The Fat Cow's Law of Power

In China, in the early 6th century B.C., the Kingdom of Wu fought a war with the neighboring northern provinces of the Middle Kingdom. A victory on one front would leave the Wu armies vulnerable on another. The King's chief minister and advisor warned him that the barbarous state of Yua to the south was beginning to notice the kingdom's problems. In a fit of anger, the King ordered his adviser to kill himself. As the barbarians surrounded the palace, the King felt the dead man's disembodied eyes watching his disgrace.