Records of the Human Emperor
[Couplet Army]
'Soldiers are trained for a thousand days to be used in a single moment'
Chapter 1
'If only he wasn’t that obstinate then!If only he was able to awaken in time, stand up and protect his family and homeland with his military talents! It was all too late! All that he loved and all he loved had left him! All those that loved deeply and all that he loved dearly had left him.If only he could do it all over again, he would have been a better person. However, it was all too late!'
Chapter 12
'While one mustn’t have the intention to harm others, one should always keep their guards up!'
'If one didn’t have a guilty conscience, there was no need for fear ghosts knocking on one’s door in the middle of a night'
‘The one who laughs in the end is the winner’
Chapter 14
‘Dynasties changed faster than a person’s nature’
'When the tree falls, the monkeys will scatter. What that should go will eventually go, it is a futile attempt to try to retain them. On the other hand, those who should stay will not leave in the end'
- Academic Lu Ting -
Chapter 15
‘Only with a long journey will one know the stamina of his horse, and only with time will a person’s heart show through’
- Academic Lu Ting -
‘Money makes the world go round’. The more capable a person is, the more arrogant he is likely to be. Without sufficient profits involved, who would be willing to serve another?'
Chapter 16
‘Learning the strengths of others to wield it against them’
Chapter 17
‘The stone of other mountains could be used to polish jade’
Chapter 21
'If one didn’t enter the den of the tiger, how could they obtain a tiger cub? If one doesn’t put themselves in danger, they would be unable to reap benefits'
Chapter 30
‘The rage of a peasant destroys a household, but the anger of an emperor forms a river of blood’
Chapter 36
'People don’t believe what you say, they only believe what they see!'
Chapter 43 [Done]
'If one wanted the crown, one had to bear its weight!'
Chapter 44
‘An army is valued by its speed; better early than late’
Chapter 45
'A smart man knows how to move along with the tide'
Chapter 50
‘Grant a thirsty man a drop of water and he would repay you with a fountain’
Chapter 78
‘Even though a gentleman loves money, he obtains it through righteous means’
Chapter 79
‘The one in the lakeside pavilion obtains the moon first’
‘The earliest bird gets the worm’
Chapter 89
‘Those who find literature in their heart will be liberal, and those who embrace classics will be refined’
Chapter 90
"The emperor’s worry is the subordinate’s humiliation, and the emperor’s humiliation is the subordinate’s demise’. If the emperor is worried over the affairs of the nation, the subordinate would take it as a humiliation. If the emperor is humiliated, the subordinates would die to express their guilt! Thus, during the Western Han era, when Crown Prince Lai Dan was killed, Chang Hui charged into the Western Regions regardless of the danger to destroy Kucha. This is what a patriot is!”
(Western Han BC 77)
“When Gu Ji was killed, Chen Tang wrote a report to the emperor, ‘Those who dares to sully the strong Han will be destroyed, no matter how far they may be’, and destroyed Zhizhi Chanyu. This is what a patriot is!”
(Western Han & Xiongnu, BC36)
“During the era of Emperor Ming of Eastern Han, Ban Chao was ordered to lead an army to the Western Regions, and at Shanshan County, he met an envoy of the Xiongnu. The armies of the Xiongnu were powerful, and their defenses were incredible. Ban Chao said that ‘One couldn’t obtain a cub without entering the den of a lion’ and led 72 Han soldiers to slay the Xiongnu, thus expelling them from the Tarim Basin. This is what a patriot is!”
(Eastern Han, AD28-75)
“If everyone is a patriot, grandfather wouldn’t have to busy himself despite having retired, His Majesty wouldn’t have to open this Four Quarters Embassy, and our Great Tang wouldn’t have to worry about maintaining its prosperity!”
- Wang Chong to his Grandfather, Duke Jiu -
《Commentary of Zuo: Duke Cheng of Lu, Year 16》: ‘If a day comes when many patriots emerge, they would become an unstoppable force’
- Duke Jiu to Wang Gen -