权之难齐燕战
Qi and Yan Were Engaged in Warfare in Quan
【原文】
权之难，齐、燕战。秦使魏冉之赵，出兵助燕击齐。 薛公使魏处之 赵，谓李（向）[兑]曰:“君助燕击齐，齐必急。急，必以地和于燕而身与 赵战矣。然则是君自为燕东兵、为燕取地也。故为君计者，不如按兵勿出。齐必缓，缓必复与燕战。战而胜，兵罢弊，赵可取唐、曲逆；战而不 胜，命悬于赵。然则吾中立而割穷齐与疲燕也，两国之权，归于君矣。”
【今译】
齐国和燕国的军队在权交战。秦国派魏冉到赵国，要求赵国出兵 帮助燕国攻打齐国。孟尝君派魏处到赵国，对李兑说：“如果您帮助燕 国攻打齐国，齐国必定陷入危机。齐国危急了，必定会割让土地跟燕国 讲和，而反过来跟赵国作战，这样一来，您就是自愿作为燕国东部的兵力，为煞国争取土地了。所以为您打算，不如按兵不动。齐国的局势就会缓和，缓和了就一定会继续跟燕国交战。燕国在战争中取胜，士卒就 会疲惫不堪，赵国可以趁机夺取唐和曲逆；如果燕国不能取胜，它的命 运就完全被赵国掌握了。我们保持中立，就可以瓜分处于穷途末路的 齐国和疲惫不堪的燕国的土地，两个国家的大权也都完全操纵在您手 里了。”
Qi and Yan were engaged in warfare in Quan, Qin sent Wei Ran to Zhao to ask Zhao to dispatch troops to help Yan attack Qi. Lord Mengchang sent Wei Chu to Zhao to inform Li Dui as follows； “If you help Yan attack Qi, Qi will be in danger. When Qi finds itself in danger, it will cede some land to Yan to make peace with it. Then Qi will turn against Zhao and attack it. Thus you are leading your officers and men to fight as Yan? s eastern army and helping Yan enlarge its territory. So I think you’d better not deploy your troops or throw them into battle. Then the situation in Qi will be ased. As a result, it will engage in war with Yan again. If Yan can defeat Qi, its officers and men will become exhausted. Then Zhao can take occasion to occupy Tang and Quni. If Yan loses the war, it will submit to Zhao J s authority. So, you can sit on the fencc and obtain land both from the threatened Qi and the exhausted Yan, and can take control over both states. ”