thin king

Good Sunday morning,

" Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it ",

so said Confucius.



Man at Work

Working is the most magnificent and wondrous of human activities.
It distinguishes humans from animals, and elevates mankind to the
highest level of creation on earth. Without working there is no earth!

A man working is a symbol of mankind at its best. It is a monument
of concentration, of pooling knowledge and experience, and of fitting
facts and figures, towards the creation of usefulness.

Without man working, we are but beastly people, naked people,
crude people, people living like animals. It is through man working
that we are the world, a world of learning, of communicating, of
exploring, of attaining; a world of feeding, of clothing, of comfort,
of being humans; a world of music, of entertainment, of enjoyment.
Without man at work, we are but garbage dumps and cesspools,
no better than pigsties; we would be a laissezfaire, a mindless lot!

A man at work is a beauty to behold, be he able bodied, crippled or
lame, or otherwise disadvantaged; be he blind, deaf or dumb; be he
disfigured or lacking prettiness, be he young or old. A man at work
is a picture of peace, he is too busy to sneer or to hate; he is not in
a state to malign or to do harm; he has no time to fear, to cause
mischief or other evil. A man at work is immersed in concentration
in his efforts on what is at hand. It is an illustration of doing, of
determination and of perseverance. A man at work will produce a
usefulness for himself, or for others and for the world.

A man working is creation manifesting its usefulness .

It is rewarding to take time off to smell roses. It is also rewarding to
take time off to look at a man at work; a basket weaver, a carpenter,
a foot and mouth painter, a potter, a dress designer, an electrician,
a fish ball maker, a bicycle assembler, a barber, a gardener ridding
weeds or anybody working.

Whatever his creation may turn out, it would be a beauty, the best
by his efforts! Only a fool works contrarily.


Have a nice day.
Ronald

NB. Man and he in this article apply to both gender.

Good morning to all,

Connexion is wonderful, surely?

On the golf course, all sorts of conversations take place, among
the players in a two, three or four-ball flight; sometimes, in a big
group which gathers while waiting to tee-off or taking shelter in a
halfway house because of lightning or heavy rain.

There was a time when someone casually mentioned that he
would like to send his child to a certain school, but the chances
for him was very slim. His friend responded, "Why don't you
come and see me about it, I have connections." Abruptly,
another friend butted in, "You mean you have corruptions?"
There was spontaneous laughter. It was meant as a joke, but,
beneath the joke, was there truth? The rebuttal carries more
truth in it than mere jest.

To all those who enjoy the privilege of being in the advantage
group, or in the fraternity, connection or pulling strings is
always seen as a benefit of one who had worked hard for it. But
to those who have been deprived or displaced due to such an act,
it is an injustice. Such manipulation, or pulling strings through a
connection, is really an abuse of authority or power, nothing less
than corruption.

It is easy to see corruption in the form of misappropriation of
money, properties, cheating etc. But corruption through pulling
strings usually escaped notice, always under cover. While the
former involves material things, the latter could involve unjust
suffering, loss of freedom or even loss of life. To save one unjustly,
sometimes others must suffer, the unwitting scapegoats. String
pulling, while apparently seen as merely taking advantage on
minor issues, is insidious. It entails an obligation, a return in kind
which leads to more string pulling. The more established a power
block is, the easier it becomes for the connection to propagate its
string pulling, until the whole hierarchy is corrupt. Then there is no
way to get out of it or to end it. This kind of entanglement will
ultimately expose itself. That is how it always happened; often
ending in the fall of a regime.

A recipient of the fruits of a connection can
also become the victim of such a connexion;
it all depends on where the x is.

String pulling is insidious.
Connection leads to Corruption.


Have a nice day.
Ronald

Dear all,


There is a Chinese quotation which in English is
"Man not contented, snake swallows elephant".
This does not convey a clear message unless one
knows the fable behind the quotation.

The fable, when retold, goes simply as follows:


An old and poor widow lived with her son named Jiang which
means elephant. When the widow was very sick, the physician
told her that the only thing that could cure her was a very special
herbal medicine made with the gall of a kind of large snake called
tarser of which he had no stock.

Now, Jiang had once saved a tarser from being killed, so he went
to this tarser for help. Tarser was glad to return the favour. It said
to Jiang, "You can go inside me and cut a small piece of my gall
bladder. If you do not cut too much, I will be all right in a few days.
So Jiang went inside Tarser and cut a bit of the gall bladder.
Tarser felt pain, but it managed to control itself and did not swallow
Jiang by mistake.

Jiang hurried over to the physician who processed the gall into the
medicine which cured his mother. And since there was some of the
medicine left, the physician offered Jiang a very high price for it,
because it was very rare and efficacious.

Jiang thought about this, "We are very poor, and if I can take a bit
more of that snake's gall to sell, we can become rich". So he went
back to Tarser and lied that his mother was still sick. Tarser said,
"It was very painful, but for your sake I will let you do this one more
time. Please make sure that you cut only a small piece off."

So, Jiang went into Tarser again. Then when he was about to cut
a small piece off, he thought, "Since I am only allowed one more
cut I may as well cut a large piece off." But as he started to make
a deep incision, Tarser felt a sharp pain and swallowed hard.
And aiyoyoyo!, Tarser swallowed Jiang!

"The snake swallowed the elephant."

Ha ha ha!

Have a nice day.
Ronald

Good Sunday to all,
Let's see what happens on a peaceful Sunday.


Dealing With Cats.


Mr. Fah See Chin loved dogs when he was young, but not anymore as
he now lives in a bungalow where the indiscriminate defecation by
dogs and cats nauseates him. See Chin never did like cats, unlike
some of his neighbours who would feed the roaming cats. Cats can
be a real nuisance, and their behaviour is totally different from
that of dogs. And for See Chin, having the cats shitting in his
garden,sneaking into his kitchen and bedroom, and warming themselves
on the bonnet of his expensive BMW was beyond his tolerance.

Although See Chin had added a wire netting to his gate and fence,
cats still prowled around his house. The last straw came when some
cat vomited on the roof of his BMW. That really got his goose, and
from then on he set his mind to find a way to terminate the presence
of anything feline.

One day, while he was collecting his car from the service station, he
slipped on a ball-bearing. Despite the fall he had, he was happy with
the idea that came with it. He asked the mechanic for a few more
ball-bearings. On his way home, he stopped by a HDB department store
and bought a metal catapult. He reminisced to himself about his
younger days of shooting birds, lizards and other creatures, and
gloated at his present intentions.

Sunday came. The cats also came. See Chin was ready. The cats
meowed below the pair of fish tanks placed against the wall of the
porch. One contained his prized arrowana and the other a pair of his
lucky lohans. See Chin moved stealthily behind his main door with
a ball-bearing in the saddle of his catapult. The cats, aware of his
presence, ran off.

But cats, being hateful to some, manifested their nature here. They
retreated, but stayed just a distance away and stared back, their
eyes mocking him. See Chin aimed, pulled the catapult and let go.
Simultaneously, a combination of sound issued. The cats shrieked,
flipped about and scooted. Pinknng, crack, slosh, splash, flap, flop,
etc. sounded. See Chin stood bewildered. Everything happened
almost instantaneously. What had happened?

The ball-bearing had missed the cats which were too fast for him; it
hit the gate post and ricocheted smack at his lohan aquarium,
cracking the side glass. The glass broke, and his pair of lucky lohan
splashed out with the water and were flapping about on the floor. The
floor was a big mess, covered with water and glass pieces and his
lohan injured. There was urgent work for him, on a beautiful Sunday.

Just one shot without any good result, and there was such damage.
Poor Mr. Fah See Chin, outwitted by a pair of cats.

