793, on the fourth

Wu Zi said: "The general of the army is also the general of the army." Those who are both rigid and soft, and the things of soldiers are also. Mortals talk about generals, and often look at bravery. Courage is one in one. The brave man will be lightly combined, and he will not know the benefits of the light, and he will not be able to. Therefore, there are five prudent ones: one is reason, two is preparation, three is fruit, four is precept, and five is covenant. Those who are rational govern the crowd as the widows. Those who prepare, go out as if they are enemies. Those who bear fruit will not be born when facing the enemy. Those who prescribe it, although they fight like a fight. The covenant is annoying to the law. Accept the order without resigning, the enemy is broken and then returned, and the gift is also. Therefore, on the day of the teacher's departure, there is the glory of death, and there is no shame of life. ”

Wu Zi said: "All soldiers have four machines: one is the gas machine, the second is the ground machine, the third is the event machine, and the fourth is the force machine. The crowd of the three armies, the division of millions, the importance of the Zhang set, lies in one person, and it is called the qi machine. The road is narrow and dangerous, the famous mountain is big, the ten husbands are guarded, and the thousands of people are just the ground machine. is good at spying, light troops, scattering the people, making the monarchs and ministers resentful of each other, and the upper and lower levels are to blame, which is an opportunity. Che Jian governs, Zhou Li Lu, Shi Xi Zhan Chen, and horses gallop leisurely, which is a force machine. Knowing these four is a general. However, its might, virtue, benevolence, and courage will be enough to lead the people to calm the people and fear the enemy. Don't dare to commit when you give orders, and don't dare to fight where you are. The country that gains is strong, and the country that goes to perish. It's for a good general. ”

Wu Zi said: "Fu Mo drum Jin Duo, so Wei'er." The banner is commanding, so it is majestic. The ban is punished, so the prestige. The ear is mighty and cannot be cleared. The eyes are mighty, and they must not be unknown. The heart is powerful and the punishment must not be severe. If the three do not stand, though they have their own kingdoms, they will be defeated by the enemy. Therefore, it is said that the place where it is will be moved; If you point to it, you can't die. ”

Wu Zi said: "All the important battles must first occupy their generals and examine their talents." Because of the use of power, it is not hard work. They will be foolish and trustworthy, but they can be deceived and seduced; greedy and famous, but goods and bribes; There is no plan for light change, but it can be hard to work. The rich are proud, the poor are resentful, and they can be separated from it. Suspicious of advance and retreat, they have no support, and they can be shocked away. The gentleman is light and has a return, and the plug is easy to open the risk, and it can be invited to take it. It is easy to enter, but difficult to retreat. The approach is dangerous, the retreat is easy, and it can be thin. The army is wet, the water is not passed, and the rain is counted, and it can be poured and sunk. The army is deserted, the grass is filthy, and the wind is soaring, and it can be burned and destroyed. If it stops for a long time, the soldiers are slack, and its army is unprepared, so it can sneak attack. ”

Wuhou asked: "The two armies look at each other, I don't know their generals, I want to get along, how is its technique?" ”

He said: "Those who are cheap and brave will taste it lightly." In the north, there is no business to get, watch the enemy come, sit together, its politics is reasonable, its pursuit of the north is not in time, its see the profit pretend not to know, such a general, called the wisdom of the general, do not fight. If the crowd is in an uproar, the flag is disturbed, its pawns stop themselves, its soldiers are either vertical or horizontal, they are afraid that they will not be able to chase the north, and they will not be able to see the benefits, this is a foolish general, although the public can get it. ”

Wu Qi said: "Only those who are all-round in civil and military affairs can serve as generals in the army." Only those who are both rigid and soft can lead the army to fight. When people comment on generals, they often focus only on bravery. For a general, bravery is just one of several conditions that should be met. A brave general alone will inevitably engage the enemy rashly, and if he engages the enemy rashly, he will not consider the benefits and losses, and this will not work. Therefore, there are five aspects that generals must be cautious about: one is 'reason', the second is 'preparation', the third is 'fruit', the fourth is 'precept', and the fifth is 'covenant'. Commanding a million-strong army is like managing a small army with few troops. Bei means that when the army is dispatched, it is as vigilant as if it encounters an enemy. As a result, it is to fight against the enemy without considering personal life and death. Ring, that is, although the enemy has been defeated, it is as vigilant as at the beginning of the battle. Covenant, that is, the decree is concise and not cumbersome. Accept the order without shirking, and then propose to return after defeating the enemy. These are all etiquette that generals should follow. Therefore, from the day he led his division out on the expedition, he should make up his mind that he would rather die in honor than endure humiliation and steal his life. ”

