The People of Yan and Humane Rule

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Qi attacked Yan and took it. Other lords began planning to aid Yan. King Xuan asked, ‘Many are now considering an attack on me. How should I respond?’

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Mencius replied, ‘Tang began with only seventy li of territory and came to rule the realm. I have not heard of a ruler with a thousand li fearing others. The Documents say that Tang's first campaign began with Ge.’

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‘People came to trust him. When he campaigned eastward, those in the west complained; when he went south, those in the north complained: “Why are we last?” They awaited him as people in a drought await rain clouds.’

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‘Marketgoers carried on, and farmers kept working. He punished the ruler and comforted the people, like timely rain. They rejoiced. The Documents say, “We await our lord; when he comes, we shall revive.”’

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‘Now Yan mistreats its people. When Your Majesty went to attack it, they believed you would rescue them from suffering, so they welcomed your army with baskets of food and jars of drink.’

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‘But if you kill their fathers and elder brothers, take their children and younger kin captive, destroy their ancestral temples, and carry off their precious ritual vessels, how can that be justified?’

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‘The other states already fear Qi's strength. If you now double your territory without governing benevolently, you will set their armies in motion against you.’

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‘Issue orders at once: return Yan's captive elders and children, stop removing its treasures, consult the people of Yan, establish a ruler for them, and then withdraw. There may still be time to avert the attack.’

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