13. The will of a true man can always be counted on; heavenly retribution, good or bad, is bound to come in turn.

伍子胥①報父兄之仇，而郢都滅；申包胥②救君上之難，而楚國存。可知人心足恃也。

秦始皇③滅東周之歲④，而劉邦⑤生；梁武帝⑥滅南齊之年，而侯景⑦降。可知天道好還也。

【中文注釋】

① 伍子胥（公元前559年—公元前484年），春秋末期吳國大夫、軍事家。伍子胥之父伍奢為楚平王子建太傅，因受費無極讒害，和其長子伍尚一同被楚平王殺害，伍子胥從楚國逃到吳國。公元前506年，伍子胥協同孫武帶兵攻入楚都，伍子胥掘楚平王墓，鞭屍三百，以報父兄之仇。

② 申包胥（?—?），春秋時期楚國大夫。公元前506年，伍子胥率吳軍攻打楚國時前往秦國請兵，吳國因受秦楚夾擊而退兵。複國後，楚昭王要封賞申包胥，他堅持不受，帶一家老小退居山林。

③ 秦始皇（公元前259年—公元前210年），姓嬴名政，十三歲繼承王位，三十九歲稱帝，在位三十七年。中國曆史上著名的政治家、戰略家、改革家，首位完成華夏大一統的鐵腕政治人物。

④ 滅東周之歲：據史料記載，東周紀年始於公元前770年，到了秦莊襄王元年（即公元前249年），東周君欲趁秦連喪昭襄、孝文二王合縱伐秦，秦莊襄王以呂不韋為大將，起兵十萬，執東周君而歸，盡收鞏城等七邑。周朝至此徹底滅亡。據此，“滅東周之歲”應該是公元前249年（也即劉邦出生後的第7年）；滅東周的不是秦始皇（公元前246年才繼位），而是當時剛登基的秦莊襄王。—作者引用有誤，特予更正。

⑤ 劉邦（公元前256年—公元前195年），漢朝開國皇帝，漢民族和漢文化偉大的開拓者之一、中國曆史上傑出的政治家、卓越的戰略家。

⑥ 梁武帝（464年—549年），名蕭衍，漢相蕭何第二十五代世孫，南北朝時期梁朝政權的建立者，在位時間達四十八年之久。

⑦ 侯景（503年—552年），原為東魏大將，於梁武帝太清元年（547年）率部投降梁朝，駐守壽陽，但不久起兵反叛，於三年（549年）攻破建康，致使梁武帝被困餓死城中。

【今文解譯】

伍子胥決心為父兄報仇，最後攻破了楚國都城郢；申包胥決心拯救楚君於危難之中，結果保全了楚國。由此可以看出，人隻要有決心，事情都是能夠辦到的。

秦始皇滅掉東周的那一年，正是後來推翻秦王朝的劉邦剛剛誕生的時候；梁武帝滅南齊的那一年，正是後來起兵破梁都城的侯景率部投梁的時候。此所謂天道好還。

【English Translation】

Wu Zixu* vowed to avenge his father and elder brother, and therefore ruined Ying, the capital of Chu. On the other hand, Shen Baoxu* was determined to save the king and then succeeded in protecting the state from being destroyed. From this we see that the will of a true man can always be counted on.

The year the First Emperor of Qin* dismantled the Eastern Zhou is the time Liu Bang* was just born, who overthrew the Qin Empire afterwards. The year Emperor Wu of Liang* eliminated Southern Qi is the time Hou Jing* gave in his submission to Liang, who sent the Liang Dynasty to tomb subsequently. From this we know that heavenly retribution, good or bad, is bound to come in turn.

【English Annotation】

* Wu Zixu (?-484BC), named Wu Yuan, general and prime minister of the state of Wu during the late Spring and Autumn Period, well versed in military and political strategies.

* Shen Baoxu(?-?), a senior official of the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC). When Wu Zixu, for the purpose to revenge his father and elder brother who was killed by Emperor Ping of Chu, led the troops of Wu in person to attack Chu in 506BC, Shen, once the good friend of Wu Zixu抯, went to Qin and requested military assistance. Attacked by the troops of Wu and Qin from both sides, Wu Zixu had to issue the order to withdraw. When the state was secured, Emperor Zhao of Chu intended to award Shen, but he declined and retreated forever.

* The First Emperor of Qin (259BC-210BC), named Ying Zheng or Zhao Zheng, founder of the Qin Empire, who accomplished the unification of China in 221BC (the 26th year of his reign), hence esteemed as the greatest politician, strategist and military commander in the Chinese feudal history.

(Special note: According to historical records, the Eastern Zhou was dismantled by King Zhuangxiang of Qin in 249BC instead of the First Emperor, who was then only ten years old.)

* Liu Bang (256BC-195BC), Emperor Gao, founder of the Han Dynasty

(r. 202BC-195BC), usually called the Lord of Pei before assuming the throne.

* Emperor Wu of Liang (464-549), named Xiao Yan and styled Shuda, founder (r. 502BC-549) of the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties.

* Hou Jing (503-552), a general of the Eastern Wei during the Southern Dynasties, who surrendered to Emperor Wu of Liang in 547 but rebelled against the emperor very soon and forced him to die of hunger in 549.

有才者如渾金璞玉 為學者如行雲流水