Yan Tie Lun (鹽鐵論) · Volume 24

大夫曰不軌之民困橈【音撓】公利而欲擅山澤從文學賢良之意則利歸於下而縣官無可為者上之所行則非之上之所言則譏之專欲損上徇下虧主而適臣尚安得上下之義君臣之禮而何頌聲能作也

The Grand Secretary said: Unlawful people obstruct public profit and want to monopolize mountains and marshes. According to the intention of the Literati and Worthy, profit would return to those below and the county officials would have nothing to do. What those above do they condemn, and what those above say they mock; they only want to diminish the ruler and favor the people, to reduce the lord and suit the ministers; where then is the righteousness of high and low and the ritual of ruler and minister, and what songs of praise could arise?

賢良曰古者上取有量自養有度樂【音洛】嵗不盜年飢則肆用民之力不過嵗三日借斂不過十一【王制曰古者公田借而不稅市防而不稅關譏而不徵林麓川澤以時入而不禁夫圭田無徵用民之力嵗不過三日田裡不粥墓地不請司空執度度地居民山川沮澤時四時量地逺近興事任力凡使民任老者之事食壯者之食也】君篤愛臣盡力上下交讓而天下平駿發爾私上讓下也遂及我私先公職也孟子曰未有仁而遺其親義而後其君也君君臣臣何為其無禮義乎【主術訓曰夫風疾而波興木茂而鳥集相生之勢也是故臣不得其所欲於君者君亦不能得其所求於臣也君臣之施者相報之勢也是故臣盡力死節以與君計君垂爵以與臣是故君不能賞無功之臣臣亦不能死無德之君君德不下流而欲用之如鞭蹏馬矣是猶不待雨而求熟稼必不可之數也】及周之末塗德惠塞而嗜慾眾君奢侈而上求多民困於下怠於公事是以有履畆之稅碩鼠之詩作也【春秋曰初稅畆公羊傳曰初者何始也稅畆者何履畆而稅也初稅畆何以書譏也何譏爾譏始履畆而稅也何譏乎始履畆而稅古者什一而借古者曷為什一而借什一者天下之中正也多乎什一大桀小桀寡乎什一大貉小貉什一者天下之中正也什一行而頌聲作矣穀梁傳曰初者始也古者什一借而不稅初稅畆非正也古者三百歩為里名曰井田井田九百畆公田居一私田稼不善則非吏公田稼不善則非力初稅畆者非公之去公田而履畆十取一也以公之與民為已悉矣古者公田為居井灶蔥韭盡取焉詩序曰碩鼠刺重斂也國人刺其君重斂蠶食於民不修其政貪而畏人若大鼠也】衞靈公當隆冬興眾穿池宛春諫曰天寒百姓凍餒願公之罷役也公曰天寒哉我何不寒哉【雜事篇曰衞靈公以天寒鑿池宛春諌曰天寒起役恐傷民公曰天寒乎宛春曰君衣狐裘坐熊席隩虞有灶是以不寒今民衣不補履決不苴君則不寒民誠寒矣公曰善令罷役左右諫曰君鑿池不知天寒以宛春知而罷役是徳歸宛春怨歸於君公曰不然宛春魯國之匹夫吾舉之民未有見馬今將令民以此見之且春也有善寡人有春之善非寡人之善與靈公論宛春可謂知君之道矣王褒曰服絺綌之涼者不苦盛夏之鬱燠襲貂狐之煗者不憂至寒之悽愴】人之言曰安者不能恤危飽者不能食飢故餘梁肉者難為言隱約處佚樂者難為言勤苦夫【音扶】髙堂邃【音遂】宇廣廈洞房者不知專屋狹廬上漏下溼者之廇【音溜】也繋馬百駟貨財充內儲陳納新者不知有旦無暮稱貸者之急廣第唐園良田連比者不知無運踵之業竄頭宅者之役也原馬被山牛羊滿谷者不知無孤豚瘠【音脊】犢【音讀】者之窶也髙枕談臥無呌號者不知憂私責【音債】與吏正戚者之愁也被紈躡韋摶梁囓肥者不知短褐之寒糠之苦也從容房闈之間垂拱持案食者不知蹠【音卒】耒躬耕者之勤也乗堅驅良列騎成行【音杭】者不知負擔歩行者之難也同床旃【音氊】席侍御滿側者不知負輅挽舩【音船】登髙絶流者之難也衣【去聲】輕暖被【音披】英裘處溫室戴安車者不知乗邊城飄胡代鄉【音向】清風者之危寒也妻子好合子孫保之不知老母之顦【音憔】顇【音悴】匹婦之悲恨也耳聽五音目視弄優者不知防流矢距敵方外之死者也東向伏几振筆如文調者不知求索之急棰【推上聲】楚之痛者也坐旃【音氊】茵之上按圖籍之言若易易然亦不知步涉者之難也昔商鞅之任秦也刑人若刈菅【音間】芳用師若彈丸從軍旅者骨長城戍【音絮】漕者輦車相望生而往死而還【音旋】彼獨非人子耶【公孫鞅曰以戰去戰雖戰可也以殺去殺雖殺可也】故君子仁以恕義以度【音鐸】所好【去聲】惡【音汚】與天下共之所不施不仁者公劉好貨居者有積行者有嚢大王好色內無怨女外無曠夫文王作刑國無怨獄武王行師士樂為之死民樂為之用若斯則民何苦而怨何求而譏公卿愀【音秋】然寂若無人於是遂罷議止詞奏曰賢良文學不明縣官事猥【音委】以鹽鐵而為不便請且罷郡國【音角】酤關內鐵官奏可賢良曰文學既拜鹹取列大夫辭丞相【去聲】御史

