Translation of "The Biography of Sun Tzu Wu Chao"

Biography of Sun Tzu Wu Qi

Sun Bin is a descendant of Sun Wu and studied the art of war with Pang Juan. Pang Juan became a general of the Wei State and felt that his talents were not as good as Sun Bin's, so he became jealous. They secretly summoned Sun Bin, cut off his feet on the pretext of a crime, and tattooed his face to prevent him from showing his face. The author realistically describes Sun Bin's misfortunes and fictionally depicts his military talents. In his biography, following the dotted line above, three of his stories are described continuously: teaching Tian Ji how to win by horse racing; besieging Wei and rescuing Zhao; and Malingdao's battle of wits with Pang Juan. This fully demonstrated Sun Bin's extraordinary resourcefulness and excellent strategic and tactical thinking. Encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao is an example of his strategic thinking. He accurately grasped the situation and believed that the elite troops of the Wei army were exhausted outside and the old and weak soldiers at home were exhausted. He asked Tian Ji to lead his army to advance quickly into Daliang, occupy the main road, and attack the enemy. Sure enough, the Wei army was forced to return to the army to save themselves. This not only solved the siege of Zhao State, but also reaped the effect of Wei State's own defeat. In his article "Strategic Defense in Guerrilla Warfare", Comrade Mao Zedong quoted the strategy of "encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao". Malingdao's battle of wits is extremely brilliantly written. This is simply a psychological war. Sun Bin firmly grasped the Wei army's fierce and brave mentality and always looked down on the timid Qi soldiers. He used military tactics, careful planning, clever deployment, seizing the time, using the terrain, and setting up ambush, and finally forced Pang Juan to kill himself at Sun Bin's side. under planning.

Wu Qi was appointed as a general. He wore the same clothes as the lower-ranking soldiers, ate the same food, slept without mattresses, marched without riding horses, personally carried the rations on his back, sucked the sores for the soldiers, and shared the same joy. * Bitter, soldiers died for it. As Li Ke said, Sima Ranju could not surpass him in leading troops to fight. He was good at using troops and resisted the powerful Qin and South Korea in the Xihe area. He was not only an outstanding military strategist, but also a very insightful politician. He advised Wei Wuhou: The stability of the political power lies in extending kindness to the people and does not care about the dangerous situation of the mountains and rivers. He actively innovated politics in Wei and Chu, fought against the bureaucrats and aristocrats, and made outstanding contributions to the prosperity of Wei and Chu and the strengthening of their armies.

The author connects three military strategists from different eras, different experiences, and different countries and many characters, as well as complicated political and military events through "The Art of War" to dramatically depict a variety of lifelike situations. Characters, such as Sun Wu's strict law enforcement, Wu Qi's request to kill his wife and "engage each other to form an alliance", Pang Juan's jealousy...the images are vivid and have their own characteristics, and they are vividly presented to the readers.

Sun Tzu was named Wu and was a native of Qi. Because he was proficient in the art of war, he was received by King Wu in his house. Helu said: "I have read all thirteen of your military books. Can you use them to try to command the army on a small scale?" Sun Tzu replied: "Yes." Helu said: "Can you use women to test it?" He replied. He said: "Yes." So Helu agreed to his experiment and called out the beauties in the palace, and about 180 people were recruited. Sun Tzu divided them into two teams, and asked King Wu's two most beloved concubines to serve as captains of each team respectively. He also asked all the beauties to hold a halberd. Then he ordered them: "Do you know your heart, your left and right hands, and your back?" The women replied, "Yes." Sun Tzu said, "When I say forward, you look in the direction of your heart; when I say left, You look in the direction of your left hand; if I say to the right, you look in the direction of your right hand; if I say backward, you look in the direction of your back." The women replied, "Yes." The order was announced. , so he set up axes and other instruments of torture, and immediately explained the orders that had been announced many times. He beat the drums and gave orders, telling them to turn to the right, and the women all laughed. Sun Tzu said: "The discipline is not clear and the orders are not familiar. This is the fault of the general." He explained clearly many times, and then beat the drum and gave the order to the left, and the women all laughed again. Sun Tzu said: "It is the fault of the generals who do not understand the disciplines and are not familiar with the orders. Now that they have made the instructions clearly but do not follow the orders, it is the fault of the officers and soldiers." So he wanted to kill the left and right. Captains of both teams. King Wu was watching from the stage and was shocked to see that his grandson was about to kill his concubine. He hurriedly sent an envoy to convey the order: "I already know that the general is good at using troops. If I don't have these two concubines, the food will not be delicious. I hope you will not kill them." Sun Tzu replied: "I have already He accepts orders as a general, and he is in the army, but he does not have to accept some orders from the king." So he killed two captains to show the public. Then the second person from the two teams was appointed as the captain in order, and then the drums were beaten to give orders. Whether the women moved left or right, forward or backward, kneeled or stood up, they all complied with the orders and discipline requirements. No one dared to speak out. .

