It was a formidable method and one which united to the desperate times in which he was born, made this austere lord of the Orient invincible in Chinese politics for nearly a quarter of a century.

• 这一手确是厉害，在他所生活的乱世里，这位道貌岸然的东方君主就凭这一手在中国政治舞台上称霸了近四分之一世纪。