Sima Qian 司馬淺 served King Wuling of Zhao 趙武靈王 (r. 325-299). There was a dispute at the court whether to ally with Qi 齊 and Wei 魏 or with Qin 秦 and Chu 楚. Sima Qian supported the position of Fu Ding 富丁 and convinced the King that an alliance with Qi and Wei would bring territorial benefits for Zhao by occuping areas of Qin and Zhongshan 中山.