Adorning Evil

Divination by drilling tortoise shells and counting yarrow stalks showed the "Great Auspicious" omen, after which Zhao attacked Yan. Divination by drilling tortoise shells and counting yarrow stalks showed the "Great Auspicious" omen, after which Yan attacked Zhao. Ju Xin served in Yan without merit, instead bringing the state to ruin; Zou Yan served in Yan without merit, instead cutting off the state’s way of governance. Zhao and Dai first achieved success at Yan’s expense, later achieved success at Qi’s expense, yet the state was in chaos while priding itself on high integrity, considering itself equal to Qin in strength. This was not because Zhao’s tortoise shells were divine and Yan’s were deceptive. Zhao once again drilled tortoise shells and counted yarrow stalks to attack Yan in the north, intending to coerce Yan into opposing Qin, and the omen showed "Great Auspicious." Just as they attacked Daliang, Qin dispatched troops to Shangdang; when the army reached Li, six cities were taken; when they reached Yangcheng, Qin captured Ye; Pang Nuan moved his forces south, and Zhang was entirely lost. I therefore say: Zhao’s tortoise shells, if unable to foresee the distant matter of Yan, should at least have foreseen the recent matter of Qin. Qin, by its "Great Auspicious," expanded its territory with tangible results and rescued Yan with rightful justification. Zhao, by its "Great Auspicious," had its land reduced and its army humiliated, its ruler dying unfulfilled. This is not because Qin’s tortoise shells were divine and Zhao’s were deceptive. In former times, Wei attacked eastward for years, annexing all of Tao and Wei; attacking westward for years, it lost its own state. This was not because the stars Fenglong, Wuxing, Taiyi, Wangxiang, Sheti, Liushen, Wugua, Tianhe, Yinqiang, and Suixing were in the west for years, nor because the stars Tianque, Huni, Xingsin, Huoying, Kuitai were in the east for years. Therefore it is said: Tortoise shells, yarrow stalks, ghosts, and spirits are insufficient to determine victory or defeat; the positions of stars are insufficient to decide warfare. Yet relying on them is the greatest folly.

The ancient former kings exhausted themselves in drawing close to the people and prioritized the clarification of laws. When laws are clarified, loyal ministers are encouraged; when punishments are firm, treacherous ministers are restrained. The state where loyal ministers are encouraged and treacherous ministers restrained, thus expanding territory and honoring the ruler, is Qin. The states where officials form cliques, collude to obscure the right path, and pursue private gain, thus reducing territory and debasing the ruler, are those east of Mount Xiao. The fall of chaotic and weak states is human nature; the rise of stable and strong states to kingship is the constant principle of antiquity. King Goujian of Yue relied on the Great Peng tortoise in battle against Wu but could not prevail; he became a servant and slave in Wu. After returning to his state, he abandoned the tortoise, clarified laws, and drew close to the people to take revenge on Wu, and then Fuchai was captured. Thus, reliance on ghosts and spirits leads to neglect of laws; reliance on feudal lords endangers the state. Cao relied on Qi and did not heed Song; when Qi attacked Chu, Song destroyed Cao. Xing relied on Wu and did not heed Qi; when Yue attacked Wu, Qi destroyed Xing. Xu relied on Chu and did not heed Wei; when Chu attacked Song, Wei destroyed Xu. Zheng relied on Wei and did not heed Han; when Wei attacked Chu, Han destroyed Zheng. Now Han is weak yet relies on great states; its ruler is negligent and follows Qin and Wei, relying on Qi and Chu for its own use, yet the small state increasingly hastens toward ruin. Thus reliance on others is insufficient to expand territory, yet Han does not see this. Chu advanced to Xu and Yan to attack Wei; Qi attacked Ren and Hu to weaken Wei; this was insufficient to preserve Zheng, yet Han does not know. These are those who fail to clarify their own laws and prohibitions to govern the state, relying on external aid and thereby destroying themselves.

