Zuozhan — the cost of waging war作戰篇

馳車，輕車也，駕駟馬；革車，重車也，言萬騎之重。車駕四馬，率三萬軍。養二人，主炊；家子一人，主保固守衣裝。廐二人，主養馬。凡五人。步兵十人，重以大車駕牛。養二人，主炊；家子一人，主守衣裝，凡三人也。帶甲十萬，士卒數也。

A swift chariot (馳車) is a light chariot, drawn by four horses. A leather wagon (革車) is a heavy wagon, and means the load of ten thousand mounted men. To one wagon four horses are harnessed, and it leads thirty thousand troops. Two men take charge of the cooking, one household man guards the clothing and gear, and two feed the horses — five in all. The foot soldiers are ten, and the heavy loads go on great carts drawn by oxen. Two men take charge of the cooking and one household man guards the clothing and gear — three in all. A hundred thousand men in armor is the number of the rank and file.

馳車，戰車也；革車，輕車也；帶甲，步卒。車一兩，駕以駟馬，步卒七十人，計千駟之軍，帶甲七萬，馬四千匹。孫子約以軍資之數，以十萬爲率，則百萬可知也。

The swift chariot is the fighting chariot, the leather wagon is the light wagon, and men in armor (帶甲) are the soldiers who fight on foot. To one chariot four horses are harnessed, and seventy foot soldiers go with it. Reckon the troops of a thousand si and there are seventy thousand men in armor and four thousand horses. Sunzi set the number of the army's needs roughly at a hundred thousand, so a million may be inferred as well.

輕車，乃戰車也。古者車戰，革車，輜車，重車也，載器械、財貨、衣裝也。《司馬法》曰：「一車，甲士三人，步卒七十二人，炊家子十人，固守衣裝五人，廐養五人，樵汲五人，輕車七十五人，重車二十五人。」故二乘兼一百人爲一隊，舉十萬之衆，革車千乘，校其費用支計，則百萬之衆皆可知也。

The light wagon is the fighting chariot. In old times they fought with chariots. The leather wagon is the baggage wagon, the heavy wagon, and it carries the gear, the goods, and the clothing. The *Methods of Sima* (司馬法) says: "To one chariot, three men in armor, seventy-two foot soldiers, ten who cook, five who guard the clothing and gear, five who tend the horses, and five who gather wood and draw water — seventy-five men to a light wagon and twenty-five to a heavy one." So two wagons with their hundred men together make one company. Raise a host of a hundred thousand and the leather wagons are a thousand sheng; measure out the cost of it and a host of a million may all be inferred.

馳車，輕車也；革車，重車也。凡輕車一乘，甲士、步卒二十五人；重車一乘，甲士、步卒七十五人。舉二車各千乘，是帶甲者十萬人。

The swift chariot is the light wagon, and the leather wagon is the heavy one. For every one sheng of light wagon there are twenty-five men in armor and on foot, and for one sheng of heavy wagon seventy-five. Raise a thousand sheng of each of the two and the men in armor come to a hundred thousand.

曹公曰：「輕車也，駕駟馬，凡千乘。」晳謂馳車，謂駕革車也。一乘四馬爲駟，千駟則革車千乘。曹公曰：「重車也。」晳謂革車，兵車也。有五戎千乘之賦，諸侯之大者。曹公曰：「帶甲十萬，步卒數也。」晳謂井田之法︰甸出兵車一乘，甲士三人，步卒七十二人，千乘總七萬五千人。此言帶甲十萬，豈當時權制歟？

Lord Cao (曹公) said, "It is the light chariot; four horses are harnessed to it, a thousand sheng in all." I take it that the swift chariot means the one that draws the leather wagon. Four horses to one sheng are called a si, so a thousand si is a thousand sheng of leather wagons. Lord Cao said, "It is the heavy wagon," but I take the leather wagon to be the fighting chariot. The levy of a thousand sheng furnished with the five kinds of weapons belongs to a great state among the lords. Lord Cao said, "The hundred thousand in armor is the number of the foot soldiers." I take it thus. By the law of the well-field (井田), one dian (甸) puts up one sheng of fighting chariot with three men in armor and seventy-two foot soldiers, so a thousand sheng come to seventy-five thousand men in all. That it says here a hundred thousand in armor — was that a rule fixed for the time?

十萬，舉成數也。張預曰：馳車，卽攻車也；革車，卽守車也。按曹公《新書》云：攻車一乘，前拒一隊，左右角二隊，共七十五人。守車一乘，炊子十人，守裝五人，廐飬五人，樵汲五人，共二十五人。攻守二乘，凡一百人。興師十萬，則用車二千，輕重各半，與此同矣。

A hundred thousand is given as a round number. Zhang Yu (張預) said: the swift chariot is the attacking wagon, and the leather wagon is the guarding wagon. Lord Cao's *New Book* (新書) says: "To one sheng of attacking wagon, one company in front and two companies at the left and right horns — seventy-five men in all. To one sheng of guarding wagon, ten who cook, five who guard the clothing and gear, five who tend the horses, and five who gather wood and draw water — twenty-five men in all." The two wagons, attacking and guarding, come to a hundred men together. Raise an army of a hundred thousand and two thousand wagons are used, half of them light and half heavy — it is like this.

越境千里。

It means going a thousand li across the border.

道理縣遠。

It means the road is far.

謂購賞猶在外。

It means that what is paid out in rewards lies outside this as well.

夫軍出於外，則帑藏竭於内。舉千金者，言多費也。千里之外贏糧，則二十人奉一人也。

When the army goes out, the storehouses within run dry. A thousand pieces of gold is given to say that the cost is great. To send grain a thousand li is twenty men supporting one.

軍有諸侯交聘之禮，故曰「賓客」也。車甲器械完緝修繕，言膠漆者，舉其微細。千金者，言費用多也，猶贈賞在外也。

In camp there is the courtesy of envoys passing between the lords, and so it speaks of guests (賓客). To name glue and lacquer for the sewing and mending of chariots, armor, and gear is to reckon even the smallest things. A thousand pieces of gold says the cost is great, and what is given out in rewards is not even counted in it.

計費不足，未可以興師動衆，故李太尉曰：「三軍之門，必有賓客論議。」

If the cost is reckoned and found not ample, troops cannot be raised and a host cannot be moved. And so Grand Commandant Li (李太尉) said, "At the gate of the three armies there must be the counsel of guests."

舉師十萬，饋糧千里，日費如此，師久之戒也。

To raise an army of a hundred thousand and carry grain a thousand li costs this much in a day. It is a warning not to drag the army out long.

内，謂國中；外，謂軍所也。賓客，若諸侯之使及軍中宴饗吏士也。膠漆、車甲，舉細與大也。

"Within" is within the state, and "without" is where the army is. "Guests" are the envoys of the lords, and such things as the feasting of officers and soldiers in camp. Glue and lacquer, chariots and armor, are named as the small and the great.

老師費財，智者慮之。

The aging of the army and the spending of goods are what a wise man worries about beforehand.

