[I N T R O D U C T I O N:  CHAPTER I:  Shang Yang in History]

2. The Life of Shang Yang (2)

A. The Biography of the Lord of Shang (144) in the Shih-chi (continued)
Chao Liang (179) went to see Lord Shang, who said:
— I have had the privilege of having been introduced to you by Meng Lan-kao (180). May I now ask to have your intercourse (181) ?

Chao Liang replied:
— I dare not hope for this. K’ung Ch’iu has said: « Where able men are promoted, a virtuous ruler comes to the front, but where men of no merit are assembled, a king of the whole empire will pass into the background (182). » I am a man of no merit and, therefore, I dare not receive your commands. I have heard it said that to occupy a position for which one is not qualified, is called “being covetous of position”, and to have a reputation, to p.24 which one is not entitled, is called “being covetous of fame”. If I were to listen to your idea, then I fear I should be one, who covets both position and fame. Therefore, I dare not listen to your instructions.

Lord Shang said:
— Do you not approve of the way in which I govern Ch’in ?

Chao Liang replied:
— He, who hearkens with the inner ear, is a man of quick hearing, he who turns his eyes inwards, is a man of clear vision, and he who conquers himself is said to be strong. Shun of Yü (183) had a saying: « He who humbles himself is superior. » The best thing for Your Lordship would be to follow the Way of Shun of Yü. There is no need to ask me.

Lord Shang laid:
— Formerly, the Jung and Ti barbarians of Ch’in, in their teaching, knew no difference between father and son, and they lived together in the same room. Now I have altered and regulated their moral teaching and have made distinctions between men and women. On a grand scale I have constructed pillars for the publication of mandates, and have arranged things in the same way as they are in Lu and Wei. Seeing how I govern Ch’in and comparing me with Wu-ku-ta-fu (184), which of us do you think the abler ?

p.25 Chao Liang replied:
— The skins of a thousand sheep are not worth the armpit of one fox; the silent approval of a thousand men is not worth the frank word of one scholar. Wu-wang became great because of the frank counsels of his ministers; Chou of the Yin dynasty perished because of the silence of his flatterers. If Your Lordship does not really disapprove of Wu-wang, then I should like to ask permission to speak sincere words, during a whole day, without suffering punishment therefor.

Lord Shang said:
— There is a saying: Pleasing words are adorned, direct words are real; bitter words are medicine, sweet words cause disease. If you are really willing to set forth, for a whole day, your sincere views, it will be medicine to me. I want to serve you as my master,
how can you then still further excuse yourself ?

Chao Liang replied:
— Wu-ku-ta-fu was a rustic from Ching (185). When he heard of the ability of Duke Mu of Ch’in, he desired to see him, but as he had no travelling money, he sold himself to a stranger from Ch’in (186), wore a coarse shirt and fed oxen. After the lapse of a year, Duke Mu heard about it and raised him from beneath the mouths of oxen and placed him above the people. No one in the state of Ch’in dared feel offended at this. When he had been minister of Ch’in for six or seven years, in the east he had conquered Cheng, three times he had established a prince in Chin, and once he had saved the Ching state p.26 from disaster (187). He issued his instructions within the borders of his fief, with the result that even the people of Pa (188) brought tribute; he showed his favours to the feudal lords and even the eight tribes of the Jung barbarians came to submit (189). Yu-yü (190), hearing about it, knocked at the barrier and wished to see him.

(Chao Liang continued)
The way in which Wu-ku-ta-fu was councillor of Ch’ in was, that, when he was tired, he did not sit in a carriage, in summer he did not spread out a sunshade, when he travelled in the country he did not have carts or mounts following him, nor men carrying shields and lances. His merits were preserved in the stores and granaries (191), and his virtuous conduct was displayed to later generations. When Wu-ku-ta-fu died, the men and women of Ch’ in shed tears, the children stopped singing, the threshers ceased to chant, while wielding their flails. Such was the virtue of Wu-ku-ta-fu (192).

(Chao Liang continued)
Now, as for you, you have been received by the Prince, because you had the favourite, Ching Chien, as your patron; therein lies nothing to give you a claim to fame. As councillor of Ch’ in, you do not concern yourself over the people, but p.27 you grandly build pillars for the publication of mandates; therein lies nothing that gives you a claim to merit. You punished and branded the tutor and teacher of the Crown Prince, you afflict and wound the people with severe punishments — this piles up hatred and breeds disaster. Reforming the people, by instructing them, goes deeper than the mere issuing of commands; making the people imitate the good example of the ruler is more expeditious than issuing mandates.

(Chao Liang continued)
Your Lordship takes improper measures and makes external alterations, but there is nothing that can lay claim to the name of instruction. Moreover, your Lordship sits with your face to the south (193) and calls yourself “I, who am alone” (194) and daily you restrain the nobles of Ch’ in more. The Shih-ching says (195):
Look at a rat, it has its lim bs — but a m an shall be without cerem onial behaviour ! A man who has no cerem onial behaviour, how is it that he does not die at once.

(Chao Liang continued)
Looking at it from the point of view of this ode, there is nothing which gives you a claim to long life. Already for eight years has Prince Ch’ ien (196) bolted his door and has not gone out. Your Lordship has also killed Chu Kuan (197) and branded Kung-sun Chia. The ode says (198):
H e who obtains m en’s favour, flourishes, he who loses m en’s favour, collapses.