I therefore say: If one understands the strategy of governance, the state, though small, can become wealthy; if rewards and punishments are reverent and trustworthy, the people, though few, can become strong. If rewards and punishments lack standards, the state, though large, will have a weakened army, the land will no longer be one’s own, and the people will no longer be one’s own. Without land or people, even Yao and Shun could not become kings, nor could the Three Dynasties of Xia, Shang, and Zhou become strong. The ruler then over-rewards, and ministers then receive unearned gains. Those who abandon the law and discourse on the achievements of former kings and enlightened rulers have the state entrusted to them by the ruler. I therefore say: This is to hope for ancient achievements and to reward present people with ancient rewards. The ruler thus over-rewards, and ministers thus receive unearned gains. When the ruler over-rewards, ministers become opportunistic; when ministers receive unearned gains, achievements are not honored. Those without merit are rewarded, leading to depleted resources and resentful people; with depleted resources and resentful people, the people do not exert themselves fully. Thus excessive rewards lose the people; excessive punishments make the people unafraid. If rewards are insufficient to encourage and punishments insufficient to prohibit, then the state, though large, is certain to be in danger.

Therefore it is said: Those with petty cleverness cannot be entrusted with great affairs; those with petty loyalty cannot be placed in charge of laws. King Gong of Chu fought with Duke Li of Jin at Yanling; the Chu army was defeated, and King Gong was wounded. During the fierce battle, Sima Zifan grew thirsty and wanted water; his attendant Shu Guyang presented him with a cup of wine. Zifan said, "Take it away; this is wine." Shu Guyang said, "It is not wine." Zifan took it and drank. Zifan was fond of wine by nature; he found it sweet and could not stop, becoming drunk and lying down. King Gong wanted to resume battle and planned military affairs; he sent for Zifan, who excused himself on grounds of heart trouble. King Gong rode to visit him, entered the tent, smelled the wine, and returned, saying: "In today’s battle, I myself was wounded in the eye. What I relied on was the Sima, and the Sima has become like this—this is to destroy the altars of Chu and disregard my people. I have no one to fight with again." He withdrew his army and had Zifan executed as a public warning. Therefore it is said: Shu Guyang’s offering of wine was not malicious toward Zifan; his heart was loyal and loving, yet it was precisely enough to kill him. This is the practice of petty loyalty harming great loyalty. Therefore it is said: Petty loyalty is the bane of great loyalty. If one lets a person of petty loyalty oversee the law, they will surely pardon offenses and foster mutual affection, thus achieving peace with subordinates while harming the governance of the people.

