The Most Venerable Book (Shang Shu)
Page 9
Heaven’s Mandate.
Be vigilant.’
The Emperor then sang:
‘If the ministers are prepared,
the head can act,
and all rulers
will be successful.’
Gaoyao bowed low and said in a commanding voice:
‘Listen now.
Hear and take note of what is said.
Your leader will guide you.
Follow his rules.
Pay due respect.
Make sure your behaviour is appropriate.’
Then he sang this song:
‘If the head is wise
and the ministers in accord
all will be well.’
He also sang:
‘If the head is a pain
and the ministers are lazy
then all will go awry.’
The Emperor greeted everyone and said, ‘This is true. Therefore go and do this properly.’
THE BOOK OF XIA
The Xia dynasty traditionally ruled between 2205 and 1766 BC. The first ruler was Yu the Great. The Report to Heaven is one of the most important documents regarding the places, names and administration of Early China.
6
Yu’s Report to Heaven*
Yu set out and mapped the whole of his land and marked the territories. He noted all the details, from the high mountains and the rivers to the hills.
The detailed report is as follows:
Jizhou Area: initial focus – Hukou
Attention paid to Liang and Qi mountains.
Watercourse near Taiyuan restored.
Waters controlled south at Mount Yue.
In the north, focus on controlling the force of the Zhang river.
Soil: white clay – good.
Tax: highest of the top level.
Fields: average.
Note – Heng and Wei rivers are now cleared and flowing smoothly to the sea.
Dalu area now able to be cultivated.
Tribute: from the island-dwelling barbarians – fur.
Route: going to the right of Mount Jieshi, then up the Yellow River.
Yanzhou Area: between the Ji and Yellow River
Nine rivers returned to their proper way.
Leixia is an area of lake once again and functioning properly. Yong and Ju rivers flow into it. Mulberry bushes grow here now – people have settled here from the hills to cultivate the fields.
Soil: rich and dark. Grass – good; woodlands healthy.
Tax: middling.
Fields: upper middling.
Note – over the past thirteen years productivity has risen.
Tribute: dyes, silks – in special coloured containers.
Route: via the Ji and Ta rivers into the Yellow River.
Qingzhou Area: from Mount Tai to the sea
Waters around Yuyi have been controlled and the Wei and Zi rivers returned to their proper way.
Soil: white – along the coast, salty.
Fields: upper lower.
Tax: middle of top level on top quality.
Tribute: salt; matting; wide range of marine products; silks; hemp; lead; pine and rare jewels. From the tribe of the Laiyu comes silk in baskets.
Route: along the Wei and Ji rivers.
Xuzhou Area: between the seas, Mount Tai and the Huai River
Huai and Yi rivers controlled; land around the Meng and Yu mountains now arable. Flood waters drain on to the plain and into a lake – ensuring more cultivable land.
Soil: red clay and abundant flora.
Fields: upper middle.
Tax: middle of top level.
Tribute: five colours earth; bright feathers from the Yu area; special wood from Yi mountain; ritual chime stones from the Si river; pearls and fish from the Huai valley.
Route: via Huai and Si rivers to the Yellow River.
Yangzhou Area: from Huai River in the north to the southern sea
Flood waters now channelled into the Pengli lake. Islands of the south now habitable as a consequence. The three main rivers have been channelled to flow into the sea. Swamp land drained and now bamboo, grass and trees are abundant.
Soil: muddy.
Fields: poor.
Tax: middle.
Tribute: gold, silver and copper; gems; bamboo; ivory; skins; feathers; fur and timber. From the island people – matting; silk in baskets; varieties of organs.
Route: via Changjiang river to Huai and Si rivers or alternatively along the coast via the above rivers.
Jingzhou Area: from Jing mountains to the south of Heng mountain
Changjiang and Han rivers now controlled and flow like tribute-bearers into the sea. The many tributaries of the Changjiang have been channelled, resulting in prosperous land now around Yunmeng.
Soil: muddy.
Fields: upper middle level.
Tax: upper level.
Tribute: feathers; ox-tails; ivory; rhino hides; gold, silver and copper; various specialist woods; grindstones; flint arrowheads; cinnabar; bamboo and the rare Hu wood. These three areas also send a famous tribute of baskets of pandan, richly coloured silk, pearls and mother-of-pearl, while from the rivers come the giant tortoises.
Route: via Changjiang river and its outlets and the Han River, then by land to the Luo and the Yellow River.
Yuzhou Area: Jing mountain to the Yellow River
The rivers Yi, Chan and Jian now flow into Luo and on into the Yellow River. Yingbo lake along with Hoze and Mengzhu lakes all help regulate the waters.
Soil: Clay with loam in lower regions.
Fields: Middling.
Tax: Middle upper level.
Tribute: paint; hemp; good to poor quality matting; baskets of coloured silk; floss; ritual chime stones.
Route: Luo river into the Yellow River.