去國千里，卽當因糧；若須供餉，則内外騷動，疲困於路、蠹耗無極也。賓客者，使命與遊士也。膠漆者，修飾器械之物也。車甲者，膏轄金革之類也。約其所費，日用千金，然後能興十萬之師。千金，言重費也，購賞猶在外。

Once a thousand li from the state, one ought to get grain from the enemy. To insist on sending it out to feed them sets all astir within and without, wears men out on the road, and drains away without end. "Guests" are envoys and wandering scholars. Glue and lacquer are the stuff for mending and dressing the gear. Chariots and armor mean such things as the grease for the axles and the metal and leather. Reckon the cost, and a thousand pieces of gold must be spent in a day before an army of a hundred thousand can be raised. A thousand pieces of gold says the cost is heavy, and what is bought in and given in rewards is not even counted in it.

鈍，弊也；屈，盡也。

To go dull (鈍) means to be worn out, and to be spent (屈) means to be used up.

勝久，謂淹久而後能勝也。言與敵相持，久而後勝，則甲兵鈍弊，銳氣挫衂，攻城則人力殫盡屈折也。

"Long in winning" means winning only after it has dragged on. It means that when one stands fast against the enemy and wins only after long, armor and weapons go dull and worn and the keen spirit is spent; and in attacking a wall men's strength is drained to the bottom and broken.

戰雖勝人，久則無利。兵貴全勝，鈍兵挫銳，士傷馬疲，則屈。

Though one has beaten another in battle, there is no profit in dragging it out. In war a whole victory is held dear. When the army goes dull and its keenness is spent, when soldiers are hurt and horses worn, strength is used up.

雖勝且久，則必兵仗鈍弊，而軍氣挫銳；攻城而久，則力必殫屈。

Though one wins, dragging it out surely leaves the weapons dull and worn and the soldiers' spirit spent. Attack a wall and drag it out, and strength is surely drained to the bottom and broken.

屈，窮也。求勝以久，則鈍弊折挫，攻城則益甚也。

To be spent is to be used up. Seek victory by dragging it out and one goes dull and worn and spent — and in attacking a wall it is worse still.

及交兵合戰也，久而後能勝，則兵疲氣沮矣。千里攻城，力必困屈。

When armies meet in battle and the win comes only after long, the soldiers are worn and their spirit spent. Attack a wall a thousand li away and strength is surely tired and used up.

久暴師露衆千里之外，則軍國費用不足相供。

Keep the army exposed long a thousand li away, and the army and the state's spending cannot be supplied one against the other.

師久暴於外，則輸用不給。

Keep the army exposed long and what is carried out to it is not ample.

日費千金，師久暴，則國用豈能給？若漢武帝窮征深討，久而不解，及其國用空虛，乃下哀痛之詔是也。

A thousand pieces of gold go in a day; keep the army exposed long and how can the state's spending be ample? This is how Emperor Wu (武帝) of Han (漢) struck to the end and drove in deep and could not loose his hold for long, until the state's spending was empty and only then did he issue the Edict of Grief (哀痛).

十萬衆舉，日費千金，非唯頓挫於外，亦財殫於内，是以聖人無暴師也。隋大業初，煬帝重兵好征，力屈鴈門之下，兵挫遼水之上，疏河引淮，轉輸彌廣，出師萬里，國用不足。於是楊玄感、李密乘其弊而起，縱蘇威、高熲，豈能爲之謀也？

Raise a host of a hundred thousand and a thousand pieces of gold go in a day: it is not only that one is broken abroad, but that goods run to the bottom at home. And so the sage does not keep an army exposed. At the start of the Daye (大業) years of Sui (隋), Emperor Yang (煬帝) made much of arms and was fond of attack, and his strength was used up below Yanmen (鴈門) and his army broken on the Liao River (遼水). He cut through the Yellow River (黃河) and drew in the Huai (淮) so that the carrying roads grew wider still, and he sent troops out ten thousand li, and the state's spending fell short. Then Yang Xuangan (楊玄感) and Li Mi (李密) rose upon that weariness; and had Su Wei (蘇威) and Gao Jiong (高熲) been left in place, what counsel could even they have laid?

蓋以師久不勝，財力俱困，諸侯乘之而起，雖有智能之士，亦不能於此之後，善爲謀畫也。

When the fighting drags on without a win and goods and strength are both worn out, the lords rise upon it; and though there be men of wisdom and ability, they can lay no good plan for what comes after.

人離財竭，雖伊、呂復生，亦不能救此亡敗也。

When men are scattered and goods run dry, though Yi Yin (伊尹) and Lü Shang (呂尙) came back to life, they could not save one from this ruin and burden.

雖當時有用兵之術，不能防其後患。

Even with the skill to handle troops at that time, one could not ward off the trouble to come.

取勝攻城，暴師且久，則諸侯乘此弊而起襲我；我雖有智將，不能制也。

Attack walls to get a win and keep the army exposed long, and the lords will rise upon this weariness and fall upon me. Though I have a wise general, he cannot ward it off.

以其弊甚，必有危亡之憂。

The weariness is deep, and so there is surely the trouble of peril and ruin.

其後，謂兵不勝而敵乘其危殆，雖智者不能盡其善計而保全。

"What comes after" means that the army does not win and the enemy takes his chance at its peril. Even a wise man cannot exhaust good counsel and keep all whole.

兵已疲矣，力已困矣，財已匱矣，隣國因其罷弊，起兵以襲之，則縱有智能之人，亦不能防其後患。若吳伐楚入郢，久而不歸，越兵遂入吳。當是時，雖有伍員、孫武之徒，何嘗能爲善謀於後乎？

The soldiers are already worn, their strength already used up, the goods already empty; and when a neighboring state takes the chance of that weariness, raises troops, and falls upon them, then though there be men of wisdom and ability they cannot ward off the trouble to come. It is like Wu (吳) striking Chu (楚), entering Ying (郢), and not returning for long, until the troops of Yue (越) came into Wu at last. Even with men like Wu Yun (伍員) and Sun Wu (孫武) there at the time, what good plan could have been laid afterward?

雖拙，有以速勝。未睹者，言其無也。

Though clumsy, there is a way of winning quickly. That one has never seen it means there is no such thing.

攻取之間，雖拙於機智，然以神速爲上，蓋無老師、費財、鈍兵之患，則爲巧矣。

Between striking and taking, though the plan and the skill be clumsy, swiftness like a spirit's is held first. When there is no trouble of aging the army, spending goods, and blunting the troops, that itself is the deft thing.

雖拙，有以速勝。

Though clumsy, one can win by being swift.

所謂疾雷不及掩耳，卒電不及瞬目。

It is what is called: in swift thunder there is no time to stop the ears, and in a sudden flash of lightning no time to blink.

杜佑《註》同孟氏。

Du You's (杜佑) note is the same as Meng's (孟氏).

拙尚以速勝，未見工而久可也。

Clumsy, one still wins by being swift; that one may be deft and yet drag it out has never been seen.

晳謂久則師老財費，國虛人困，巧者保無斯患也。

I take it thus. Drag it out and the army ages, goods are spent, the state is empty, and men are worn; can one who calls himself deft guarantee that there will be none of this trouble?