The Worthy and Good said: In ancient times, those above took by measure and supported themselves with moderation, were glad to take nothing in a good year and eased up in a famine year, used the people's strength no more than three days a year, and drew on borrowed land no more than one tenth [The Royal Regulations says: In ancient times the public fields were borrowed and not taxed, market stalls were not taxed, passes were inspected but not taxed, and forests, mountains, rivers and marshes were entered in season and not forbidden. The jade-grant fields were not levied. The people's labor was used no more than three days a year. Fields and houses were not sold, and burial grounds were not requested. The Minister of Works held the measure, measured the land to settle the people, and in mountains, rivers and marshes, timed the four seasons, measured the distance and set up work and assigned labor. In employing the people, he assigned the old to their tasks and gave the strong their food.]. The ruler was deeply loving, ministers gave their strength, high and low yielded to one another and the world was at peace. 'Swiftly do your private fields' is the above yielding to those below; 'and it reaches our private fields' puts public duty first. Mencius said: There has never been a benevolent man who abandoned his parents or a righteous man who put his ruler last. When ruler is ruler and minister is minister, how can one say they lack ritual and righteousness? [The 'Techniques of the Ruler' says: When wind is fast, waves rise; when trees are lush, birds gather; this is mutual generation. So if a minister does not get what he wants from his ruler, the ruler also cannot get what he seeks from the minister. The benefits between ruler and minister are mutual repayment. So a minister exerts his strength and dies for principle in exchange with his ruler's bestowing rank on him. Thus a ruler cannot reward a minister without merit, and a minister cannot die for a ruler without virtue. If a ruler's virtue does not flow downward and he wants to use his people, it is like whipping a horse that has been lamed or like seeking ripe grain without waiting for rain, a thing that certainly cannot be.] At the end of the Zhou, virtue and kindness were blocked and desires were many; rulers were extravagant and those above demanded much, the people were troubled below and negligent of public business, and so there was a tax by pacing the fields and the poem 'Big Rat' arose [The Spring and Autumn Annals says: For the first time, tax by the mu. The Gongyang Commentary says: 'First' is beginning. 'Tax by the mu' is taxing by pacing off the fields. Why does it record the first tax by mu? To criticize. What does it criticize? It criticizes the beginning of taxing by pacing fields. Why criticize the beginning of taxing by pacing fields? In ancient times one tenth was taken by borrowed labor. Why in ancient times was one tenth taken by borrowed labor? One tenth is the right measure of the world. More than one tenth is a great or lesser Jie, and less than one tenth is a great or lesser Mo. One tenth is the right measure of the world, and when one tenth was practiced, songs of praise arose. The Guliang Commentary says: 'First' is beginning. In ancient times one tenth was borrowed and not taxed, and the first tax by mu was not right. In ancient times three hundred paces made a li, and was called the well-field. A well-field was nine hundred mu, with the public field one of them. If the crops on the private fields were poor, one blamed the officials; if the crops on the public field were poor, one blamed the labor. In the first tax by mu, it was not the ruler giving up the public field and taking one tenth by pacing the fields, but the ruler taking everything for himself from the people. In ancient times the public field was used for dwellings, and well, stove, scallions and leeks were all taken from there. The Preface to the Odes says: 'Big Rat' criticizes heavy exaction. The people of the state criticized their ruler for heavy exaction and eating into the people like a silkworm, not cultivating his government, being greedy and afraid of people, like a big rat.]. Duke Ling of Wei in deep winter raised a crowd to dig a pond, and Wan Chun remonstrated: It is cold and the common people are freezing and starving; I hope you will end the work. The Duke said: Is it cold? Why am I not cold? [The 'Miscellaneous Matters' chapter says: Duke Ling of Wei dug a pond despite the cold. Wan Chun remonstrated: It is cold, and raising labor service I fear harms the people. The Duke said: Is it cold? Wan Chun said: You wear a fox-fur coat and sit on a bear-skin mat, with a stove in the warm room, so you are not cold. Now the people's clothes are torn and not mended and their shoes split and not repaired; you are not cold but the people truly are. The Duke said: Good. He ordered the work stopped. His attendants remonstrated: You dug the pond not knowing it was cold; because Wan Chun told you, you stopped the work, so the virtue goes to Wan Chun and the resentment to you. The Duke said: Not so. Wan Chun is a commoner of Lu whom I raised, and the people have not yet seen it. Now I will let the people see it through this. And if Chun has goodness, and I have Chun's goodness, is that not my goodness? Duke Ling's discussion of Wan Chun could be called knowing the way of a ruler. Wang Bao said: One who wears the coolness of fine and coarse cloth does not suffer the stuffy heat of midsummer, and one who wears the warmth of sable and fox does not worry about the bitter chill of utmost cold.]. People say: The secure cannot take pity on the endangered, and the full cannot feed the hungry. So it is hard to talk about hidden hardship with those who have surplus grain and meat, and hard to talk about toil with those who dwell in ease and pleasure. Those in high halls and deep eaves, wide mansions and inner chambers do not know the leaks of those in a single room and narrow hut, leaking above and wet below; those with a hundred teams of horses tethered, goods and wealth filling their houses, storing the old and receiving the new, do not know the urgency of those who see morning but not evening and borrow at interest; those with broad residences and gardens and fine fields side by side do not know the labor of those who have no land to stand an awl on and who thrust their heads into a house; those with wild horses covering the hills and cattle and sheep filling the valleys do not know the poverty of those without a lone piglet or a thin calf; those who sleep high on a pillow and talk, with no one crying out, do not know the sorrow of those who worry over private debts and officials pressing; those clad in fine silk and shod in leather, who eat fine millet and fat, do not know the cold of short coarse clothes and the bitterness of chaff and bran; those who stroll between inner rooms, hands folded, eating at a table do not know the toil of those who stand with a plow in hand and till; those who ride strong, drive fine horses, and line up cavalry in rows do not know the hardship of those who carry loads and walk; those who share a couch with felt mats and have attendants on both sides do not know the hardship of those who pull carts and haul boats, climb heights and cross streams; those who wear light warm clothing, put on fine furs, sit in warm rooms and ride in comfortable carriages do not know the danger and cold of those who garrison border cities, are blown about in Hu and Dai, and face the clear wind; those whose wives and children are happily joined and whose descendants protect them do not know the haggard look of an old mother or the grief and resentment of a common woman; those whose ears listen to the five notes and eyes watch entertainers do not know the death of those who are hit by stray arrows and defend against enemies abroad; those who face east leaning on a table and wielding the brush in elegant style do not know the urgency of demands and the pain of beatings; those who sit on felt mats and cushions and go by the words of maps and registers find it seemingly easy, and do not know the hardship of those who go on foot and wade. In the past when Shang Yang was in office in Qin, he punished people like cutting reeds and used armies like flicking pellets; those in military service had their bones exposed on the Great Wall and the carts of garrison transport followed one another within sight, going alive and returning dead; were they not also someone's sons? [Gongsun Yang said: To use war to end war, though it is war, is acceptable; to use killing to end killing, though it is killing, is acceptable.] So the noble person is benevolent through reciprocity and righteous through measure, and what he likes and dislikes he shares with the world; what he does not extend is not benevolent. Gongliu loved wealth, and those who stayed had stores and those who traveled had bags; the Great King loved beauty, and inside there were no resentful women and outside no unmarried men; King Wen made punishments, and the state had no resented lawsuits; King Wu led armies, and the scholars were glad to die for him and the people glad to be used by him. In this way, what do the people have to suffer and resent, or what do they seek and criticize? The ministers looked grim and were silent as if no one were there. Thereupon the debate was ended and the speeches stopped, and they memorialized: The Worthy and Literati do not understand the county officials' business and rashly consider salt and iron inconvenient; we request to stop the monopoly on liquor in the commanderies and states and the iron offices within the passes. The memorial was approved. The Worthy and Good said: After the Literati were appointed, all were ranked as grand masters and declined to serve the chancellor and censors.

大夫曰前議公事賢良文學稱引往古頗乖世務論者不必相反期於可行往者縣官未事胡越之時邊城四面受敵北邊尤被其苦先帝絶三方之難【去聲】撫從方國以為蕃蔽窮極郡國以討匈奴匈奴壤界獸圏孤弱無與此困亡之時也遼逺不遂使得復喘息休養士馬負紿【音怠】西域西域迫近胡防沮心內解必為巨患是以主上欲掃除煩倉廩之費也終日逐禽罷而釋之則非計也蓋舜紹緒禹成功今欲以小舉擊之何如

The Grand Secretary said: In the earlier debates on public affairs, the Worthy and Literati cited antiquity and rather contradicted the affairs of the age. Debaters need not oppose one another; the aim is to be workable. In the past, before the court was engaged with the Hu and Yue, the border cities faced enemies on all sides, and the northern frontier suffered the most. The former emperor cut off the difficulty of three directions, soothed and brought into line the neighboring states as a screen, and exhausted the commanderies and states to attack the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu's territory was like a beast pen, they were isolated and weak with no allies, and this was a time when they were in distress and about to perish. Because the distance was far and it was not completed, they were allowed to catch their breath and rest their men and horses, and they were supplied with provisions from the Western Regions. The Western Regions are close to the Hu raiders, and if their hearts waver and break loose they will surely become a great trouble. For this reason His Majesty wished to sweep them away and cut the costs of the granaries. To chase prey all day, and when weary to let it go, is no plan. In general it is Shun who continued the line and Yu who completed the work. Now if we want to strike them with a small campaign, how would that be?