So Sun Tzu sent an envoy to report to the King of Wu: "The team has been drilled in order. Your Majesty can come down to inspect their drills. You can use them however you want, even if you ask them to go through fire and water." King Wu replied: "Let me. The general stopped the drill and went back to the hotel to rest. "I don't want to go down to inspect." Sun Tzu sighed and said, "The king only appreciates my military theory, but he can't let me put it into practice." From then on, Wu Wang Helu knew that Sun Tzu was really good at using troops. , and finally appointed him as general. Later, Wu State defeated the powerful Chu State in the west, conquered the capital of Ying, and shocked Qi and Jin in the north. It became famous among the princes and countries. During this period, Sun Tzu not only participated, but also contributed a lot.

After the death of grandson, another Sun Bin appeared after more than a hundred years. Sun Bin was born in Acheng and Juancheng, and he was also a descendant of Sun Wu. He once studied the art of war with Pang Juan. After Pang Juan served the Wei State, he became a general of King Wei Hui, but he knew that his talents were not as good as Sun Bin. So he secretly found Sun Bin. When Sun Bin arrived, Pang Juan was afraid that he was more talented than himself and hated him, so he cut off his feet on the pretext of being guilty and tattooed his face, hoping that he would hide him and not dare to show his face.

The envoy from Qi came to Daliang, and Sun Bin secretly met with the envoy from Qi as a prisoner to lobby. The envoys of Qi State thought that he was a rare talent, so they secretly drove him back to Qi State. General Qi Tian Ji not only appreciated him but also treated him like a guest. Tian Ji often raced horses with the nobles of Qi State and placed huge bets. Sun Bin found that their horses were all about the same foot power and could be divided into three grades: upper, middle and lower. So Sun Bin said to Tian Ji, "You can place a big bet, but I can make you win." Tian Ji believed it and placed thousands of gold bets in a competition with the King of Qi and his noble sons. When the game came, Sun Bin said to Tian Ji: "Now use your low-grade horses against their high-grade horses, your high-grade horses against their medium-grade horses, and your medium-grade horses against their low-grade horses." Three times. After the game, Tian Ji lost once, won twice, and finally won King Qi's daughter's bet. So Tian Ji recommended his grandson to King Wei of Qi. After King Wei asked him about the art of war, he regarded him as his teacher.

Later, Wei State attacked Zhao State. Zhao State was in a critical situation and asked Qi State for help. King Qi Wei planned to appoint Sun Bin as the general, but Sun Bin declined and said: "Those who have been tortured cannot be the general." So he appointed Tian Ji as the general and Sun Bin as the military adviser. They sat in a car with a tent and planned secretly. Tian Ji wanted to lead the reinforcements to the State of Zhao. Sun Bin said: "Those who want to untie the tangle of silk threads cannot clench their fists and pull hard; those who want to rescue those who are fighting cannot be involved in random fights. The vital points of the combatants must be strangled." , due to the constraints of the situation, the combatants have to fight against each other. Now that Wei and Zhao are attacking each other, Wei's elite troops will be exhausted abroad, and the old and weak soldiers will be exhausted at home. You might as well lead the army to advance towards Daliang and occupy it. If we attack the main traffic road where it is empty, Wei will definitely abandon Zhao and return to save himself. In this way, we can relieve Zhao's siege and reap the consequences of Wei's own defeat." Tian Ji obeyed Sun Bin. opinions. Sure enough, the Wei army left Handan and returned to the army. They fought in Guiling and were severely defeated.

Thirteen years later, Wei and Zhao jointly attacked South Korea, and South Korea asked Qi for help. The King of Qi sent Tian Ji to lead the army to rescue and marched directly to Daliang. Wei general Pang Juan heard the news and led his troops to withdraw from South Korea and return to Wei, but the Qi army had already crossed the border and advanced westward. Sun Bin said to Tian Ji: "The Wei army has always been fierce and brave, and looks down on the Qi soldiers. The Qi soldiers are called timid and cowardly. Generals who are good at commanding battles must follow this trend and guide them. The Art of War says: "March with urgency. If you compete with the enemy for a hundred miles, you may lose your general; if you march fifty miles to compete with the enemy, half of your soldiers may be left behind. Order the army to enter the Wei territory and build stoves for 100,000 people to cook first, the next day to build stoves for 50,000 people to cook, and the third day to build stoves for 30,000 people to cook. Pang Juan marched for three days and said very happily: "I knew that the Qi army was timid and cowardly. It has only been three days since they entered our country, and more than half of them deserted!" "So he abandoned his infantry and pursued the Qi army day and night with only his lightly-armed and elite troops. Sun Bin estimated that he could reach Maling that night. The road in Maling was narrow and there were many steep passes and obstacles on both sides. It was suitable for ambushing the army. Sun Bin asked people to cut off the bark of the tree, revealing the white wood, and wrote: "Pang Juan died under this tree." So he ordered 10,000 soldiers who were good at archery to hide on both sides of Maling Road, and made an agreement: "When you see the fire under the tree at night, you will fire all 10,000 arrows."

