Six Secret Teachings, Tiger Teaching — Gongs and Drums六韜 金鼓
1The three armies are made firm by watchfulness and beaten by sloth
武王問太公曰：「引兵深入諸侯之地，與敵相當。而天大寒甚暑，日夜霖雨，旬日不止。溝壘悉壞，隘塞不守，斥堠懈怠，士卒不戒。敵人夜來，三軍無備，上下惑亂，為之奈何？」太公曰：「凡三軍以戒為固，以怠為敗。令我壘上，誰何不絕；人執旌旂，外內相望，以號相命，勿令乏音，而皆外向。三千人為一屯，誡而約之，各慎其處。敵人若來，視我軍之警戒，至而必還，力盡氣怠。發我銳士，隨而擊之。」武王曰：「敵人知我隨之，而伏其銳士，佯北不止。遇伏而還，或擊我前，或擊我後，或薄我壘。吾三軍大恐，擾亂失次，離其處所。為之奈何？」太公曰：「分為三隊，隨而追之，勿越其伏。三隊俱至，或擊其前後，或陷其兩旁。明號審令，疾擊而前，敵人必敗。」
King Wu asked Taigong, "I lead the army deep into the land of the feudal lords and stand against the enemy. But the weather is bitterly cold or fiercely hot, the rain pours down day and night and does not stop for ten days, the ditches and ramparts are all broken, the narrow passes are not held, the scouts grow slack, and the officers and men keep no watch. If the enemy comes by night, the three armies have no readiness, and high and low are dazed and thrown into confusion. What is to be done?" Taigong said, "The three armies are made firm by watchfulness and beaten by sloth. On our ramparts let the challenge 'Who goes there?' never cease. Let every man hold a flag, let those within and those without look to one another and pass the word by their calls so that the sound never fails, and let them all face outward. Make three thousand men into one camp, warn them and bind them by agreement, and let each be careful of his place. If the enemy comes, he sees the watch our army keeps; he arrives, and is sure to turn back, his strength spent and his spirit slack. Then send out our keen troops to follow and strike him." King Wu said, "The enemy knows that we are following him, so he lays his keen troops in ambush and feigns defeat without stopping. When the ambush is met he turns about: some strike our front, some strike our rear, some press upon our ramparts. Our three armies are in great fear and disorder; they lose their order and leave their places. What is to be done?" Taigong said, "Divide into three parties and follow in pursuit, but do not go past his ambush. When the three parties arrive together, some strike his front and his rear, some break in on both his flanks. Make the calls clear and the orders exact, strike swiftly and press forward, and the enemy is sure to be beaten."