Deng Man, the virtuous consort of King Xiong Tong of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period and the biological mother of King Wen of Chu. She was praised by successive rulers for her ability to observe the deficit and surplus of heaven and her knowledge of people.
After the state of Chu grew in power, Xiong Tong wanted to dominate the Central Plains and met with the vassals. However, the minister of the king’s court, Xu Bo Bi, suggested that the king must be crowned by the emperor of Zhou before the lords could have the power to conquer. Xiong Tong sent his vassal to ask for a king’s title, but was refused by the Son of Zhou.
Unhappy, Xiong Tong crowned himself King Wu of Chu. The surrounding small states all came to pay tribute. The only four countries that did not come to pay tribute were Sui, Utopia, Jang and Luo, and King Wu of Chu was furious and prepared to invade these four countries.
In the 42nd year of King Wu of Chu (699 B.C.), the general Qu Xiao (official name “Mo Ao”) led a large army to invade the Luo Kingdom. On the way back, he said to his driver, “I think Mo Ao will definitely lose the war this time. Look at the way he walks, lifting his toes very high, which shows that he has a strong heart but not a calm mind.”
When he returned to the palace, he told the king of Chu that Mo Ao should be sent to attack Luo this time, and that further reinforcements should be sent. King Wu of Chu thought that the Chu army was strong and almost all the elite soldiers had followed Mo Ao and would surely win the battle, and felt that there was no need to send further reinforcements.
When King Wu of Chu returned to his inner court, he told Deng Man of what he had said about fighting against Bobi. Deng Man said.
“In my opinion, what Kui Bo Bi meant was not really that the king should send more troops. What Kipling Bo Bi meant was that the king should pacify the people of the small country with grace and trust, admonish all officials with morality, and deter Mo Ao with punishment.”
“Mo Ao has won battles in Pusao before, so he is proud of his merits and despises the state of Luo. If your majesty does not give both grace and authority, Mo Ao will surely let down his guard and take no precautions.”
The king of Chu realized it and sent his men to chase Mo Ao. But it was already impossible to catch up. Mo Ao was so headstrong and self-opinionated that he ordered to behead anyone who advised him. As a result, he was defeated and killed himself in a deserted valley.
The generals fled with the remnants of the army and complained to the king. So he pardoned the generals.
King Wu of Chu knew that he had failed to dominate the Central Plains, and he was afraid that the small kingdoms would never pay tribute to him again, so he decided to go on a personal expedition to follow the kingdoms. Before the king of Chu left for the expedition, he prepared to fast and said to Deng Man, “At this moment, my mind is shaken, why is that?”
Deng Man sighed and said.
“The king’s virtue is thin but his wealth is thick; he has given too little and received too much. Things will decline when they reach their peak, the sun will move down when it rises to noon, the moon will lose when it is full. Fullness will be swept away, things will be reversed, this is the way of heaven.”
“The previous king knew this truth, so he made the king’s mind shaken and unsettled before he went on the expedition. It would have been a blessing for the country if the army had not been lost and the king had died on the way.”
Later, King Wu of Chu died under the elm wood while on his march. As Deng Man expected, the king of Chu died halfway.
When Deng Man heard that Mo Ao’s mind was unstable, he knew that he would defeat the war; when he heard that King Wu’s mind was shaken, he knew that King Wu would die on the march. Deng Man knew the way of heaven, so he could grasp the law of development. In the Han Dynasty, Sima Xiangru praised Deng Man as “like a divine immortal”, and his deeds were also compiled by Liu Xiang in the “Biography of Women” in the Han Dynasty.
References.
The Chronicle of the Female, Volume 3
Zuo Zhuan‧13 Years of Duke Huan
Zuo Zhuan‧The Fourth Year of Duke Zhuang
Historical Records‧The Tenth Century of Chu
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