圖國

Wu Qi dressed in Confucian robes and sought an audience with Marquis Wen of Wei to discuss military strategy. Marquis Wen said: "I take no pleasure in military affairs." Wu Qi replied: "I judge what is hidden from what is visible, and infer the future from the past — why does my lord say what contradicts his heart? Now year-round you have hides cut and stitched, lacquered in vermilion, painted in cinnabar and blue-green, inlaid with rhinoceros horn and ivory. Worn in winter these give no warmth; worn in summer they give no coolness. You have long halberds of twenty-four feet and short halberds of twelve feet. You have leather-covered war chariots with curtained wheels and caged hubs — not beautiful to look at, not light for hunting. I cannot understand what my lord uses all this for. If you maintain equipment for advancing to battle and retreating to defend, yet refuse to seek commanders who can employ it, this is like a brooding hen attacking a wildcat, or a nursing puppy charging a tiger — you may have the will to fight, but death will follow. In ancient times, the lord of the Chengsang clan cultivated virtue but abandoned military preparedness, and his state was destroyed. The lord of the Youhu clan relied on numbers and glorified bravery, and lost his altars of soil and grain. A wise ruler takes warning from these examples: he must cultivate civil virtue within and maintain military preparedness without. To face an enemy and not advance — that falls short of duty. To stand over corpses and mourn them — that falls short of compassion."

Thereupon Marquis Wen personally spread the mat, his consort held the wine cup, and they performed the libation ceremony for Wu Qi in the ancestral temple, appointing him Grand General and assigning him to defend the Western River region. He fought seventy-six major battles against the other states, winning outright in sixty-four and fighting to a draw in the rest. He expanded territory in all four directions and extended the borders by a thousand li — all of this was Wu Qi's achievement.

Wu Qi said: "Those who planned for the state in ancient times invariably began by instructing the people and building closeness with the populace. There are four disharmonies: if there is no harmony within the state, you cannot deploy the army; if there is no harmony within the army, you cannot deploy into formation; if there is no harmony within the formation, you cannot advance to battle; if there is no harmony in battle, you cannot achieve victory. Therefore a ruler who possesses the Way, when he intends to employ his people, first establishes harmony before undertaking great endeavors. He does not trust his private calculations alone — he must report to the ancestral temple, consult the great tortoise oracle, and verify against the patterns of heaven. Only when the signs are favorable does he act. When the people know that their lord values their lives and cherishes them against death to this degree, and then he leads them into danger, the soldiers will regard advancing to death as glory and retreating to survive as disgrace."

Wu Qi said: "The Way is what returns us to fundamentals and origins. Duty is what enables us to accomplish deeds and establish merit. Strategy is what enables us to avoid harm and pursue advantage. Essentials are what enable us to preserve achievements and maintain what has been built. If one's conduct does not accord with the Way and one's undertakings do not accord with duty, yet one holds great position and occupies high rank, disaster will inevitably follow. Therefore the sage pacifies through the Way, governs through duty, mobilizes through propriety, and nurtures through compassion. These four virtues — cultivate them and the state will flourish; abandon them and the state will decline. Thus when Tang punished Jie, the Xia people rejoiced; when King Wu of Zhou attacked Zhou of Shang, the Yin people did not condemn him. Their actions accorded with heaven and with the people — that is why they succeeded."

Wu Qi said: "In governing the state and governing the army, you must instruct them with propriety and encourage them with duty, so they develop a sense of shame. When people have a sense of shame, on a large scale it is sufficient for offensive warfare, and on a small scale it is sufficient for defense. Yet winning battles is easy; preserving the gains of victory is hard. Therefore it is said: among the warring states of the realm, those who win five times invite disaster, those who win four times are weakened, those who win three times become hegemons, those who win twice become kings, and those who win once become emperors. Thus those who gained the realm through repeated victories are few; those who perished through them are many."

Wu Qi said: "There are five causes from which warfare arises: first, contention over reputation; second, contention over profit; third, accumulated hatred; fourth, internal disorder; fifth, famine. Armies likewise have five designations: first, a righteous army; second, an aggressive army; third, a belligerent army; fourth, a violent army; fifth, a rebellious army. Suppressing tyranny and rescuing the disordered is called righteous. Relying on superior numbers to attack is called aggressive. Raising troops out of anger is called belligerent. Abandoning propriety and coveting profit is called violent. Mobilizing the masses when the state is in chaos and the people exhausted is called rebellious. Each of these five is subdued by its own method: the righteous must be subdued through propriety; the aggressive must be subdued through humility; the belligerent must be subdued through persuasion; the violent must be subdued through deception; the rebellious must be subdued through strategic authority."

Marquis Wu asked: "I wish to hear about the methods for controlling the military, assessing the people, and securing the state." Wu Qi replied: "The wise kings of antiquity were meticulous about the proprieties between ruler and minister, refined the ceremonies of superior and subordinate, settled and gathered their officials and people, governed according to local customs, and selected the best talent to prepare against the unexpected. In the past, Duke Huan of Qi recruited fifty thousand warriors and became hegemon over the lords. Duke Wen of Jin assembled forty thousand for his vanguard and achieved his ambitions. Duke Mu of Qin maintained thirty thousand formation-breakers and subdued his neighboring enemies. Therefore the ruler of a strong state must assess his people. Those with courage and physical strength — gather them into one unit. Those who are eager to advance into battle and prove their loyalty and valor — gather them into one unit. Those who can scale heights, leap distances, and run with speed and agility — gather them into one unit. Officials who have lost their positions and wish to demonstrate merit to their superiors — gather them into one unit. Those who abandoned their cities and wish to redeem their disgrace — gather them into one unit. These five categories form the army's elite strike force. With three thousand such men, sallying from within you can break a siege, and attacking from without you can storm a city."

Marquis Wu asked: "I wish to hear the method for making formations certain, defense solid, and victory assured." Wu Qi replied: "You could see the results immediately, not merely hear about them. If my lord can place the worthy in high positions and the unworthy in low positions, then your formations are already secured. If the people are content with their fields and homes and feel close to their officials, then your defense is already solid. If the common people all affirm their own lord and reject the neighboring state, then your victory is already won."

Marquis Wu once deliberated on a matter of policy, and none of his ministers could match his reasoning. He retired from court with a pleased expression. Wu Qi stepped forward and said: "In the past, King Zhuang of Chu once deliberated on a matter of policy, and none of his ministers could match him. He retired from court with a worried expression. The Duke of Shen asked: 'My lord looks worried — why?' King Zhuang said: 'I have heard that the world is never without sages, and no state is ever without worthy men. He who can find a teacher among them will become a king; he who can find a friend among them will become a hegemon. Now I am a man of no great ability, yet none of my ministers can match me — Chu is in peril!' This is what worried King Zhuang of Chu, and yet my lord is pleased by the same situation. I am privately afraid." At this, Marquis Wu looked ashamed.