為內應。」 Shiji, Volume 97.
  7. ^ (酈生因曰：「臣聞知天之天者，王事可成；不知天之天者，王事不可成。王者以民人為天，而民人以食為天。夫敖倉，天下轉輸久矣，臣聞其下乃有藏粟甚多。楚人拔滎陽，不堅守敖倉，乃引而東，令適卒分守成皋，此乃天所以資漢也。方今楚易取而漢反卻，自奪其便，臣竊以為過矣。且兩雄不俱立，楚漢久相持不決，百姓騷動，海內搖蕩，農夫釋耒，工女下機，天下之心未有所定也。願足下急復進兵，收取滎陽，據敖倉之粟，塞成皋之險，杜大行之道，距蜚狐之口，守白馬之津，以示諸侯效實形制之勢，則天下知所歸矣。方今燕、趙已定，唯齊未下。今田廣據千里之齊，田閒將二十萬之眾，軍於歷城，諸田宗彊，負海阻河濟，南近楚，人多變詐，足下雖遣數十萬師，未可以歲月破也。臣請得奉明詔說齊王，使為漢而稱東藩。」) Shiji, Volume 97.
  8. ^ (曰：「漢王與項王力西面擊秦，約先入咸陽者王之。漢王先入咸陽，項王負約不與而王之漢中。項王遷殺義帝，漢王聞之，起蜀漢之兵擊三秦，出關而責義帝之處，收天下之兵，立諸侯之後。降城即以侯其將，得賂即以分其士，與天下同其利，豪英賢才皆樂為之用。諸侯之兵四面而至，蜀漢之粟方船而下。項王有倍約之名，殺義帝之負；於人之功無所記，於人之罪無所忘；戰勝而不得其賞，拔城而不得其封；非項氏莫得用事；為人刻印，刓而不能授；攻城得賂，積而不能賞：天下畔之，賢才怨之，而莫為之用。故天下之士歸於漢王，可坐而策也。夫漢王發蜀漢，定三秦；涉西河之外，援上黨之兵；下井陘，誅成安君；破北魏，舉三十二城：此蚩尤之兵也，非人之力也，天之福也。今已據敖倉之粟，塞成皋之險，守白馬之津，杜大行之阪，距蜚狐之口，天下後服者先亡矣。王疾先下漢王，齊國社稷可得而保也；不下漢王，危亡可立而待也。」) Shiji, Volume 97.
  9. ^ (酈生曰：「舉大事不細謹，盛德不辭讓。而公不為若更言！」) Shiji, Volume 97.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Yiji
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