Six Secret Teachings, Leopard Teaching — Fighting in the Forest六韜 林戰
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 · 164 Chinese characters · reading time 0.7 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.
King Wu asked Taigong, "I lead the army deep into the land of the feudal lords and come upon a great forest, and the enemy and I divide the forest and stand against each other. I wish that when we hold we are firm, and when we fight we win. How is this done?" Taigong said, "Divide our three armies into assault formations (衝陣). Where it is convenient for the troops to be, put the bows and crossbows on the outside and the halberds and shields within. Cut away the grass and the trees and widen our roads to the utmost, to make the place of battle easy. Set the flags high and warn the three armies carefully, so that the enemy does not learn how we stand. This is called forest fighting (林戰). The method of forest fighting is to lead our spearmen and halberdiers and have them form files of five together. Where the trees of the forest stand thin, let horsemen help, and put the war chariots in front. When you see your advantage, fight; when you do not see it, halt. Where the forest has many steep and blocked places, you must set assault formations to make front and rear ready. If the three armies fight swiftly, then though the enemy be many, his general can be put to flight. Fight in turn and rest in turn, each keeping to his own company. This is the guiding thread of forest fighting."