So the king was not only the one who governed, led the army, commanded the workforce and gave land, bronzes, slaves and treasure to his kinsmen and nobles; he was the key link to the past kings of his lineage. On him auspiciousness and order depended, through his ability to ensure good harvests, bring rain or stave off disaster. And here perhaps is the germ of the ruler’s future role in Chinese history as the sage-monarch, the ultimate repository of power and wisdom. As we shall see, this way of thinking was never forsaken in Chinese civilisation, even into the twentieth century.
