孫子吳起列傳

Sun Wu, known as Sunzi, was a man of Qi. He presented his art of war to King Helu of Wu. Helu said: "I have read all thirteen chapters of your work. Can we make a small test of drilling troops?" Sunzi replied: "We can." Helu said: "Can we try it with women?" He said: "We can." The king agreed and brought out one hundred and eighty beautiful women from the palace. Sunzi divided them into two companies and made the king's two favorite concubines captains of each, ordering all of them to hold halberds. He instructed them: "Do you know where your chest is, and your left hand, right hand, and back?" The women said: "We do." Sunzi said: "When I say 'forward,' look toward your chest; 'left,' look toward your left hand; 'right,' your right hand; 'rear,' look toward your back." The women said: "Understood." After the rules had been proclaimed and the executioner's axe set up, he repeated the orders three times and explained them five times. Then he beat the drum for a right turn. The women burst out laughing. Sunzi said: "If the rules are not clear and the orders not thoroughly explained, that is the general's fault." He repeated the orders three times and explained them five times, then beat the drum for a left turn. The women again burst out laughing. Sunzi said: "If the rules are not clear and the orders not thoroughly explained, that is the general's fault. But when they have been made clear and are still not followed, that is the fault of the officers." He then moved to behead the two company captains. The King of Wu, watching from a terrace, saw that his beloved concubines were about to be executed and was horrified. He urgently dispatched a messenger with the order: "I already know the general can command troops. Without these two concubines, my food has no flavor. I beg you not to execute them." Sunzi said: "I have already received my appointment as general. When a general is with his army, there are orders from the sovereign that he need not accept." He executed the two captains as a warning. He appointed the next in line as captains and beat the drum again. The women turned left, right, forward, back, knelt, and rose all in perfect accord with the rules, and none dared make a sound. Sunzi then sent a messenger to report to the king: "The troops are in order. Your Majesty may come down to inspect them. They can be used however you wish — they would march through fire and water." The king said: "Let the general return to his quarters and rest. I do not wish to come down to inspect." Sunzi said: "The king merely enjoys the words but cannot put them into practice." At this, Helu recognized that Sunzi could truly command armies, and ultimately appointed him general. To the west, Sunzi shattered mighty Chu and entered its capital Ying; to the north, he overawed Qi and Jin. His name became illustrious among the lords, and Sunzi's contribution was essential to all of it.

After Sun Wu died, more than a hundred years later there was Sun Bin. Bin was born in the area between E and Juan, and was a descendant of Sun Wu. Sun Bin once studied the art of war together with Pang Juan. When Pang Juan entered the service of Wei and became a general under King Hui, he knew in his heart that his ability was no match for Sun Bin's, and so he secretly sent for Sun Bin. When Bin arrived, Pang Juan, fearing that Bin would outshine him and consumed with jealousy, had him punished by the law: his kneecaps were cut off and his face was tattooed, intending to keep him hidden away and prevent him from being seen.

An envoy from Qi came to the Wei capital. Sun Bin, as a mutilated convict, arranged a secret meeting and persuaded the Qi envoy. The envoy considered him remarkable and smuggled him back to Qi in his carriage. The Qi general Tian Ji treated him well and kept him as a guest. Tian Ji frequently raced horses with the princes of Qi, betting heavily. Sunzi observed that the horses' speeds did not differ greatly and that they fell into three classes: top, middle, and bottom. He told Tian Ji: "Just bet heavily, my lord — I can make you win." Tian Ji believed him and bet a thousand in gold against the king and the princes. At the starting line, Sunzi said: "Now race your bottom horses against their top horses, your top horses against their middle horses, and your middle horses against their bottom horses." When the three heats were finished, Tian Ji had lost one and won two, and came away with the king's thousand in gold. Tian Ji then presented Sunzi to King Wei. King Wei questioned him on the art of war and made him his military adviser.

Afterward, Wei attacked Zhao, and Zhao was in dire straits and asked Qi for rescue. King Wei of Qi wanted to appoint Sun Bin as commander, but Bin declined, saying: "A mutilated man cannot serve." So Tian Ji was made commander and Sunzi was made adviser, riding in a supply wagon and devising strategy from his seat. Tian Ji wanted to lead the army directly to Zhao. Sunzi said: "To untangle a knot, you do not clench your fist; to break up a fight, you do not wade in swinging. Strike where the enemy is overextended, press where he is empty — the situation will resolve itself. Now Wei and Zhao are fighting each other. Wei's best troops and sharpest soldiers must be exhausted in the field, with only the old and weak left at home. You should march the army straight for Daliang, seize the roads, and strike where they are exposed. Wei will have to abandon Zhao and rush to defend itself. In a single move, we relieve Zhao's siege and exploit Wei's weakness." Tian Ji followed this plan. Wei indeed withdrew from Handan and fought Qi at Guiling, where the Wei army was routed.

