The traitor rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.
To enter upon rulership of a country but not preserve its scholars will result in the downfall of the country.
A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within.
The wise man who has charge of governing the empire should know the cause of disorder before he can put it in order. Unless he knows its cause, he cannot regulate it.