Have a nice day.
Ronald

Good morning to all,


Things We Do Not Need Money to Have

We cannot buy life. Life is what we are born with. There is no
other way about it. Whether our life is good or bad, miserable
or happy, it is entirely up to us to do something about it. Life
exists with us; we have to make good use of it.

Good health comes to those who take care of their body and
mind. If we do not abuse our body but make sacrifices and
nurture it properly, good health follows. A plant well tended
with care will bloom and bear good fruits.

Knowledge does come with a cost, not necessary money; but
cost of time, of diligence, of observation and learning. Time is
free, observation is employment of our senses, and diligence is
just work. Learning follows naturally.

Love is free; love is an attitude. If we love others, others will
love us. Love is reciprocal. We need not and cannot buy love,
but we will be loved if we love others. Love needs no money,
there is no cost, just attitude.

Respect comes out in search of people who live well and rests
on them. People need not search for respect. When they are
good, when they do good, and when they behave exemplarily,
respect hovers like a halo over their heads.

People can buy a house, a luxurious house, but they need not
have to pay for a good home. If they leave their house in good
order, and return with peace and cheer, their house, any kind of
house, will be a very good home.

Sleep has got to be hard earned. When one has done one's duty,
one's chores; one who respects others, love others; these acts
will satisfy oneself and bring peace, peace of mind; and peace is
restful, good sleep comes with peace.

Time is eternal as long as life lives! Time will be our reckoner;
time will give back to us according to what we have done or failed
to do. We will reap what we sow. And time will sit by and watch.
Thus, we need to give time a good show. It is all up to us.

Die dulci freure.
Ronald

Footnote. I am sorry if my text appears very plain.
All the beautiful tags and highlights
have been stripped by Blogger.

Good morning to all,


Does Tradition Need to Adapt to the Times?

The movie Fiddler on the Roof is a masterpiece, a great musical
story, nominated for 8 Academy Awards and won some. It is the
story of a poor milkman, Tevye, who lived in a Jewish community
at the turn of the century in Czarist Russia. It is a poignant story
where Tevye had to let loose his traditional values and adherence
in face of the changing times for the needs and welfare of his four
daughters. It is a moving and touching story, one full of compassion
for Tevye who held on to his love, pride and faith, sacrificing tradition.

Yes, traditions! How does a community stick together without
traditions? Without traditions there is no bond, no value, no culture.
Yet, a community that sticks on by tradition can get so stuck that
it cannot progress; some traditions do that.

Long ago, women in China had their feet broken or constricted and
bound, to make them dainty, housebound and whatever; they ended
up wobbling. The men had their forehead shaved while the rest of
their hair got pleated into one long pigtail. Did that serve a useful
purpose?; to swivel it about in a Kunfu fight as in the Wong Fei
Hong movies? Traditions are always with us, old or new, good or bad.

On special occasions, certain foodstuffs are a must; like sharksfins,
abalone, birdsnests and scallops. And although the supply of these
things have failed to meet the demand, people still must have them;
never mind if they are fakes. How do fake things stand in to save
face, ostentatiously?

Chinese wedding dinners. Almost all, without fail, the invitation cards
say that cocktail starts at 7pm and dinner at 7.30pm sharp. Dinner
usually began near to 9pm and ended after 11pm; in between which
there would be the photo taking, the toasts, the speeches and a
screen show of the wedding couple's courting days that led up to their
wedding. That's the tradition on the wedding dinner itself! Over four
hours of fine food and wine, pleasant speeches and toasts, and filmed
events of the day, all these to contribute to a great show and a very
memorable day. That's fine!

But for the many guests, especially the elderly, the occasion often
turned out to be an ordeal. They would have come from 7pm and they
would wait; some drank the cocktails while most wouldn't; some met
old friends and chatted, while most stood about and looked around.
Most of them would not be hungry though, they would have eaten
before they came knowing that dinner would be well past their usual
dinner time. They had to come early without choice, to be punctual
and to avoid contending with the heavy traffic and the car park hassle.
If they were late that would be discourtesy; and there would be more
problems.They would adjust alright and accommodate; it's an
auspicious and happy occasion. What a tradition!?

Nowadays, they are some daring young couples who are venturing
into a new tradition. They hold the wedding and the reception in the
day, one following the other, at the same venue. How convenient it is!
The wedding time is fixed and it starts on schedule; there is no waiting
for important guests. All the guests are witnesses, including the VIPs;
they all know when to arrive for the wedding and not to embarrass
themselves by being late. The reception follows immediately; there is
a free selection of food from the buffet. Each guest eats what he fancies,
sits with whom he prefers, and stays as he chooses. An event that can
start on time and end on schedule. Not a tiring whole day for the couple
and for others. This should turn out to be a better tradition. And look
on the financial side; no extra burden to begin a wedded life with!

I salute these young people!

Traditions are good, they keep the community alive and vibrant.
But traditions which are sticky get us all stuck!
Do keep traditions alive and with the times.

Have a nice day.
Ronald

Good morning to all,

Swanking Shines Nowhere.

This word, Swank, and its practice, was popular in the
1940s. It was in school where I learned its meaning. In an
era where living from hand to mouth was commonplace,
it was fashionable for the few wealthy schoolmates to
swank about. Their behaviour did make the others envious.
Fat pocket money, Parker fountain pens, ability to go to
the cinemas at will, wearing watches and riding shiny
spoke Raleigh bicycles with flashing dynamos were things
many other students could only look at. There were
students who could not even visit the tuck shop during
the recess. Swanking then, did elevate the stature of
these few sons of people of means.

Strangely, this word swank is seldom seen, read or heard
of in our communication media nowadays. However, its
absence does not indicate that people do not swank
anymore. People still swank, even the not so well-off
financially; it is just that the word is seldom used.

Why do people swank? For the wealthy, there is not much
purpose for it really. When wealthy people forked out twenty
thousands of dollars to own a handbag made on order, not
made to order, what did that achieve; to prove that they
measure up to their wealth? When others spent a good
portion of their salary just to wear expensive branded goods,
did that make them rich as they intended people to believe?
It is quite a burden for such an indulgence. Still, there are
others who wear gold jewellery when their income come
from clearing tables, washing toilets and sweeping roads.
Does appearing rich make them rich?

Does swanking about to-day impress anybody? The reality,
really, is who cares; in a society where everybody is better
off than everybody. It is really rare to witness a sale of
something where only a few people will go to buy; usually
there would be a big crowd. And the really poor people who
depend on charity are beyond being impressed by anything
anyway.

There is a group of people who call themselves The Divine
Society which membership is restricted to millionaires and
by invitation only. When they dine they have their drink
fetched by an angel; a young girl dressed like Tinkerbell
who flitted about a high wall where the bottles of wine and
whatnot are kept. The atmosphere is indeed swanky, but
divine, oh well? How many people are impressed by what
they have and what they do?

Perhaps there is a reason why the word Swank is not
popular nowadays. Swanking shines nowhere.

Have a nice day.
Ronald

Good Morning,

Jonah the Prophet

Jonah, son of Amittai, was a Jewish prophet who lived about 500 B.C.
God told him to go to Nineveh, the city of the Assyrians, to warn them
to repent or be destroyed. The Assyrians were the traditional enemy of
Israel. For his own reasons, Jonah disobeyed God and set out on a ship
bound west for Tarshish instead.

While at sea, a violent storm broke, frightening everyone on board. The
crew threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship, and every one prayed
to his own god. They got Jonah to do the same. They also cast lots to
pin-point the one responsible for the calamity. The lot fell on Jonah, who
confessed his disobedience to his God.

The crew became more frightened, and when the storm grew worse, Jonah
asked them to throw him overboard to save themselves. Fearfully, begging
the Lord's mercy, they threw him into the sea. Then, as he sank, a large
fish swallowed Jonah who remained in its belly for three days and nights.
There Jonah prayed to God that God had been merciful to him before, and
vowed to repay God's deliverance. Thereafter, the fish spat Jonah on shore.

Again God told Jonah to deliver his message to Nineveh. Jonah obeyed
this time. It would have taken him three days to traverse the city, yet when
he had done one day's preaching, "Forty days more and Nineveh will be
destroyed", the people believed in God and repented. When the king heard
about it, he too repented. Then, with a proclamation, he ordered the whole
nation including all the animals, to cover themselves with sackcloth and
ashes, to fast, to refrain from evil and violence and to pray for God's
forgiveness. Seeing this, God stayed his hand.

However, Jonah was very unhappy with the outcome, saving the Assyrians.
He vented to God that this was the reason he had run away from his earlier
mission and because he knew that God would be gracious and merciful to
the Assyrians. Thus he wished to die.

Then he built a hut outside the city and sat in its shade. Overnight, God
grew a gourd plant over Jonah's head; this gave him comfort and he was
happy. But the next day, God killed the plant and sent a burning wind,
and the hot sun made Jonah faint. And again, he wished to be dead.

When God asked Jonah whether he was angry over the plant he replied,
"Angry enough to die". Then God told Jonah that as he was concerned
over the plant on which he had not spend any effort, should not God be
concerned over the great city of Nineveh whose 120,000 people could
not distinguish what was right from what was wrong, not to mention the
animals.

Die dulci freure.
Ronald

A safe way to eat succulent cheehum

Beside the oyster, cheehum is another favourite clam seafood in our region.
Cheehum is an unique mollusc, it is very rich in protein and calcium and is
bloody. Alas, eating cheehum in its best state, as raw as possible, is not
safe healthwise. Long ago, any ill-effect was a one-time purging the next day;
nowadays, hepatitis do scare the hell out of people. And eating well-cooked
rubbery cheehum is no longer appealing to most people. So, what fun is there
in eating laksa and fried kway-teow without the succulent cheehum, or getting
worried after eating them. Well-cooked cheehum becomes tough.

Well, there is a way to enjoy cheehum safely, well-cooked and yet succulent.
Do the following:
1. Scald the clams with boiling water evenly by swirling the hot water.
2. When bubbles appear, or blood oozes out of the clams, drain the water.
3. Open the clams and remove the cheehum.
4. Wash the cheehum and it is ready, to cook or to wait in the fridge.
5. Like this, the cheehum when well-fried remains succulent.

Clams are generally very dirty, full of mud sticking to their flesh.
There is a good way to clean them, or better still, let them clean themselves.
Do the following:
A. Wash the clams with water first to remove all external dirt.
B. Place them in a large basin and top up with sea water until they are submerged.
Reconstitute sea water if necessary ( about 40 grams of salt to one litre of water)
C. Leave them alone for a couple of hours; they will eject most of the mud etc.
D. Wash and drain off the dirty water.
E. They are now clean to be opened as in steps 1 to 5 above.

While the cheehum when prepared this way will remain succulent
when fully cooked, there is no guarantee against hepatitis etc.
which is still subject to cleanliness and care hygienically,
and being really well-cooked.


Have a nice weekend.
Ronald

Good morning,


Bullying does not pay!

Somehow, there will always be people who bully other people.
Bullying people is easy, because people who bully others are
usually of superior strength than their victims, else they would
not dare to. It would be a wonder to know of a disadvantaged
fellow trying to bully someone stronger than himself; that would
be more like suicide.

Stories about bullies are plentiful, in books, in movies or by the
hearth. Invariably, in all these stories, all the bullies got their
just desserts in the end, like in the famous novels Tom Brown's
Schooldays and How Green was My Valley. It may be said that
these are fiction. Well, in reality, these fictions cannot match
factual episodes.

When I first entered school in 1946, there were these two boys,
slim and tall brothers. Well, one day after dismissal, there was
a commotion. These two brothers were running, their noses
bleeding and their ears tattered. Another pair of brothers, smaller
but brawny and tough, had shown them their wicked ways.

