《史记·七十列传·苏秦列传》
 我听说当初唐尧没有分到过三百亩的赏赐，虞舜也没有得到过一尺的封地，却能拥有整个天下；禹夏聚集的民众不够百人，却能在诸侯中称王；商汤、周武的卿士不足三千，战车不足三百辆，士兵不足三万，却能成为天子：他们确实掌握了夺取天下的策略。
 臣闻尧无三夫之分，舜无咫尺之地，以有天下；禹无百人之聚，以王诸侯；汤武之士不过三千，车不过三百乘，卒不过三万，立为天子：诚得其道也。
I heard that in the past, Emperor Tangyao did not get 300 acres of land, nor did Emperor Shunyu get one-foot of land as a fief, and yet they possessed the whole world; Emperor Yu’s followers were less than one-hundred people, and yet he was a king among dukes; King Shangtang and King Zhouwu had less than 3,000 officials and less than 300 war chariots and less than 30,000 soldiers, and yet they became emperors: they truly grasped the strategy of seizing the world.