文學曰異時縣官修輕賦公用饒人富給其後保胡越通四夷費用不足於是興利害算車船以訾【音紫】助邊【漢武紀曰元光六年冬初算商車李竒曰始稅商賈車船令出算也】贖罪吿緡【音民】與人以患矣甲士死於軍旅中士罷【音疲】於轉漕仍之以科適吏徵發極矣【漢武紀曰天漢四年春正月朝諸侯王於甘泉宮發天下七科讁及勇敢士張晏曰吏有罪一亡命二贅壻三賈人四故有市籍五父母有市籍六大父母有市籍七凡七科也】夫【音扶】勞而息之極而反本古之道也雖舜禹興不能易也【蔡邕曰書戒猾夏易伐方周有獫狁蠻荊之師漢有闐顔瀚海之事征討殊類所由尚矣然而時有同異勢有可否故謀有得失事有成敗不可齊也武帝情存逺畧志闢四方南誅百越北討強胡西伐大宛東並朝鮮因文景之蓄借天下之饒數十年間官民俱匱乃具鹽鐵酒之利設告緡重稅之令民不堪命起為盜賊關東紛擾道路不通繡衣直指之使奮鈇鉞而並出既而覺悟乃息兵罷役封丞相為富民侯故主父偃曰夫務戰勝窮武事未有不悔者也夫專勝者未必克挾疑者未必敗眾所謂疑聖人不任朝議有嫌明王不行也】

The Literati said: In the past the court kept taxes light and public expenditure was ample, so the people were rich and well supplied. Later, in order to defend against the Hu and Yue and to open communication with the four barbarian peoples, expenses fell short; so the court set up profit-making schemes, taxed carts and boats, and levied assessments (zi; pronounced like "zi" in the sense of "assessment") to aid the frontier. [The Annals of Emperor Wu in the History of the Han says: In the winter of the sixth year of Yuanguang, a tax on merchants' carts was first levied. Li Qi says: This was the start of taxing the carts and boats of merchants and making them pay the poll-tax.] Crimes were redeemed by payment and informers were rewarded for reporting hidden wealth (min; pronounced "min"), which only added to the people's misery. Armored soldiers died in the campaigns, middle-grade men were worn out (pi) transporting grain by water and land, and on top of that came the conscription of convicts, so that the officials' levies reached an extreme. [The Annals of Emperor Wu says: In the first month of spring in the fourth year of Tianhan, the court received the feudal kings at the Ganquan Palace and drafted the seven categories of exiles and brave men from all under Heaven. Zhang Yan says: first, officials who had committed an offense; second, fugitives; third, live-in sons-in-law; fourth, merchants; fifth, those formerly registered as merchants; sixth, those whose parents were registered as merchants; seventh, those whose grandparents were registered as merchants. These were the seven categories.] As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: to let people rest after toil, and to return to the root once the extreme has been reached, is the way of the ancients; even if Shun and Yu were to arise now, they could not change it. [Cai Yong says: The Book of Documents warns against the Xia being thrown into disorder, and the Book of Changes speaks of attacking the Gui territory (this character in the base text is rare and was lost in transcription). The Zhou had campaigns against the Xianyun and the Man of Jing, and the Han had the affairs of Tianyan and the Hanhai; the punitive expeditions against alien peoples have long existed. Yet times differ, circumstances allow or forbid, and so plans succeed or fail and affairs go well or badly, and they cannot all be treated alike. Emperor Wu cherished far-reaching designs and set his mind on opening up the four quarters: in the south he punished the hundred Yue, in the north he attacked the powerful Hu, in the west he campaigned against Dayuan, and in the east he annexed Chaoxian. Relying on the stores built up under Emperors Wen and Jing and drawing on the wealth of the realm, within a few decades both government and people were exhausted, so he made use of the profits of the salt, iron and liquor monopolies (the last character of this term in the base text is rare and was lost in transcription) and set up heavy taxes together with the order rewarding informers. The people could not bear it and rose up as bandits; the region east of the passes was in turmoil and the roads were blocked, and the imperial commissioners in embroidered robes brandished axes and set out together. Afterward he realized his error, stopped the wars and corvee, and enfeoffed his chancellor as Marquis Who Enriches the People. So Zhufu Yan said: Those who strive for victory in war and exhaust military affairs never fail to regret it. One who is set on victory will not necessarily prevail, and one who harbors doubts will not necessarily lose. What the multitude doubts, the sage does not undertake; what the court debate finds objectionable, the enlightened ruler does not carry out.]

大夫曰昔夏後底洪水之災百姓孔勤罷【音疲】於籠臿【音察】及至其後鹹享其功【呂氏春秋曰禹之決江水也民聚瓦礫事已成功已立為萬世利禹之所見者逺也而民莫之知故民不可與慮化舉始而可以樂成功】先帝之時郡國頗煩於戎事然亦寛三陲【音垂】之役語曰見機不遂者隕【音允】功一日違敵累世為患【先軫曰一日縱敵數世之患也揚雄曰不壹勞者不乆佚不暫費者不永寜】休勞用供困乗時帝王之道聖賢之所不能失也功業有緒惡【音汙】勞而不卒猶耕者勌休而困止也夫【音扶】事輟者無功耕怠者無獲也

The Grand Secretary said: In the past the Lord of Xia put right the disaster of the great flood. The people toiled very hard and were worn out (pi) with baskets and spades (cha; pronounced "cha"), but afterward all of them enjoyed the fruit of that work. [The Annals of Master Lu says: When Yu opened the channels of the Yangtze, the people gathered in heaps of tiles and rubble. When the work was done and the achievement established, it benefited ten thousand generations. Yu saw far ahead, and the people did not understand. Therefore the people cannot be consulted at the beginning of a great change, but they can be made glad of its completed success.] In the time of the late emperor, the commanderies and kingdoms were rather burdened by military affairs, yet the burden of garrisoning the three frontiers (chui; pronounced "chui") was eased. A common saying goes: One who sees the opportunity but does not carry it through loses his merit (yun; pronounced "yun"); let the enemy slip for a single day and the trouble lasts for generations. [Xian Zhen said: Letting an enemy go for one day brings trouble for several generations. Yang Xiong said: One who does not toil once will not rest for long; one who does not spend briefly will not be at peace forever.] To rest from toil and supply what is needed, and to exploit the moment when the enemy is worn out and distressed (the character for "worn out" in the base text is rare and was lost in transcription), is the way of emperors and kings, which sages and worthies could not neglect. When an enterprise has been started, to hate (wu; pronounced "wu") the toil and not finish it is like a plowman who tires, rests, and gives up. As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: when work is abandoned there is no achievement, and when plowing is neglected there is no harvest.

文學曰地廣而不徳者國危兵強而凌敵者身亡【三略曰務廣地者荒務廣徳者強能有其有者安貪人之有者殘殘滅之政累世受患造作過制雖成必敗舍已而教人者逆正已而化人者順逆者亂之招順者治之要】虎兕相據而螻蟻得志兩敵相機而匹夫乗間【音諫齊防曰齊欲伐魏淳于髠謂齊王曰韓子盧者天下之疾犬也東郭逡者海內之狡兎也韓子盧逐東郭逡環山者三騰山者五兎極於前犬廢於後犬兎俱罷各死其處田父見之無勞勌之苦而擅其功今齊魏乆相持以頓其兵敝其眾臣恐強秦大楚乗其後有田父之功齊王懼謝將休士燕防曰趙且伐燕蘇代為燕謂惠王曰今者臣來過易水蚌方出曝而鷸啄其肉蚌合而箝其喙鷸曰今日不雨明日不雨即有死蚌蚌亦謂鷸曰今日不出明日不出即有死鷸兩者不肯相舍漁者得而並擒之今趙且伐燕燕趙乆相攻以敝大眾臣恐強秦之為漁父也願王熟計之也惠王曰善乃止】是以聖王見利慮害見逺存近方今為縣官計者莫若偃兵休士厚幣結和親修文德而已【指武篇曰聖人之治天下也先文徳而後武力凡武之興為不服也文化不改然後加誅夫下愚不移純徳之所不能化而後武力加焉】若不恤人之急不計其難弊持以窮無用之地亡十獲一非文學之所知也