Wu Qi said: "There are four key issues in leading the army to fight: First, to grasp morale, second, to make use of the terrain, third, to use strategy, and fourth, to enhance combat effectiveness. There are many soldiers and horses in the three armies, and there are millions of troops, and the rise and fall of morale is all in the general, and this is the key to mastering morale. The roads are treacherous, the mountain fortress is defended by ten people, and a thousand people cannot pass, which is the key to using the terrain. Being good at using spies, sending small troops to disperse the enemy's forces, making the kings and ministers complain to each other, and blame each other, this is the key to using strategy. The key to improving the combat effectiveness of the troops is the sturdy axles of the chariots, the light oars of the warships, the skilled formation of the soldiers, and the familiarity of the horses with galloping. Only by grasping these four keys can he become a general. However, the majesty, morality, benevolence, and bravery of the generals must be enough to command the hidden troops of his subordinates and deter the enemy. Orders are issued and subordinates do not dare to disobey, and wherever they go, the enemy does not dare to resist. With such generals, the country will be strong, and without such generals, the country will decline. This is the good general. ”

Wu Qi said: "The snare drum and bell are to command the actions of the troops through hearing. Banners are visual orders for the actions of troops. The prohibition and punishment rely on it to unify the morale of the army. The auditory sense acts in unison, so the sound of the golden drum must be clear. Visual unity relies on color, so the color of the flag must be bright. The unity of the military spirit depends on punishment, so the punishment must be severe. If these three articles are not established, even if there is a country, it will certainly be defeated by the enemy. Therefore, the general's order flag waved in the direction, and the troops did not obey the action; According to the general's order, there is no one in the army who does not desperately move forward to kill the enemy. ”

Wu Qi said: "The most important thing in combat is to first detect the situation of the enemy general and observe his talents. If you use flexible tactics according to the situation on the battlefield, you can win without much effort. The adversary is foolish and gullible and can tempt him by deception; greedy for personal gain without regard for honor, you can bribe him with money; Changing his mind easily and without resourcefulness can disturb him. The superiors are rich and arrogant, and the subordinates are poor and resentful, and they can use the contradictions to drive a wedge between them. The generals hesitated to advance and retreat, and the troops were at a loss, and they could be forced to run away with force. The soldiers despised the generals and were tired of the battle, blocked the avenues, and made way of the dangerous roads, so that they could win by volleying. The enemy's advance is easy, but the retreat is difficult, so they lure the enemy forward and annihilate him. The enemy's advance is difficult, and the retreat is smooth, so he approaches the enemy's attack. The enemy is stationed in low-lying and damp places, and it is impossible to clear the stagnant water, and if it rains frequently, it can be flooded. The enemy is stationed in a barren lake and marsh area, where weeds and shrubs are overgrown, and if strong winds blow frequently, they can be destroyed by fire. The enemy has been stationed in one place for a long time and does not move, the soldiers are slack, and the troops are negligent in their guard, so they can sneak attack it. ”

Wei Wuhou asked: "The two armies are facing each other, I don't know the situation of the enemy general, I want to observe his talent, what can I do?" ”

Wu Qi replied: "Order a subordinate and brave general to lead a light army to try the attack, only defeat, not victory, in order to observe the enemy's approaching actions, the enemy's every move, the command is very organized, when pursuing me, pretend not to catch up, see the property scattered on the ground and pretend not to see, such a general, is a wise general, do not fight with him." If there is a lot of noise among the enemy's army, the military flag is chaotic and messy, the soldiers move freely, and the weapons in their hands are held horizontally, and they are afraid that they will not be able to catch up when they are pursued, and if they see assets and they will not be able to grab them, this is a foolish general, and even if the enemy has many people, he can be captured. ”