Treatise on Military Preparedness (Vol. 3)

...then invade them. If they harm the worthy and oppress the people, then attack them original: "shēng zuì zhì tǎo"; Proclaim their crimes and carry out punishment. If they are cruel to their own people and aggressive toward neighboring states, then isolate them by removing their ritual altars.

Remove their altars and ritual grounds. and If their fields lie fallow and the people are scattered, then diminish their territory. If they rely on their fortifications and refuse to submit, then invade them.

Replace their ruler and use covert forces to If they murder their own kin, then rectify them. If they exile or assassinate their ruler, then execute the offenders. If they violate mandates and abuse governance, then isolate them. If there is chaos within and without, and they act like beasts, then extinguish them.

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The Duty of the Son of Heaven: Section Two

The main theme of this section is governance The character "mù" literally means "shepherding," a common metaphor for governing the people.

The duty of the Son of Heaven (Tianzi): the supreme sovereign, believed to rule with the mandate of Heaven must be purely modeled after the principles of Heaven and Earth, while observing the examples set by the ancient sages. The duty of scholars and commoners

Scholars and their equipment are truly reliant upon these principles

must be to serve their parents and follow the guidance of their lords and elders. Therefore, even if there is an enlightened ruler, if the scholars are not first educated,

Relieve the military force

Civil and military virtues are not separate

they cannot be employed. In teaching the people in ancient times, the hierarchy of the noble and the lowly was necessarily established, so that through these principles they would not oppress one another,

All follow the same path

virtues and duties would not be overstepped, talents and skills would not be obscured, and courage and strength would not be used against each other. Thus, those of the same rank below

Show respect

will show respect to one another.