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Six Secret Teachings, Leopard Teaching — Sudden Battle六韜 突戰

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 · 315 Chinese characters · reading time 1.3 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.

1Sudden battle — how to strike an enemy who has pressed up to the city wall

武王問太公曰：「敵人深入長驅，侵掠我地，驅我牛馬，其三軍大至，薄我城下。吾士卒大恐，人民係累，為敵所虜。吾欲以守則固，以戰則勝。為之奈何？」太公曰：「如此者，謂之突兵。其牛馬必不得食，士卒絕糧，暴擊而前。令我遠邑別軍，選其銳士，疾擊其後。審其期日，必會於晦，三軍疾戰，敵人雖眾，其將可虜。」武王曰：「敵人分為三四，或戰而侵掠我地，或止而收我牛馬，其大軍未盡至，而使寇薄我城下，致吾三軍恐懼，為之奈何？」太公曰：「謹候敵人，未盡至則設備而待之。去城四里而為壘，金鼓旌旂皆列而張，別隊為伏兵。令我壘上，多精強弩，百步一突門，門有行馬，車騎居外，勇力銳士，隱而處，敵人若至，使我輕卒合戰而佯走，令我城上立旌旂，擊鼙鼓，完為守備。敵人以我為守城，必薄我城下，發吾伏兵以充其內，或擊其外，三軍疾戰，或擊其前，或擊其後，勇者不得鬥，輕者不及走，名曰突戰。敵人雖眾，其將必走。」武王曰：「善哉！」

King Wu asked Taigong, "The enemy has come deep in and driven far, raiding our land and carrying off our oxen and horses. His three armies arrive in force and press up beneath our city. Our officers and men are in great fear, and the people are bound and taken captive by the enemy. I wish that when we hold we are firm, and when we fight we win. How is this done?" Taigong said, "Such men are called a sudden force (突兵). Their oxen and horses surely go unfed, and their officers and men are cut off from grain, so they come on striking fiercely. Have the detached army of our distant towns pick out its keen troops and strike their rear swiftly. Fix the day closely, and be sure to meet on the dark of the moon. Then if the three armies fight swiftly, though the enemy be many, his general can be taken." King Wu said, "The enemy divides into three or four parts. Some fight and raid our land, some stay and gather up our oxen and horses. His main force has not all arrived, yet he sends raiders to press up beneath our city, so that our three armies are afraid. What is to be done?" Taigong said, "Watch the enemy carefully, and while he has not all arrived, set out your defenses and wait for him. Four li from the city make a rampart, and set out and spread all the gongs and drums and flags, and make a separate company your hidden troops. On our ramparts put many picked strong crossbows, and a sally gate every hundred paces, and at each gate a horse-barrier. The chariots and horsemen stay outside, and the bold and keen troops lie hidden. When the enemy comes, let our light soldiers close with him and then feign flight, and on our city wall let the flags be raised and the drums beaten and the defense be made whole. The enemy will think that we are holding the city, and is sure to press up beneath our wall. Then send out our hidden troops to crowd in among them, and let others strike them from outside, and let the three armies fight swiftly, some striking their front and some their rear. Then the brave among them cannot fight and the swift cannot run. This is called sudden battle (突戰). Though the enemy be many, his general is sure to run." King Wu said, "Good."

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