The Three Strategies: Middle Scroll

Page 6

...concerns. The words of those who carry firewood the lowly and the discourse of the imperial court halls; the history of the rise and fall of previous dynasties are all things a general should listen to. If a general can long for men of talent as one thirsts for water, then their strategies the strategies of these men will be followed.

If a general rejects advice, heroes will scatter. If strategies are not followed, counselors will defect. If good and evil are treated the same, meritorious officials will grow weary. If he is self-centered, those below will cast the blame on him. If he boasts of his own deeds, the merit of his subordinates will be diminished. If he believes slander, the hearts of the masses will become alienated. If he is greedy for wealth and personal gain

then wickedness cannot be restrained. If he is preoccupied with internal pleasures original: "內顧" (nei gu); referring to domestic distractions or indulgence in the private quarters, the soldiers will become dissolute. If a general possesses even one of these faults, the masses will not submit. If he has two, How profound! the army will lack order. If he has three, his subordinates will flee in defeat. If he has four, disaster will strike the nation. The Military Prophecies Jun Chen (軍讖): An ancient, lost military manual frequently cited in this text as a source of ultimate authority on discipline and tactical secrecy state:

A general’s plans should be secret, the soldiers should be unified, and the attack on the enemy should be swift. When the general’s plans are secret, the hearts of the treacherous are blocked. When the soldiers are unified, the spirit of the army is bound together. When the attack is swift, the enemy’s defenses cannot be established. If an army possesses these three qualities, its designs cannot be thwarted. If the general’s plans leak, the army loses its momentum. If those on the outside can spy on the inner workings, disaster cannot be controlled.