Military Strategy Classics of Ancient China

by Shawn Conners

  太宗问：《孙子》上说，使敌军长失士气的方法是：”朝气猛锐，昼气怠情，暮气衰竭；善于用兵的人，要避开敌人的锐气，等待敌人懈怠衰竭的时候再打击它。”这种说法怎样?

  李 靖答：凡有血气的人，能鼓起勇气与敌斗争，至死也不知道惧怕，这是气势所起的作用。所以用兵的方法，必须首先察明我士卒斗志，激励其战胜敌人的勇气，这样 才可以进击敌人。吴起所说的机，把气机放在首要地位，没有别的道理，就是说只要能使人人勇于自斗，其猛锐的力量是不能阻当的。所谓朝气猛锐，并不是限于时 刻来说的，而是拿一天的早晚作比喻的。敌人经过三次冲击，而士气没有衰竭，又怎能一定使它懈怠衰竭呢！学兵法的人，只是背诵空洞条文，结果为敌人所诱惑， 假如能懂得使敌人丧失士气的道理，就可叫他统兵作战了。

  Question 3.8

  Tang Taizong asked: “You once said that Ze Li is knowledgeable in military strategies, but should he be used from a long-term point of view? If I am no longer around to direct and control him in person, I am afraid he could no longer be controlled. How could Crown Prince Zi control him in the future?”

  Li Jing answered: “As for planning for the Crown Prince, Your Majesty might consider removing Ze Li from his position, so the Crown Prince could reappoint him in the future. Then he will feel gratitude and return the hospitality he has received. There is no permanent damage done, in terms of using Ze Li this way.”

  Tang Taizong said: “Good! I have no doubts on that matter anymore. However, if I appoint Ze Li and Zhang Wu Ji to administer the national affairs together, what would the future be like?”

  Li Jing answered: “Ze Li is a loyal minister. I can guarantee that he would be competent in that position. As for Zhang Wu Ji, he helped Your Majesty a lot in building the empire, and Your Majesty appointed him sincerely as the assistant minister. But although he looks humbly corporal from the surface, he is actually jealous of more virtuous people at heart. Yu Chi Jing De once criticized him face to face, and then, fearing Zhang Wu’s revenge, he decided to retire early. Hou Jun Ji hates him for forgetting the good old relationships in the past, therefore, participated in the rebellion of the deposed Crown Prince Cheng Qian. These were all caused by Zhang Wu Ji. Since Your Majesty asked me, I dare not avoid talking about it.”

  Tang Taizong said: “Do not let this leak out. I will have to consider how to settle this problem.”

  太宗问：你曾记过李责力深知兵法，天长日久还可以任用他么？如果不是我亲自控御恐怕就不能用了。将来太子治怎样控制他呢？

  李靖答：为陛下打算，不如由你免去李责力的职务，将来由太子再来起用他，那他必定会感恩图报，这对于情理有什么损害呢！

  太宗说：好！我没有怀疑了。

  太宗问：若用李责力和长孙无总共同掌管国家大事，将来会怎么样呢?

  李靖答：李责 力为忠义之臣，我可以保证他能胜任。至于长孙无忌有辅佐陛下创业的大功，陛下又以肺腑至亲委任他做辅相。但是他表面上虽然谦恭下士，其实内心嫉能女 后贤。所以尉迟敬德曾经当面指责过他的短处，[因为怕他报复]就引退了。侯君集恨他忘怀旧好，因而参加了废太子承乾的谋反。这都是长刃无忌造成的。陛下 既然问到我，我不敢避而不谈。

  太宗说：不要泄露，待我从长考虑后再作处理。

  Question 3.9

  Tang Taizong asked: “Emperor Gao Zu of Han Dynasty was good at governing generals, but later on, Han Xin and Peng Yue were both executed by him, and Xiao He was imprisoned. Why would he treat them in such a manner?”

