Ancient China gave birth to
countless intellectuals, philosophers and strategists who found employment
under the rival kings leading the numerous warring Chinese states. Among the
long list of advisors, bureaucrats, generals and statesmen who thrived in that
war-torn time, one particular name stands out from the others—Gan Luo.
Not all that much is known
about the life of Gan Luo. He can be roughly dated as living during the reign
of King Zheng (the future First Emperor of China), who ascended the throne of
Qin around 247 or 246 BCE. He also studied under the Qin minister, Lü Buwei,
who was said to have committed suicide around 235 BCE. Therefore, Gan Luo’s
entry into the Qin government can be placed loosely between those dates.
According to the sources of the
Grand Historian, Sima Qian (145-90 BCE), Gan Luo was only 12 years old when he began
to serve the kingdom of Qin. Despite his young age, Gan Luo displayed a mind of
wisdom and cunning. When Lü Buwei could not convince a man named Zhang Tang to
become the next (pro-Qin) prime minister of the kingdom of Yan, the young Gan
Luo succeeded where his master had failed. The child followed up that feat by
traveling to the kingdom of Zhao, where he impressively convinced King Xiang to
cede five cities to the kingdom of Qin. Gan Luo also worked out a deal where the
kingdom of Qin would support Zhao in an upcoming war with the kingdom of Yan. In
that conflict, Sima Qian claimed that Zhao seized thirty cities from Yan, of
which eleven of the captured cities were then handed over to the kingdom of
Qin.
After returning home from his
successful mission in Zhao, King Zheng of Qin gave the boy great wealth and
promoted him to a high ministerial rank. After that, Gan Luo seemingly vanished
from history. Perhaps, he died shortly after returning to Qin. Or, more
hopefully, he quit politics and lived a happy life of luxury, ignoring the
chaotic world he lived within.
Written by C. Keith Hansley.
Picture Attribution: (One
Hundred Children in the Long Spring, by Su Hanchen (1101–1161), [Public Domain]
via Creative Commons).
- Records of the Grand Historian (Shi ji) by Sima Qian, translated by Burton Watson. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.
- http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Diverse/zonghengjia.html
No comments:
Post a Comment