Book VI 419of the sage king who really cares about his people. The Classic of Documents
says, ‘Heaven hears and sees as our people hear and see.’^22 These days,
strange things are happening in the sky, such as flocks of raven darkening
the sky, which appear quite dreadful. We are currently undertaking the con-
struction of two capital cities simultaneously. Hence, manpower is divided,
and the people are having a hard time, while the construction itself is still
far from completion. We request you to reduce their burden by prioritizing
what is urgent. Then the people, as well as Heaven, will be pleased, and it
will bring about auspicious signs [to dispel our worries].
“1. The Analects says, ‘Love your people by practicing economy.’^23 The
Book of Changes says, ‘Neither waste property nor harm people by adhering
to the rules of spending.’ What these admonitions indicate is that the love of
the people is not to waste property, and wasting property always brings
harm to the people. In ancient times, Emperor Yao lived in a straw- thatched
cottage with mud walls. Yu the Great had the roof of his royal palace low-
ered. Emperor Wen of the Han dynasty gave up building a lofty terrace in
order to save money. So they have been admired for their virtues from
antiquity until now. We request that Your Majesty have your royal palace
look simple and modest and reduce unnecessary officials or integrate offices,
if possible, to save state expenditures, emulating those ancient sage kings.
“1. In ancient times, the well- field (chŏngjŏn) system served as the foun-
dation for maintaining state armies. This system disappeared with the
decline of the Zhou dynasty but revived during the Tang dynasty, when the
divisional militia (fubing) system was established. We now have the Three
Armies Headquarters in the capital, and in local districts the units of palace
guards that consist of rotated militiamen, and the units are assigned to one
of the Three Armies. This is no other than the legacy of the old divisional
militia system. However, at the end of the previous dynasty, the household
register fell into disarray and consequently the people came to bear an unfair
burden of military service. Virtually all members of the household often
had to serve as royal guards or seamen, and since everyone in the family
was recruited for military service, people who were unable to bear the
burden increasingly ran away to avoid it.
- “The Counsels of Kao Yao,” (The Shu King p. 56)
- This was adapted from the chapter “Xueer” in The Analects: “To rule a country of a
thousand chariots, there must be reverent attention to business, and sincerity; economy in
expenditure, and love for men; and the employment of the people at the proper season.” (Legge,
p. 140)