King Hui of Liang inquired of Wei Liao-tzu: "Is it true that the Yellow Emperor, through punishments and Virtue,2 achieved a hundred victories [without a defeat]?"
Wei Liao-tzu replied: "Punishment was employed to attack [the rebellious], Virtue was employed to preserve [the people].' This is not what is referred to as `Heavenly Offices, [auspicious] hours and days, yin and yang, facing toward and turning your back to.' The Yellow Emperor's [victories] were a matter of human effort, that is all. Why was that?
"Now if there is a fortified city and one attacks it from the east and west but cannot take it, and attacks from the south and north but cannot take it, can it be that all four directions failed to accord with an [auspicious] moment that could be exploited? If you still cannot take it, it is because the walls are high, the moats deep, the weapons and implements fully prepared, the materials and grains accumulated in great quantities, and their valiant soldiers unified in their plans. If the wall is low, the moats shallow, and the defenses weak, then it can be taken. From this perspective, `moments,' 'seasons,' and `Heavenly Offices' are not as important as human effort.
"According to the Heavenly Offices,' `deploying troops with water to the rear is referred to as "isolated terrain. ,5 Deploying troops facing a long ridge is termed "abandoning the army." '6 When King Wu attacked King Chou of the Shang, he deployed his troops with the Chi' River behind him, facing a mountain slope. With 22,500 men he attacked King Chou's hundreds of thousands and destroyed the Shang dynasty. Yet, had not King Chou deployed in accord with the Heavenly Offices?
"The Ch'u general Kung-tzu Hsin was about to engage Ch'i in battle. At that time a comet appeared, with its tail over Ch'i. [According to such beliefs] wherever the tail pointed would be victorious, and they could not be attacked. Kung-tzu Hsin said: `What does a comet know? Those who fight according to the comet will certainly be overturned and conquered.'8 On the morrow he engaged Ch'i and greatly defeated them. The Yellow Emperor said: `Putting spirits and ghosts first is not as good as first investigating my own knowledge.' This means that the Heavenly Offices are nothing but human effort."'
"Measure the fertility and barrenness of the earth, and then establish towns. To construct the city walls, determine the appropriate terrain.10 In accord with the city walls, determine the appropriate [number of] men." In accord with [the number of] men, determine the appropriate amount of grain. When all three have been mutually determined, then internally one can be solid in defense, and externally one can be victorious in battle.12 Being victorious in battle externally and preparations13 being controlled internally, victory and preparations are mutually employed,14 like the halves of a tally exactly matching each other.
"Control of the army is as secretive as the [depths of] Earth, as dark and obscure as the [heights of] Heaven,15 and is given birth from the nonexistent. Therefore it must be opened.1"The great is not frivolous, the small is not vast.17
"One who is enlightened about prohibitions, pardons, opening, 18 and stopping up19 will attract displaced people and bring unworked lands under cultivation.20
"When the land is broad and under cultivation, the state will be wealthy; when the people are numerous and well-ordered, the state will be gov- erned.21 When the state is wealthy and well governed, although the people do not remove the blocks [from the chariots] nor expose their armor, their awesomeness instills order on All under Heaven.22 Thus it is said `the army's victory stems from the court.'23 When one is victorious without exposing his armor, it is the ruler's victory; when victory comes after deploying [the army], it is the general's victory.24
"The army cannot be mobilized out of personal anger.25 If victory can be foreseen, then the troops can be raised. If victory cannot be foreseen, then [the mobilization] should be stopped. If trouble arises within a hundred li, do not spend more than a day mobilizing the forces. If trouble arises within a thousand li, do not spend more than a month mobilizing the forces. If the trouble lies within the Four Seas, do not spend more than a year mobilizing the forces.26
"As for the commanding general: Above he is not governed by Heaven, below he is not controlled by Earth, in the middle he is not governed by men. He should be composed so that he cannot be stimulated to anger. He should be pure so that he cannot be inveigled by wealth.27 Now if the mind is deranged [by emotion], the eyes are blind, and the ears are deaf-to lead men with these three perversities is difficult!
"Wherever the army ventures-whether it is along byways that wind about like sheep's intestines, along roads as bumpy as a saw's teeth, curling about the mountains, or entering a valley-it will be victorious. Whether deployed in a square formation or deployed in a round formation, it will be victorious.28
"A heavy army is like the mountains, like the forests, like the rivers and great streams. A light force is like a roaring fire; like earthen walls it presses upon them, like clouds it covers them.29 They cause the enemy's troops to be unable to disperse and those that are dispersed to be unable to reassemble.30 Those on the left are unable [to rescue those on] the right, those on the right are unable [to rescue those on] the left.31
"The weapons are like a mass of trees, the [effects of the] crossbows like a goat's horns.32 Every man, without exception, steps high and displays his courage. Casting off all doubts, fervently and determined, they go forth decisively!"