"Pang Juan did indeed rush to the big tree with the bark cut off that night. When he saw the writing on the white wood, he lit a fire and illuminated the writing on the trunk. Before he could finish reading the writing, the Qi army ambushed and fired thousands of arrows. The Wei army was in chaos. There was no response from each other. Pang Juan knew that there was nothing he could do and his defeat was inevitable, so he drew his sword and killed himself. Before he died, he said, "It has made this boy famous!" "The Qi army took advantage of the victory to pursue it, completely defeated the Wei army, and captured Wei's crown prince Shen Hui. Sun Bin also became famous all over the world, and his "Art of War" was circulated in later generations.

Wu Qi is a native of Wei. He was good at using troops. He once studied with Zeng Zi and served the king of Lu. When the army of Qi attacked Lu, the king of Lu wanted to appoint Wu Qi as a general, but Wu Qi's wife was from Qi, so the king of Lu was suspicious of him. Wanting to become famous, he killed his wife to show that he was not loyal to Qi State. Lu Jun finally appointed him as a general and led the army to attack Qi State and defeated the Qi army.

Some people in the State of Lu slandered Wu Qi and said, "Wu Qi is a suspicious and cruel man. When he was young, his family had a thousand gold in savings. He went out to seek official positions in vain and squandered all his family property. People in his hometown and neighbors laughed at him, so he killed more than thirty people who laughed at him. Then he escaped from the east gate of Weiguo. When he said goodbye to his mother, he bit his arm and said harshly: "I, Wu Qi, will never return to Weiguo unless I become prime minister." ’ So he worshiped Zengzi as his teacher. Soon, his mother died, and Wu Qi did not go back to attend the funeral. Zengzi looked down upon him and severed the relationship between master and disciple. Wu Qi went to the state of Lu to learn the art of war and serve the king of Lu. Lu Jun suspected him, so Wu Qi killed his wife to express his intentions and use it to seek the position of general. Although the State of Lu is a small country, it has the reputation of being a victorious country, so the princes and other countries will plot against the State of Lu. Moreover, the State of Lu and the State of Wei are brotherly countries. If Lord Lu re-employs Wu Qi, it would be equivalent to abandoning the State of Wei. " Lu Jun suspected Wu Qi and alienated Wu Qi.

At this time, Wu Qi heard that Wei Guo Wenhou was wise and wanted to serve him. Wenhou asked Li Ke: "How is Wu Qi? Li Ke replied: "Wu Qi is greedy for fame and loves women. However, when it comes to leading troops in war, even Sima Ranju can't surpass him." "So Wei Wenhou appointed him as the general, attacked Qin and captured five cities.

Wu Qi acted as the general, wearing the same clothes and eating the same food as the lowest soldiers, and sleeping without mattresses He did not ride in a car or horse during the march, but he personally carried bundles of food and shared the hardships with the soldiers. One soldier had a malignant sore, and Wu Qi sucked the liquid for him. When the soldier's mother heard about it, she raised her voice. Crying loudly. Someone said: "Your son is a nobody, but the general sucks the juice for him. Why are you still crying?" The mother replied: "That's not the case. In the past, General Wu sucked the sores for his father. His father marched forward bravely on the battlefield, but died at the hands of the enemy." Now General Wu is sucking his son's sores again. I don't know when or where he will die, so I cry for him. ”

Marquis Wen of Wei appointed Wu Qi as the governor of the Xihe area to resist Qin and South Korea because Wu Qi was good at using soldiers, honest and fair, and could win the favor of all the soldiers.