When Wei first promulgated the Li Bi (Established Statutes) and followed the law, those with merit were surely rewarded, and those with crimes were surely punished; it strongly rectified the world, and its authority extended to neighboring states in all four directions. But when the statutes decayed and rewards were given chaotically, the state weakened day by day. When Zhao first promulgated the Guo Lü (State Laws) and adhered to the grand army's orders, its population was numerous, its military strong, and it expanded its territory to Qi and Yan. But when the Guo Lü decayed and those appointed were of weak ability, the state weakened day by day. When Yan first promulgated the Feng Fa (Upholding the Law) and carefully deliberated in the official courts, it annexed Qi's territory to the east and completely occupied the land of Zhongshan to the south. But when the Feng Fa was discarded, the official courts' decisions were no longer used, those on the left and right vied for power, and decisions followed subordinates—then military strength waned, territory was reduced, and the state fell under the control of neighboring enemies. Thus it is said: Those who make the law clear are strong; those who neglect the law are weak. Strength and weakness are so evident, yet the rulers of the world do not act accordingly—the ruin of the state is fitting. The common saying goes: "If a household has fixed property, even in famine it will not starve; if a state has fixed laws, even in danger it will not perish." To discard fixed laws and follow private opinions means that ministers will conceal themselves through cleverness and ability; when ministers conceal themselves through cleverness and ability, then legal prohibitions cannot be established. This is the practice of arbitrary conjecture prevailing, while the methods of governance are abandoned. The method of governance is to eliminate those who harm the law; thus one is not misled by cleverness and ability, nor blinded by reputation and pretense. In ancient times, Shun sent an official to control the flood; before the order was given, this official achieved merit, and Shun killed him. Yu assembled the feudal lords at Mount Kuaiji; the lord of Fangfeng arrived late, and Yu killed him. From this, we see that those who act before the order are killed, and those who act after the order are executed—thus the ancients valued following the law. Therefore, a mirror remains clear and does nothing, yet beauty and ugliness are naturally reflected; a balance remains level and does nothing, yet lightness and heaviness are naturally weighed. To shake the mirror makes it unclear; to shake the balance makes it uneven—this speaks of the law. Thus the former kings took the Way as their constant standard and the law as their foundation. When the foundation is well governed, reputation is honored; when the foundation is chaotic, reputation is cut off. As for those with wisdom and ability who are penetrating and clear-sighted, they act when there is a basis and stop when there is none. Thus wisdom and ability are individual paths that cannot be transmitted to others. But the Way and law are perfectly secure, while wisdom and ability often involve error. Hanging up a balance reveals whether it is fair; setting a compass reveals whether it is round—these are perfectly secure methods. The enlightened ruler makes the people follow the Way, and thus he is at ease yet achieves merit. To discard the compass and rely on skill, to discard the law and rely on wisdom, is the way of confusion. The chaotic ruler makes the people adorn themselves with wisdom, not knowing the Way, and thus he is toilsome yet without merit. To discard legal prohibitions and follow private requests means that the mass of officials sell offices and titles above, and obtain rewards below; thus benefits go to private houses, and authority resides with the mass of officials. Therefore, the people have no intention of exhausting their strength to serve the ruler, but devote themselves to forming connections with those above. When the people delight in forming connections with those above, then wealth flows upward, and those skilled in clever speech are employed. In such a case, those with merit become fewer. Crafty ministers advance further, while capable ministers withdraw—then the ruler is confused and does not know what to do, and the people gather together without knowing the path to follow. This is the fault of discarding legal prohibitions, slighting merit and achievement, promoting reputation, and following private requests. As for all who corrupt the law, they inevitably set up deceit and rely on external things to seek favor, and they delight in discussing rare things under heaven—this is why violent rulers and chaotic lords are misled, and why loyal ministers and worthy advisors are encroached upon. Thus when ministers praise the achievements of Yi Yin and Guan Zhong, they have a basis for abandoning the law and adorning wisdom; when they praise the loyalty of Bigan and Wu Zixu, who were killed, they have a rationale for vehement remonstrance. To praise the worthy above and praise the violent below cannot be taken as analogous; such things must be prohibited. When the ruler establishes the law, it is deemed correct; but now many ministers set up their own private wisdom and consider the law incorrect—this is to use wisdom to distort, and to exceed the law in order to establish private wisdom. Such things must be prohibited—this is the Way of the ruler.

The Way of the enlightened ruler must clarify the distinction between public and private, make the legal system clear, and remove private favors. Orders must be carried out, prohibitions must be stopped—this is the ruler's public duty. To inevitably pursue one's private interests, to be trustworthy to friends, to be unable to be encouraged by rewards, to be unable to be stopped by punishments—this is the minister's private duty. When private duty prevails, there is chaos; when public duty prevails, there is order. Thus public and private are distinct. Ministers have private interests and public duties. To cultivate oneself pure and white, to act with public fairness, and to hold office without selfishness—this is the minister's public duty. To act corruptly and follow private desires, to secure oneself and benefit one's family—this is the minister's private interest. When an enlightened ruler is above, ministers discard private interests and practice public duties; when a chaotic ruler is above, ministers discard public duties and practice private interests. Thus the ruler and ministers have different minds; the ruler uses schemes to nurture his ministers, and the ministers use schemes to serve the ruler—the interaction between ruler and ministers is one of schemes. To harm oneself and benefit the state—the minister will not do it. To harm the state and benefit the minister—the ruler will not do it. The reality of the minister is that harming oneself brings no benefit; the reality of the ruler is that harming the state brings no closeness. The ruler and ministers are those who come together through schemes. As for facing danger and certainly risking death, and exhausting wisdom and strength—this is brought about by the law. Thus the former kings made rewards clear to encourage them, and increased punishments to awe them. When rewards and punishments are clear, the people risk death and exert effort; when the people risk death and exert effort, then the military is strong and the ruler honored. When rewards and punishments are not clear, the people seek rewards without merit and hope to avoid punishment despite crimes—then the military is weak and the ruler humbled. Thus the former kings and worthy advisors exhausted their wisdom and strength. Therefore it is said: Public and private cannot be unclear; legal prohibitions cannot be carelessly handled. The former kings knew this principle.