During the Zhou Dynasty, Crown Prince Ji Hu, son of King Yi of Zhou, had a passion for hoarding wealth from a young age. His close friend, Rong Yigong, was a regional governor whose governance was unremarkable, yet his personal fortune made other feudal lords green with envy.
After King Yi of Zhou passed away, Ji Hu ascended the throne, becoming King Li of Zhou. His first priority upon taking power was to summon the Duke of Rongyi and seek his advice on generating wealth.
The Duke of Rong Yi declared, 'All under heaven is the king's land, and every subject on its shores is the king's servant. The Son of Heaven rules all, and the wealth of the world belongs to him—if he but reaches out his hand, riches will flow endlessly. For instance, the Son of Heaven can demand more tribute from the feudal lords under the pretext of praying to heaven, earth, the sun, moon, and mountains; he can raise taxes on the people by citing the need to build city walls, dig canals, or repair war machines... The methods for gathering wealth are countless, beyond what words can describe.'
King Li of Zhou was overjoyed and immediately appointed Rong Yigong as a high-ranking minister, tasking him with amassing wealth for the royal treasury.
Duke Rong of Yi proved as skilled as King Li of Zhou had hoped, amassing mountains of treasure in the palace within just a few years. But the people suffered terribly—beyond the capital, even within its walls, gaunt and starving refugees gathered everywhere. Citizens grumbled openly, criticizing the government. In response, King Li appointed a shaman from Wei to spy on them, and anyone caught speaking ill of the court was executed on the spot, killing many.
The common people, unable to voice their grievances directly, turned to poetry, composing verses to denounce King Li's insatiable greed and the Earl of Rong Yi's complicity in his tyranny.
As the Duke of Shao once advised King Li, "Blocking the people's mouths is worse than damming a river." Damming the flow, once the levee breaks, the consequences are unimaginable. Three years later, the people rebelled and drove King Li out of the capital.
After King Li died, King Xuan ascended the throne, and the scattered people gradually returned to their homeland.
To soothe the people, King Xuan of Qi led his ministers on a tour of the outskirts. Amid unkempt fields, crumbling walls, and overgrown weeds, mournful songs echoed through the countryside.
"Wild geese in flight, rustling their feathers... Wild geese in flight, gathering in the marsh... Wild geese in flight, crying out in sorrow..."
King Xuan did not understand its meaning and turned to ask the accompanying ministers. The Duke of Shao told him, "The people use the wild geese that come in autumn and leave in spring as a metaphor: the geese cry mournfully everywhere, referring to the displaced refugees scattered all around. Their groans and cries are a hope that their lives might improve!"
"The wild geese fly, crying mournfully" was later summarized as "mournful geese cover the fields," used to depict a chaotic era where the people can barely survive.
Source: *Book of Songs*, "Lesser Court Hymns: Wild Geese"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "哀鸿遍野" came to describe how a chaotic era where the people can barely survive.