Han Wangxi

TODAY, we’ll hear a story of the famous general Wu Qi. During the reign of Duke Wu of the Wei State in the 4th century B.C., Wu served as magistrate of Xihe. He wanted to conquer a military fortress in the neighboring State of Qin. However, his troops were insufficient, and it was difficult to recruit additional forces on short notice. What should he do?

He came up with an idea. One day, Wu had someone move a cart pole to the outside of the north gate and lean it against one side of the gate. He posted a notice saying that if anyone moved the cart pole to the outside of the south gate, the magistrate would reward them with good farmland and a high-quality residence. The notice was signed by Wu and sealed with his official stamp.

This news quickly spread, and many people gathered around the cart pole, discussing it. Some said that the cart pole was so light that it wouldn’t be difficult to move it to the south gate. But could the reward be trusted?

Despite the discussions, no one moved the cart pole, until that evening, when a young man in his 20s came from the north gate. He looked at the notice and then at the cart pole. With some doubt, he asked the soldier in charge of guarding: “Is what’s written on this notice true?”

The soldier replied, “Would it be fake?” The young man summoned his courage and decided to give it a try. He lifted the cart pole and taking big strides, crossed the bustling old market area and finally placed the cart pole outside the south gate. A crowd of spectators followed behind the young man, mocking him as a daydreamer.

Upon seeing the cart pole delivered to the designated spot at the south gate, the soldier in charge led the young man into the prefectural government office. Not long after, the young man emerged happily holding the land deed and house deed awarded by the magistrate. The spectators couldn’t help but envy him.

The next day, Wu had a basket of red beans placed outside the east gate. A notice was posted, saying that whoever delivered this load of beans to the outside of the west gate would be rewarded just as the day before. The signature and seal were the same as before. This time, people competed to move the beans, and those who carried them also received rewards.

From then on, the people of Xihe knew that the new magistrate kept his word. Seeing that the opportunity had arrived, Wu issued a third notice, saying that those who enlisted in the army to attack the State of Qin would be titled as high-ranking officials and given top-quality residences and land. The signature was once again Wu’s and sealed with the official stamp.

Upon seeing this notice, the people rushed to sign up for the military. At the opportune moment, Wu led his troops to launch a fierce attack on Qin. The soldiers eagerly competed to be first, and in just one morning, they captured the target location.

Han Feizi said that the story tells us that a ruler who rewards and punishes with trust will find that both his officials and common people are willing to work for him. This shows the way to govern a country.

(The author is a cultural scholar.)

(Translated by Shenzhen Daily)