The Literati said: A state that enlarges its land but lacks virtue is in danger, and a person whose army is strong and who bullies his enemies perishes. [The Three Strategies says: One who strives to widen his land becomes desolate; one who strives to widen his virtue becomes strong. One who can keep what he has is secure; one who covets what others have is ruined. A policy of ruin and destruction brings trouble for generations; works that exceed the proper measure, though completed, are bound to fail. To abandon oneself and teach others is perverse; to correct oneself and transform others is sound. Perversity invites disorder, and soundness is the key to order.] When a tiger and a rhinoceros lock in combat, mole crickets and ants get their way; when two enemies watch each other for an opening, a common man slips in between (jian; pronounced "jian"). [The Strategies of Qi (the base text has a garbled character here) says: Qi wished to attack Wei, and Chunyu Kun said to the King of Qi: Hanzi Lu is the swiftest hound under Heaven, and Dongguo Jun is the craftiest hare within the seas. Hanzi Lu chased Dongguo Jun, going around the mountain three times and climbing the mountain five times; the hare was exhausted in front and the hound spent behind, and hound and hare both collapsed and each died where it fell. A farmer came upon them and, without any toil or trouble, took all the credit. Now Qi and Wei have long been at a standoff, wearing out their soldiers and exhausting their people, and I fear that mighty Qin and great Chu will come up behind and play the part of the farmer. The King of Qi was alarmed, thanked him, and rested his troops. The Strategies of Yan (the base text has a garbled character here) says: Zhao was about to attack Yan, and Su Dai spoke for Yan to King Hui: Today as I came I crossed the Yi River. A clam had just come out to sun itself, and a snipe pecked at its flesh, and the clam closed its shell and clamped the snipe's beak. The snipe said: If it does not rain today and does not rain tomorrow, there will be a dead clam. The clam also said to the snipe: If you do not get free today and do not get free tomorrow, there will be a dead snipe. Neither would let go of the other, and a fisherman came and caught them both. Now Zhao is about to attack Yan, and Yan and Zhao have long been attacking each other and wearing out their people; I fear that mighty Qin will play the fisherman. I beg Your Majesty to consider carefully. King Hui said: Good. And he stopped.] For this reason the sage kings, on seeing a profit, thought of the harm, and on seeing what was far away, kept in mind what was near. At present, if we are to plan for the court, nothing is better than to lay down arms and rest the soldiers, to bind peace and marriage alliance with generous gifts, and to cultivate civil virtue, that is all. [The chapter "On Military Affairs" (Zhi Wu Pian) says: In ruling the world the sage puts civil virtue first and military force afterward. Whenever arms are raised, it is against those who do not submit. Only when civilizing influence fails to change them does he then punish. For the utterly stupid who cannot be moved, whom pure virtue cannot transform, military force is applied afterward.] But to take no pity on the people's distress and give no thought to their hardships and ruin, to persist in squandering them on useless lands, losing ten for every one gained, is not something the Literati can understand.

大夫曰漢興以來修好結和親所聘遺單【音蟬】於者甚厚然不紀重質厚賂之故改節而害滋甚先帝覩其可以武折而不可以德懐故廣將帥招奮擊以誅厥罪功勲粲然著於海內藏於紀府何命亡十獲一乎【漢武紀曰元光二年春詔問公卿曰朕飾子女以配單于金幣文繡賂之甚厚單于待命加嫚侵盜亡已邊境被害朕甚閔之今欲舉兵攻之何如大行王恢建議宜擊夏六月御史大夫韓安國為防軍將軍衞尉李廣為驍騎將軍太僕公孫賀為輕車將軍大行王恢為將屯將軍大夫李息為材官將軍將三十萬眾屯馬邑谷中誘致單于欲襲擊之單于入塞覺之走出嚴尤曰漢武選將練兵約齎輕糧深入逺戍匈奴創艾而天下稱武】夫【音扶】偷安者後危慮近者憂邇賢者離俗知士權行君子所慮眾庶疑焉故民可以觀成不可以圖始此有司所獨見而文學所不覩【公孫鞅曰有髙世之行者必見非於世有獨知之慮者固見敖於民故曰愚者暗於成事智者見於未萌民不可與慮始可與樂成功班固曰和親之論發於劉敬是時天下初定新遭平城之難故從其言約結和親賂遺單于以救安邊境孝惠髙後時遵而不違匈奴冦盜不為衰止而單于反以加驕倨逮至孝文與通關市妻以漢女増厚其賂嵗以千金而匈奴數背約束邊境屢被其害是以文帝中年赫然發憤遂躬戍服親御鞍馬從六郡良家材力之士馳射上林講習戰陳聚天下精兵積於廣武顧問馮唐與論將帥喟然嘆息思古臣此則和親無益已然之明效也仲舒親見四世之事猶欲復守舊文頗増其約以為義動君子利動貪人如匈奴者非可以仁義説也獨可以厚利結之於天耳故與之厚利以沒其意與盟於天以堅其約質其愛子以累其心匈奴雖欲展轉奈失重利何奈欺上天何奈殺愛子何夫賦斂行賂不足以當三軍之費城郭之固無以異於貞士之約而使邊城守境之民父母緩帶稚子咽哺胡馬不窺於長城而羽檄不行於中國不亦便於天下乎察仲舒之論考諸行事廼知其未合於當時而有闕於後世也當孝武時雖征伐克復而士馬物故亦略相當雖開河南之野建朔方之郡亦棄造陽之北九百餘里匈奴人民每來降漢單于亦輒拘留漢使以相報復其桀驁尚如斯安肯以憂子而為質哉此不合當時之言也若不置質空約和親是襲孝文既往之悔而長匈奴無已之詐也夫邊境不選守境武畧之臣修障隧備塞之具厲長防勁弩之械恃吾所以待邊冦而務賦斂於民逺行貨賂割剝百姓以奉冦讐信甘言守空約而防胡馬之不窺不已過乎夫規事建議不圖萬世之利而媮恃一時之事者未可以經逺也】

