Killing Three Warriors with Two Peaches is a historical story in ancient China. It was first recorded in Yanzi Chunqiu, and later evolved into an idiom, which means "to murder with a plan". The idiom comes from the 22nd chapter of Yanzi Chunqiu.
The story
There were three generals under the Qijing public account in the Spring and Autumn Period: Gongsun Jie, Tian Kaijiang, Gu Yezi, who were highly decorated in battle, but were also proud of their achievements. Yanzi set up a bureau: Duke Jing of Qi invited three warriors and rewarded them with two precious peaches; and since the three people could not share the two peaches equally, Yanzi proposed a coordination method: the three people would compare their merit, and the one with the most merit could take one peach. Gongsun Jie said that he was more brave than a fully grown pig, so he was qualified to take the peach. Tian Kaijiang said that he was good at leading troops to open up the frontier, and that he also deserved a peach. At this time, Gu Yezi drew his sword and rose up and said, "One time when I was crossing the river with the king, I was attacked by a soft-shelled turtle. I immediately jumped into the water and went nine miles downstream. I finally found the soft-shelled turtle and killed it. The amount of credit I received is not comparable to that of yours, and so I request that you both put back the peaches." After hearing that Gu Yezi had reported his own merits, Gongsun and Tian Kaijiang felt so ashamed that they relinquished their peaches and killed themselves. At this, Gu Yezi was so ashamed of his previous shame of humiliating others to report their merits and making them sacrifice their lives, that he also drew his sword and killed himself.
Legacy
The story has been widely circulated since the Qin and Han dynasties, and scenes from this story can often be found in Han Dynasty portrait materials. The Han Dynasty Lefu poem "Liang Father Chant" expresses an exclamation of the sacrifice of three warriors and makes a slight satire of Yanzi's power and plot. Stories Old and New also has a chapter on this story.
