All of his listeners agreed and nodded their heads, deeply impressed with the prime minister’s reasoning. Learning of this, the general felt remorseful for his inconsiderateness and short-sightedness. With shame and regret, he humbly visited this young prime minister and politely asked for forgiveness, which was promptly granted. After that incident, the two men cooperated closely with one another and eventually became best friends. During their lifetime, the western neighbor never had a chance to conquer this country.
In a turbulent period, especially for a small country situated between strong powers, an internal unity is essential—together they succeed, apart they fail. A competent person always has to consider all factors, not only his own reputation.
By Compliment
Sui Dynasty581 A.D. to 618 A.D.
In the early seventh century A.D., China was unfortunately in disunity as the short-lived Sui dynasty was overthrown. Several lords and kings were competing for the throne. Civil war started. People were slaughtered like cattle. Cities were devastated. After a few days of brutal struggle and uncertainty, the lord Lee Yuan,11 who would eventually become the emperor, finally won a decisive battle and occupied a strategically important city. Collecting all the booty and confiscating his opponents’ valuables, he intended to distribute this booty to the soldiers and people. Some old-fashioned generals suggested, according to tradition, that he treat citizens and slaves differently.
“Why?” the lord flatly remarked. “The enemy’s arrows and swords had no eyes and didn’t favor either of the groups. Taking the same chance, they risked their necks for the victory and the reward. It’s only fair that I treat them equally.” He then gave out petty positions, with a salary that would support the recipients for the rest of their natural lives, to those persons who wanted to resign and return to their native villages and become farmers again.
This generous behavior was unheard of. All of the treasurers and accountants were astonished. They vigorously protested to him about this policy and its potentially huge costs for the national budget in the future.
“Don’t be ridiculous! I want to be a emperor. How can I afford to be stingy? A penny-wise person will never build an empire,” the lord declared confidently. “One of the former dynasty’s biggest mistakes was its stinginess. The rich had accumulated tremendous wealth and didn’t spare anything for the penniless, who rose up and defeated them. Be farsighted and look at the whole picture. I am only one of a handful of potential rulers. To secure my position I must win over the people, not with force and battles, but with money and positions. Politics is an art, not a science. It has nothing to do with accounting and balance sheets. Why should I not be generous?”
What Should I Purchase?
Warring States Period475 B.C. to 221 B.C.
In the Warring States period, China was unfortunately divided into a handful of countries. They were frequently at war with one another. Civilians were slaughtered by the thousands. Competent people were always in great demand by the governments. Consequently, as a custom, wealthy princes and lords provided free lodging, food, and a regular salary to attract people with talents and abilities. They would be hired as political consultants or, if there were no vacancies, be called “house-guests.” At the end of the third century B.C., a well known lord, Meng-Ch’ang,12 who personally supported over three thousands house-guests, one day asked who would help him to collect some debts.
One guest named Feng Shuan13 promptly responded, and the rich master ordered his servants to prepare a carriage. “Your Lordship,” the guest politely asked before departing, “what should I buy after I collect all the money?”
“Buy anything you think I need,” the lord responded casually.
Traveling for days, the guest reached the destined town and immediately assembled all the debtors. In a huge outdoor park, a few hundred shabbily-dressed and worry-stricken farmers, patiently waiting to present their reasons for delaying the payment. All of them were poor farmers and couldn’t afford to repay the full amount.
Viewing this miserable spectacle Feng Shuan was speechless. Having accepted the duty to collect the debt, Yuan knew he could not return without the money. Yet these people obviously could not pay. Pondering his dilemma for awhile, Feng Shuan was struck with inspiration. After carefully checking and confirming each of the I.O.U.’s, he ordered his assistants to collect and burn all of the papers. He then turned to the crowd and proudly announced that due to the generosity of their master, this year’s debts were totally exempted.
“Long life to the lord!” shouted Feng Shuan. With surprise and appreciation, farmers hurrahed in unison at the top of their coarse voices. This clever guest quickly returned to the lord’s mansion. “You must be very capable,” the master said, impressed by the swiftness of Shuan’s return. “Did you buy anything special for me?”
“Yes, I did,” the guest courteously answered. “Knowing Your Lordship has plenty of jewelry, well-bred horses, hounds, lands, houses, and other valuables far beyond an ordinary person’s wildest dreams, I didn’t think Your Lordship needed any material thing. Therefore, I decided to buy for you a ‘gratitude.’”
“What is that?” questioned the lord. “I never heard of such item before.”
“For many years,” the guest continued “Your Lordship has focused on accumulating enormous wealth for your own enjoyment. On the other hand, even after a year’s labor, those woeful farmers still couldn’t pay their debts in full. The balance, compounded with high interest, would create even more debt, a vicious circle from which they could never be free. So on behalf of Your Lordship, I exempted their debts and canceled all of the I.O.U.’s.”
The lord was shocked by this bold act, but remembered his own words, “Buy anything you think I need,” and reluctantly accepted this vexatious fact.
One year later, in a severe political struggle, this lord fell out of favor. His servants fled, the “house-guests” disappeared, and his friends abandoned him. All of his properties were immediately confiscated and his life threatened.
Under a moonless night, with a chilly north wind gnashing at him, the lord, accompanied only by Feng Shuan and a few faithful servants, fled for his life from the capital city. They dared not to stop and traveled for days without rest. Running out of food, they soon found themselves on the edge of starvation.
While approaching a distant town at dawn one day, the lord observed with great amazement hundreds of people standing on the roadside, carrying meats, wine and other food and patiently waiting to welcome him. Soon his coach was surrounded. He stepped down and received the crowd, who submissively presented their provisions. Hurriedly consuming this welcome meal, the lord gratefully praised his house-guest. “Now, I understand the use of the ‘gratitude,’ which you bought for me last year.”
Do small kindnesses on your hay days. You will have some faithful friends to help you out on your rainy days.
A Well-Known Thinker
Western Chou Dynasty1100 B.C. to 770 B.C.
In traditional China the feudal system was rigorously enforced. People were constantly reminded to respect gods, nature, the emperor, their parents and teachers, in that order. In the eleventh century B.C., during the Western Chou dynasty, a nobleman named Tai-Gong Wan14 received a lordship and was given a huge portion of land in eastern China. In his domain, there was a very famous philosopher, Hwa Shi,15 who advocated absolute freedom and encouraged people neither to worship gods nor any authority. This philosopher had thousands of dedicated followers who treated him as a sacred prophet.
The newly-appointed lord, with sincerity, dispatched his ablest assistant to invite this philosopher to become an advisor, to help him in