"As for the military, regulations must first be established. When regulations are established first, the soldiers will not be disordered. When the soldiers are not disordered, punishments will be clear. If wherever the gongs and drums direct them a hundred men all contend; to penetrate the enemy's ranks and cause chaos among his formations a thousand men all strive; and to overturn the enemy's army and kill his generals ten thousand men raise their blades in unison, no one under Heaven will be able to withstand them in battle.
"In antiquity the soldiers were organized into squads of five and ten, the chariots into companies and rows. When the drums sounded and the pennants flew,33 it never happened that the first to scale the walls were not outstanding state soldiers of great strength! The first to die were also always outstanding state soldiers of great strength. If the enemy suffers a loss of one man and we lose a hundred, it enriches the enemy and greatly diminishes34 us! Through the ages 35 generals have been unable to prevent this.
"When conscripts have been assigned to the army but they run off to their native places, or flee when they approach a battle, the harm caused by the deserters is great. Through the ages generals have been unable to prevent it.
"What can kill men beyond a hundred paces are bows and arrows. What can kill a man within fifty paces are spears and halberds. When the general drums [the advance] but the officers and troops yell at each other, twist their arrows to break them, smash their spears, cradle their halberds,36 and find it advantageous to go to the rear, and when the battle commences these all occur, it will be internally self-defeating. Through the ages generals have been unable to prevent them.
"Soldiers losing their squads of five and ten; chariots losing their companies and rows; unorthodox37 forces abandoning their generals and fleeing; the masses also running off-these are things which generals through the ages have been unable to prevent. Now if a general can prevent these four, he will be able to traverse high mountains, cross over deep rivers, and assail strong formations. Being unable to prevent these four is like losing your boat and oars and crossing the Yangtze and Yellow rivers. It cannot be done!
"People do not take pleasure in dying, nor do they hate life, [but] if the commands and orders are clear, and the laws and regulations carefully detailed, you can make them advance. When, before [combat], rewards are made clear, and afterward punishments are made decisive, then when [the troops] issue forth they will be able to realize an advantage, and when they move they will be successful.
"Order that a company [commander]3S be established for one hundred men, a Ssu-ma for one thousand men, and a general for ten thousand men. With a small number you can punish a mass, with the w
eak you can punish the strong. If you test my words [you will find] their techniques sufficient to ensure that within the masses of the Three Armies, if you execute a single man none will escape punishment. Fathers will not dare conceal their sons, and sons will not dare conceal their fathers, so how much the more so the citizens of the state?
"If a warrior wields a sword to strike people in the marketplace, among ten thousand people there will not be anyone who does not avoid him. If I say it is not that only one man is courageous, but that the ten thousand are unlike him, what is the reason? Being committed to dying and being committed to seeking life are not comparable. If you listen to my techniques, [you will find] they are sufficient to cause the masses of the Three Armies to become a brigand39 committed to dying. No one will stand before them, no one will follow them. They will be able to come and go alone, being the army of a king or hegemon.
"Who led a mass of one hundred thousand and no one under Heaven opposed him? Duke Huan.ao
"Who led a mass of seventy thousand and no one under Heaven opposed him? Wu Ch'i.
"Who led a mass of thirty thousand and no one under Heaven opposed him? Sun-tzu.
"Today among the armies led by commanders from the various feudal states, there is not one that does not reach a mass of two hundred thousand men. Yet if they are unable to succeed in establishing their merit, it is because they do not understand prohibitions, pardons, opening [the path to life], and stopping up [excessive severity]. If you make the ordinances clear so that one man will be victorious, then ten men will also thereby be victorious. If ten men can be victorious, then one hundred, one thousand, or ten thousand men can also thereby be victorious. Thus I say if you improve our weapons and equipment, nurture our martial courage, when you release [our forces] it will be like a bird attacking, like rushing down a thousandfathom valley.41
"Now a state that finds itself in difficulty sends its valuable treasures out with emissaries to other states, sends its beloved sons out as hostages, and cedes land along its borders in order to obtain the assistance of All under Heaven. Although the troops [coming to assist] are said to number one hundred thousand, in actuality they do not exceed several tens of thousands. When their troops come forth there are none to whom [the ruler] has not said to his commanding general: `Do not be beneath anyone nor be the first to fight.i42 In reality one cannot enter battle with them.
"If we measure the population within our borders, without the [system of] five no one could order them. The ordinances regulate the mass of one hundred thousand, and the king must be able to have them wear our uniforms and eat our food. If they are not victorious in battle nor stalwart in defense, it is not the fault of our people for it was internally brought on. The various feudal states under Heaven aiding us in battle are like worn-out old horses with their manes flying trying to compete with legendary swift steeds. How can they supplement our ch'i?
"We should employ all the resources under Heaven for our own use, we should govern with all the regulations under Heaven as our own regulations. We should revise our commands and orders and make punishments and rewards clear. We should cause that apart from engaging in agriculture there will be no means to eat, and apart from engaging in battle there will be no means to attain rank. We should cause the people to bump into each other in competing to go out to the farms and into battle. Then under Heaven we will not have any enemies! Thus I say that when a command is promulgated, an order issued, its credibility will extend throughout the state.
