A man invested with the power to command and the power to kill was expected to demonstrate equally e

A man invested with the power to command and the power to kill was expected to demonstrate equally extraordinary powers of benevolence and mercy: Love,  magnanimity,  affection for others,  sympathy and pity,  are traits of Benevolence,  the highest attribute of the human soul. Both Confucius and Mencius often said the highest requirement of a ruler of men is Benevolence.