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Grandly and clearly ,
The king gave charge to his minister ,
A descendant of Nan Zhong ,
The Grand-master Huang-fu :—
'Put my six armies in order ,
And get ready all my apparatus of war .
Be reverent , be cautious ,
That we may give comfort to the States of the south . '

The king said to the Head of the Yin clan ,
'Give a charge to Xiu-fu , earl of Cheng ,
To undertake the arrangement of the ranks ,
And to warn all my troops .
Along the bank of the Huai ,
[We go] to see the land of Xu ,
Not delaying [our march] , not occupying [the territory] ,
That the threefold labours [of husbandry ] may proceed in order . '

Full of grandeur and strength ,
The Son of Heaven looked majestic .
Leisurely and calmly the king advanced ,
Not with his troops in masses , nor in broken lines .
The region of Xu from stage to stage was moved ;
It shook and was terrified , — the region of Xu .
As by the roll of thunder or its sudden crash ,
The region of Xu shook and was terrified .

The king aroused his warlike energy ,
As if he were moved with anger .
He advanced his tiger-like officers .
Looking fierce like raging tigers .
He displayed his masses along the bank of the Huai ,
And forthwith seized a crowd of captives .
Securely kept was the country about the bank of the Huai ,
Occupied by the royal armies .

The royal legions were numerous ;
[Swift] as if they flew on wings ,
[Imposing] as the current of the Jiang and the Han ;
Firm as a mountain ;
Rolling on like a stream ;
Continuous and orderly ;
Inscrutable , invincible ;
Grandly proceeding to set in order the States of Xu .

The king's plans were directed in truth and sincerity ,
And the region of Xu came [at once to terms] ;
Its [chiefs] were all collected together ;—
Through the merit of the Son of Heaven .
The country was all reduced to order ;
Its [chiefs] appeared before the king .
They would not again change their minds ,
And the kings said , ' Let us return . '