  Li Jing answered: “In my opinion, neither Liu Bang nor Xiang Yu was a good ruler, proficient at governing generals. When the Qin Dynasty collapsed, Zhang Liang intended to avenge Chen Ping for the sake of Han. Han Xin resented Xiang Yu because he failed to assign them to important tasks; therefore, they went to Liu Bang to take advantage of his power and influence to reach their respective goals. As for Xiao He, Cao Sen, Fan Kuai and Guan Ying, they were actually desperadoes seeking refuge from Liu Bang. Emperor Gao Zu conquered the nation because he was able to assign them to key positions wisely. However, if the descendants of the six states are allowed to reestablish their old states, these people would exclusively embrace their old states and ruler. By then, even if Liu Bang had the ability to command these generals, how could they render their service for him? So I think that Liu Bang’s victory should be attributed to Zhang Liang’s brilliant plans and strategies, and Xiao He’s effort and achievements. From this point of view, Han Xin and Peng Yue being executed, and Fan Zen no longer being appointed with any key positions are the same in nature. Therefore, I think neither Liu Bang nor Xiang Yu was a ruler capable of controlling generals.”

  Tang Taizong said: “When Emperor Guang Wu restored the Han Dynasty, he maintained his meritorious generals but did not entrust them with civil affairs. Is this being capable of controlling generals?”

  Li Jing answered: “Although Emperor Guang Wu’s victory is more easy to attain based on what had been achieved by his ancestors formerly, still Wang Meng was no less powerful than Xiang Yu, and Kou Xun and Deng Yu were much less capable than Xiao He and Han Xin. However, Emperor Guang Wu was honest and sincere with his subordinates, governed the state with softer policies and maintained his generals. So he was much wiser than Liu Bang. If we are to discuss the ability of controlling generals based on this, I would say that Emperor Guang Wu was successful.”

  太宗问：汉高帝善于统御将帅，后来韩信和彭越被杀，萧何又下狱，为什么这样对待功臣呢?

  李 靖答：我看刘邦、项羽都不是善于统御将帅的君王。当秦二将灭亡时，张良本来是想为韩国报仇，陈平、韩信都怨恨楚项王不肯重用，所以他们惜刘邦的势力来为自 己谋求出路。至于萧何、曹参、樊啥、灌婴都是亡命之徒，投奔刘邦，高祖因为用了这些人才得了天下。假若当时使六国的后代重新复国，这些人必囚怀念旧主而离 去，刘邦纵有御将才能，他们又怎能为汉所用呢!我认为刘邦之所以能得天下，是由于张良借箸之谋和萧何漕车免之功。以此来说，韩信和彭越的被杀，以及范增的不被重用，这两件事情是相同的。所以说刘邦和项羽都不是善于统御将帅的君王。

  太宗问：光武中兴以后，为了保全功臣，不让他们主管朝政，这是善于统御将帅吗?

  李靖答：光武虽然凭籍前人的基业容易成功，然而王莽的权势不下于项羽、邓禹和寇恂的才能也没有超过萧何和张良，可是光武独能以至诚待人，使用温和的政策保全功臣，这就比高祖贤明多了。以这样事例未评论统御将帅的方法，我认为光武是成功的。

  Question 3.10

  Tang Taizong asked: “In ancient times, when dispatching an army and appointing a commanding general for the troops, the ruler would perform a fast that lasted for three days, and then ritually hand the general a Yue[33], announcing: ‘Every matter from here on to the highest of Heavens, will be decided by the general’. After that, the ruler would also give the general an ax which symbolized the power to execute punishment, or to kill, announcing that ‘Every matter, from here to the deepest Earth, will be decided by the general.’ The emperor will then push the general’s chariot forward and say: ‘The general will have total power in deciding whether to advance or retreat the army, in accordance with the situation.’ After the army has set off, all affairs regarding the army would be put under the command of the general, not the ruler. I noticed that these ceremonies have long been abandoned. Now I would like to discuss and work out some new ceremonies to appoint the commanding general, with reference to the ancient ones. What do you think of it?”

  Li Jing answered: “In my opinion, the ceremonies designed by the Sages in the past are performed in the temples because they want to draw s
trength from the spirits. The purpose of Yue and Ax passed to the general, and the push of the chariot is because the ruler wants to grant the general the authority to command. Nowadays, whenever Your Majesty is about to begin an expedition, you should discuss the matter with court officials, and hold ceremonies at the temple before appointing a commanding general. This is an earnest request for the blessing of the gods. Whenever Your Majesty appoints a general, the appointed shall be granted with the power of making his own decisions, and take actions on the spot as they find suitable. By this, Your Majesty is giving the appointed general the highest authority. This is completely in accords with the ancient rites and the essence is all the same, without fasting.”

  Tang Taizong said: “Good.” Then he ordered his attending courtier to record the two practices as a norm of appointing commanding generals to be followed by people in the future generations.