速雖拙，不費財力也；久雖巧，恐生後患也。後秦姚萇與符登相持，萇將苟曜據逆萬堡，密引符登。萇與登戰，敗於馬頭原，收衆復戰。姚碩德謂諸將曰：「上慎於輕戰，每欲以計取之；今戰旣失利，而更逼賊，必有由也。」萇聞而謂碩德曰：「登用兵遲緩，不識虛實；今輕兵直進，徑據吾東，必苟曜與之連結也。事久變成，其禍難測。所以速戰者，欲使苟曜竪子謀之未就，好之未深耳。」果大敗之。武后初，徐敬業舉兵於江都，稱匡復皇家。以盩厔尉魏思恭爲謀主，問計於思恭。對曰：「明公旣以太后幽縶少主，志在匡復，兵貴拙速，宜早渡淮北，親率大衆，直入東都。山東將士知公有勤王之舉，必以死從，此則指日刻期，天下必定。」敬業欲從其策，薛璋又說曰：「金陵之地，王氣已見，宜早應之。兼有大江設險，足可以自固，請且攻取常、潤等州，以爲王霸之業，然後率兵北上，鼓行而前，此則退有所歸，進無不利，實良策也。」敬業以爲然，乃自率兵四千人，南渡以擊潤州。思恭密謂杜求仁曰：「兵勢宜合，不可分。今敬業不知并力渡淮，率山東之衆以合洛陽，必無能成事。」果敗。

Be swift and, though clumsy, one does not spend goods and strength; drag it out and, though deft, one must fear that trouble will arise later. When Yao Chang (姚萇) of Later Qin (後秦) was holding out against Fu Deng (符登), Yao Chang's general Gou Yao (苟曜) held Niwan Fort (逆萬堡) and secretly drew Fu Deng in. Yao Chang fought Fu Deng, lost at Matou Plain (馬頭原), gathered his host, and fought again. Yao Shuode (姚碩德) said to the generals, "Our lord has been wary of fighting lightly and has always sought to win by stratagem. Now he has already lost the advantage in battle and yet presses the enemy hard again — there must be a reason." Yao Chang heard it and said to Yao Shuode, "Fu Deng is slow in handling troops and does not know the empty from the full. That he has now come straight on with light troops and taken the ground right to my east must mean that Gou Yao has made a pact with him. If the thing drags on and the trouble ripens, the harm of it will be hard to measure. I would fight quickly only so that the green boy Gou Yao's scheme is not yet ripe and their closeness not yet deep." And indeed he broke them utterly. At the start of Empress Wu's (武后) reign, Xu Jingye (徐敬業) raised troops at Jiangdu (江都), saying that he would set the imperial house right and restore it. He made Wei Sigong (魏思恭), commandant (尉) of Zhouzhi (盩厔), master of his counsels and asked him for a plan. Wei Sigong answered, "Your lordship has set your mind on setting things right and restoring them, because the Empress Dowager has shut up the young sovereign. In war it is swiftness, even if clumsy, that is held dear; you should cross north of the Huai early, lead the great host yourself, and go straight into the Eastern Capital (東都). When the generals and soldiers of Shandong (山東) learn that your lordship has risen in a cause that labors for the sovereign, they will surely follow to the death. This may be counted off on the fingers and marked by the hour, and the realm will surely be settled." Xu Jingye was about to follow that plan when Xue Zhang (薛璋) coaxed him, saying, "The air of kingship has already shown itself over the land of Jinling (金陵), and one should answer it early. Besides, the great river makes a barrier there, fit to hold fast on your own. First strike and take Changzhou (常州), Runzhou (潤州) and the rest for the ground of a king's and an overlord's work, and after that lead the troops up north and advance to the drums. Then if you fall back you have a place to return to, and if you go forward there is nothing unprofitable — truly a good plan." Xu Jingye thought so, led four thousand troops himself, crossed to the south, and struck Runzhou. Wei Sigong said secretly to Du Qiuren (杜求仁), "The shape of an army ought to be gathered and must not be divided. Now Xu Jingye does not know enough to join his strength, cross the Huai, lead the host of Shandong, and gather at Luoyang (洛陽) — he will surely not bring the thing off." And indeed he was beaten.

但能取勝，則寧拙速，而無巧久。若司馬宣王伐上庸，以一月圖一年，不計死傷，與糧競者，斯可謂欲拙速也。

So long as one can win, better clumsy and swift than deft and drawn out. When Prince Xuan of Sima (司馬宣王) struck Shangyong (上庸), he planned a year's work in a month, did not reckon the dead and wounded, and raced the grain supply — this may be called hoping to be swift though clumsy.

《春秋》曰：「兵猶火也，弗戢將自焚。」

The *Spring and Autumn Annals* (春秋) says, "An army is like fire: if it is not drawn in, it comes to burn itself."

兵久無功，諸侯生心。

Drag the army out long with no merit done, and the lords take heart.

兵者凶器，久則生變。若智伯圍趙，逾年不歸，卒爲襄子所擒，身死國分。故《新序傳》曰：「好戰窮武，未有不亡者也。」

Arms are an ill vessel, and dragging them out breeds trouble. It is like Zhi Bo (智伯) ringing Zhao (趙) about and not going home though the year turned, until in the end he was taken by Xiangzi (襄子), his body dead and his state cut apart. And so the *New Prefaces* (新序) says, "None who loved fighting and used force to the end has failed to perish."

力屈貨殫，何利之有？

Strength is used up and goods run to the bottom — what profit is there?

師老財竭，於國何利？

The army ages and goods run dry — what profit is there to the state?

利害相依之所生，先知其害，然後知其利也。

Profit and harm arise leaning upon each other, and only when one knows the harm of a thing does one know its profit.

害之者，勞人費財；利之者，吞敵拓境。苟不顧己之患，則舟中之人盡爲敵國，安能取利於敵人哉？

The harm is the toiling of men and the spending of goods; the profit is swallowing the enemy and widening one's land. If one does not look to one's own troubles, then even those in the same boat all become enemy states — how then should one get profit out of the enemy?

將驕卒惰，貪利忘變，此害最甚也。

That the general grows haughty and the soldiers idle, and that in coveting profit they forget that things change: this harm is the worst of all.

言謀國、動軍、行師，不先慮危亡之禍，則不足取利也。若秦伯見襲鄭之利，不顧崤函之敗；吳王矜伐齊之功，而忘姑蘇之禍也。

It means that if, in planning for the state and in setting troops in motion, one does not first worry over the disaster of peril and ruin, one cannot get the profit. It is like the Earl of Qin (秦伯) seeing only the profit of falling upon Zheng (鄭) and taking no thought of being beaten at Xiaohan (崤函), or the King of Wu boasting of his feat in striking Qi (齊) and forgetting the disaster of Gusu (姑蘇).

不再籍，不三載，利也；百姓虛，公家費，害也。苟不知害，又安知利？

Not to call men up twice and not to carry grain three times is the profit; that the people are left empty and the state spends is the harm. If one does not know the harm, how again should one know the profit?

