The ministers were shocked. They quickly tried to persuade him, saying, “Your Majesty, Jing is a rough land. Their customs have never been very refined. Since ancient times they have not really listened to the Zhou court. Back in King Xuan’s time, His Majesty personally led troops to attack them, and only then did they barely submit. Even then, King Xuan did not demand a lot of tribute from them. He only required them to send one cart of Jingmao grass every year, a plant used to make sacrificial wine. That rule was mostly symbolic. It just meant ‘do not forget that the Son of Heaven still holds authority.’ It was never about forcing them to pay a heavy price.”