< p> After the death of Wei Wenhou, Wu Qi served his son Wei Wuhou. Wu Hou was boating down the Yellow River. Halfway through the boat, he turned back to Wu Qi and said, "The mountains and rivers are so dangerous and magnificent. These are the treasures of Wei. ah! Wu Qi replied: "The stability of national power lies in benevolence to the people, not in the dangerous geographical situation." In the past, the Sanmiao clan bordered Dongting Lake on the left and Pengli Lake on the right. Because it did not practice virtue and was not trustworthy, Xia Yu was able to destroy it. Xia Jie's territory borders the Yellow River and Jishui on the left, Mount Tai and Mount Hua on the right, Mount Yique to the south, and Yangchang Ban to the north. Because he did not implement benevolent governance, Shang Tang banished him. Yin Zhou's territory had Mengmen Mountain on the left, Taihang Mountain on the right, Changshan Mountain to the north, and the Yellow River flowing to the south. Because he was not benevolent, King Wu killed him. From this point of view, the stability of the political power lies in the kindness given to the people, not in the dangerous geographical situation. If you don't show kindness, even people in the same boat will become your enemies! "Wu Hou replied: "Well said. "

Wu Qi became the governor of Xihe and gained a high reputation. The state of Wei set up a phase and appointed Tian Wen as the prime minister. Wu Qi was very unhappy and said to Tian Wen: "Please let me compare with you. Let’s compare our achievements, okay? Tian Wen said, "Okay." Wu Qi said: "Command the three armies and make the soldiers willing to fight to the death for the country. The enemy will not dare to plot against Wei. Who is better between you and me?" Tian Wen said: "Not as good as you."

Wu Qi said, "Who can manage the civil and military officials, keep the people attached to them, and enrich the treasury's reserves? Who can do it between you and me?" Tian Wen said: "Not as good as you." "Wu Qi said: "If we refuse to guard the Xihe River and the Qin army dare not invade eastward, South Korea and Zhao will submit. Who can compare with me? Tian Wen said: "Not as good as you." Wu Qi said: "You are inferior to me in these aspects, but your position is above mine. Why?" Tian Wen said: "Tian Jun is still young, the people of the country are worried, the ministers are not friendly, and the people do not trust me. At this time, should I entrust the political affairs to you or to me?" Wu Qi was silent for a long time, and then said, "I should leave it to you." Tian Wen said: "This is why my position is higher than yours." " Only then did Wu Qi realize that he was not as good as Tian Wen in this regard.

After Tian Wen's death, his uncle became the prime minister and married Wei Jun's daughter, but he was afraid of Wu Qi. The servant of his uncle said: "Wu Qi is Not difficult to drive away. The uncle asked: "What should I do?" The servant said, "Wu Qi is a man of character and loves honor and prestige." You can find an opportunity to say to Marquis Wu first: 'Wu Qi is a virtuous man, but your country is too small and borders the powerful Qin State. I am privately worried that Wu Qi has no intention of staying in Wei State for a long time. ’ Marquis Wu would say, ‘What should we do? ’ You take the opportunity and say to Wu Hou: ‘Please test him by marrying the princess. If Wu Qi has the intention to stay in Wei for a long time, he will definitely agree to marry the princess. If Wu Qi does not have the intention to stay in the Wei Kingdom for a long time, he will definitely refuse. . This method can be used to infer his will. ’ You should find an opportunity to invite Wu Qi to go home with you, and deliberately make the princess angry and despise you in person. When Wu Qi sees the princess despise you like this, he will definitely not marry the princess. "At that time, Wu Qi saw that the princess had such contempt for the prime minister, and he politely declined Wei Wuhou. Wuhou suspected Wu Qi and no longer trusted him. Wu Qi was afraid of causing disaster, so he left Wei and went to Chu. < /p>

King Chu Mourning had always heard that Wu Qi was a capable person, so he appointed him as the prime minister as soon as he arrived in Chu. He made the law clear, acted in accordance with the law, followed orders, eliminated and eliminated unnecessary redundant personnel, and stopped alienating. He used the royal family's regular supplies to support the warlords, and worked to strengthen the military strength and expose the lobbyists who came and went. So he pacified Baiyue to the south, annexed Chen and Cai to the north, and defeated the three kingdoms of Han, Zhao, and Wei. They attacked the Qin State in the west. The princes and states were worried about the power of the Chu State. The alienated royal families who had been stopped by Wu Qi in the past wanted to murder Wu Qi. When Duke Yu died, the royal ministers launched a riot and attacked Wu Qi, who fled to Chu. The group that attacked Wu Qi took the opportunity to shoot Wu Qi with arrows, and also hit the body of King Mourning. Ling Yin executed all those who shot Wu Qi and killed King Mourning. More than seventy people were exterminated because of Wu Qi's death.

Tai Shigong said: People in society praised military warfare. Everyone praises "Thirteen Chapters of Sun Tzu" and "The Art of War" by Wu Qi. These two books are widely circulated in society, so I will not discuss them and only comment on the situations involved in their lives. As the saying goes: "Can. What you can do may not be something you can say, and what you can say may not be something you can do. "Sun Bin's calculation of Pang Juan's military action was wise, but he himself could not avoid the torture of cutting off his feet in advance. Wu Qi told Marquis Wu of Wei that it was better to be kind to the people because of the dangerous geographical situation. However, when he came to power in Chu State, he was Being mean and violent, Shao En ruined his life.