Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 7

Critique of Military Formulas – The Three Strategies

To have military readiness without engaging in war is a hazard of deficiency original: "闕之患" (que zhi huan); suggests that maintaining a military without the testing of battle can lead to hidden flaws or a dangerous state of negligence.. When the Lord has no suspicion of his ministers, and the ministers have no suspicion of their Lord, the state becomes stable and the ruler is at ease. When ministers retire based on what is righteous, it is a beautiful thing and causes no harm.

The Hegemon bazhe (覇者): a ruler who leads through military force, alliances, and pragmatic power rather than the pure moral authority of a King controls scholars and warriors through power, binds them through trust, and employs them through rewards. If trust declines, the scholars become distant. If rewards are deficient, the scholars will not follow orders.

The Military Potential original: "軍勢" (Jun Shi); an ancient military text or tradition cited throughout this work to provide authoritative rules on command states: When deploying the army and leading troops, the General’s authority must be autonomous. If every advance or retreat is managed from within the court original: "內御" (nei yu); refers to "internal control" by the Emperor or civilian officials far from the battlefield, then success is difficult to achieve.

The Military Potential states: Employ the wise, employ the brave, employ the greedy, and employ the foolish.

• The wise delight in establishing their merit.
• The brave love to carry out their will.
• The greedy are driven to pursue their profit.
• The foolish do not care if they die.

Employ them according to their fundamental nature. This is the subtle art of power within the military.

The Military Potential states: Do not allow eloquent speakers to talk about the enemy’s virtues, for they will confuse the multitude. Do not allow the benevolent to manage finances, for they will give too much and win the loyalty of those below A warning that a popular, generous official might inadvertently build a private power base that threatens the ruler..

The Military Potential states: Prohibit shamans and sorcerers wuzhu (巫祝): religious practitioners who performed rituals and spoke with spirits. They must not be allowed to perform divinations for the officers and soldiers regarding the army’s fortune.