OF THE TAO EXEMPLIFIED IN HISTORY 21 



practices. But since you propose doing so let me tell you it 



will not be good. I have also heard that enmity is but cruel 



and savage energy : the military is an obnoxious and hurtful 



instrument, on which people depend in settling their quarrels. 



You now secretly plan this method of brute force, and 



delight in the use of this hurtful instrument. If you were 



to carry on those struggles you would be acting most bane- 



fully. Further when you employed the Luh troops against 



Ch'i you gained your purpose in spite of a bad cause: in 



like manner you conquered Ts'in in the face of all right." 



I have heard it said, "If you keep from bringing disaster and 



miseries on men you will keep yourself from your own ruin. 



By ruining others you complete your own ruin." I firmly 



believe that our country's King has transgressed the laws of 



Heaven and wrecked human principles often, but no disaster 



has hitherto overtaken him and it must be that you are the 



man to bring this on." Ch'i Wu became alarmed and asked 



if there were a possibility of avoiding such a catastrophe? 



Ch'u Tzu replied that as the catastrophe impending over all 



had already taken form it would be impossible to avert it. 



All that could be done was to alleviate the deleterious effects 



by generous love and sincere actioias. As Lao Tzu says : 



BLUNT THE EDGE, DISPERSE ALL TEMPTATIONS 

 KEEP IN CHECK YOUR BRILLIANCY 

 MAKE YOURSELF ONE WITH THE PUBLIC. 



(27) The quality of humility fits Kings. — When Tsin 

 was going to attack Ts'u and when the army was not more 

 than 105 li away, and still corning on, the ministers of Ts'u 

 asked authority to meet the enemy and strike him. Chuang 

 Wang responded that Ts'in did not attack Ts'u in the past, 

 so it must be that he was personally guilty of something to 

 bring on such shame. Al] the ministers replied that Ts'in 

 did not attack Ts'u during the regime of past ministers, 

 so it must be owing to their fault that Ts'in came to attack 

 the country now, they begged for an order to attack. The 

 King weeping bitterly, the tears falling down his garments, 

 rose up and made obeisance to all the ministers. 



When the people of Ts'in heard of this they said, "King 



and ministers are vying the one with the other each asking to 



bear the responsibility of our agression, the King even doing 



homage to his ministers," they said, "This expedition must 



not be made." The army returned. Just as Lao Tzu says : 



HE WHO CAN BEAR INDIGNITY FOR THE NATION 

 HE IS THE MAN TO BE ITS MASTER. 



(28) The character of a man ivorthy to- be King. — In the 

 time of Duke Ching of Sung the planet Mars was in the 

 Heart constellation, which so alarmed the Duke that he 



