Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated by Yiming Yang
Annals of Zhou Book 1 Scroll 1 (continued)
The 24th Year of King Weilie (402 B.C.)
King Weilie of Zhou passed away, and his son King An, Ji Jiao, ascended to the throne.
King Sheng of Chu was assassinated by bandits. In response, the people of the Kingdom of Chu proclaimed his son, Mi Yi, as the new ruler, bestowing upon him the title of King Dao of Chu.
The 1st Year of King An (401 B.C.)
The Kingdom of Qin launched an invasion against the Kingdom of Wei, and their military campaign extended as far as Yanghu.
The 2nd Year of King An (400 B.C.)
The armies of the kingdoms of Wei, Han, and Zhao launched a joint attack against the kingdom of Chu, advancing as far as Sangqiu.
Meanwhile, the troops of the state of Zheng laid siege to the city of Yangzhai in the kingdom of Han.
In the kingdom of Han, Marquis Jing passed away, and his son Han Qu ascended to the throne, assuming the title of Marquis Lie.
Similarly, in the kingdom of Zhao, Marquis Lie died, and his younger brother was installed as Marquis Wu.
In the kingdom of Qin, Duke Jian passed away, and his son Duke Hui succeeded him as the new ruler.
The 3rd Year of King An (399 B.C.)
Prince Ding of Chu sought refuge in the State of Jin, fleeing from the turmoil in his own state.
In a catastrophic event, Mount Guo erupted, resulting in the blockage of the Yellow River.
The 4th Year of King An (398 B.C.)
The army of Chu laid siege to the capital of the State of Zheng, putting pressure on the city and its inhabitants. In a desperate and tumultuous turn of events, the people of Zheng turned against their prime minister, Si Ziyang, and ended his life.
The 5th Year of King An (397 B.C.)
A solar eclipse occurred, casting a momentary darkness over the land.
In the month of March, the prime minister of Han, Xia Lei, was assassinated. Xia Lei had incurred the wrath of Yan Zhongzi from Puyang, who sought vengeance against him. Yan Zhongzi discovered the renowned warrior Nie Zheng from Zhi and attempted to hire him for the assassination. Yan Zhongzi offered generous gifts, including hundred ounces of gold, to Nie Zheng‘s mother in an attempt to persuade him. However, Nie Zheng initially refused the offer, stating that he would not sell his skills while his mother was alive. After his mother’s passing, Nie Zheng accepted the task.
The assassination took place at Xia Lei‘s mansion, even with multiple guards present. Nie Zheng ascended the stairs, fatally stabbing Xia Lei. In a shocking display, Nie Zheng disfigured his own face, gouged out his own eyeballs, and inflicted fatal wounds upon himself by stabbing his abdomen and pulling out his intestines. The people of Han displayed his corpse publicly, offering a reward for anyone who could identify the assassin. However, no one recognized Nie Zheng.
Nie Zheng‘s sister, Nie Ying, learned of the tragic event and came to mourn at her brother’s side. She revealed his true identity: “This is my brother, from Village Shengjingli of Zhi. He had disfigured himself as he knew that I was alive. I don’t like his great name being forgotten because I was afraid to be implicated.” Distraught, she took her own life beside his lifeless body.
The 6th Year of King An (396 B.C.)
In a period of turmoil, the partisans of Si Ziyang, the former prime minister of Zheng, assassinated Duke Ru of Zheng. As a result, Duke Ru‘s brother, Ji Yi, was installed as his successor and became known as Duke Kang of Zheng.
Meanwhile, in the State of Song, Duke Dao passed away, and his son Zi Tian succeeded him as Duke Xiu of Song.
The 8th Year of King An (394 B.C.)
The State of Qi launched an attack on the State of Lu and successfully captured the town of Zui. In response, the State of Han came to the aid of Lu to help defend against the aggression from Qi.
The people of Fuji in the State of Zheng staged a riot and decided to reunite with the State of Han.
The 9th Year of King An (393 B.C.)
The State of Wei launched an attack on the State of Zheng。
In a different realm, the ruler Duke Lie of Jin passed away, and his son Ji Qing ascended to the throne, assuming the title of Duke Xiao.
The 11th Year of King An (391 B.C.)
The State of Qin launched an invasion against the State of Han, successfully capturing and annexing six cities from their territory.
Tian Chang gave birth to Viscount Xiang, Tian Pan. Tian Pan, in turn, gave birth to Tian Bai, who gave birth to Tian He. Tian He was called the Great Grandpa Qi. It was Tian He who took over the state of Qi and decided to relocate Duke Kang, the lord of the State Qi to an island in the sea, establishing a city as his designated domain to safeguard the ancestral heritage of Great Grandpa Jiang. The kingdom of Qi experienced a lineage change from the Family of Jiang to the Family of Tian.
Reflection by Rio Grande 
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