Thirteen years later, Wei and Zhao attacked Han. Han sent an urgent appeal to Qi. Qi sent Tian Ji as commander, and he marched straight for Daliang. When the Wei general Pang Juan heard this, he abandoned the Han campaign and turned back, but the Qi army had already crossed into Wei territory heading west. Sunzi told Tian Ji: "The soldiers of the Three Jin are naturally fierce and brave, and they look down on Qi as cowardly. A good commander exploits this perception and turns it to advantage. The Art of War says: 'He who rushes a hundred li to seize an advantage will lose his leading general; he who rushes fifty li will arrive with only half his force.' Have the Qi army build cooking-fires for a hundred thousand men on the first day inside Wei territory, for fifty thousand the next day, and for thirty thousand the day after." After marching for three days, Pang Juan was elated and said: "I always knew the Qi army was cowardly — in three days inside our territory, more than half their soldiers have deserted." He abandoned his infantry and pressed forward with only his light, elite troops, doubling the pace to pursue them. Sunzi calculated the rate of march and judged that Pang Juan would reach Maling by nightfall. The Maling road was narrow with many defiles and obstructions on either side — ideal for an ambush. He had a great tree stripped of its bark and wrote on the white wood: "Pang Juan dies beneath this tree." He then ordered ten thousand Qi crossbowmen to hide on both sides of the road, with the signal: "When you see fire raised at dusk, all fire together." Pang Juan indeed arrived that night at the stripped tree and, seeing the white writing, struck a light to read it. Before he could finish reading, the ten thousand Qi crossbows fired as one. The Wei army fell into chaos and scattered. Pang Juan, knowing his wits were exhausted and his army destroyed, cut his own throat, saying: "So I have made that brat's name after all!" Qi exploited the victory to destroy the remaining Wei forces and captured Crown Prince Shen of Wei. Through this, Sun Bin's name became famous across All-Under-Heaven, and his art of war was transmitted through the generations.

Wu Qi was a man of Wei who loved the art of war. He once studied under Zengzi and served the ruler of Lu. When Qi attacked Lu, Lu wished to appoint Wu Qi as commander, but since Wu Qi had taken a woman of Qi as his wife, Lu had doubts about him. Wu Qi, desiring to make a name for himself, killed his wife to prove he had no ties to Qi. Lu then appointed him commander. He led the army against Qi and routed them.

Some in Lu spoke ill of Wu Qi, saying: "Wu Qi is a suspicious and ruthless man. In his youth, his family had a fortune of a thousand in gold, but his attempts to win office came to nothing and he squandered it all. When the people of his village mocked him, Wu Qi killed over thirty of his detractors and fled east through the outer wall of the Wei capital. Parting from his mother, he bit his arm and swore: 'Unless I become a chancellor or a minister, I will never return to Wei.' He then studied under Zengzi. Before long his mother died, but he did not go home to mourn her. Zengzi despised him for this and severed their relationship. Wu Qi went to Lu and studied the art of war to serve the ruler of Lu. When the ruler had doubts about him, he killed his wife to obtain the command. But Lu is a small state — if it gains a reputation for military victory, the other lords will target it. Moreover, Lu and Wei are brother states, and by employing Wu Qi, the ruler is abandoning Wei." The ruler of Lu grew suspicious and dismissed Wu Qi.

Wu Qi then heard that Marquis Wen of Wei was a worthy ruler and wished to serve him. Marquis Wen asked Li Ke: "What kind of man is Wu Qi?" Li Ke said: "Wu Qi is greedy and lustful, but in the use of arms, even Sima Rangju could not surpass him." Marquis Wen of Wei thereupon appointed him general. He attacked Qin and took five cities.

As a commander, Wu Qi ate and dressed the same as the lowest-ranking soldiers. He slept without a mat, marched without riding, personally carried surplus rations, and shared every hardship with his troops. When a soldier had an infected abscess, Wu Qi sucked the pus from it with his own mouth. The soldier's mother, hearing of this, wept. Someone said: "Your son is only a common soldier, yet the general himself sucked his wound — why do you weep?" The mother said: "It is not that. Last year Lord Wu sucked his father's wound, and his father fought without ever turning back and died facing the enemy. Now Lord Wu has sucked the son's wound as well — I do not know where my son will die. That is why I weep."

Marquis Wen, recognizing that Wu Qi was skilled in the use of arms, incorruptible, fair, and able to win the complete devotion of his soldiers, appointed him governor of the West River region to hold against Qin and Han.