About a year later, when our school moved to its own premises
in East Coast Road, there was this boy called King Kong. He
was dark, hardy, brawny and tough; and all the boys kept away
from him. Boys like me, who only heard of him and saw him from
a distance, feared him. But then one day, his parents had to
come to school to tend and take care of him. He was beaten up
soundly. Just like in the two book stories above, another boy had
shown him fists-wise, what his victims had suffered. Bullying is an
injustice, and injustice is an eyesore, repugnant to the righteous;
and there will always be someone stronger and superior, no
matter how strong a bully is.

Bullying is often a natural disposition of those whose size and
strength had taken a load off their brains. The fruits of bullying
are never commensurate with what a bully will eventually suffer
if they persist in their ways. Bullies are also usually cowardly;
and relying on superior strength to get their way will eventually
lead them to bigger problems. Brave and courageous people
do not bully those weaker; they usually champion the weak.

Children with bullying tendencies need to be guided and counselled
immediately. It is being misguided to see being able to bully as
strength of character. Parents who condoned such behaviour,
believing it as such, delude themselves; they will end up sharing
their children's suffering sooner or later. Nobody likes to be
bullied; nobody wants to be bullied.

A small act of bullying can or will lead to a fight.
A fight will lead to .......?
People will somehow find a way to settle scores.
How does a feud begin?

A bully needs to heed this well known saying,
"Before one kicks a dog, find out who the owner is!"


Die dulci freure.
Ronald

Good morning to all,

The Wine Vessel with a Secret

On one of King Henchitau's birthday, his good neighbour, king Horshuke,
presented him with a very special gift. It was a wine vessel with one cup,
all of a very unusual shape. Its base was like a pomelo, its spout a pear,
both connected in the middle by a banana, like the lower case letter g ,
while the cup was like a grape. It was symbolic of the great produce of
king Horshuke's kingdom. The vessel also held a secret which was
explained to king Henchitau who was very pleased with it.

On the next Kingdom Day, Henchitau decided to make use of the vessel
to test his officials and household. He assembled them in the great hall
and told them this, "This vessel, Wanpang, is filled full with a very special
wine which you can see. There is only this drinking cup, Wanpuay. The
wine will not fill this cup twice. My wish is to share this wine equally with
my queen; I drink from Wanpang and she drinks from Wanpuay. Can one
of you tell me how to pour out an amount as equal as possible as what
remains. The wine must not pass or touch any other container."

This was quite a puzzle; some thought that it was impossible, others
began to work on it. Nevertheless, it was an opportunity to show one's
talent before the king, and everyone tried very hard.

Well, before long, his son-in-law, Mengtahan, came forward with his idea.
King Henchitau was satisfied and very happy that it was Mengtahan who
solved the problem. And as a token of his appreciation and affection, he
presented the set, Wanpang and Wanpuay, to Mengtahan to share with
his wife Sekagnia.

Oh, oh, this is really a puzzle for us!
What was Mengtahan's solution?

Have a nice day.
Ronald

Good Sunday to all.

This is just one of the many episodes about the great master
in the novel which is one of The Four Chinese Classics.


Zhuge Liang provisioning arrows

In the famous classic Chinese novel, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms,
the North, the West and the East states were always contending for supremacy.
There was a time when the West and East states had to ally to resist the
powerful North state. The East state had a very clever military commander named
ZhouYu, who was often outwitted by the West state mastermind ZhugeLiang. He
lamented, "Oh Heaven, when you made me why do you also made ZhugeLiang?"
And although he needed ZhugeLiang he also feared the presence of him in the
future. So, he kept looking for an opportunity to kill him.