久而能勝，未免於害；速，則利斯盡也。

Win by dragging it out and one still does not get free of the harm; be swift, and the profit is complete in that.

先知老師殫貨之害，然後能知擒敵制勝之利。

Only when one first knows the harm of aging the army and draining goods to the bottom can one know the profit of taking the enemy and winning.

籍，猶賦也。言初賦民而便取勝，不復歸國發兵也。始載糧，後遂因食於敵，還兵入國，不復以糧迎之也。

To call men up (籍) is like levying labor service. It means that the people are called up at the first and the victory is won straightaway, and one does not go back to the state to raise troops again. Grain is carried only at the first, and after that one feeds from the enemy; and when the troops are drawn back into the state, grain is not sent out again to meet them.

籍，書也；不再籍書，恐人勞怨生也。秦發關中之卒，是以有陳、吳之難也。軍出，度遠近饋之；軍入，載糧迎之，謂之三載。越境，則館榖於敵，無三載之義也。

To call men up means to enter them in the register. Not to enter them twice is for fear that men will toil and resentment arise. Qin (秦) picked out and used the troops of Guanzhong (關中), and so there came the rising of Chen Sheng (陳勝) and Wu Guang (吳廣). When the army goes out, the distance is measured and food is sent after it; when the army comes back, grain is loaded and carried out to meet it — these are called the three carryings. Once the border is crossed one eats in the enemy's land, and so there is no third carrying.

審敵可攻，審我可戰，然後起兵，便能勝敵而還。鄭司農《周禮註》曰：役，謂發兵起役；籍，乃伍籍也。比參爲伍，因内政寄軍令，以伍籍發軍起役也。

Look whether the enemy may be struck and whether I may fight, and then raise the troops, and one can beat the enemy and come straight home. The note of Zheng, the Minister of Agriculture (鄭司農), on the *Rites of Zhou* (周禮) says, "Service (役) is picking troops and raising labor service, and the register is the roster of fives (伍籍)." Men are matched five by five to make a five, and in the governing of the state military orders are attached to it, so that by the roster of fives troops are picked and labor service raised.

籍，借也，不再借民而役也。糧者，往則載焉，歸則迎之，是不三載也。不困乎兵，不竭乎國，言速而利也。

To call men up means to borrow, and it is not borrowing the people's labor twice. Grain is loaded when they go and carried out to meet them when they come back — this is not carrying it three times. One does not wear the soldiers out and does not dry the state up: it means that swiftness profits.

梅堯臣同陳皥《註》。

Mei Yaochen's (梅堯臣) note is the same as Chen Hao's (陳皥).

王晳同曹操《註》。

Wang Xi's (王晳) note is the same as Cao Cao's (曹操).

役，謂興兵動衆之役。故《師卦註》曰：「任大役重，無功則凶。」籍，謂調兵之符籍。故漢制有尺籍伍符，言一舉則勝，不可再籍兵役於國也。糧始出則載之，越境則掠之，歸國則迓之，是不三載也。此言兵不可久暴也。

Service is the labor of raising troops and moving a host. And so the note on the Shi (師) hexagram of the *Book of Changes* (周易) says, "What is taken in charge is great and the service heavy, and if there is no merit done it is ill-omened." The register is the tally (符籍) by which troops are picked. And so in the institutions of Han there were the foot-long register (尺籍) and the tally of fives (伍符). It means that one must raise them once and win, and that the state cannot call up military service twice. Grain is loaded when they first go out, taken from the enemy once the border is crossed, and carried out to meet them when they return to the state — this is not carrying it three times. This says that an army cannot be kept exposed long.

兵甲戰具，取用國中，糧食因敵也。

Weapons and armor and the tools of battle are taken and used from within the state, while food is got from the enemy.

具我戎器，因敵之食，雖出師千里，無匱乏也。

Furnish my own weapons and lean upon the enemy's food, and one may send troops a thousand li with nothing lacking.

兵甲戰具，取用國中，糧食因敵也。取資用於我國，因糧食於敵家也。晉師館穀於楚是也。

Weapons and armor and the tools of battle are taken and used from within the state, and food is leaned upon the enemy. What is to be used is got from my own state, and what is to be eaten from the enemy's house. The troops of Jin (晉) eating in the land of Chu is this.

軍之須用取於國，軍之糧餉因於敵。

What the army uses is got from the state, and the army's food is leaned upon the enemy.

因，謂兵出境，鈔聚掠野，至於克敵、拔城，得其儲積也。

"To lean upon" means that the army goes out past the border and gathers in what has been stored and takes the fields, and that it beats the enemy and takes his walls and gets what he has laid by.

器用取於國者，以物輕而易致也；糧食因於敵者，以粟重而難運也。夫千里饋糧，則士有飢色，故因糧則食可足。

Gear is got from the state because such things are light and easy to send; food is leaned upon the enemy because grain is heavy and hard to carry. Carry grain a thousand li and a hungry look goes round among the soldiers; so if grain is got from the enemy, there can be food enough.

兵役數起，而賦斂重。

Military service is raised again and again, and so the taxes grow heavy.

《管子》曰：「粟行三百里，則國無一年之積；粟行四百里，則國無二年之積；粟行五百里，則衆有飢色。」此言粟重物輕也，不可推移；推移之，則農夫耕牛俱失南畝，故百姓不得不貧也。

The *Guanzi* (管子) says, "When grain goes three hundred li, the state has nothing laid by for a year; when it goes four hundred li, nothing laid by for two years; and when it goes five hundred li, a hungry look goes round among the host." This says that grain is heavy while other things are light, and so it cannot be moved. Move it by force and the farmer and the plowing ox both lose the fields, and the people cannot but grow poor.

遠輸則財耗於道路，弊於轉運，百姓日貧。

Carry it far and goods dwindle on the road and men are worn out with the hauling, so that the people grow poorer by the day.

兵車轉運千里之外，財則費於道路，人有困窮者。

Send it out a thousand li by fighting chariot and goods are spent on the road, and among the men there are those worn out and brought to want.

以七十萬家之力，供餉十萬之師於千里之外，則百姓不得不貧。

The strength of seven hundred thousand households feeds a hundred thousand soldiers a thousand li away, so the people cannot but grow poor.

軍行已出界，近師者貪財，皆貴賣，則百姓虛竭也。

Once the army has gone out past the border, those near it covet goods and all sell dear. And so the people are left empty and dry.

夫近軍，必有貨易，百姓徇財殫産而從之，竭也。

Near the army there is sure to be the bartering and selling of goods, and the people chase after gain, draining their household to the bottom as they follow it — and so they are left dry.

師徒所聚，物皆暴貴。人貪非常之利，竭財物以賣之，初雖獲利殊多，終當力疲貨竭。又云：旣有非常之歛，故賣者求價無厭，百姓竭力買之，自然家國虛盡也。

Where soldiers are gathered, the price of everything suddenly rises. Men covet an unlooked-for gain and put in all their goods to sell, and though at first they get a great deal of profit, in the end their strength is worn out and their goods run dry. It also says: because there is already an unlooked-for taking-in, the seller never tires of asking his price and the people spend all their strength to buy, so that of itself house and state are left empty.

