South shafts North ruts

The king of the Forest of Chin was planning to attack the Roof of the World. The sage Ze Mei heard about it, and turned back in the middle of his journey. He did not straighten the wrinkles in his clothes, nor did he brush the dust off of his head, but went straight to the king. He said

"Today, on the road to Mount Lyang, I encountered a man whose carriage was heading south.

The man told me, 'I am going to Li.' I said, 'If you're going to Li, then why are you facing south?'

He said, 'My horse is good.' I said, 'Although your horse is good, this is not the road to Li.'

He said, 'I have abundant resources.' I said, 'Although you have abundant resources, this is not the road to Li.'

He said, 'My driver is excellent.' I said, 'The better your driver and all the other things, the further from Li will you be.'

At present, the actions of your highness are because you want to become a supreme overlord. Yet, you would like your behavior to be trusted by all under the heavens. Relying on the power of your kingdom and the quality of your soldiers, you attack the Roof of the World. In this way, you plan to expand your territories and garner respect for your name. However, the more actions taken by you the king, the further from a king you become. It's akin to traveling south to get to Li."