Qi Liang’s mother said, “If you fail to perform noble deeds while alive and die without having made a name for yourself, then who would not laugh at you even if you were five-team dignitaries?
But, if you perform noble deeds while alive and die renowned among men, then all the ‘five-team dignitaries’ will be inferior to you.” She urged them to eat and go forth.
Qi Liang and Hua Zhou rode in the same chariot as they took part in the force that Lord Zhuang took to Ju.
The men of Ju resisted the attack.
Qi Liang and Hua Zhou got down and fought, obtaining three hundred heads of armored foot soldiers.
Lord Zhuang stopped them, saying, “You may cease fighting gentlemen—I will share the state of Qi with you.” Qi Liang and Hua Zhou said, “Your Lordship made your soldiers “five-team dignitaries,” but we were not included among them.
That shows that you think our courage is slight.
And now that we have engaged the enemy and are immersed in difficulties, you seek to use profit as an inducement to make us stop.
That is an insult to our rectitude.
To advance deeply and kill many is the proper business of an officer—we know nothing of the riches of Qi.