-
The fatal strength of Meng Ben [Warring States]
•
During the Warring States Period (5th–3rd century BCE), a time of relentless warfare and shifting alliances among China’s rival states, physical prowess was often celebrated – yet it could also invite disaster when entangled with royal politics.
-
Mencius – Chapter 3.1 Half the Effort, Double the Glory: The opportunity for Benevolent Rule
•
Gongsun Chou asked Mencius, “If you should hold the power of government in Qi, could you achieve great deeds like Guan Zhong and Yanzi?”
-
The chicken-crowers and dog-thieves: Lord Mengchang [Warring States]
•
Among the Four Lords of the Warring States Period – Pingyuan, Xinling, Chunshen, and Mengchang – Tian Wen, Lord Mengchang, stood apart. The others served their homelands with unwavering loyalty: Lord Pingyuan defended Zhao, Lord Xinling stole the tally to save Zhao, and Lord Chunshen died in service to Chu. But Lord Mengchang drifted…
-
The peril of the ancestral temple in Xue [Warring States]
•
During the mid–Warring States period, Lord Mengchang (Tian Wen), once chancellor of Qi, fell out of favor with King Min of Qi and retired to his fiefdom of Xue (southeast of present-day Tengzhou, Shandong). Though renowned for hosting thousands of retainers and honoring talent, his growing influence had aroused royal suspicion.