Mencius states rulers may seize single states through cruelty and force, yet no one can gain lasting rule over the whole realm without benevolence. True universal governance relies on moral virtue rather than violent power.
Mencius depicts a moral political decline: Five Hegemons betrayed the Three Kings’ ideal order; current lords break the Kuiqiu Alliance’s five rules. Ministers who abet rulers’ misdeeds bear graver guilt than those who merely tolerate evil.
The Master said, “Duke Wen of Jin was crafty but not upright; Duke Huan of Qi was upright but not crafty.”
Mencius said: “He who uses force under the guise of benevolence achieves hegemony. Hegemony requires a great state. But he who practices benevolence through virtue achieves true kingship – and kingship does not depend on size. King Tang ruled with only seventy li of territory; King Wen with only a hundred li.”
Gongsun Chou asked Mencius, “If you should hold the power of government in Qi, could you achieve great deeds like Guan Zhong and Yanzi?”