The Grand Secretary said: Since the rise of the Han we have cultivated friendship and bound peace through marriage alliances, and the gifts sent to the Chanyu (chan; pronounced "chan") have been very generous; yet he did not alter his conduct because of the weighty hostages and rich bribes, and the raids and harm (the character for "harm" in the base text is rare and was lost in transcription) have grown worse. The late emperor saw that they could be broken by force but not won over by virtue, so he enlarged the number of generals and commanders and summoned fighters to punish their crimes; his meritorious deeds shine brightly across the seas and are stored in the records. How can you say that ten were lost for every one gained? [The Annals of Emperor Wu says: In spring of the second year of Yuanguang the emperor issued an edict asking his ministers: I have adorned young women to be matched with the Chanyu and bribed him very richly with gold, silk and embroidery, yet the Chanyu grows ever more insolent and his raids do not cease; the border lands suffer harm, and I am deeply grieved. Now I wish to raise troops and attack him; what do you think? The Grand Messenger Wang Hui urged that he should be attacked. In the sixth month of summer, Han Anguo, the Imperial Counselor, became General Protecting the Army (the base text has a garbled character), Li Guang, Commandant of the Guards, became General of Fast Cavalry, Gongsun He, Grand Coachman, became General of Light Chariots, Wang Hui, the Grand Messenger, became General Commanding the Garrison, and Li Xi, Grand Secretary, became General of Talented Warriors; leading three hundred thousand men they were stationed in the valley of Mayi, hoping to lure the Chanyu in and attack him by surprise. The Chanyu entered the frontier, sensed it, and went out again. Yan You says: Emperor Wu of Han chose generals and trained troops, set out with light provisions, penetrated deep and held distant outposts; the Xiongnu were chastened and the world praised Han martial power.] As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: one who seeks ease for the moment is in danger later; one who thinks only of what is near will have trouble close at hand. The worthy man departs from common ways, the wise man acts by expedient, and what the gentleman has in mind the common people doubt. Therefore the people can be shown the finished work but cannot be consulted at the beginning. This is what the officials alone see and the Literati do not perceive. [Gongsun Yang says: One whose conduct is higher than his age will surely be condemned by the world; one who alone has foresight will certainly be mocked by the people. Therefore it is said: The foolish are blind to what has already come about, the wise see what has not yet sprouted; the people cannot be consulted at the beginning, but they can be made glad of the completed success. Ban Gu says: The argument for marriage alliance arose from Liu Jing. At that time the world had only just been settled and had recently suffered the disaster at Pingcheng, so the emperor followed his advice, agreed to the marriage alliance, and sent gifts to the Chanyu in order to bring safety to the borders. Under Emperor Hui and Empress Lu this was followed without change, yet the Xiongnu raids did not decline, and the Chanyu grew all the more arrogant. When it came to Emperor Wen, he opened frontier markets with them, gave them a Han woman as wife, and increased the gifts to a thousand pieces of gold a year; but the Xiongnu repeatedly broke the agreement and the borders suffered again and again. For this reason in the middle of his reign Emperor Wen was roused to anger, put on military dress himself, personally mounted his horse, rode with talented and strong men of the six commanderies to hunt and shoot in the Shanglin park, drilled battle formations, gathered the elite troops of the realm at Guangwu, and asked Feng Tang about generals and commanders, sighing deeply and longing for the famous generals of old. This is clear proof that the marriage alliance was of no use, already shown by events. Dong Zhongshu himself witnessed four reigns and still wished to return to the old way and merely increase its terms a little, holding that righteousness moves a gentleman and profit moves the greedy; as for people like the Xiongnu, they cannot be persuaded by benevolence and righteousness, but can only be bound by large profit and by an oath before Heaven. So give them large profit to drown their intent, make a covenant with them before Heaven to harden their pledge, and take their beloved sons as hostages to weigh down their hearts. Though the Xiongnu might wish to turn about, what then of the great profit they would lose, of deceiving Heaven, of the killing of their beloved sons? The taxes and bribes would not equal the cost of three armies, and the strength of walled cities would be no different from the pledge of a loyal man; the people who guard the frontier towns would have their parents loosen their belts and their children be fed, the barbarian horses would not spy on the Great Wall and the feathered urgent dispatches would not circulate in the Middle Kingdom; would this not be convenient for the whole world? But examining Zhongshu's argument and testing it against events, one finds that it did not suit his own time and was lacking for later ages. In the time of Emperor Wu, though campaigns won captures, the loss of soldiers and horses was about equal; though he opened the fields south of the river and set up the commandery of Shuofang, he also abandoned more than nine hundred li north of Zaoyang. Whenever Xiongnu people came to submit to Han, the Chanyu would detain Han envoys in retaliation; such was their arrogance, so how would they have been willing to give a beloved son as hostage? This is why the proposal did not suit its time. If no hostage were placed and an empty marriage alliance alone were agreed, it would repeat the regret already felt under Emperor Wen and feed the Xiongnu's endless deceit. If, instead of choosing commanders of martial skill to guard the frontier, repairing the beacons and tunnels, preparing the equipment of the forts, and sharpening long halberds and strong crossbows, relying on what we use to await border raiders, we devoted ourselves to taxing the people and sending bribes far away, cutting into the hundred clans to serve brigands and enemies, trusting sweet words and keeping an empty pact while hoping that the barbarian horses would not spy on us (the base text has a garbled character here), would that not be an error? Those who plan affairs and offer proposals without aiming at the profit of ten thousand generations, but rely only on the expedients of the moment, cannot see far ahead.]

文學曰往者匈奴結和親諸夷納貢即君臣外內相信無胡越之患當此之時上求寡而易澹【古贍字】民安樂【音洛】而無事耕田而食桑麻而衣家有數年之稸縣官餘貨財閭里耆老或及其澤【韓安國曰髙皇帝嘗圍於平城匈奴至而投鞍髙於城者數所平城之厄七日不食天下嘆之及解圍反位無忿怨之色雖得天下而不報平城之怨者非以力不能也夫聖人以天下為度者也不以已之私怒傷天下之公義故遣劉敬結為和親至今為世利孝文皇帝甞一屯天下之精兵於甞谿廣武無尺寸之功天下黔首約要之民無不憂者孝文皇帝悟兵之不可宿也乃為和親之約至今為後世利兩主之跡足以為效】自是之後退文任武苦師勞眾以略無用之地立郡沙石之間民不能自守發屯乗城挽【音挽】輦而澹【古贍字】之愚竊見其亡不覩其成

The Literati said: In the past, when the Xiongnu had made a marriage alliance and the various barbarians paid tribute, then ruler and subject, inside and outside, trusted one another, and there was no trouble from the Hu and Yue. At that time the court asked little and was easily supplied (the old character for "supplied" is written dan), the people lived in peace and joy (le; pronounced "luo") with nothing to disturb them, plowed fields for their food and wore clothes of mulberry and hemp; every family had several years of stored grain, the court had a surplus of goods and wealth, and the elders of the villages sometimes even lived to see its benefits. [Han Anguo said: Emperor Gao once was besieged at Pingcheng; the Xiongnu came, and the saddles they threw down were piled higher than the city wall in several places; in the crisis at Pingcheng he went seven days without food, and the world sighed over it. Yet when the siege was lifted and he returned to his throne, he showed no look of anger or resentment. Though he had won the world, he did not avenge the wrong at Pingcheng, and it was not that his strength was insufficient. The sage takes the whole world as his measure and does not harm the common righteousness of the world by his private anger; therefore he sent Liu Jing to bind a marriage alliance, which has been of benefit to the age down to this day. Emperor Xiaowen once massed the elite troops of the realm at Changxi and Guangwu and achieved not an inch of success, and the common people of the realm and those bound by agreement all grieved. Emperor Xiaowen realized that armies cannot be kept encamped, and so made the marriage alliance, which has benefited later ages to this day. The conduct of the two rulers is enough to serve as proof.] After that, civil policy was set aside and military policy was relied upon; the army was exhausted and the people toiled to seize useless land, commanderies were set up amid sand and stone, the people could not defend themselves, garrisons were called out to man the walls, and carts were hauled (wan; pronounced "wan") to supply them (the old character for "supply" is written dan). In my humble view, I see their ruin but not their success.