When the North army, headed by the Prime Minister TsaoTsao, was threatening
nearby, ZhouYu asked ZhugeLiang what was the best weapon against the enemy
on water. When ZhugeLiang suggested arrows, which was to his agreement, he
asked whether ZhugeLiang could help him to provision a hundred thousand arrows.
ZhugeLiang answered that he could not disobey the Commander-in-Chief's order.
When ZhugeLiang asked for the deadline, ZhouYu suggested whether ten days
was enough. ZhugeLiang responded that ten days would be too late. When ZhouYu
asked when he could provision the arrows, ZhugeLiang asked for three days
instead. When ZhouYu reminded him not to joke, ZhugeLiang replied that he would
not dare joke with the Commander-in-Chief in time of war, and pledged to commit
it in writing. ZhouYu, secretly delighted, sent for the secretaries, and the
commission was prepared then and there. Then he drank to the success of the
undertaking and pledged to congratulate ZhugeLiang most heartily when it was
accomplished. ZhugeLiang told him to send five hundred soldiers to the river side
on the third day to convey the arrows."

LuSu, adviser to ZhouYu, asked him whether he had been deceitful about the
agreement. He replied that it was ZhugeLiang himself who had asked and signed
his own death warrant by falling into his trap. Later, ZhugeLiang feinted anger at
LuSu for getting him into this mess and asked to be rescued. LuSu made excuses
but, as ZhugeLiang had requested, he would supply twenty vessels, each manned
by thirty soldiers. ZhugeLiang also requested for other things and got LuSu into
sworn secrecy on all these. LuSu kept his secret about the boats, but reported to
ZhouYu on his other activities. ZhouYu, though puzzled, gloated at the easy
handling of his clever scheme. Meanwhile, LuSu secretly prepared what
ZhugeLiang required, while ZhugeLiang himself did nothing.

Towards the second evening, ZhugeLiang secretly got LuSu into action. They
manoeuvred the twenty boats, fastened together by long ropes, over to the north
bank. The night was very foggy along the river, such that they could hardly see one
another. When the small fleet reached TsaoTsao's naval camp ZhugeLiang gave
orders to form a line heading west, and to beat the drums and shout. LuSu was
worried, but ZhugeLiang calmed him down and got him to drink and be merry
instead, saying that the enemy would not dare venture forth in the fog.

When the great noise was heard, the enemy was scared of an ambush. They
dispatched six thousand archers and crossbowmen and ten thousand soldiers to
shoot at the noisy enemy in the river, the arrows falling like rain. Then ZhugeLiang
ordered the boats to turn around heading east, and to go closer in so that more
arrows might hit them. ZhugeLiang ordered the drums to be kept beating till the
sun rose and the fog began to disperse. Then the boats sailed down stream,
bristling with arrows on both sides. The arrows were stuck on the straw dummies
LuSu had prepared according to ZhugeLiang's instruction. As they left, ZhugeLiang
asked all the crew to shout, "We thank you, Sir Prime Minister, for all the arrows!"

LuSu asked ZhugeLiang how he knew there would be a thick fog. He replied, "One
cannot be a leader without knowing the workings of Heaven and the ways of Earth.
One must understand the secret interdependence of the elements, the mystery of
tactics and the value of forces. I calculated three days ago that there would be a
fog today, so I set the limit at three days. ZhouYu gave me ten days but neither
workers nor materials; he found reason enough to put me to death. But my fate
lies with the Supreme, so how could ZhouYu harm me?"

LuSu happily agreed. When the boats arrived, five hundred soldiers were in
readiness to carry the arrows to the tent of the Commander-in-Chief. ZhouYu was
amazed and sighed sadly, "He is better than I. His methods are more than human."
He sent LuSu to find out whether ZhugeLiang was wise to his trick. LuSu found
ZhugeLiang seated in his little craft. ZhugeLiang asked LuSu whether ZhouYu had
sent him to find out whether he was wise to ZhouYu's ruse. LuSu was shocked and
dumbfounded at ZhugeLiang's discernment; still he stayed and listened to the
master. As he was going away, ZhugeLiang cautioned him, "Do not let ZhouYu know
that I know his ruse. If you let him know, he will seek more chances to do me harm."

Have a nice day.
Ronald