Chapter 35: The Last Glory of the Jin State

As Duke Dao of Jin worked to reorganize domestic affairs, strengthen state power, and prepare for hegemony, one individual played a pivotal role: Wei Jiang of the Wei clan.

Wei Jiang, of the Ji surname and the Wei clan, was the grandson of Wei Zhun and the son of Wei Wuzi, hailing from a distinguished aristocratic family. In the first year of Duke Dao’s reign, to court powerful clans, the Duke liberally bestowed titles upon their scions. It was then that Wei Jiang was appointed Marshal of the Central Army, tasked with overseeing military discipline—a position equivalent in status to that held by Han Jue during the era of Zhao Dun.

Though Wei Jiang attained a seat among the Eight Ministers due to his family background, during his service to Duke Dao, he prioritized the national interest, exhausting his ingenuity in advising the ruler. His legacy is defined by four major achievements:

First, he upheld the law with severity, fearing no powerful noble. Wei Jiang was incorruptible and impartial; he applied the law to the nobility just as strictly as to others, refusing all compromise. To ensure fairness, he disregarded his own life.

In the fourth year of Duke Dao’s reign, the Duke convened a league of lords to display Jin’s power and test the loyalty of the vassals. The Duke’s younger brother, Yang Gan, recklessly disrupted the royal procession. As Marshal, Wei Jiang, to maintain military law and preserve the prestige of Jin before the gathered lords, risked execution to publicly order the death of Yang Gan’s charioteer. This act earned Wei Jiang a reputation for integrity, but it enraged Duke Dao, who viewed the insult to Yang Gan as a personal affront. Despite the entreaties of others, the Duke insisted on executing Wei Jiang.

Wei Jiang, prepared for death, submitted a memorial explaining that military discipline had been lax, and as Marshal, he bore the responsibility. He argued that had he allowed Yang Gan’s servant to escape punishment, the state would have become a laughingstock among the lords, hindering Jin’s future hegemony. Upon reading this, the Duke was struck by shame; he rushed barefoot to the court to pardon Wei Jiang and later held a banquet to apologize.

Second, he was farsighted and advocated for peace with the Rong tribes. This incident convinced Duke Dao of Wei Jiang’s virtue and capability, and he was soon promoted to a commander in the New Army. It was in this capacity that Wei Jiang proposed the policy of "harmonizing with the Rong," perhaps his greatest contribution.

The Rong and Di tribes, neighbors to the north, were a constant menace and a major obstacle to Duke Dao’s ambitions in the Central Plains. Previous administrations had only known war with these tribes. When Wei Jiang first proposed peace, the Duke was skeptical, arguing that the Rong were greedy and untrustworthy. Wei Jiang persisted, offering five logical arguments for peace:

1. The Rong valued goods over territory; Jin could trade wealth for land, expanding its borders.
2. Ending the border wars would allow agriculture to flourish and the people to return to their fields.
3. If the Rong submitted to Jin, the surrounding states would be intimidated, greatly enhancing Jin’s prestige.
4. Peace would spare the army from constant fatigue and conserve military resources.
5. Drawing from the history of Hou Yi, he argued that only by ruling through virtue could one ensure long-term stability.

Duke Dao was convinced and sent Wei Jiang as an envoy. Eight years later, peace was established, the borders were secure, and the Duke was free to focus on his southern ambitions.

Third, he was a capable general who never grew arrogant. Wei Jiang was a skilled military leader, noted in the *Zuo Zhuan* for numerous victories alongside other commanders. Despite his many contributions, he never boasted or sought personal glory, often deferring to others. His humility helped maintain harmony among the Duke’s generals, preventing the internal strife that often weakened the state.

Fourth, he lived in constant vigilance. In the eleventh year of Duke Xiang of Lu (562 BCE), twelve states, including Jin, attacked Zheng. Zheng sued for peace, offering Duke Dao sixteen musicians and one hundred fully equipped war chariots. The Duke, pleased with his own success, offered half of these gifts to Wei Jiang, saying, "You taught me how to harmonize with the Rong and bring order to the Chinese states. In eight years, I have convened the lords nine times. Let us enjoy this success."

Wei Jiang, sensing the Duke’s growing complacency, accepted the gifts but sternly admonished him: "Music is for reinforcing virtue and righteousness. The *Book* says, 'Dwell in peace but think of danger.' To think is to be prepared, and to be prepared is to be safe." The Duke, deeply moved by Wei Jiang’s selfless concern for the state, respected him even more thereafter.

Throughout his life, Wei Jiang served the Duke with unwavering loyalty. He was eventually enfeoffed in Anyi (modern-day Yuncheng, Shanxi) and was posthumously titled "Zhuang," known to posterity as Wei Zhuangzi.

When Duke Dao returned from Luo to ascend the throne at fourteen, he did so with calm poise, neither desperate for power nor subservient to the powerful ministers. He possessed remarkable political talent. Upon taking office, his first priority was to rectify the chaos that had plagued Jin since the reign of Duke Ling.

His reforms included:
1. Appointing the virtuous and dismissing the corrupt. He purged sycophants and troublemakers, then implemented a meritocratic system, appointing capable men like Wei Xiang, Shi Fang, and Zhao Wu, regardless of their family ties or past grievances.
2. Strengthening the state by restoring the status of aristocratic clans. Recognizing the need for a broad power base, he ended the policy of suppressing powerful families, instead selecting talent from within them to ensure their loyalty.
3. Tax reform and economic relief. He abolished private debts, provided state aid during famines, reduced the tax burden, and restricted luxury spending.
4. Legal and military reform. He had the legal code revised to be more effective and less draconian. He streamlined the military, consolidated the four armies into three, and established clear disciplinary roles, creating a military that made Jin the undisputed hegemon of the Central Plains.

By the age of twenty-six, Duke Dao had restored Jin to its peak. It is no wonder that history remembers him as the greatest ruler of Jin after Duke Wen.