大夫曰匈奴以虛名市於漢而實不從數【音朔】為蠻貊所紿【音怠】不痛之何故也髙皇帝仗劒定九州今以九州而不行於匈奴閭里常民尚有梟散【梟散流離也關西人謂梟曰流離故云梟散】況萬里之主與小國之匈奴乎夫【音扶】以天下之力勤何不權以天下之士民何不服今有帝名而威不信【音伸】長城反賂遺而尚踞敖【音傲】此五帝所不忍三王所畢【一作必】怒也【匈奴傳曰太初四年漢遣中郎將蘇武厚幣賂遺單于單于益驕禮甚倨非漢所望也徵和四年單于遣使遺漢書云南有大漢北有強胡胡者天之驕子也不為小禮以自煩今欲與漢闓大關取漢女為妻嵗給遺我櫱酒萬石稷米五十斛雜繒萬匹它如故約則邊】

The Grand Secretary said: The Xiongnu trade an empty name with Han but in fact do not comply; time and again we are cheated by the barbarians (dai; pronounced "dai") and yet feel no pain from it; what is the reason? Emperor Gao won the nine provinces with his sword, yet today the nine provinces cannot make their will prevail with the Xiongnu. Even ordinary folk in the villages sometimes suffer being scattered like owls ["Owls scattered" means wandering about homeless; people west of the passes call the owl "liuli," and hence the phrase "owl-scattered"]; how much more so the ruler of ten thousand li and the Xiongnu of a small state? As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: with the strength of the whole world, what toil could not be weighed? With the officers of the whole world, which people could not be subdued? Now we have the title of emperor yet our authority is not extended (shen; pronounced "shen") even to the Great Wall, and instead we send bribes while they still sit with arrogance (ao; pronounced "ao"); this is what the Five Emperors could not bear and the Three Kings would surely (one text reads "bi") be angry at. [The Account of the Xiongnu says: In the fourth year of Taichu, Han sent the Palace Attendant Su Wu with rich gifts as bribes to the Chanyu, and the Chanyu grew more arrogant, and his courtesy was very haughty, not what Han had hoped for. In the fourth year of Zhenghe, the Chanyu sent an envoy with a letter to Han, saying: In the south there is the great Han, in the north the mighty Hu. The Hu are the favored sons of Heaven and do not trouble themselves with petty courtesies. Now I wish to open the great passes with Han and take a Han woman as wife, and every year you are to give me ten thousand shi of fermented liquor, fifty hu of millet and ten thousand bolts of assorted silk; other terms as in the old agreement; then the borders will

【不相盜矣】

[no longer be raided.]

文學曰湯事夏而卒服之周事殷而卒滅之【本經訓曰晩世之時帝有桀紂為璇室瑤臺象廊玉床紂為肉圃酒池燎焚天下之財罷苦萬民之力刳諫者剔孕婦攘天下虐百姓於是湯乃以革車三百乗伐桀於南巢放之夏臺武王甲卒三千破紂牧野殺之於宣室天下寜定百姓和集是以稱湯武之賢語曰桀紂不為王湯武不為放】故以大御小者王【去聲】以強凌弱者亡聖人不困其眾以兼國良御不困其馬以兼道故造父之御不失和聖人之治不倍德【呂氏春秋曰宋人有取道者其馬不進倒而投之鸂水又復取道其馬不進又倒而投之鸂水如此者三雖造父之所以威馬不過此矣不得造父之道而徒得其威無益於御繆稱訓曰戎狄之馬皆可以馳驅或近或逺唯造父能盡其力三苖之民皆可使忠信或賢或不肖唯唐虞能齊其美】秦攝利衡以御宇內執修棰【推上聲】以笞【音痴】八極驂服以罷【音疲】而鞭防愈加故有傾衡遺棰【推上聲】之變士民非不眾力勤非不多也皆內倍外附而莫為用此髙皇帝所以仗劒而取天下也【司馬遷曰昔詩書述虞夏之際舜禹受禪積徳累功洽於百姓攝位行政考之於天經數十年然後在位殷周之王乃繇卨稷修仁行義歴十餘世至於湯武然後放殺秦起襄公章文繆獻孝昭襄稍嚴蠶食六國百有餘載至始皇廼並天下以徳若彼用力如此其囏難也秦既稱帝患周之敗以為起於處士橫議諸侯力爭四夷交侵以弱見奪於是削去五等墮城銷刃箝語燒書內鋤雄俊外攘胡粵用壹威權為萬世安然十餘年間猛敵橫發乎不虞適戍強於五伯閭閻偪於戎狄嚮應防於謗議奮臂威於甲兵鄉秦之禁適所以資豪傑而速自斃也是以漢亡尺土之階繇一劒之任五載而成帝業書傳所記未嘗有焉何則古世相革皆成聖王之烈今漢獨收孤秦之斃鐫金石者難為功摧枯朽者易為力其勢然也】夫【音扶】兩主好合內外交通天下安寜世世無患士民何事三王何愁焉

The Literati said: Tang served Xia and in the end subdued it; Zhou served Yin and in the end destroyed it. [The chapter "Original Instruction" (Ben Jing Xun) says: In later ages there were the emperors Jie and Zhou, who built jade chambers and jasper terraces, ivory corridors and jade beds; Zhou made a park of meat and a pool of wine, burned up the wealth of the world, and wore out the strength of the ten thousand people; he cut open those who remonstrated and slit open pregnant women, seizing the world and tyrannizing the hundred clans. Therefore Tang took three hundred leather-covered chariots and attacked Jie at Nanchao and banished him to Xiatai, and King Wu with three thousand armored soldiers broke Zhou at Muye and killed him at Xuanshi. The world was settled and the hundred clans were harmonious and united, and for this reason Tang and Wu are called worthy. A common saying goes: If Jie and Zhou had not been kings, Tang and Wu would not have banished or killed them.] Therefore one who uses the great to manage the small becomes king (wang; read in the falling tone), and one who uses strength to bully the weak perishes. The sage does not wear out his people to annex states, just as a good driver does not wear out his horses to cover more road. Therefore Zaofu in driving never lost harmony, and the sage in ruling never turns his back on virtue. [The Annals of Master Lu says: A man of Song was hurrying along a road, but his horse would not go forward; he threw it down into a stream; he set out again, and again the horse would not go forward, and again he threw it into the stream; this happened three times. Even the means by which Zaofu overawed horses was no more than this. If one does not have Zaofu's way and has only his show of force, it does not help in driving. The chapter "Miao Cheng" says: The horses of the Rong and Di can all be driven, some near and some far, but only Zaofu could draw out their full strength; the people of the Three Miao can all be made loyal and trustworthy, some worthy and some unworthy, but only Tang and Yu could bring all of them to equal excellence.] Qin held the power of the balance to rule the whole world, grasped a long whip (chui; read in the rising tone; the base text glosses "tui, rising tone") to flog the eight extremities, and though the horses were already worn out (pi) it applied the lash all the more; therefore came the upheaval in which the balance was overturned and the whip dropped. It was not that officers and people were few or that their labor was slight, but inside they turned away and outside they went over to others, and none would serve. This is why Emperor Gao could win the world with his sword. [Sima Qian says: In the past the Odes and Documents tell of the age of Yu and Xia, when Shun and Yu received abdication, having accumulated virtue and merit that reached the hundred clans, then acted as regents and administered government, were tested by Heaven, and only after several decades took the throne. The kings of Yin and Zhou rose from Xie and Ji who cultivated benevolence and practiced righteousness, over more than ten generations until Tang and Wu, who then banished and killed their rulers. Qin began with Duke Xiang, grew prominent under Wen, Mu, Xian, Xiao and Zhaoxiang, gradually nibbled away at the six states like silkworms, and only after more than a hundred years did the First Emperor unite the world. With virtue so great in the former cases and effort so great in the latter, such was the difficulty. After Qin took the title of emperor, it feared the failure of Zhou, and held that it had arisen from scholars out of office speaking freely, the feudal lords contending by force, and the four barbarians invading and seizing from the weak; so it abolished the five ranks, razed city walls and melted down weapons, gagged speech and burned books, weeded out heroes within and drove back the Hu and Yue without, using a single awesome authority to secure ten thousand generations. Yet within little more than ten years fierce enemies rose without warning, conscripted garrison troops proved stronger than the Five Hegemons, men of the village lanes were pressed harder than the Rong and Di, the countryside responded more readily to slander than to law, and a raised arm was more awesome than armor and weapons. The very prohibitions of Qin served to supply heroes and hasten its own death. Hence Han had no step of even a foot of land to start from, but through the use of one sword completed the imperial enterprise in five years, which the books and records had never described. Why? In ancient times, successive changes of dynasty all completed the glorious work of sage kings; now Han alone gathered in the ruin of a solitary Qin. It is hard to win merit by engraving metal and stone, but easy to exert strength in snapping dead and rotten wood; such was the situation.] As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: if the two rulers were on good terms, if inside and outside communicated, if the world were at peace and free of trouble for generation after generation, what would be the task of the officers and people, and what would the Three Kings have to worry about?

