To abandon one's armor and drag one's weapons; describes a routed army fleeing in panic and disarray.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Warring States period, King Hui of Liang asked Mencius why the population was not increasing.
Mencius replied that while the King expressed concern for his people's suffering, his fondness for warfare led to many deaths. He explained that on the battlefield, soldiers were often forced to throw away their armor and drag their weapons in desperate flight.
Mencius then made a comparison: a soldier who fled fifty paces might ridicule one who fled a hundred, yet the act of fleeing was fundamentally the same for both.
Understanding the profound human cost of his military pursuits, King Hui of Liang eventually resolved to cease his aggressive warfare.