  太宗问：古时出兵作战任命大将时，君王必先斋戒三天，然后将钺授给他说：从此上至天的事情由将军全权处理。又将斧投给他说：L从此下至地的事情由将军全权处理。又推着他的车子说：军队进退由你根据情况决定。出发以后，军中只听将军的指挥，不等待君王的令。我以为这种礼仪早已废弃了。现在想和你参照古礼制定遣将的礼仪，你看如何？

  李 靖答：我认为圣人所制定的在宗庙斋成的礼仪。是为了假借神威；授给斧钺和推毂，是为了授给将军以军权。现在陛下每当出师作战，必先与公卿商议，并祭告宗庙 而后派遣大将，这样假威于神的礼仪算是做到了；每当任命大将，必使他们见机行事，就是给了他们很大的权力。这与斋戒推教有什么区别呢！这是完全符合古札 的，其义也相同，所以不须再来参照制定了。

  太宗说：好。于是就命近臣记载上这两件事做为以后遣将的法度。

  Question 3.11

  Tang Taizong asked: “Can the practices of Yin and Yang be abandoned?”

  Li Jing answered: “No, they should not. Deception is of utmost importance in warfare. With Yin and Yang practices, we could manipulate the greedy and stupid, so these should not be abandoned.”

  Tang Taizong said: “You once mentioned that selecting astrologically auspicious seasons and days are methods that are not used by wise generals. Only stupid ones would stick with this sort of practice. So it should be abandoned?”

  Li Jing said: “In the past, King Zhou of Shang Dynasty perished on a day designated as Jiazi,[34] but King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty succeeded on the same day. If one has to observe astrologically auspicious seasons and days, why on the same day of Jiazi should the Shang Dynasty perish, while the Zhou Dynasty triumphed? What a great difference! Another example is when Liu Yi, Emperor Wu Di of Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, was about to go on an expedition against the state of Southern Yan. The day he chose to set off was a day considered by the Yin and Yang diviners as an ominous ‘shall perish day’. All of his generals thought he should not set off on that day, but the Emperor said: ‘I will attack, and the enemy shall perish.’ What he said was true, he defeated the state of Southern Yan and took the city of Guang Gu. From these cases, we can know that things such as Yin and Yang practice, and selection of astrologically auspicious seasons and periods can be abandoned. However, when Tian Dan, the general of the state of Qi, was besieged in Ji Mo by the army of Yan, he ordered a soldier to disguise himself as a god and enshrined and worshiped him. This disguised soldier said: ‘The army of Yan can be defeated.’ Then Tian Dan launched an attack with flames and oxen and completely defeated the army of Yan. This is what we know as military deception.”

  Tang Taizong said: “Tian Shan resorted to the spirits, ghosts and gods and defeated Yan while Jiang Ziya burned the yarrows and tortoise shells for divination and exterminated King Zhou of Dynasty Shang. The two affairs are contradictory to each other but produced the same results. Why?”

  Li Jing answered: “They share the common aim to boost morale; however, there are people who employ the opposite way to acquire the same success. Some follow the situation and take favorable actions in accordance to the situation. In the past, when Jiang Ziya assisted King Wu of Zhou on an expedition against Zhou of Shang, they reached Mu Ye, where they faced a thunderstorm. As a result, their flags and drums were all either broken or destroyed. San Yisheng made a suggestion to divine first before taking any other actions. He felt that when the doubts and fears grew in their troops, they had to rely on divination and help from gods and spirits, in order to calm the troops down. But Jiang Ziya thought that the rotted grass and dry bones were not worth asking for. Moreover, in their case, the King Wu of Zhou was on an expedition as a subordinate against his ruler, how could people wait for an auspicious day to conduct such an operation? In this case, however, it appears that San Yisheng’s suggestions of divination at the beginning and Jiang Jiang Ziya’s rejection of the suggestion subsequently were contrary to each other, but their final motives were the same. They wanted to keep the troops united. When I stated previously that Ying and Yang practices should not be abandoned, I meant that these practices could be used for psychologically controlling our troops, before things begin to manifest themselves. Whether one could be successful in using these practices is mainly dependent on our own efforts.”

  太宗问：阴阳术数可以废除吗?

