辩士蒯通简论

蒯通是战国纵横家的一员,秦朝统治时期处于蛰居状态。他参加秦末农民起义,说降燕、赵数十城,功绩不凡。他先追随项氏,继而归附韩信,曾力劝韩信据齐自立,以与刘、项成鼎足之势。后投曹参,终老于齐。由于他追求的是谋主的成功,关注的是自己作为附丽者的利益,因而希望造成一个诸侯对垒互峙之局,竭力阻挠刘邦的统一战争。他目光短浅,不讲政治,摈弃道德,失败是必然的。

Brief Discussion of Sophist Kuai Tong

Kuai Tong was one of the political strategists in the Warring States Period. He lived in seclusion during the reign of the Qin Dynasty. He joined the peasant uprising at the end of Qin Dynasty, and got miraculous merits and achievements by pursuading several dozen cities of Yan and Zhao into surrendering. He followed Xiang at first, then submitted to Han Xin and tried his best to persuade Han Xin into occupying Qi to confer himself, and become tripartite balance of forces with Liu and Xiang. Finely he went to seek refuge with Cao Shen and died in Qi. As he sought to succeed his master, and followed the interests of a dependency, and wished that dukes confronted each other, he did his best to obstruct Liu Bang's united war. He was short-sighted, and did not care about politics, cast away moral values. He's bound to fail.