chinese story - 7

Soon after came a special envoy from the Ruler of Wu to urge upon Lu Kang prompt activity.
　　“Our Emperor sends orders for you to press forward,” said the envoy. “You are not to await a Jin invasion.”
　　“You may return, and I will send up a memorial,” replied Lu Kang.
　　So a memorial was written and soon followed the envoy to the capital, which by this time was Jianye. When the Ruler of Wu, Sun Hao, read it, he found therein many arguments against attacking Jin and exhortations to exercise a virtuous rule instead of engaging in hostilities. It angered him.
　　“they say Lu Kang has come to an understanding with the enemy, and now I believe it！” said the Ruler of Wu.
　　thereupon he deprived Lu Kang of his command and took away his commission and degraded him into Marching General. Sun Ji, General of the Left Army, was sent to supersede Lu Kang. And none dared to intervene.
　　Sun Hao became still more arbitrary and of his own will changed the year-style once more to the Phoenix （AD 269）。 Day by day his life became more wanton and vicious. The soldiers in every camp murmured with anger and resentment, and at last three high officers——Prime Minister Wan Yu, General Liu Ping, and Minister of Agriculture Lou Xuan——boldly and earnestly remonstrated with the Emperor for his many irregularities. They suffered death. Within ten years more than forty ministers were put to death for doing their duty.
　　Sun Hao maintained an extravagantly large guard of fifty thousand heavy cavalry, and these soldiers were the terror of everyone.
　　Now when Yang Hu, on the Jin side of the frontier, heard that his opponent Lu Kang had been removed from his command and that the conduct of the Ruler of Wu had become wholly unreasonable, he knew that the time was near for him to conquer Wu. Wherefore he presented a memorial：
　　“Although fate is superior to human, yet success depends upon human effort. Now as the geographic difficulties of the South Land are not as those of the River Lands, while the ferocity of Sun Hao exceeds that of Liu Shan, the misery of the people of Wu exceeds that of the dwellers in Shu. Our armies are stronger than ever before, and if we miss this opportunity to bring the whole land under one rule, but continue to weary our army with continual watching and cause the world to groan under the burden of militarism, then our efficiency will decline and we shall not endure.”