大夫曰伯翳【音意】之始封秦地為七十里穆公開伯【音覇】孝公廣業自卑至上自小至大故先祖基之子孫成之【司馬遷曰秦之先伯翳嘗有勲於唐虞之際受土賜姓及殷夏之間防散至周之衰秦興邑於西垂自繆公以來稍蠶食諸侯竟成始皇】軒轅戰涿【音卓】鹿殺兩曎【音驛】蚩【音痴】尤而為帝湯武伐夏商誅桀紂而為王黃帝以戰成功湯武以伐成孝【魚龍河圖雲黃帝攝政有蚩尤兄弟八十一人並獸身人語銅鐵額食沙造五兵仗刀防大弩威振天下誅殺無道萬民欽命黃帝行天子事黃帝以仁義不能禁止蚩尤乃仰天而嘆天遣女下授黃帝兵符伏蚩尤後天下復擾亂黃帝遂畫蚩尤形像以威天下鹹謂蚩尤不死八方皆為殄滅山海經云黃帝令應龍攻蚩尤蚩尤請風伯雨師以從大風雨黃帝乃下天女曰魃以止雨雨止遂殺蚩尤權謀篇曰湯欲伐桀伊尹曰請阻乏貢職以觀其動桀怒起九夷之師以伐之伊尹曰未可彼尚猶能起九夷之師是罪在我也湯乃謝罪請服復入貢職明年又不供其職桀怒起九夷之師九夷之師不起伊尹曰可矣湯乃興師伐而殘之遷桀南巢氏焉武王伐紂過遂斬岸過水折舟過谷發梁過山焚萊示民無返志也至於有戎之隧大風折斾散宜生諫曰此其妖歟武王曰非也天落兵也風霽而乗以大雨水平地而嗇散宜生又諫曰此其妖歟武王曰非也天灑兵也卜而散宜生又諫曰此其妖歟武王曰不利以禱祠利以撃眾是之已故武王順天地犯三妖而禽紂於牧野其所獨見者精也希寫曰昔者文王拘於羑里而武王羇於王門卒斬紂之頭而懸於太白者是武王之功也】故手足之勤腹腸之養【去聲】也當世之務後世之利也今四夷內侵不攘萬世必有此長患先帝興義兵以誅強東滅朝鮮西定冉駹【音尨南夷傳曰自筰以東北君長以十數冉駹最大顔師古曰今防州開州首領多姓冉者本皆冉種也】南擒百越北挫強胡李牧追匈奴以廣北州湯武之舉蚩【音痴】尤之兵也故聖主斥地非私其利用兵非徒奮怒也所以匡難【去聲】避害以為黎民逺慮【劉歆曰孝武皇帝愍中國罷勞無安寜之時乃遣大將軍驃騎伏波樓船之屬南滅百粵起七郡北攘匈奴降昆邪十萬之眾置五屬國起朔方以奪其肥饒之地東伐朝鮮起兎樂浪以斷匈奴之左臂西伐大宛並三十六國結烏孫起敦煌酒泉張掖以鬲婼羌裂匈奴之右臂單于孤特逺遁於漠北四陲無事斥地逺境起十餘郡功業既定永無逆爭之心至今累世頼之單于守藩百蠻服從萬世之基也中興之功未有髙焉者也】

The Grand Secretary said: Boyi was first enfeoffed in Qin with land of seventy li; Duke Mu opened the hegemony and Duke Xiao broadened the enterprise, rising from low to high and from small to great. So the ancestors laid the foundation and the descendants completed it. [Sima Qian said: the ancestor of Qin, Boyi, rendered meritorious service in the age of Tang and Yu and received land and a surname. Between Yin and Xia his descendants were scattered, and when Zhou declined, Qin arose and settled its town at the western border. From Duke Mu on it gradually nibbled at the feudal lords and in the end produced the First Emperor.] The Yellow Emperor fought at Zhuolu, killed Yayu and Chiyou and became emperor; Tang and Wu attacked Xia and Shang, executed Jie and Zhou and became kings. The Yellow Emperor achieved merit by war, and Tang and Wu achieved filial piety by attack. [The Yulong Hetu says: when the Yellow Emperor acted as regent, there were eighty-one brothers of Chiyou, all with beast bodies and human speech, bronze and iron foreheads, who ate sand, made the five weapons, relied on knives, halberds and great crossbows, shook the world with their might, and executed the unrighteous; the myriad people esteemed their command, and the Yellow Emperor performed the Son of Heaven's duties. With benevolence and righteousness the Yellow Emperor could not stop Chiyou, and so looked to Heaven and sighed. Heaven sent the Dark Lady down to give the Yellow Emperor a military tally, and he subdued Chiyou. Later the world was again in disorder, and the Yellow Emperor therefore painted Chiyou's image to awe the world, and all said Chiyou had not died, and the eight directions were all wiped out. The Classic of Mountains and Seas says: the Yellow Emperor ordered Yinglong to attack Chiyou, and Chiyou asked the Wind Earl and the Rain Master to follow, with great wind and rain. The Yellow Emperor then sent down the Heavenly Woman called Ba to stop the rain; when the rain stopped, he killed Chiyou. The Quanmou chapter says: Tang wished to attack Jie, and Yi Yin said: "Let us withhold the tribute and see how he moves." Jie was angry and raised the troops of the nine Yi to attack him. Yi Yin said: "Not yet. He can still raise the troops of the nine Yi, so the fault lies with us." Tang then apologized and asked to submit, and again entered the tribute. The next year he again did not supply the tribute, and Jie was angry and raised the troops of the nine Yi, but the troops of the nine Yi did not rise. Yi Yin said: "Now it can be done." Tang then raised troops, attacked and defeated him, and moved Jie to the Nanchao clan. When King Wu attacked Zhou, he passed the bank and cut it down, crossed the water and broke the boats, passed valleys and removed bridges, passed mountains and burned the weeds, showing the people he had no thought of returning. At the Sui of the Rong, a great wind broke the banners, and Sanyi Sheng remonstrated: "Is this an ill omen?" King Wu said: "No. Heaven is dropping weapons." When the wind cleared it was followed by great rain, and the water leveled the land and was scarce. Sanyi Sheng remonstrated again: "Is this an ill omen?" King Wu said: "No. Heaven is washing weapons." Divination scorched the tortoise shell, and Sanyi Sheng remonstrated again: "Is this an ill omen?" King Wu said: "It is not good for prayers and sacrifices, but it is good for striking the multitude; this is the meaning of the scorching." So King Wu followed Heaven and Earth, braved three ill omens, and captured Zhou in the field of Mu, because what he alone saw was subtle. Xixie said: formerly King Wen was held at Youli and King Wu was detained at Yumen, and in the end he cut off Zhou's head and hung it on the great white banner; this was King Wu's merit.] So the toil of hands and feet is the nourishment of belly and bowels; the task of the present age is the benefit of later ages. Now the four barbarians raid within and are not driven off, and for ten thousand generations there will surely be this long trouble. The former emperor raised righteous troops to punish the strong and violent, in the east destroyed Chaoxian, in the west pacified the Ran and Mang [the Biography of the Southern Yi says: from Zuo to the northeast, chiefs number in the tens, and the Ran and Mang are the largest. Yan Shigu said: the chiefs of Kuizhou and Kaizhou today are mostly surnamed Ran, all originally of the Ran stock], in the south captured the Hundred Yue, and in the north struck the strong Hu. Li Mu pursued the Xiongnu and widened the northern provinces; this was the undertaking of Tang and Wu and the troops of Chiyou. So a sage ruler expanding territory is not for private profit, and using troops is not merely venting anger; it is used to save from difficulty and avoid harm, as a far-reaching plan for the black-haired people. [Liu Xin said: Emperor Xiaowu, pitying that the central states were worn out with toil and had no time of peace, sent generals such as the Grand General, the Agile Cavalry General, the Wave-Subduing General and the Tower Ship General, who in the south destroyed the Hundred Yue and set up seven commanderies; in the north repelled the Xiongnu, received the surrender of Kunye's hundred thousand, set up five dependent states, set up Shuofang to take their fertile land; in the east attacked Chaoxian and set up Xuantu and Lelang to cut off the Xiongnu's left arm; in the west attacked Dayuan, annexed thirty-six states, allied with the Wusun, and set up Dunhuang, Jiuquan and Zhangye to separate the Qiang, severing the Xiongnu's right arm. The Chanyu was isolated and fled far to the north of the desert, and the four borders were quiet. He expanded territory and extended the frontier, setting up more than ten commanderies. The work was done, and there is no longer a thought of resisting; to this day generation after generation relies on it. The Chanyu guards the border and the hundred barbarians submit; this is the foundation for ten thousand generations, and no merit of restoration has been higher.]

