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Legalism -> Shang Jun Shu -> Rewards and Punishments -> 3.1

In days of old, Tang was invested with Zan-mao,
文王 Wen-wang was invested with Qi-Zhou,
a district of a hundred square li,
鳴條 Tang fought a battle with Jie in the fields of Ming-tiao,
武王 Wu-wang fought a battle with Zhou in the fields of mu,
and utterly defeated the "nine armies",
諸侯 and finally split up the land and gave fiefs to the feudal lords.
The officers and soldiers, who retired from the ranks, all received land, with the peasants belonging to it, in hamlets of 25 families;
the chariots were given a rest, and were no longer mounted;
華山 the horses were set at liberty on the southern slopes of Mount Hua;
the oxen were set at liberty in the meadows,
and they were allowed to grow old without being reassembled (for war).
This was the way of Tang and Wu of giving rewards.
Therefore is it said:
天下 'If all the people in the empire had had to be rewarded with the produce of Zan-mao and Qi-Zhou,
no one would have received a pint,
天下 and if all the people of the empire had had to be rewarded with its money,
no one would have received a cash.'
Therefore is it said: 'If a prince of a territory of a hundred li invests his ministers with fiefs, he greatly increases his original territory.'


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