Alliance - Gasshorenko

China's foreign policy during the Warring States period. Hejou means "uniting the north and south," and refers to the policy that Su Qin (?-317 BC), who served Yan at the end of the 4th century BC, persuaded the states of Zhao, Han, Wei, Qi, and Chu to form an alliance linking the six states north and south to counter the powerful state of Qin in the west. Su Qin soon became prime minister of the six states as well, and organized an allied army to attack Qin, but was defeated. However, this alliance prevented Qin from advancing eastward for over a decade. Lianheo means "uniting horizontally," and refers to the alliance that was organized by Zhang Yi (?-309 BC), who was of the same school as Su Qin. Zhang Yi became the prime minister of Qin and broke the alliance to fragment the six eastern states, forming individual alliances with Qin with each of them, and then intimidating and attacking the other isolated states separately. It is called this because Qin and the other six states were linked to the east and west, respectively. However, this plan soon failed and Zhang Yi was ousted. Su Qin and Zhang Yi were orators who played around with such diplomatic strategies, so they are called "Vertical and Horizontal Scholars."

[Ota Yukio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、戦国時代の外交政策。合従とは「南北を連合させる」の意であり、紀元前4世紀末、燕(えん)に仕えた蘇秦(そしん)（？―前317）が、趙(ちょう)、韓(かん)、魏(ぎ)、斉(せい)、楚(そ)の諸国にそれぞれ説いて、6国で南北に連なる同盟を実現させ、西方の強国秦(しん)に対抗した政策をいう。蘇秦はまもなく6国の宰相を兼ね、連合軍を組織して秦を攻めたが敗れた。しかし、この連合のため秦は十数年間、東方進出を阻まれた。連衡とは「横に連ねる」の意であり、蘇秦と同門の張儀(ちょうぎ)（？―前309）が組織した同盟である。張儀は秦の宰相となり、合従を破って東方の6国をばらばらにし、いずれかの国と秦と個別に同盟を結ぶことによって、孤立した他の国々を別々に威圧、攻撃する方針をとった。秦と他の6国がそれぞれ東西に結ぶことからこうよばれる。しかし、まもなくこの策も破れて張儀は失脚した。蘇秦、張儀はこのような外交策を弄(ろう)した弁説家であるため、「縦横家(じゅうおうか)」とよばれている。

［太田幸男］

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