"If among the populace there are those who say they can vanquish the enemy, do not allow them to speak idly but absolutely test their ability to fight.
"To look at other peoples' lands and gain them, to divide up other rulers' subjects and nourish them, one must be able to absorb their Worthies. If you are unable to bring in and employ their Worthies but want to possess All under Heaven, you must destroy armies and slay generals. In this way, even though you may be victorious in battle, the state will grow increasingly weak. Even though you gain territory, the state will be increasingly impoverished. All this proceeds from the state's regulations being exhausted."
"In general, [in employing] the military there are those who gain victory through the Tao; those that gain victory through awesomeness; and those that gain victory through strength. Holding careful military discussions and evaluating the enemy, causing the enemy's ch'i to be lost and his forces to scatter so that even if his disposition43 is complete he will not be able to employ it, this is victory through the Tao.
"Being precise about laws and regulations, making rewards and punishments clear, improving weapons and equipment, causing the people to have minds totally committed to fighting, this is victory through awesomeness.
"Destroying armies and slaying generals, mounting barbicans and firing crossbows, overwhelming the populace and seizing territory, returning only after being successful, this is victory through strength. When kings and feudal lords know these, the three ways to victory will be complete.
"Now the means by which the general fights is the people; the means by which the people fight is their ch'i. When their ch'i is substantial they will fight; when their ch'i has been snatched away they will run off.
"Before punishment has been applied [to the enemy], before the soldiers have clashed, the means by which one seizes the enemy are five:
1. Discussing the way to victory in the court
2. Discussing [the general] receiving his mandate"
3. Discussing crossing the borders45
4. Discussing making the moats deep and the fortifications high
5. Discussing mobilizing, deploying, and applying punitive measures [to the enemy]
"In these five cases first evaluate the enemy and afterward move. In this way you can attack their voids and seize them.
"One who excels at employing the army is able to seize men and not be seized by others. This seizing is a technique of mind. Orders [unify]46 the minds of the masses. When the masses are not understood, the orders will have to be changed frequently. When they are changed frequently, then even though orders are issued the masses will not have faith in them.47
"Thus the rule for giving commands is that small errors should not be changed, minor doubts should not be publicized. Thus when those above do not [issue] doubtful orders, the masses will not listen to two different [versions]. When actions do not have any questionable aspects, the multitude will not have divided intentions. There has never been an instance where the people did not believe the mind of their leader and were able to attain their strength.48 It has never been the case that one was unable to realize their strength and yet attain their deaths in battle.
"Therefore a state must have the righteousness of the forms of etiquette [Ii], trust, familiarity, and love, and then it can exchange hunger for surfeit. The state must first have the customs of filiality, parental love, honesty, and shame, and then it can exchange death for life. When the ancients led the people they invariably placed the rites and trust first, and afterward ranks and emoluments. They put honesty and shame first, and punishments and fines afterward; close relationships and love first, and imposed constraints on their persons afterward.49
"Thus those who engage in combat must take leading in person as their foundation in order to incite the masses and officers, just as the mind controls the four limbs. If their minds are not incited, then the officers will not die for honor. When the officers will not die for honor, then the masses will not do battle.
"In order to stimulate the soldiers, the people's material welfare cannot but be ample. The ranks of nobility, the degree of relationship in death and mourning, the activities by which the people live cannot but be made evident. One must govern the people in accord with their means to life, and make distinctions clear in accord with the people's activities. The fruits of the field and their salaries, the feasting of relatives [through the rites of] eating and drinking, the mutual encouragement in the village ceremonies, mutual assistance in death and the rites of mou
rning, sending off and greeting the troops-these are what stimulate the people.so
"Ensure that the members of the squads of five and ten are like relatives, the members of the companies and their officers" like friends. When they stop they will be like a solid, encircling wall, when they move like the wind and rain. The chariots will not wheel to the rear, the soldiers will not turn about. This is the Way to establish the foundation for combat.
"Land is the means for nourishing the populace; [fortified] cities the means for defending the land; combat the means for defending the cities. Thus if one concentrates on plowing the people will not be hungry; if one concentrates on defense the land will not be endangered; if one concentrates on combat the cities will not be encircled. These three were the fundamental concerns of the Former Kings, and among them military affairs were the most urgent.
"Therefore the Former Kings concentrated on five military affairs: When the store of accumulated foodstuffs is not substantial, the soldiers do not set out. When rewards and salaries are not generous, the people are not stimulated. When martial warriors are not selected, the masses will not be strong. When weapons and implements are not prepared, their strength will not be great. When punishments and rewards are not appropriate, the masses will not respect them. If one emphasizes these five, then at rest [the army] will be able to defend any place it secures, and in motion it will be able to attain its objectives.`
"As for remaining within the state and going forth to attack, you want those remaining behind to be `heavy.' In deploying your troops you want the formations to be solid. In launching an attack you want to make the utmost effort. And in going forth to battle you want to be of one mind.
The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China Page 30