  李靖答：不可。用兵是讲求诡诈之道的，假托阴阳术数，是使贪婪愚昧之人的一种办法，所以不可废除。

  太宗说：你曾说过天官时日，明智的将领不以为法，是不用的，而愚昧的将领却往往受它拘束，废除了也是应该的。

  李靖说：从前商纣在甲子日出兵遭到灭亡，而周武王在甲子日出兵获得成功，按天官时日讲，同是一个甲子日，结果是殷乱周治，光亡不同。又宋武帝在”往 亡日”兴兵讨伐南燕，将吏们以为不可，宋武帝说：”我一前往，他就灭亡。”后来果然战胜了南燕。由此来说，阴阳术数可以废除是很明显的了。然而齐将田单在 即墨被燕军围困时，命一人假装神师，亲自礼拜词祭，神师说：”燕军可以破。”于是田单以火牛出击，大破燕军。这就是兵家诡作之道。天官时日的说法，也是这 样的。

  太宗问：田单假托神怪破了燕军，可是太公焚毁蓍龟而灭了商纣，二事相反[但都获得成功]，是什么绦故呢?

  李 靖答：其巩固军心的动机是一致的，不过，有的采用相反的办法而取得成功，有的顺应当时的情况而采取有利的行动就是了。从前太公辅佐武王伐纣，进军到牧野， 忽然遇到宙雨，旗鼓都被折毁，谋臣散宜生想占卜问吉然后行动，这是因为当时军心疑惧，必须假借占卜问神以安军心。太公认为腐草枯骨没有请问的必要，况且反 这是以臣伐君，怎能等待吉日再行举事呢。看起来散宜生产生用占卜巩固军心的动机于前，太公采用毁蓍龟成全巩固军心的动机于后。逆顺虽然不同，道理却是一样 的。我在前面所说的阴阳术数不可废除，是为了用这种办法来防忠于未然。至于一切事情的成功，主要还决定于人的努力。

  Question 3.12

  Tang Taizong said: “At present, the commanding generals we have are Ze Li, Dao Zhong and Xue Wan Che. Among these three, who could be entrusted with great responsibility?”

  Li Jing answered: “Your Majesty once mentioned that Ze Li and Dao Zhong wouldn’t achieve great victories, but neither would they suffer disastrous defeats in commanding a war; while Xue Wan Che would either achieve victorious outcome or suffer a disastrous defeat. I consider this, according to a statement Your Majesty’s made. A force that doesn’t strive for great victories, but will also not suffer disastrous defeats is a well-trained army; while an army that may achieve great victories but also may suffer from disastrous defeats is an army relying on good fortune to achieve success. Thus Sun Tzu once said: ‘A wise commander always ensures that his forces are put in an invincible position, and at the same time will
be sure to miss no opportunity to defeat the enemy’. The power of controlling and commanding wholly belongs to the general.”

  太宗问：现在的将帅，只有李责力、道宗、薜万彻。这三人中，除 了道宗是亲属之外，那个可以童用呢?

  李靖答：陛下曾说李责 力、道宗用兵不大胜也不会大败。薛万彻芳不大胜就是大败。我考虑圣上的话，不求大胜也不会大败的，是有节制的军队；或者大胜或者大败的，是凭侥幸成功的 军队。所以孙武说， “善于指导作战的人，使自己常处于不败的地位，而不失去任何击败 敌人的机合”，指挥掌握在我而已。

  Question 3.13

  Tang Taizong said: “When two armies are against each another, in order not to fight, how should we manage it?”

  Li Jing answered: “In ancient times, when the army of the state of Jin and Tai were at war, both of them withdrew at the moment they approached each other. The ‘Method of Sima’ stated that ‘Do not chase after a fleeing army too far and do not follow the retreating army too tight.’ I think that this refers to the reins of a horse. If our army is well-trained and controlled, the enemy’s formation is well organized: how would we dare to start a battle rashly? That is why they met and then withdrew, with neither of them pursuing after each other. They just wanted to defend themselves from being defeated. Sun Tzu said: ‘Desist from attacking an army whose formations are in an impressive array, and refrain from intercepting an enemy whose banners are in perfect order.’ When we and the enemy are equal in terms of strength, we should move bravely and give the enemy an opportunity to suffer a disastrous defeat. This is common sense. At war, sometimes, you must not fight, and at others time, a war is inevitable. You must not fight when you have no confidence to win, and when the enemy has created mistakes which created advantages for you, you must take them.”