文學曰秦南禽勁越北卻強胡竭中國以役四夷人罷【音疲】極而主不恤國內潰而上不知是以一夫倡而天下和【去聲】兵破陳渉地奪諸侯何嗣之所利【賈山曰昔者秦政力並萬國富有天下破六國以為郡縣築長城以為闗塞秦地之固大小之執輕重之權其與一家之富一夫之彊胡可勝計也然而兵破於陳渉地奪於劉氏者何也秦王貪狼虐殘賊天下窮困萬民以適其欲也】詩云雍雍鳴旭日始旦登得前利不念後咎故呉王知伐齊之便而不知幹遂之患秦知進取之利而不知鴻門之難【去聲】是以知一而不知十也【黃歇曰易曰狐濡其尾此言始之易終之難也何以知其然也智氏見伐趙之利而不知榆次之禍也呉見伐齊之便而不知幹隧之散也此二國者非無大功也沒利於前而易患於後也呉之信越也從而伐齊人於艾陵還為越王禽於三江之浦智氏信韓魏從而伐趙攻晉陽之城勝有日矣韓魏反之殺智伯瑤於鑿臺之上詩云他人有心予忖度之躍躍毚兎遇犬獲之賈生曰秦兼諸侯山東三十餘郡循津關據嶮塞繕甲兵而守之然陳渉率散亂之眾數百奮臂大呼不用弓防之兵鉏耰白挺望屋而食橫行天下秦人阻嶮不守闗梁不閉長防不刺彊弩不射楚沛深入戰於鴻門曾無藩籬之難也】周謹小而得大秦欲大而亡小語曰前車覆後車戒殷監不逺在夏後之世矣【傳曰昔者禹以夏王桀以夏亡湯以殷王紂以殷亡故無常安之國宜治之民得賢則昌不肖則亡自古及今未有不然者也夫明鏡者所以照形也徃古者所以知今也夫知惡往古之所以危亡而不襲蹈其所以安存者則無以異乎卻行而求逮於前人鄙語曰不知為吏視已成事或曰前車覆而後車不誡是以後車覆也故夏之所以亡者而殷為之殷之所以亡者而周為之故殷可以鑑於夏而周可以鑑於殷詩曰殷鑑不逺在夏後之世蔡澤曰鑑於水者見面之容鑑於人者知吉與兇】

The Literati said: Qin in the south captured the strong Yue and in the north pushed back the powerful Hu, exhausted the central states to serve the four barbarians, so the people were worn out and the ruler did not care, and the state collapsed from within and the ruler did not know. So one man called out and the whole world answered, the army was broken by Chen She and the land seized by the feudal lords; what benefit to the heirs was there? [Jia Shan said: formerly the First Emperor of Qin by strength annexed ten thousand states, held the world in wealth, broke the six states into commanderies and counties, and built the Great Wall as a barrier. The security of the land of Qin, the advantage of large and small, and the weight of authority, compared with the wealth of one family and the strength of one man, are beyond counting. Yet its army was broken by Chen She and its land taken by the Liu clan; why? The King of Qin was greedy, wolfish and cruel, ravaged the world, and impoverished the myriad people to satisfy his desires.] The Book of Songs says: "The harmonious wild geese cry, the morning sun has just come. They obtain the profit before them and do not think of later faults." So the King of Wu knew the advantage of attacking Qi but not the calamity of Gansui, and Qin knew the profit of advancing but not the difficulty of Hongmen, and so knew one but not ten. [Huang Xie said: the Changes says: "The fox wets its tail." This speaks of how easy the beginning is and how hard the end. How do we know this? The Zhi clan saw the profit of attacking Zhao but did not know the calamity of Yuci, and Wu saw the convenience of attacking Qi but did not know the defeat at Gansui. These two states did not lack great merit, but they were unmindful of calamity after the profit before them. Wu trusted Yue and followed it to attack Qi, won at Ailing, and on returning was captured by the King of Yue on the shore of the three rivers. The Zhi clan trusted Han and Wei and attacked Zhao, besieging the city of Jinyang, and victory was a matter of days, but Han and Wei turned against him and killed Zhibo Yao on the Zaotai. The Songs say: 'Another man has a heart; I fathom it. The leaping crafty hare, when it meets a dog, is caught.' Master Jia said: Qin annexed more than thirty commanderies east of the mountains, followed the fords and passes, held the dangerous barriers, and kept its armor and weapons ready to defend it. Yet Chen She led a disordered band of several hundred, raised his arms and shouted, with no soldiers of bows and halberds but hoes, harrow handles and white clubs, eating as they came across houses, and marched across the world. The people of Qin were blocked by danger and did not defend, the passes and bridges were not closed, long halberds did not stab, strong crossbows did not shoot, and the men of Chu and Pei went deep and fought at Hongmen without difficulty from any fence.] Zhou was careful in small things and gained great ones; Qin wanted great things and lost small ones. The proverb says: when the carriage ahead overturns, the one behind takes warning. "The mirror of Yin is not far; it is in the generation of the lord of Xia." [The tradition says: formerly Yu became king through Xia and Jie perished through Xia; Tang became king through Yin and Zhou perished through Yin. So there is no state always at peace and no people always fit to be governed; those who obtain the worthy flourish and those who do not perish, and from ancient times to now it has always been so. A bright mirror is used to reflect one's form, and the past is used to know the present. To know and hate what brought the ancients ruin but not to follow what brought them safety and survival is no different from running backward and seeking to catch up with those ahead. The rustic saying says: one who does not know how to be an official should look at accomplished matters. Some say: when the carriage ahead overturns and the carriage behind does not take warning, the carriage behind overturns. So what destroyed Xia was done by Yin, and what destroyed Yin was done by Zhou. So Yin could take warning from Xia and Zhou could take warning from Yin. The Songs say: 'The mirror of Yin is not far; it is in the generation of the lord of Xia.' Cai Ze said: one who mirrors himself in water sees his face; one who mirrors himself in people knows fortune and misfortune.]