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第36章

art of war-第36章

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of Han in their stead。〃  Turning then to his other officers;  he 

remarked:   〃Our adversary holds a strong position; and is not 

likely to come out and attack us until he sees the standard and 

drums of the commander…in…chief; for fear I should turn back and 

escape through the mountains。〃  So saying; he first of all sent 

out a division consisting of 10;000 men; and ordered them to form 

in line of battle with their backs to the River Ti。  Seeing this 

maneuver;  the whole army of Chao broke into loud laughter。  By 

this time it was broad daylight; and Han Hsin;  displaying the 

generalissimo's flag; marched out of the pass with drums beating; 

and was immediately engaged by the enemy。  A great battle 

followed; lasting for some time; until at length Han Hsin and his 

colleague Chang Ni; leaving drums and banner on the field;  fled 

to the division on the river bank; where another fierce battle 

was raging。  The enemy rushed out to pursue them and to secure 

the trophies; thus denuding their ramparts of men; but the two 

generals succeeded in joining the other army; which was fighting 

with the utmost desperation。  The time had now come for the 2000 

horsemen to play their part。  As soon as they saw the men of Chao 

following up their advantage; they galloped behind the deserted 

walls;  tore up the enemy's flags and replaced them by those of 

Han。  When the Chao army looked back from the pursuit; the sight 

of these red flags struck them with terror。  Convinced that the 

Hans had got in and overpowered their king; they broke up in wild 

disorder; every effort of their leader to stay the panic being in 

vain。  Then the Han army fell on them from both sides and 

completed the rout; killing a number and capturing the rest; 

amongst whom was King Ya himself。。。。  After the battle; some of 

Han Hsin's officers came to him and said:  〃In the ART OF WAR we 

are told to have a hill or tumulus on the right rear; and a river 

or marsh on the left front。  'This appears to be a blend of Sun 

Tzu and T‘ai Kung。  See IX ss。 9; and note。'   You;  on the 

contrary; ordered us to draw up our troops with the river at our 

back。  Under these conditions; how did you manage to gain the 

victory?〃   The general replied:  〃I fear you gentlemen have not 

studied the Art of War with sufficient care。  Is it not written 

there:  'Plunge your army into desperate straits and it will come 

off in safety; place it in deadly peril and it will survive'?  

Had I taken the usual course; I should never have been able to 

bring my colleague round。  What says the Military Classic'Swoop 

down on the market…place and drive the men off to fight。'   'This 

passage does not occur in the present text of Sun Tzu。'  If I had 

not placed my troops in a position where they were obliged to 

fight for their lives; but had allowed each man to follow his own 

discretion;  there would have been a general debandade;  and it 

would have been impossible to do anything with them。〃   The 

officers admitted the force of his argument; and said:   〃These 

are higher tactics than we should have been capable of。〃   'See 

CH‘IEN HAN SHU; ch。 34; ff。 4; 5。' '



     59。  For it is precisely when a force has fallen into harm's 

way that is capable of striking a blow for victory。



     'Danger has a bracing effect。'



     60。  Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating 

ourselves to the enemy's purpose。



     'Ts‘ao Kung says:  〃Feign stupidity〃by an appearance of 

yielding and falling in with the enemy's wishes。  Chang Yu's note 

makes the meaning clear:  〃If the enemy shows an inclination to 

advance; lure him on to do so; if he is anxious to retreat; delay 

on purpose that he may carry out his intention。〃  The object is 

to make him remiss and contemptuous before we deliver our 

attack。'



     61。  By persistently hanging on the enemy's flank;



     'I understand the first four words to mean 〃accompanying the 

enemy in one direction。〃  Ts‘ao Kung says:  〃unite the soldiers 

and make for the enemy。〃  But such a violent displacement of 

characters is quite indefensible。'



we shall succeed in the long run



     'Literally; 〃after a thousand LI。〃'



in killing the commander…in…chief。



     'Always a great point with the Chinese。'



     62。  This is called ability to accomplish a thing by sheer 

cunning。

     63。  On the day that you take up your command;  block the 

frontier passes; destroy the official tallies;



     'These were tablets of bamboo or wood; one half of which was 

issued as a permit or passport by the official in charge of a 

gate。  Cf。 the 〃border…warden〃 of LUN YU III。 24; who may have 

had similar duties。  When this half was returned to him; within a 

fixed period;  he was authorized to open the gate and let the 

traveler through。'




and stop the passage of all emissaries。



     'Either to or from the enemy's country。'



     64。  Be stern in the council…chamber;



     'Show no weakness; and insist on your plans being ratified 

by the sovereign。'



so that you may control the situation。



     'Mei Yao…ch‘en understands the whole sentence to mean:  Take 

the   strictest   precautions   to   ensure   secrecy   in   your 

deliberations。'



     65。  If the enemy leaves a door open; you must rush in。

     66。  Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear;



     'Cf。 supra; ss。 18。'



and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the ground。



     'Ch‘en Hao‘s explanation:  〃If I manage to seize a favorable 

position;  but the enemy does not appear on the scene;  the 

advantage thus obtained cannot be turned to any practical 

account。  He who intends therefore; to occupy a position of 

importance to the enemy;  must begin by making an   artful 

appointment;  so to speak; with his antagonist; and cajole him 

into going there as well。〃  Mei Yao…ch‘en explains that this 

〃artful appointment〃  is to be made through the medium of the 

enemy's own spies;  who will carry back just the amount of 

information that we choose to give them。  Then; having cunningly 

disclosed our intentions; 〃we must manage; though starting after 

the enemy;  to arrive before him (VII。 ss。 4)。  We must start 

after him in order to ensure his marching thither; we must arrive 

before him in order to capture the place without trouble。  Taken 

thus;  the present passage lends some support to Mei Yao…ch‘en's 

interpretation of ss。 47。'



     67。  Walk in the path defined by rule;



     'Chia Lin says:  〃Victory is the only thing that matters; 

and this cannot be achieved by adhering to conventional canons。〃  

It is unfortunate that this variant rests on very slight 

authority;   for the sense yielded is certainly much   more 

satisfactory。  Napoleon; as we know; according to the veterans of 

the old school whom he defeated; won his battles by violating 

every accepted canon of warfare。'



and accommodate yourself to the enemy until you can fight a 

decisive battle。



     'Tu Mu says:   〃Conform to the enemy's tactics until a 

favorable opportunity offers; then come forth and engage in a 

battle that shall prove decisive。〃'



     68。  At first; then; exhibit the coyness of a maiden;  until 

the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity 

of a running hare; and it will be too late for the enemy to 

oppose you。



     'As the hare is noted for its extreme timidity;  the 

comparison hardly appears felicitous。  But of course Sun Tzu was 

thinking only of its speed。  The words have been taken to mean:  

You must flee from the enemy as quickly as an escaping hare;  but 

this is rightly rejected by Tu Mu。'





'1'  Giles' Biographical Dictionary; no。 399。



'2'  〃The Science of War;〃 p。 333。



'3'  〃Stonewall Jackson;〃 vol。 I; p。 421。







XII。  THE ATTACK BY FIRE





     'Rather more than half the

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