Long Tao: Li Jiang (Appointing Generals)

King Wu asked Tai Gong:“What is the ceremony for appointing a supreme commander?” Tai Gong replied:“When the state faces peril, the ruler avoids the main hall and summons the commander in a side chamber, declaring: ‘The survival of our state now rests upon your shoulders. A rebel kingdom [X] has risen—lead our armies to subdue it.’ After accepting the mandate, the ruler orders the Grand Astrologer to divine through tortoise shells, observes a three-day ritual fast, and proceeds to the imperial ancestral temple to select an auspicious day for conferring the ceremonial battle-axe (fu yue). On the chosen day, the ruler enters the temple gate facing west, while the commander enters facing north. The ruler grasps the blade of the yue axe, handing its handle to the commander, proclaiming:‘From this moment, all affairs above the heavens lie in your hands.’ Next, the ruler holds the handle of the fu axe, presenting its blade to the commander, declaring:‘From this moment, all matters beneath the abyss are yours to command.’ He then decrees:‘Advance when the enemy weakens;......