(Chao Liang continued)
p.28 In all these matters there is nothing that gives you a claim to having obtained the favour of men ! Whenever your Lordship goes out, tens of carriages follow behind, the escorting carriages bear arms, and men of great strength and “with ribs joined together” (199) act as the third on the war chariots (200), men, who carry spears and bear halberds and lances, run alongside the carriages (201). Whenever one of these precautions should fail, your Lordship would certainly not go out. The Shu-ching says (202):
H e who relies on virtue, prospers, but he who relies on force, perishes.

(Chao Liang continued)
Your Lordship’ s peril is like that of the morning dew. Do you still expect that your years will be prolonged and that your age will be increased ! Why then do you not return your fifteen cities, and water your garden in a rustic spot, encourage the King (203) of Ch’ in to bring to the front the scholars from their mountain peaks and grottoes, to nourish the old, to maintain the orphans, to respect fathers and elder brothers, to give rank to those who have merit and to honour those who have virtue, in order to have peace, to a slight extent. Your Lordship will still covet the riches of Shang and Yü, enjoy the privilege of instructing the state of Ch’ in and accumulate the hatred of the people. But if the King of Ch’ in should, of a morning, leave his guests (204) and no longer stand in the Court, how p.29 slight would be the chance that the state of Ch’ in would maintain your Lordship ! You would perish in no more time than is needed to lift up a foot !

The Lord of Shang did not follow this counsel, and, five months later, Duke Hsiao of Ch’ in died, and the Crown Prince was set up as his successor (205). The partisans of Prince Ch’ ien accused the Lord of Shang of planning a rebellion. Lictors were sent to arrest him, but he had fled to a place in the passes (206). When he desired to lodge at an inn, the innkeeper, not knowing that he was Lord Shang, said:
— According to the law of the Lord of Shang, whoever shall receive at his inn guests, who cannot be identified, will be punished (207).
The Lord of Shang heaved a sigh, saying:
— Alas, that the worthlessness of the law should reach such a point !

He left and went to Wei, but the people of Wei, who hated him for having tricked Prince Ang and for having defeated the hosts of Wei, refused to receive him (208). When the Lord of Shang p.30 wished to go to another country, the people of Wei said:
— The Lord of Shang is a rebel of Chin; as Ch’ in is a powerful country, when its rebels come to Wei, we have no choice but to send them back.

Thereupon, Lord Shang was forced to re-enter Ch’ in. As soon as the Lord of Shang had re-entered Ch’ in, he hastened to the cities of Shang, and, combining with his followers, raised an army in these cities and marched to attack Cheng. Ch’ in sent an army, which attacked the Lord of Shang and slew him at Min-ch’ ih (209) in Cheng. King (210) Hui of Ch’in had him torn to pieces by chariots (211) as an expiatory punishment, saying:
— Let no one rebel like Shang Yang !

Thereupon, he exterminated the family of the Lord of Shang (212). The Great Astrologer (213) says: « The Lord of Shang was naturally, in character, a hard and cruel man. When we find in his story that he tried to impress Duke Hsiao by the methods of the Emperors and Kings (we may be sure that) what he held forth was frivolous talk and did not represent his real nature. Further, after having succeeded in obtaining employment through the introduction of a favourite, he punished Prince Ch’ ien, betrayed the Wei general, Ang, and p.31 did not follow the advice of Chao Liang, all of which acts show clearly that the Lord of Shang was a man of little favour. I have read the books on “Opening and Debarring ” (214) and on “Agriculture and War” (215), which are in keeping with the deeds he did. There is reason enough why he should have finally left a bad reputation in Ch’ in.

B. The Record of Shang Yang in the Chin-ts’ê (216)
Wei Yang left Wei and went to Ch’ in. Duke Hsiao made him Councillor and gave him as fief Yü and Shang. He was called the Lord of Shang. When Lord Shang governed Ch’ in the laws were greatly practised; they were in the public interest and equitable, without favouritism, the punishments not sparing the strong and great, nor the rewards being exclusively bestowed on relatives and friends. The law even p.32 extended to the Crown Prince, whose tutors were branded and punished by the slicing off of the nose, and the feudal lords were fearful.

After a year, things dropped on the road were not picked up, and the people did not take things improperly. His military equipment, both for defence and attack, was very strong. However, he was very hard, cruel and rarely bestowed favours. Especially did he make them submit by force. Duke Hsiao used him for eight years (217), and when he fell ill and did not get up, he wished to transmit the government to the Lord Shang, but the latter declined and did not accept it. After the death of Duke Hsiao, King (218) Hui became his successor and attended to the government. A short time afterwards, Lord Shang took leave and returned (219).

Somebody addressed King Hui, in the following terms:
— If a minister is too powerful, the state is in danger; if (a prince’ s) entourage is too familiar, his person is in danger. Now women and infants in Ch’ in all speak of the law of Lord Shang and do not speak of the law of the Great King. Thus the positions are reversed and Lord Shang is made the ruler and the Great King is made the minister. Moreover Lord Shang is an old enemy of the Great King. Will it please Your Majesty to consider this !

When Lord Shang returned from his journey home, King Hui had him torn to pieces by chariots; nor did the people of Ch’ in pity him.