Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Zhou Book 3 Scroll 3 (continued)
The 6th year of King Shenjing (315 B.C.)
King Shenjing of Zhou passed away, and his son Ji Yan ascended to the throne, becoming King Nan of Zhou.
The 1st year of King Nan (314 B.C.)
The Qin forces launched another invasion on the Yiqu, reclaiming twenty-five cities that had gained some autonomy in recent years.
In response to Qin‘s control, the people of the Kingdom of Wei, which had submitted to Qin, rebelled. This prompted Qin‘s military to attack Wei, resulting in the occupation of Quwo. The inhabitants of Quwo were displaced and fled to Wei.
Furthermore, the Qin army secured a victory against the Kingdom of Han at Anmen. As part of a peace treaty, the crown prince of Han was sent to the Kingdom of Qin as a hostage.
The Kingdom of Yan descended into chaos three years after Zizhi had taken the throne. General Shibei and Crown Prince Ping conspired to overthrow Zizhi‘s rule. Hearing about these developments, the King of Qi sent a message to Crown Prince Ping of Yan, offering to support him, saying: “I have heard that Your Grace intends to rectify the hierarchy of lords and their subjects, and establish clear rules for the hereditary transmission of titles from fathers to sons. I humbly offer my small state to support your efforts.”
Encouraged by the King of Qi, Crown Prince Ping joined forces with Shibei and other supporters to try and overthrow Zizhi. However, their coup attempt failed, and Shibei, instead of supporting the crown prince, turned against him. The internal turmoil in Yan went on for several months, leading to the death of tens of thousands of people. The people of Yan were left in a state of horror and distress.
In response to this chaos, the King of Qi ordered his general, Zhang Zi, to lead troops from five cities to invade the Kingdom of Yan. With the support of the northern citizens of Qi, they advanced on Yan. Remarkably, the Yan soldiers did not resist the invaders; they didn’t even close the gates of their cities. The Qi troops captured Zizhi, and he was dismembered and minced. Kuai, the former King of Yan, was also killed in the process. This marked a violent end to the leadership of Zizhi and the turmoil within Yan.
The King of Qi discussed the recent victory with Mencius, saying, “I received conflicting advice regarding the annexation of the Kingdom of Yan. One perspective was against it, while another was in favor. We witnessed a kingdom with ten thousand chariots swiftly conquer another of equal strength in just fifty days. Such an extraordinary feat could not have been accomplished by military might alone. I fear that if we refrain from taking action, Heaven might punish us. What are your thoughts on annexing the Kingdom of Yan?”
Mencius responded, “If the people of Yan support this endeavor, it provides a sufficient reason to proceed with the annexation. Historical precedents exist, as seen in the case of King Wu of Zhou. However, if the people of Yan oppose it, then it becomes a compelling reason not to annex the kingdom, as demonstrated by King Wen of Zhou. When a kingdom with ten thousand chariots overruns another of equal strength and the people of Yan, in a desperate attempt to flee from dire circumstances, come out to welcome the Qi troops with baskets of food and kettles of drink, it is clear that their intentions are to escape impending disaster. If we subject the people of Yan to even more intense fire or flooding, they will have no choice but to flee in the opposite direction.”
Other states were contemplating coming to the aid of the Kingdom of Yan. The King of Qi sought Mencius‘ counsel, saying, “Other lords are conspiring attacks against me. How should I handle them?” Mencius implored him, “I’ve heard of kings who ruled territories as small as seventy miles, such as Tang of the Shang dynasty, without fearing other states. In the Book of Shu, it is recorded, ‘When our king returns, we will recover.’ Now, the Kingdom of Yan has mistreated its people. They believed that Qi‘s troops came to rescue them from the fire and flood. Hence, they welcomed the Qi army with food baskets and wine kettles. But if you kill their fathers and brothers, hurt their children, demolish their temples, and plunder their treasures, how can you do this to them? Other states are indeed concerned about a powerful Kingdom of Qi. Now, your kingdom has doubled in size and treats the people with cruelty. This may incite other states to rise against you. I urge you, Your Grace, to order your troops to return the elderly and young to their homes and cease pillaging. Collaborate with the people of Yan to establish a new king, then withdraw from the kingdom. It’s not too late to prevent attacks from other states.” Regrettably, the King of Qi did not heed his advice.
Later on, the people of Yan revolted against the Qi government. The King of Qi expressed his regret, saying, “I deeply regret not heeding Mencius‘s advice.” His assistant, Chen Gu, consoled him, saying, “Your Grace, please don’t dwell on this.” Chen Gu then approached Mencius and asked, “Who is Duke of Zhou?” Mencius replied, “He is an ancient saint.” Chen Gu continued, “The Duke of Zhou appointed Guan Shu as the supervisor of the Shang dynasty. Guan Shu incited a rebellion against Shang. Did the Duke of Zhou know that Guan Shu was planning to rebel?” Mencius responded, “No, he did not know.” Chen Gu remarked, “So even a saint can make a mistake, right?” Mencius countered, “The Duke of Zhou is Guan Shu’s younger brother, and he treated his elder brother as such. His mistake is understandable. Moreover, in ancient times, a true gentleman corrected his mistakes, unlike contemporary so-called gentlemen who get away with their mistakes! The mistakes of gentlemen in ancient times were like eclipses of the sun and moon—visible to all. People held them in even higher regard once those eclipses had passed. In contrast, today’s so-called gentlemen not only tolerate their mistakes but also seek excuses for them!”
King Xuan of Qi died this year, and his son Di succeeded him as King Min of Qi.
Reflection by Rio Grande 
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