Midwinter Town: A Novella
“One may recall that in the past Chu was strong and Han weak when the empire was divided by agreement at the Great Canal. Then, seeing that his people were satisfied and settled in their minds, Zhang Liang went in pursuit of Xiang Yu and destroyed him.
“But is it necessary to act like King Wen and Gou Jian? Listen to the reply. In the days of Shang and Zhou, when imperial ranks had long existed and the relations between prince and minister were firmly established, even such as the Founder of the Hans could not have carved his way to a throne. But when the dynasty of Juin had suppressed the feudal nobles and set up mere representatives of its own power, and the people were weak and enslaved,