With Heaven and the Sage King as witnesses, Luo Yan, Chong'er, and the Duke of Qi swore an oath in Yi City to honor the Royal House together, campaign against the Barbarians, and still the blades drawn between the feudal lords.
Luo Yan shared a carriage with the Duke of Qi. Gazing at the verdant mountains on either side, their layered forests steeped in color, Luo Yan said with some feeling, "Duke of Qi.
"Five hundred years ago, your ancestor Taigong Wang followed King Wu and the Sage King in conquering this land. Only then did the wealth and honor we enjoy today become possible.
"Even now, it is still Qi State and Luo State together that sustain the Mandate of Heaven of the Zhou State."
"The sun of the Zhou State shines bright and clear. This is Heaven's will; Qi State merely follows its commands."
The Duke of Qi spoke very modestly. A hundred years earlier, he would certainly have been arrogant, but Qi State had now declined year after year. Had Duke Huan of Qi not left such a substantial foundation, it would long since have fallen from the ranks of the foremost powers.
After Luo Yan returned home, he still felt rueful. As ruler of Qi State, the Duke of Qi had no spirit whatsoever.
After Qi State destroyed the Lai Yi State, it did not even have a powerful enemy nearby. Its ruler knew only pleasure-seeking, without a worthy minister as deeply trusted as Guan Zhong to assist him. It could not possibly compare with Qin State and Chu State, which had fought their way through a thousand hardships and ten thousand perils.
Without wise ministers at home or powerful enemies abroad, how could such a state grow strong?
Chu State, Yingdu.
The Chu people