How many steps does it take to drive an elephant out of the fields? Step one: Communicate with the elephant. (…
How many steps does it take to drive an elephant out of the fields?
Step one: Communicate with the elephant. (Note: Confucius said, "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire." A person of virtue should win all beings over with benevolence.)
Step two: Have the elephant leave of its own accord. (Note: Mencius said, "To subdue others by force is not to win their hearts. To prevail without fighting is the finest of all.")
Step three: Organize the villagers and restore the fields.
Kaifeng Prefecture reports: "According to submissions from the counties, this year's summer grain and autumn seedlings are projected to suffer an overall loss of three in ten compared with a bumper year. With disasters year after year, the people have yet to recover. Struck again by this calamity, the granaries are running dry, and displacement is feared. We beg the court for special relief."
("An overall loss of three in ten" and "the granaries are running dry" are circled repeatedly in red ink.)
Food supplies are the people's lifeline and the foundation of the realm. This must be resolved as soon as possible.