The Three Principle Texts of Daoism translated by ... - Bad Request

and wanted to know the secret of their rapid rise in theworld. The two brothers readily gave him the desiredinformation, whereupon the eldest son immediately setoff for Ch'in, hoping that his cultural attainments wouldrecommend him to the King of that State.But the King said: “At the present moment all the feudalprinces are struggling to outbid one another in power,and the great essential is to keep up a large army. If Itried to govern my State on the lines of benevolence andrighteousness, ruin and annihilation would be theoutcome!"So saying, he had the unfortunate man castrated, andturned him away.The second son, meanwhile, had gone to Wei, hopingthat his military knowledge would stand him in goodstead. But the Marquis of Wei said to himself—'Mine is aweak State hedged in by powerful ones [- bounded byChin and Ch'i on the north, Lu on the cast, and Chêngon the south].My method of preserving tranquillity is to showsubservience to the larger States and to conciliate thelesser ones. If I were to rely on armed force, I could onlyexpect utter destruction. I must not allow this man todepart unscathed, or he may find his way to some otherstate and be a terrible thorn in my side."So, without more ado, he cut off his feet and sent himback to Lu.