言近軍師，市多非常之賣，當時貪貴以趨末利，然後財貨殫盡，家國虛也。

It means that near the army there is much unlooked-for buying and selling in the market. At such a time men covet the high prices and chase after petty gains, until in the end their goods are all drained to the bottom and house and state are left empty.

遠者供役以轉饋，近者貪利而貴賣，皆貧國匱民之道也。

Those far off bear the service and send the grain out; those near at hand covet gain and sell dear. Both are roads by which the state is made poor and the people left empty.

夫遠輸則人勞費，近市則物騰貴，是故久師則爲國患也。曹公曰：「軍行已出界，近於師者貪財，皆貴賣。」晳謂將出界也。

Carry it far and men toil and the cost runs on; let a market stand near and the price of goods leaps up. And so dragging the fighting out becomes the state's trouble. Lord Cao said, "Once the army has gone out past the border, those near it covet goods and all sell dear." I take it that he means the time when it is just about to go out past the border.

近師之民，必貪利而貴貨其物於遠來輸餉之人，則財不得不竭。

The people near the army are sure to covet gain and sell their goods dear to those who have carried grain from afar, so that goods cannot but run dry.

財力殫竭，則丘井之役急迫而不易供也。或曰：丘役，謂如魯成公作丘甲也。國用急迫，乃使丘出甸賦，違常制也。丘，十六井；甸，六十四井。

When goods and strength are both run dry, the service of the levy wards and well-lands (丘井) grows pressing and is not easily met. Some say that the levy service (丘役) is like Duke Cheng (成公) of Lu (魯) making the levy-ward armor (丘甲). The state's spending was pressing, and so he had the levy ward pay the tax of a dian — which was to break with the standing institution. A levy ward is sixteen jing, and a dian is sixty-four jing.

丘，十六井也。百姓財殫盡而兵不解，則運糧盡力於原野也。十去其七者，所破費也。

A qiu (丘) is sixteen jing (井). If the people's goods are drained dry and still the fighting is not loosed, their strength is spent carrying grain over the open country. That seven in ten are gone is the share that is broken and lost.

兵久不止，男女怨曠，困於輸輓丘役，力屈財殫，而百姓之費，十去其七。

Drag the fighting out without stopping and men and women are parted and resentful and are worn out with the hauling of the levy service, so that strength is used up and goods run to the bottom, and seven in ten of the people's means are gone.

《司馬法》曰：「六尺爲步，步百爲畝，畝百爲夫，夫三爲屋，屋三爲井，四井爲邑，四邑爲丘，四丘爲甸。丘蓋十六井也。丘有戎馬一匹，牛四頭；甸有戎馬四匹，牛十六頭。丘車一乘，甲士三人，步卒七十二人。」今言兵不解，則丘役益急，百姓糧盡財竭，力盡於原野，家業十耗其七也。

The *Methods of Sima* says: "Six feet make a pace, a hundred paces a mu, a hundred mu a fu (夫), three fu a wu (屋), three wu a jing, four jing a yi (邑), four yi a levy ward, and four levy wards a dian. A levy ward is sixteen jing. A levy ward has one war horse and four oxen; a dian has four war horses and sixteen oxen. To one wagon of a levy ward there are three men in armor and seventy-two foot soldiers." It means that if now the fighting is not loosed, the levy service grows more pressing still, and the people's grain is used up and their goods run dry and their strength is spent in the open country, so that the household's living is cut down by seven in ten.

丘，聚也。聚歛賦役，以應軍須，如此則財竭於人，人無不困也。

The levy ward means a gathering. Tax and service are gathered in to answer what the army needs, and when this is so, goods run dry among men and there is no one who is not worn out.

急者，暴於常賦也。若魯成公作丘甲是也。如此，則民費太半矣。要見公費差減，故云十七。曹公曰：「丘，十六井。兵不解，則運糧盡力於原野。」

"Pressing" means harsher than the standing tax. Duke Cheng of Lu making the levy-ward armor is this. When this is so, the people's means go above half. It was to show that the state's spending was a little less that it says seven in ten. Lord Cao said, "A levy ward is sixteen jing. If the fighting is not loosed, strength is spent in the open country in carrying the grain."

國以民爲本，民以食爲天。居人上者，宜乎重惜。

The state takes the people for its root, and the people take food for their heaven. One set above men ought to hold this dear and spare it.

運糧則力屈，輸餉則財殫。原野之民，家産内虛，度其所費，十無其七也。

Carry the grain and strength is used up; send the food out and goods run to the bottom. The people of the open country are left empty within in their household living, and reckoning the cost of it, seven in ten are gone.

一本作「十去其七」。

One edition reads "seven in ten are gone."

丘牛，謂丘邑之牛；大車，乃長轂車也。

The levy ox (丘牛) is the ox put up by the district, and the big cart (大車) is a cart with a long hub.

丘，大也。此數器者，皆軍之所須。言遠近之費，公家之物，十損於七也。

The levy means great. These several kinds of gear are all for the army's use. It means that with the cost of the far and the near, the state's goods are cut down by seven in ten.

百姓以財糧力役奉軍之費，其資十損乎七；公家以牛馬器仗奉軍之費，其資十損乎六。是以竭賦窮兵，百姓弊矣；役急民貧，國家虛矣。

What the people spend in upholding the army with goods and grain and strength and service cuts their capital down by seven in ten, and what the state spends in upholding the army with oxen and horses and gear and weapons cuts its capital down by six in ten. And so, gather in all the taxes and use the army to the end and the people are worn out; let the service grow pressing and the people grow poor, and the state is left empty.

楯，干也。蔽，可以屏蔽。櫓，大楯也。丘牛，古所謂匹馬丘牛也。大車，牛車也。《易》曰：「大車以載。」

A shield (楯) is a buckler. To screen (蔽) is to be able to cover and ward off. A great shield (櫓) is a big buckler. The levy ox is what the old saying means by one horse and one ward's ox. The big cart is the ox cart. The *Book of Changes* says, "It is carried by the big cart."

兵以車馬爲本，故先言車馬。疲，敝也。蔽櫓，楯也，今謂之彭排。丘牛，大牛也。大車，必革車也。始言破車疲馬者，謂攻戰之馳車也；次言丘牛大車者，卽輜重之革車也。公家車馬器械，亦十損其六。

An army takes wagons and horses for its root, and so wagons and horses are spoken of first. To be worn (疲) means to be old and spent. The screening shield (蔽櫓) is the buckler, which is now called a pengpai (彭排). The levy ox is the great ox. The big cart must be the leather wagon. That broken wagons and worn horses are spoken of first means the swift chariot that strikes and fights; that levy oxen and big carts are spoken of next means the leather wagon that carries the loads. The state's wagons and horses and gear are also cut down by six in ten.

六斛四㪷爲鍾。𦮼，豆稭也。秆，禾藁也。石者，一百二十斤也。轉輸之法，費二十石得一石。一云：𦮼音忌，豆也。七十斤爲一石。當吾二十，言遠費也。

Six hu (斛) and four dou (㪷) make one zhong. 𦮼 is the bean stalk and 秆 is rice straw. A picul is a hundred and twenty catties. By the way of carting, twenty piculs must be spent for one picul to be left. One account reads 𦮼 as gi and takes it for beans, and makes seventy catties one picul. That it is worth twenty of my own speaks of the cost of carrying it far.

六石四㪷爲一鍾。一石，一百二十斤。𦮼，豆稭也。秆，禾藁也。或言：𦮼，秆藁也。秦攻匈奴，使天下運糧，起於黄腄、瑯琊負海之郡，轉輸北河，率三十鍾而致一石。漢武建元中，通西南夷，作者數萬人，千里負擔饋糧，率十餘鍾致一石。今校《孫子》之言「食敵一鍾，當吾二十鍾」，蓋約平地千里轉輸之法，費二十石得一石，不約道里，蓋漏闕也。黄腄，音直瑞反，又音誰，在東萊。北河，卽今之朔方郡。

Six hu and four dou make one zhong. A picul is a hundred and twenty catties. 𦮼 is the bean stalk and 秆 is rice straw; some say that 𦮼 is straw. When Qin struck the Xiongnu, it had grain carried from all the realm, raising it in the seaboard districts of Huangchui (黄腄) and Langya (瑯琊) and sending it out to the North River (北河), and the reckoning was that one picul arrived for thirty zhong. In the Jianyuan (建元) years of Emperor Wu of Han, when a road was being opened to the barbarians of the southwest, the men at work were some tens of thousands and the grain was sent out on men's backs a thousand li, and the reckoning was that one picul arrived for a little over ten zhong. Now set beside this the word of the *Sunzi*, that "eating one zhong of the enemy's matches twenty zhong of my own": measuring the way of sending it out a thousand li over level ground, he says that twenty piculs are spent for one picul to be got. That he did not measure the far and the near of the road is something left out. The second character of Huangchui is sounded by joining 直 and 瑞, and is also read su; the place lies in Donglai (東萊). The North River is the Shuofang Commandery (朔方郡) of today.

遠師轉一鍾之粟，費二十鍾方可達軍。將之智也，務食於敵，以省己之費也。

To send one zhong of grain out to an army gone far off, twenty zhong must be spent before it reaches the soldiers at all. A general's wisdom is to work at eating from the enemy and so to spare his own cost.

十斛爲鍾。計千里轉運，道路耗費，二十鍾可致一鍾於軍中矣。

Ten piculs make one zhong. Reckon the sending of it a thousand li and it dwindles on the road, so that twenty zhong can bring one zhong to the camp.

梅堯臣《註》同曹操。

Mei Yaochen's note is the same as Cao Cao's.

曹公曰：「𦮼，豆稭也。秆，藁也。石者，百二十斤也。轉輸之法，費二十乃得一。」晳謂上文「千里饋糧」，則轉輸之法，謂千里耳。𦮼，今作「萁」。秆，故書爲「芉」，當作「秆」。

Lord Cao said, "𦮼 is the bean stalk and 秆 is straw. A picul is a hundred and twenty catties. By the way of sending it out, twenty are spent for one to be got." I take it thus. The text above says "grain carried a thousand li," so the way of sending it out means a thousand li and nothing more. 𦮼 is now written 萁. 秆 stands as 芉 in the old books, but it ought to be written 秆.

六石四𣁳爲鍾。一百二十斤爲石。𦮼，豆稭也。秆，禾藁也。千里饋糧，則費二十鍾、石，而得一鍾、石到軍所。若越險阻，則猶不啻。故秦征匈奴，率三十鍾而致一石。此言能將必因糧於敵也。

Six hu and four dou make one zhong. A hundred and twenty catties make one picul. 𦮼 is the bean stalk and 秆 is rice straw. Carry grain a thousand li and twenty zhong or twenty piculs are spent for one zhong or one picul to reach where the soldiers are; cross rough ground and it is more than that. And so when Qin struck the Xiongnu the reckoning was that one picul arrived for thirty zhong. This says that a general who is good at it will surely get his grain from the enemy.

威怒以致敵。

With awe and anger one reaches the enemy.

怒者，軍威也。

Anger is the army's awe.

萬人非能同心皆怒，在我激之以勢使然也。田單守卽墨，使燕人劓降者，掘城中人墳墓之類是也。

Ten thousand men cannot all be angry of one mind, and so it rests on my rousing them to it by the turn of things. It is like Tian Dan (田單), holding Jimo (卽墨), getting the men of Yan (燕) to cut off the noses of those who had surrendered and to dig open the graves of the people in the city.

人之無怒，則不肯殺。

If men are not angry, they will not set about killing.

兵主威怒。

An army has awe and anger for its mainstay.

燕圍齊之卽墨，齊之降者盡劓。齊人皆怒，愈堅守。田單又縱反間曰：「吾懼燕人掘吾城外冢墓，戮辱先人，可爲寒心。」燕軍盡掘壠墓，燒死人。卽墨人從城上望見，皆泣涕，其欲出戰，怒自十倍。單知士卒可用，遂破燕師。後漢班超使西域，到鄯善，會其吏士三十六人，與共飲。酒酣，因激怒之曰：「今俱在絶域，欲立大功，以求富貴。虜使到裁數日，而王禮貌卽廢。如收吾屬送匈奴，骸骨長爲犲狼食矣。」官屬皆曰：「今在危亡之地，死生從司馬。」超曰：「不入虎穴，不得虎子。當今之計，獨有因夜以火攻虜，使彼不知我多少，必大震怖，可殄盡也。滅此虜，則功成事立矣。」衆曰：「善。」。初夜，將吏士奔虜營。會天大風，超令十人持鼓，藏虜舍後，約曰：「見火燃，皆當鳴鼓大呼。」餘人悉持弓弩，夾門而伏。超順風縱火，虜衆驚亂，衆悉燒死。蜀龐統勸劉備襲益州牧劉璋，備曰：「此大事，不可倉卒。」及璋使備擊張魯，乃從璋求萬兵及資寳，欲以東行。璋但許兵四千，其餘皆給半。備因激怒其衆曰：「吾爲益州征强敵，師徒勤瘁，不遑寧居。今積帑藏之財，而恡於賞功，望士大夫爲出死力戰，其可得乎！」由是相與破璋。