Liangzhou Area: South of Hua mountain to the Black River in the east
Arable land now on Min and Bozhong mountains due to the Tuo and Qian rivers being controlled. Cai and Meng mountains now cultivatable. The wild people of Heshui valley now working the land.
Soil: black.
Fields: upper middle.
Tax: highest.
Tribute: gems; iron; silver; steel; flint arrowheads; chime stones; bear, fox and other skins.
Route: from Xiqing mountains along the Heng, Qian and Mian Rivers into the Wei River and then into the Yellow River.
Yongzhou Area: between the Black and West Rivers
The Ruo River has been channelled west. The Jing and Wei Rivers are united to the north. Channels have been dug to link the Qi and Ju Rivers to the Wei from the north and the Feng River from the south. The Jing, Qi, Zhongnan, Chongwu and Niaoshu mountains were honoured and surveyed. By controlling the rivers and surveying the land around the mountains, scope was created for greater agricultural use. The Sanwei area was also made habitable and the Miao people settled there.
Soil: yellow.
Fields: the best possible.
Tax: lower middle level.
Tribute: precious jewels such as jade and pearl-like gems; fur and leather clothing from the barbaric tribes, Kunlun, Xizhi and Qusou.
Route: by land through the Jishi mountains, by boat along the Yellow River to the west of Longmen, gathering at the junction of the Wei.
Yu also undertook and achieved the following:
Studying and regulating the Qian and Qi mountains.
Travelling on inspection to the Jing mountain.
Crossing the Yellow River, Hukuo and Leishou to Mount Taiyue.
He went via the Wangun mountains to Dizhu and Xicheng, then via Taihang and Heng to Jieshi and thus arrived at the sea.
Yu studied and regulated all the rivers from the Xiqing, Zhuyu and Niaoshu to the Taihua mountains, and then to the Xiong’er, Waifang, Tongbai and Peiwui mountains.
He studied and regulated the channels along the Bozhong and Jing mountains and the Neifang and Dabie mountains;
He then channelled the rivers to the south of Min and Heng
mountains via the Jiujiang River to Boyang lake;
He studied and regulated the Ruo River through the Heli channelling them into the area where the nine rivers flow and flood;
He studied and regulated the Black River to Sanwei and its waters now flow into the seas to the south.
He studied and regulated the Yellow River from the Jishi mountain to Longmen and on south, passing north of Hua mountain, then via the Dizhu mountain east to Mengjin. From there he went across the Luo to Dapei. Here he turned north to the area of the nine rivers where the flood waters of the Yellow River are poured into the sea.
From Bozhong mountain he studied and regulated the Yang River, which east of there becomes the Han and then even further east becomes the Canglang. Passing the Three Dykes, it reaches Dabei, where it turns south and into the Changjiang River. Going even further east, the surging waters pour into the Pengli lake; then out, heading east as the Beijiang River, it flows into the sea as the Changjiang River.
From the Min mountain, he studied and regulated the Changjiang River, which branching off eastwards becomes the Tuo. Further east the waters flow into the Li River, reaching the area of the nine rivers where it floods, where it flows east and bends north before wandering into the Huai River. From there it flows to the middle Changjiang River and then into the sea.
He studied and regulated the Yan River, calling it the Ji River, which flows east into the Yellow River with its flood plain known as the Ying marshland. Going on east and to the north of Taoqui to the marsh of Ho, it then turns north-east to join the Wen and from there, north, then east, it flows into the sea.
Yu studied and regulated the Huai River from the Tongbo mountains, ensuring it joins the Si and Yi Rivers and from there flows eastwards to the sea.
He studied and regulated the Wei River from the Niaoshu hill to flow into the Feng and then on to the Jing in the east. Further east the Wei passes the Qi and Ju Rivers and then flows into the Yellow River.
Yu studied and regulated the Luo River from Xiong’er, where it flows north-east to join the Jian and Chan Rivers. Here it turns east and flows into the Yi before entering the Yellow River in the north-east.
As a result of Yu’s great labour, the waters were regulated throughout the land, making it possible for people to settle. The hills were cleared of scrub and established. The rivers were channelled and the marshes embanked to prevent flooding. It was now possible to reach the capital from anywhere in the land. Material wealth and production increased. The status of the land for taxation purposes was standardized and the exact level judged accordingly. The fields were properly classified with regard to the main types of soil and the tax was fixed.
He bestowed lands and titles, including surnames. Because virtue became the ruling discipline, no one dared to deviate from it.
The inner zone stretched five hundred li in each direction from the capital. Within the first one hundred li, the income was the entire plant of the grain; from the second, the ears; from the third, the straw; from the fourth, the husks; and from the fifth, the threshed grain.
The land beyond the five hundred li was the land of the Nobles. The income from the first hundred li in this zone were various types of labour; from the second, specific labour; from the third, military service.
