 Due to above pronouncements, Shang Yang gained notoriety as an advocate of oppression; but actually his attitude toward the people is much more balanced than is often imagined. The Book of Lord Shang frequently speaks of “loving/caring for the people” (ai min 愛民) and “benefiting the people” (li min 利民), echoing other contemporaneous texts which proclaimed the people’s well-being as the ultimate goal of policy-making (Pines 2009: 201–203). The people are not just the potential enemy of the ruler: they are his major asset. Without their hard labor in the fields or their bravery on the battlefield, the state is doomed. Yet the people will not embrace tilling and waging war just out of fear of coercion. A more complex system is needed: one that will introduce attractive positive incentives along with awe-inspiring negative ones. Shang Yang explains: