In 580 AD, when Northern Zhou Emperor Xuan died and the child Emperor Jing ascended the throne, imperial advisors Zheng Yi and Liu Fang forged an edict summoning Yang Jian into the palace to assist the young ruler, granting Yang Jian total control over military and political affairs.
When Yang Jian first seized power, the political situation was unstable and the people were hard to win over. The governor of Xiangzhou, Yuchi Jiong, considering himself a senior minister and seasoned general, refused to submit and raised an army against Yang Jian. Many in the Zhao and Wei regions joined him, and within just over ten days, he had gathered more than 100,000 troops. Prefectures and commanderies across the land responded one after another. At the same time, the six princes—Bi Prince Yuwen Xian, Zhao Prince Yuwen Zhao, Chen Prince Yuwen Chun, Yue Prince Yuwen Sheng, Dai Prince Yuwen Da, and Teng Prince Yuwen You—arrived in Chang'an and secretly plotted against Yang Jian.
At the time, those commanding strong armies and controlling key strongholds were all loyalists of the Northern Zhou dynasty, leaving Yang Jian trapped in a web of internal and external crises. Yet Yang Jian, a man of deep strategy, first made an example of Prince Yu Xian of Bi by executing him, but spared the other five princes, instead granting them the extraordinary honor of "wearing swords and shoes in the imperial court and not having to hurry when entering the court," all to avoid escalating tensions. He treated the various prefectures and commanderies with courtesy, stabilizing the hearts of the people.
At this time, Minister Liu Zhuang of the Later Liang was sent by Emperor Mingdi Xiao Kui to enter the Pass. To stabilize relations and maintain border harmony, Yang Jian specially summoned Liu Zhuang and confided his intentions: "I have long been deeply favored by the Liang ruler, and I still hold this in my heart. The current emperor is young, and I have been entrusted to assist him, a duty I approach with utmost reverence. The Liang ruler is exceptionally wise; from now on, his integrity will shine even brighter. When you return, please convey my sentiments to him."
When the ministers of the Later Liang dynasty saw the political turmoil in Northern Zhou, they urged their ruler Xiao Kui to launch a military campaign against Zhou and form an alliance with Yuchi Jiong. Xiao Kui hesitated, uncertain whether to act.
Liu Zhuang returned from Chang'an to the Later Liang court and reported Emperor Yang Jian's friendly intentions to Xiao Kui, advising him not to act rashly. He said, "In the past, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, and Zhuge Dan were all heroes of their time, commanding fierce soldiers and holding strategic positions, yet none achieved lasting success. Cao Cao and the Sima family, by holding the emperor and guarding the capital under the banner of righteousness, accomplished great deeds. Yuchi Jiong, though a veteran general, is now old and confused; Wang Qian is no better than an ordinary man and lacks the talent to save the age. In my estimation, Yuchi Jiong and his allies are doomed to fall, while Yang Jian is destined to rise. Our best course is to conserve our strength, rest our people, and quietly observe the shifting tides of the world."
Xiao Kui found Liu Zhuang's reasoning sound and refrained from acting rashly.
Soon, Yang Jian launched a major campaign, and Yuchi Jiong and Wang Qian were killed one after another. Xiao Kui secretly rejoiced, saying, "Had I followed the crowd's advice at first, the state would likely no longer exist." Later, the idiom "Pine and Bamboo Integrity" came to be used to describe unwavering moral principles like those of the pine and bamboo.
Source: *Book of Sui*, "Biography of Liu Zhuang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "松筠之节" came to describe how unwavering moral principles like those of the pine and bamboo.