Yan ringed Jimo of Qi about and cut off the noses of all the men of Qi who had surrendered. The men of Qi were all angry and held the city the more firmly. Tian Dan also put a false report about, saying, "I fear that the men of Yan will dig open the graves outside our wall and shame our forefathers. It is a chilling thing indeed." The troops of Yan dug open all the graves and burned the dead. The people of Jimo looked out from the top of the wall and all shed tears and wished to go out and fight, and their anger was tenfold. Tian Dan knew that the soldiers could be used, and he broke the troops of Yan at last. Ban Chao (班超) of the Later Han (後漢) went as envoy to the Western Regions, and when he reached Shanshan (鄯善) he gathered his thirty-six officers and soldiers and drank with them. When the wine had taken hold, he roused them to anger, saying, "We are all now in a far and cut-off land and would do a great deed and seek plenty and honor by it. The barbarian envoy has been here but a few days, and already the king's courtesy to us is gone. If he seizes our company and sends us to the Xiongnu, our bones will long be food for jackals and wolves." The officers all said, "We are now in a land of peril and ruin; live or die, we follow the commander (司馬)." Ban Chao said, "Enter not the tiger's den and you will not get the tiger's cubs. The plan for now is nothing but to strike the barbarians with fire by night. Let them not know how many we are, and they will surely shake with great fear and can all be made away with. Make away with these barbarians and the deed is done and the work stands." The company said, "Good." Early in the night he led his officers and soldiers at a run to the barbarians' camp. It happened that the wind blew hard. Ban Chao had ten men take drums and hid them behind the barbarians' quarters, charging them, "When you see the fire burn, beat the drums all of you and shout aloud." The rest all took bows and crossbows and lay flat beside the gate. Ban Chao set the fire on the wind, and the barbarian company was startled into confusion and all burned to death. Pang Tong (龐統) of Shu (蜀) urged Liu Bei (劉備) to fall upon Liu Zhang (劉璋), the Governor of Yizhou (益州牧), and Liu Bei said, "This is a great matter and cannot be hurried." When Liu Zhang had Liu Bei strike Zhang Lu (張魯), Liu Bei asked Liu Zhang for ten thousand troops and for goods, meaning to go east. Liu Zhang allowed only four thousand troops and gave no more than half of all the rest. Liu Bei then roused his company to anger, saying, "For the sake of Yizhou I strike a hard enemy, and the soldiers labor and are worn and have no leisure to rest at ease. Now he lays up the goods of his storehouses and grudges a reward for the deed, and yet looks for the gentlemen and officers to put out their dying strength and fight for him — is that a thing that can be?" By this they broke Liu Zhang together.

激吾士卒，使上下同怒，則敵可殺。《尉繚子》曰「民之所以戰者，氣也」，謂氣怒則人人自戰。

Rouse my own soldiers so that high and low are angry together, and the enemy can be killed. The *Weiliaozi* (尉繚子) says, "The ground of the people's fighting is their spirit" — meaning that when the spirit is angry, every man fights of himself.

軍無財，士不來；軍無賞，士不往。

If the army has no goods, the soldiers do not come; if the army has no rewards, the soldiers do not go forth.

利者，益軍實也。

Gain is what adds to the soldiers' living.

使士見取敵之利者，貨財也。謂得敵之貨財，必以賞之，使人皆有欲，各自爲戰。後漢荊州刺史度尚，討桂州賊帥卜陽、潘鴻等，入南海，破其三屯，多獲珍寳。而鴻等黨聚猶衆，士卒驕富，莫有鬬志。尚曰：「卜陽、潘鴻，作賊十年，皆習於攻守，當須諸郡併力，可攻之。今軍恣聽射獵。」兵士喜悅，大小相與從禽。尚乃密使人潛焚其營，珍積皆盡。獵者來還，莫不泣涕。尚曰：「卜陽等財貨足富數世，諸卿但不併力耳。所亡少少，何足介意！」衆聞，咸憤踴願戰。尚令秣馬蓐食，明晨徑赴賊屯。陽、鴻不設備，吏士乘銳，遂破之。此乃是也。

What lets the soldiers see the gain of taking from the enemy is goods. It means that when the enemy's goods are got, rewards must be given out of them, so that every man has something to hope for and each fights of himself. Du Shang (度尚), Inspector of Jingzhou (荊州刺史) under the Later Han, went into the Southern Sea to strike Bu Yang (卜陽) and Pan Hong (潘鴻) and the rest, the robber chiefs of Guizhou (桂州), broke three of their camps, and got many treasures. But the companies of Pan Hong and the rest were still many, and the soldiers had grown haughty with plenty and had no mind to fight. Du Shang said, "Bu Yang and Pan Hong have robbed for ten years and are practiced at striking and at holding; only if the several districts join their strength can they be struck. For now, let the camp hunt as it pleases." The soldiers were glad, and high and low together chased the birds and beasts. Du Shang secretly sent men to burn their camp, and the treasures laid up there were all gone. Of those who came back from the hunt there was not one who did not weep. Du Shang said, "The goods of Bu Yang and the rest are enough to make several generations rich. You have only failed to join your strength. What is lost is very little — why take it to heart?" The company heard it and were all stirred to fury and longed to fight. Du Shang had the horses fed and the men eat at their places, and at dawn the next day he ran straight at the robbers' camp. Bu Yang and Pan Hong had made no preparation, and so the officers and soldiers rode their keenness and broke them at last. This is just that.

孟氏同杜牧《註》。

Meng's note is the same as Du Mu's (杜牧).

人知勝敵有厚賞之利，則冒白刃、當矢石而樂以進戰者，皆貨財酬勳賞勞之誘也。

When men know that beating the enemy brings the gain of a heavy reward, they will brave the naked blade and take arrow and stone and go forward to fight gladly. All this is drawing them on by paying for deeds with goods and rewarding their labor.

殺敵，則激吾人以怒；取敵，則利吾人以貨。

To have them kill the enemy, rouse my men with anger; to have them take from the enemy, profit my men with goods.

謂設厚賞耳。若使衆貪利自取，則或違節制耳。

It speaks only of handing out heavy rewards. If the company covets gain and is let take as it pleases, order will now and then be broken.

以貨啗士，使人自爲戰，則敵利可取。故曰：「重賞之下，必有勇夫。」皇朝太祖命將伐蜀，諭之曰：「所得州邑當與我，傾竭帑庫以饗士卒；國家所欲，惟土疆耳。」於是將吏死戰，所至皆下，遂平蜀。

Draw the soldiers on with goods so that every man fights of himself, and the enemy's things can be taken. And so it is said, "Under a heavy reward there is sure to be a bold fellow." Taizu (太祖) of our own dynasty ordered his generals to strike Shu and told them, "The districts you take ought to be given to me, but tip out the storehouses entire to feed the soldiers. What the state wants is only the land and its borders." At this the generals and officers fought to the death and brought down every place they came to, and settled Shu at last.

以車戰，能得敵車十乘已上，賞賜之。不言車戰得車十乘已上者賞之，而言賞得者何？言欲開示賞其所得車之卒也。陳車之法：五車爲隊，僕射一人；十車爲官，卒長一人；車滿十乘，將吏二人。因而用之，故别言賜之，欲使將恩下及也。或曰：言使自有車十乘已上與敵戰，但取其有功者賞之，其十乘已下，雖一乘獨得，餘九乘皆賞之，所以率進勵士也。

When in chariot fighting more than ten sheng of the enemy's chariots are taken, a reward is given. Why does it not say "reward the side that took more than ten sheng", but "reward the one who took them"? It is to show openly that the reward goes to the soldier who actually took that chariot. The way of drawing up chariots is this. Five sheng make a squad (隊), with one adjutant (僕射). Ten sheng make an office (官), with one company commander (卒長). When the chariots come to a full ten sheng, two officers (將吏) are set over them. Because they are used as they stand, a separate reward is given, so that the general's kindness may reach down below. Some put it this way: when a man has more than ten sheng of chariots of his own and fights the enemy, only those who gain merit are rewarded; but if it falls short of ten sheng, then though one sheng was taken single-handed, the other nine sheng are all rewarded too, and this is to urge the troops on so that they advance together.

