During the Warring States period, Lord Anling held a high-ranking position in the state of Chu.
One day, the strategist Jiang Yi said to Lord Anling, "You have rendered no service to the state of Chu and share no blood ties with the King of Chu, yet you hold a high position and enjoy generous emoluments. When people across the kingdom see you, none fail to straighten their robes and bow respectfully; none are unwilling to serve you with sincere devotion. Why is this so?"
Anling Jun said, "This is because the king has overly honored me. Otherwise, how could it be so?"
Jiang Yi warned, "Friendships built on wealth end when the money runs out; love based on beauty fades when looks decline. That's why favored concubines are cast aside before their mats wear out, and trusted ministers lose favor before their chariots break down. You now hold all the power in Chu, yet you've done nothing to deepen your bond with the king—I fear for your safety."
“Then what should I do?” Lord Anling asked anxiously. Jiang Yi replied, “I hope you will beg the king to let you die alongside him, offering yourself as a sacrifice for his burial—if you say this, you will surely gain lasting favor in Chu.” “I humbly accept your teaching,” said Lord Anling, believing Jiang Yi was right. Three years passed, yet Lord Anling had not spoken the words Jiang Yi taught him. Jiang Yi came to see him again and said, “If you do not use my plan, I dare not visit you anymore.” Lord Anling replied, “How could I dare forget your words? I simply have not found the right opportunity!”
On this occasion, King Xuan of Chu went hunting at Yunmeng Marsh with a thousand chariots, banners blotting out the sun, and blazing torches like clouds and rainbows, while the roar of rhinos and tigers thundered. A maddened rhino suddenly charged the king, who drew his bow and shot it dead with a single arrow. Drawing out his yak-tail flag, the king pressed the rhino's head down with the pole, looked up to the sky, and laughed heartily, saying, 'Today's hunt is truly joyful! After I die, who will share such pleasure with me?'
Anling Jun hurried forward, tears streaming, and said, "When I enter the palace, I sit below Your Majesty; when I go out, I ride in the same carriage as you. After Your Majesty's ten thousand years, I am willing to follow you in death, serving as a straw mat to block ants and crickets for you—what greater joy could there be than this?"
The King of Chu was so delighted that he granted him the title Lord of Anling.
Later, people who heard about this all said, "Jiang Yi can be called good at planning, and Anling Jun can be called skilled at seizing the moment." Later, the idiom "Pioneer for the Ants" came to be used to describe loyalty to the point of willingly dying first.
Source: *Strategies of the Warring States*, Chapter "Strategies of Chu I"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "先驱蝼蚁" came to describe how loyalty to the point of willingly dying first.