Beyond the land of the Nobles was encompassed the zone of security. In the first three hundred li the locals were educated; in the outer two hundred li the people were under military rule.
The five hundred li area beyond this was the Forbidden Lands, where the first three hundred li were for non-Han people and the outer two hundred for convicted criminals.
The five hundred li beyond that were the barbaric lands where in the first three hundred li the barbarians lived and the two hundred li beyond that were where the worst criminals were sent.
From utmost east to the sea; from utmost west to the desert; from utmost north and from utmost south, his fame and power reached everyone. Yu was rewarded with the highest badge of honour – the jade plaque – and his task was over.
7
The Covenant at Gan
This speech is believed to have been given by Yu’s son Qi and relates to a rebellion against him around 2193 BC.
The six commanders launched a terrible war at Gan. The king said, ‘Well, my six commanders of the army, I have a covenant to make with you. The ruler of Hu has insulted the integrity of the Five Elements and has insolently disregarded the three rituals duties of the year. Heaven has ordained his destruction and having removed the Mandate of Heaven to rule, I am commanded to punish him.
‘You, the archers to the left in the chariot, if you do not do your duty, you will have sealed your fate. You, spearmen to the right of the chariot, if you do not do your duty, you will have sealed your fate. Charioteers, if you do not drive your horses forward and engage the enemy, you will have sealed your fate. Do as you are expected and you will be honoured in front of the ancestors. Fail to do as you are expected and you will be executed in front of the gods of the land and your entire family will be enslaved. Or killed.’
8
Lament of the Five Sons
The overthrow of Tai Gang took place around 2159 BC.
Tai Gang sat on the throne like a corpse. He was selfish and thoughtless and totally without virtue, which caused the black-haired people to consider rebelling. This did not distract him at all. He continued to indulge himself even more and went off to hunt by the River Lo. He was gone for a hundred days without any indication of when he would bother to come back.
Because of this, and seeing the people could not stand this any more, King Yi, the ruler of Jiong, opposed Tai Gang and forced him to the Yellow River. The five brothers of the emperor accompanied their mother dutifully, and went with her to await their brother beside the River Lo. The five sons all spoke out and reiterated the ancient warning of Yu the Great. They did this through singing songs.
The first sang:
Our inspired ancestor proclaimed
that the people should be cherished
and never abused!
The people are a country’s foundation;
if the base is secure, so is the country.
When I look out at the world
and see the ordinary people, men and women,
any one of them could be better than me.
I am just one man –
always capable of getting it wrong.
Should I really wait until their anger blazes?
Better to anticipate it before it emerges.
In front of the great crowd of the people
I should be braced as if I were driving a team of horses
with reins that are rotting!
The man who rules over everyone
needs to be conscious of what he does.
The second son then sang:
It’s all there in the teachings:
If, at home, you lead an outrageous life
and abroad go lusting for the chase
wasting yourself in heavy boozing
dancing and carousing the night away
in your buildings with their carved ceilings
and sumptuous suggestive walls
it has to be said that these
will always lead to your downfall!
The third son followed:
Once there was Tang of Tao
a model man of the path
who was the ruler of Ji.
But we wasted his exemplary way
now the laws and rules are in chaos
and everything is in pieces!
The fourth son replied:
Our ancestor was luminously bright,
emperor of states beyond measure.
He had rules, he had order
he handed down to his descendants.
He regulated weights and measures
so precious that he stored them in his palace!
All of this vanished through thoughtlessness,
leaving our ancestors’ sacrifices stranded.
The fifth son sang alone then:
I am desolate,
where can I hide
to contemplate these terrible thoughts?
The mass of the people are against us!
Who can we trust?
My heart is weary.
This lack of virtue makes me so ashamed.
My face reddens.
I try to think, but how can they ever be forgiven?
9
The Punishment of Yin
Zhong Kang was ruler between 2159 and 2146 BC.
When Zhong Kang became king, the Prince of Yin was ordered to take charge of the army hosts. The officials Xi and He had neglected their duties because they got drunk the whole time in their home towns and as a result the king ordered the Prince of Yin to punish them.
‘Well now, my brave warriors,’ the Prince told his assembled warriors. ‘Our wise one of the past has spoken clearly to us, and so he has kept our land safe. Our illustrious forebears respected Heaven’s decrees and were also wary of them. The ministers in those times did as they were expected and they were constant in the execution of their duties. The officials also did what was expected. Thus was the ruler able to be clear and thoughtful in all his actions.
‘Every year, in the first days of spring, someone travels abroad, banging a wooden board and announcing that officials should get ready and that workers should prepare their tools for the tasks ahead. If they weren’t ready and prepared, then there was an appropriate punishment awaiting.
‘At this very moment the officials Xi and He are sunk deep in a drunken state. They have abandoned every vestige of virtue, have abused their office and have abandoned their responsibilities. As a result they have disturbed the Order of Heaven and this is down to their ignoring their duties.