After Marquis Wen died, Wu Qi served his son, Marquis Wu. Marquis Wu was sailing down the West River and, in midstream, turned to Wu Qi and said: "How magnificent is the security of these mountains and rivers! This is the treasure of Wei!" Wu Qi replied: "Security lies in virtue, not in terrain. Of old, the Three Miao had Lake Dongting to their left and Lake Pengli to their right, yet they did not cultivate virtue and righteousness, and Yu destroyed them. Jie of Xia had his capital with the Yellow River and the Ji River to the left, Mount Taihua to the right, Yique to the south, and the Sheep-Gut road to the north, yet his governance was not humane, and Tang banished him. King Zhou of Yin had Mengmen to the left and the Taihang Mountains to the right, Mount Chang to the north and the Great River running past the south, yet his governance lacked virtue, and King Wu slew him. From this we can see: security lies in virtue, not in terrain. If Your Lordship does not cultivate virtue, every person in this boat will become your enemy." Marquis Wu said: "Well spoken."

Wu Qi, as governor of the West River, had a formidable reputation. When Wei appointed a chancellor, the post went to Tian Wen. Wu Qi was displeased and said to Tian Wen: "Let us compare our achievements — would that be acceptable?" Tian Wen said: "It would." Wu Qi said: "In commanding the three armies so that soldiers gladly face death and enemy states dare not plot against us — how do you compare with me?" Tian Wen said: "I am not your equal." Wu Qi said: "In governing the hundred officials, winning the people's affection, and filling the treasuries — how do you compare with me?" Tian Wen said: "I am not your equal." Wu Qi said: "In holding the West River so that Qin's armies dare not face east, and Han and Zhao defer to us — how do you compare with me?" Tian Wen said: "I am not your equal." Wu Qi said: "In all three areas you are beneath me, yet your rank is above mine. Why?" Tian Wen said: "The ruler is young, the state is uncertain, the great ministers are not yet loyal, and the common people do not yet trust the government. At such a time, should authority be entrusted to you, or to me?" Wu Qi was silent for a long while, then said: "To you." Tian Wen said: "That is why I am placed above you." Wu Qi then understood that he was truly inferior to Tian Wen.

After Tian Wen died, Gongshu became chancellor. He had married a Wei princess and was jealous of Wu Qi. Gongshu's servant said: "Wu Qi is easy to get rid of." Gongshu said: "How?" The servant said: "Wu Qi is a man of austere integrity who prizes his reputation. First, tell Marquis Wu: 'Wu Qi is a man of great ability, but your lordship's state is small and borders powerful Qin — I secretly fear Wu Qi has no intention of staying.' When Marquis Wu asks what to do, tell him: 'Test him by offering him a princess in marriage. If he intends to stay, he will certainly accept; if not, he will certainly refuse. This will tell you.' Then invite Wu Qi to your home and have the princess treat you with contempt in his presence. When Wu Qi sees the princess demeaning the chancellor, he will certainly refuse the offer." And so it happened: Wu Qi saw how the princess treated the Wei chancellor with contempt, and he indeed declined Marquis Wu's offer. Marquis Wu grew suspicious and ceased to trust him. Wu Qi, fearing punishment, left and went to Chu.

King Dao of Chu had long heard of Wu Qi's abilities. Upon his arrival, he was made chancellor of Chu. He clarified the laws and tightened the regulations, eliminated unnecessary offices, cut off the allowances of distant royal kinsmen, and used the savings to nurture combat troops. His priority was to strengthen the army and to break the influence of the itinerant persuaders with their alliance-building schemes. He pacified the Hundred Yue peoples to the south; to the north, he absorbed Chen and Cai and pushed back the Three Jin; to the west, he campaigned against Qin. The other lords grew alarmed at Chu's strength. The noble kinsmen of Chu all wished to destroy Wu Qi. When King Dao died, the royal clansmen and great ministers rose in revolt and attacked Wu Qi. Wu Qi fled to the king's corpse and threw himself upon it. Those who shot and stabbed Wu Qi also struck the dead king's body. After King Dao was buried and the crown prince was installed, he ordered the Chief Minister to execute all those who had shot Wu Qi and in doing so had struck the royal corpse. More than seventy families were condemned and wiped out for the crime of shooting at Wu Qi.

The Grand Historian says: Whenever the world speaks of military affairs, all cite Sunzi's thirteen chapters. Wu Qi's art of war is also widely available, and so I will not discuss their texts but rather their actual deeds and measures. The saying goes: "Those who can act may not be able to speak, and those who can speak may not be able to act." Sun Bin's stratagems against Pang Juan were brilliant, yet he could not save himself from mutilation early in his career. Wu Qi lectured Marquis Wu that security lay in virtue rather than terrain, yet in his own practice in Chu he was harsh, severe, and sparing of mercy, and it cost him his life. How sad!