This Han Feizi ‑ Chapter 49 (Five Vermin) argues governance must adapt to changing eras. It denounces five harmful social groups sapping state strength, advocating strict law‑reward‑punishment and prioritizing farming‑warfare over empty moral rhetoric.
Han Feizi tells King Ling’s story: arrogant, rude to lords, ignored advice, and starved to death.
In ancient times, the human population was small while birds and beasts were numerous. People could not withstand the harm inflicted by wild animals, insects, and snakes.