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Six Secret Teachings, Martial Teaching — Three Doubts六韜 三疑

Wujing Qishu (The Seven Military Classics) — the six besides the Sunzi 武經七書 · Ascribed to Jiang Taigong · ascribed to Huang Shigong · Wei Liao · Wu Qi · Sima Rangju · Li Jing · Warring States to Tang (4th century BC to 7th century AD) · 1 passages · 226 Chinese characters · reading time 0.9 min

Wujing Qishu (The Seven Military Classics) — the six besides the Sunzi Six Secret Teachings The six that remain when the Art of War of Sunzi is taken out of the seven military books the Song set as the texts for examining military officers. The Six Secret Teachings is sixty chapters of questions and answers in which King Wen and King Wu ask Taigong Wang, running from the governing of a state to chariots, cavalry, battle in the open and the crossing of water; the Three Strategies is three short books said to have been given to Zhang Liang by Huang Shigong; the Wei Liaozi is twenty-four chapters setting down in detail the military orders and the squads of five and ten around the time of Qin; the Wuzi is six chapters of Wu Qi's answers to Marquis Wu of Wei; the Methods of the Sima is five chapters handing down the military rites of before the Spring and Autumn period; and Questions and Replies with Li Weigong is three books in which Taizong of Tang and Li Jing go back and forth over the unorthodox and the orthodox, the empty and the full, the frontier peoples and the Han, and attack and defense. "Arms are an instrument of ill omen," "bring the enemy to you and do not be brought to him," and "a thousand chapters and ten thousand phrases do not go beyond that one phrase" all come from here. The remaining six streams of the military school, read after the Art of War, are gathered in one place.

1To strike the strong, first feed him and make him stronger

武王問太公曰：「予欲立功，有三疑：恐力不能攻強，離親，散眾，為之奈何？」太公曰：「因之，慎謀，用財。夫攻強，必養之使強，益之使張。太強必折，太張必缺。攻強以強，離親以親，散眾以眾。凡謀之道，周密為寶。設之以事，玩之以利，爭心必起。欲離其親，因其所愛，與其寵人，與之所欲，示之所利，因以疏之，無使得志。彼貪利甚喜，遺疑乃止。凡攻之道，必先塞其明，而後攻其強，毀其大，除民之害。淫之以色，啗之以利，養之以味，娛之以樂。既離其親，必使遠民，勿使知謀。扶而納之，莫覺其意，然後可成。惠施於民，必無愛財，數衣食之，從而愛之。心以啟智，智以啟財，財以啟眾，眾以啟賢。賢之有啟，以王天下。」

King Wu asked Taigong, "I wish to establish merit, but I have three doubts. I fear that my strength cannot strike the strong, that I cannot part him from his kin, that I cannot scatter his multitude. What should be done?" Taigong said, "Go along with him, be careful in your planning, and use your wealth. To strike the strong you must first feed him and make him stronger, add to him and make him spread wider. What is too strong must break, what is too spread must crack. Strike the strong by his strength, part his kin by their closeness, scatter his multitude by its own numbers. In the way of planning, close secrecy is the treasure. Set affairs before them and make sport of them with profit, and a contending heart will surely rise. If you would part him from his kin, go along with what they love, give to the man he favors, give them what they want and show them what will profit them, and by this make them distant from him, so that they cannot get their will. When the other side is greedy for gain and greatly delighted, what doubt is left comes to an end. The way of striking is always to block his sight first and then strike at his strength, to pull down what is great in him and to rid the people of their harm. Make him wanton with women, bait him with profit, feed him with fine flavors, and delight him with music. Once you have parted him from his kin, you must make him keep the people far off, so that they do not learn of the plan. Prop him up and draw him in, and let no one perceive your intent. Only then can it be brought about. In showing kindness to the people, never grudge your wealth. Clothe them and feed them again and again, and go on to love them. The heart opens wisdom, wisdom opens wealth, wealth opens the multitude, the multitude opens the worthy. When the worthy are opened to you, by this you rule all under Heaven as king."

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