重賞而勸進也。

It is urging them forward with a heavy reward.

夫得車十乘已上者，蓋衆人用命之所致也。若徧賞之，則力不足。與其所獲之車，公家仍自以財貨賞其唱謀先登者，此所以勸勵士卒，故上文云：「取敵之利者，貨也。」言十乘者，舉其綱目也。

Taking more than ten sheng of chariots is something brought about by many men giving their lives. If you would reward them all around, your means will not be enough. So the chariots taken are given to them, while the state separately uses goods to reward the man who first laid the plan and was first to climb up. This is the way to urge and hearten the soldiers, and so the text above said, "What makes them seize the enemy's goods is goods." Saying ten sheng is to give the main outline.

勸未得者，使自勉也。

It urges those who have not yet taken anything to exert themselves.

徧賞則難周，故獎一而勸百也。

If you reward all around, it is hard to reach all around; so you praise one man and urge on a hundred.

以財賞其所先得之卒。

The soldier who took the first is rewarded with goods.

車一乘，凡七十五人。以車與敵戰，吾士卒能獲敵車十乘已上者，吾士卒必不下千餘人也。以其人衆，故不能徧賞，但以厚利賞其陷陳先獲者，以勸餘衆。古人用兵，必使車奪車，騎奪騎，步奪步，故吳起與秦人戰，令三軍曰：「若車不得車，騎不得騎，徒不得徒，雖破軍，皆無功。」

One sheng of chariots is seventy-five men in all. If in fighting the enemy with chariots my soldiers have taken more than ten sheng of the enemy's chariots, then my soldiers are surely not fewer than a thousand odd men. Because the men are many, they cannot all be rewarded; one only rewards with rich gain the man who broke through the line and took the first, and so urges on the rest of the host. When the men of old used troops, they always had chariots take chariots, horsemen take horsemen, and foot soldiers take foot soldiers. So when Wu Qi (吳起) fought the men of Qin, he gave this order to the three armies: "If chariots do not take chariots, horsemen do not take horsemen, and foot soldiers do not take foot soldiers, then though the enemy's army be broken, none of you has any merit."

與吾同也。

It is to make them the same as ours.

令色與吾同。

It makes their colors the same as ours.

令不識也。

It makes them unrecognizable.

變敵之色，令與己同。

He changes the enemy's colors and makes them the same as his own.

不獨任也。

It means that they are not left in their own charge alone.

夫降虜之旌旗，必更其色而雜其事，車乃可用也。

The flags of a surrendered enemy must have their colors changed and their use mixed in; only then can the chariots be used.

士卒自獲敵車，任雜然自乘之，官不録也。

When a soldier himself takes an enemy chariot, he is left to ride it himself just as it is mixed in, and the office does not enter it in the register.

車許雜乘，旗無因故。

Chariots are allowed to be ridden mixed in, but the flags are not left as they were.

謂得敵車，可與我車雜用之也。

This says that when the enemy's chariots are taken, they can be used mixed in with our own.

己車與敵車參雜而用之，不可獨任也。

One uses his own chariots and the enemy's mixed together, and must not leave the enemy's chariots alone in their own charge.

所獲之卒，必以恩信撫養之，俾爲我用。

Captured soldiers must be gathered in and reared with kindness and good faith, and made to be of use to oneself.

益己之強。

It is adding to one's own strength.

後漢光武破銅馬賊於南陽，虜衆數萬，各配部曲，然人心未安。光武令各歸本營，乃輕行其間以勞之。相謂曰：「蕭王推赤心置人腹中，安得不投死乎！」於是漢益振，則其義也。

Emperor Guangwu (光武帝) of the Later Han broke the Tongma (銅馬) bandits at Nanyang (南陽) and captured tens of thousands, assigning them each to units; but men's hearts were not settled. Guangwu had each return to his original camp, and went lightly among them to comfort them. They said to one another, "King Xiao (蕭王) pushes out his red heart and places it in another man's belly — how could we not throw away our lives for him!" At this the Han grew still stronger. This is just that meaning.

得敵卒也，因敵之資，益己之強。

It is taking the enemy's soldiers. One leans on the enemy's stock and increases his own strength.

獲卒，則任其所長，養之以恩，必爲我用也。

Captured soldiers, if they are given charge of what they do well and reared with kindness, will surely become of use to oneself.

得敵卒則養之，與吾卒同。善者，謂勿侵辱之也。若厚撫初附，或失人心。

When the enemy's soldiers are taken, they are reared and made the same as one's own. "Treat them well" says: do not trespass upon them and shame them. If one strokes the newly attached too richly, one sometimes loses men's hearts.

因敵以勝敵，何往不強？

Leaning on the enemy he beats the enemy; where could he go and not be strong?

勝其敵，而獲其車與卒，旣爲我用，則是増己之強。光武推赤心，人人投死之類也。

When he has beaten the enemy and taken his chariots and soldiers, and they have already become of use to him, this is an addition to his own strength. It is like Emperor Guangwu pushing out his red heart, so that every man threw away his life.

久則不利。兵猶火也，不戢將自焚也。

To drag it out long is of no advantage. An army is like fire: if it is not drawn in, it burns its own body.

貴速勝疾還也。

He prizes winning quickly and returning quickly.

上所言皆貴速也。速則省財用、息民力也。

All that was said above prizes quickness. Be quick and you spare the spending of goods and rest the strength of the people.

孫子首尾言兵久之理，蓋知兵不可玩、武不可黷之深也。

Sunzi (孫子) speaks from beginning to end of the principle of dragging war out because he knew deeply that troops cannot be toyed with and force of arms cannot be used lightly.

久則師老財竭，易以生變，故但貴其速勝疾歸。

Drag it out and the army grows old and goods run dry, and trouble easily arises; so he prizes only winning quickly and returning quickly.

將賢則國安也。

When the general is worthy, the state is at peace.

將有殺伐之權，威欲却敵，人命所繫，國家安危在於此矣。

The general holds the power to kill and to strike, and would drive back the enemy by his awe; men's lives hang on this, and whether the state stands safe or falls lies in this.

民之性命，國之安危，皆由於將也。

The lives of the people and whether the state stands safe or falls all depend on the general.

此言任將之重。

This says that entrusting a general is a weighty matter.

將賢，則民保其生，而國家安矣；否，則民被毒殺，而國家危矣。明君任屬，可不精乎？

If the general is worthy, the people keep their lives and the state is at peace; if he is not, the people are poisoned and killed and the state is in danger. How could a bright ruler not be exact in entrusting men?

民之性命，國之治亂，皆主於將；將之材難，古今所患也。

The lives of the people and whether the state is ordered or in disorder all depend on the general. That the stuff of a general is hard to come by has been a worry both in old times and now.

民之死生，國之安危，繫乎將之賢否。

The death and life of the people and whether the state stands safe or falls hang on whether the general is worthy or not.