In the middle of the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC), King Hui of the State of Qin had long intended to wipe out his western neighbor, the State of Shu. His reasoning was this would lessen the danger of a surprise attack when the Qin engaged in a power struggle against the other six states to its east. However, it was far from easy to eliminate the Shu, since access to that state was most inconvenient ringed as it was with rugged mountain paths. Therefore, a broad flat road would be necessary for the attack.
But to build one called for a large amount of manpower and material resources. Besides, such a movement would alert the Shu and they would raise their guard against the Qin.
After some time, a scout of Qin learned that the king of Shu was a fatuous and incompetent man who was always looking to enrich himself. He reported this information to King Hui. The king soon thought of a cunning plan.
King Hui commissioned several craftsmen to carve five stone oxen. They were so lifelike that they appeared to be real at first sight. He then sent his men to place some gold leaf secretly inside the posteriors of those oxen. Whenever people whipped the oxen, the gold would drop on the ground. This made all believe that they were sacred oxen from heaven whose excrement was gold.
When this interesting story came to the king of Shu’s ears, he was quite curious and desired to have such an ox. Every day, he would ask for further information about these legendary stone oxen. One day, a messenger from Qin suddenly came and asked to meet him. The king was much pleased since he could inquire about the stone oxen. The messenger brought him an exciting piece of news, saying, “Our king would like to offer
you the five stone oxen as a token of goodwill.
What do you say?” Hearing this, the king let out a great peal of triumphant laughter. He hastened to send his envoy to Qin to express his thanks and to have a look at the stone oxen in person.
The Shu envoy came back and told his king, “The stone oxen can really excrete gold. That is undoubtedly true. I saw it with my own eyes. The thing is…it’s very difficult to transport them since they are so heavy and the road between Shu and Qin is rough. But if the road could be repaired, the stone oxen could be quickly dispatched.” Hearing this, the king beamed with joy and ordered the road to be mended without delay. Soon a broad thoroughfare connecting Qin and Shu was put in place. The king hastened to send his men to transport the stone oxen back.
Learning Shu had fallen into his trap, King Hui of Qin had his general prepared an army of 200,000 men and followed the stone oxen quietly down the newly-built road.
As soon as the stone oxen arrived at the court of Shu, the king ordered his men to whip them. However, not a single piece of gold was excreted. By this time, every one came to realize they had been taken in by King Hui of Qin. Yet it was too late for any second thoughts. The Qin troops, making use of Shu’s newly-built road, had already arrived at the gate of its capital. The king of Shu had no other choice but to surrender to the Qin. The Qin thus easily conquered and annexed the State of Shu.
