MARTIAL SECRET TEACHINGS
- JIANG ZIYA -
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WHEN TO START A WAR King Wen, in the capital of Feng, summoned T'ai Kung:”Alas! The Shang King is extremely perverse, judging the innocent guilty and having them executed. I would like to assist the people, how shall I proceed?”
T'ai Kung replied:”You should cultivate your virtue and moral, submit to the guidance of Worthy men, extend beneficence to the people, and through this extension to make an observation of the ground sentiments. If sentiments at its worst, you cannot initiate the movement to revolt. If there are chaos in the society, your planning cannot precede them. Only when there are chaos and misfortune from nature and society, and only then can you make plans. You must look at the Shang King’s public performance, and his behavior when not under the public eye, and only then will you know his mind. You must look at his external activities and moreover his internal ones, and only then will you know his thoughts. You must observe who he distances himself away from and who he get close to, and only then will you know his emotions.” UNITING THE WHOLE STATE
“If you implement the Way, the Way can be attained. If you take the correct action, the result can be attained. If you set up the proper forms of policies and systems, they can be set up and implemented easily. If you fight to be strong, the strong can be conquered. If you can attain complete victory without fighting, without the great army suffering any losses, you will have penetrated even the realm of ghosts and spirits. How marvelous! How subtle!”
“If you suffer the same illness as other people and you will aid each other; if you have the same ambitions you will assist each other to complete; the same hatreds and assist each other; and the same likes and seek them together. As such, without any armored soldiers you will win; without any battering rams, you will have attacked, without moats and ditches, you will have defended.” GOVERNING THE STATE
“The wise acts unwise; the greatest plans act as though not planned at all(secrecy); the greatest courage is not courage alone; the greatest gain is not to profit his own. If you profit all under you, all will be open themselves to you, accepting you. If you harm all under you, all under you will be closed from you. All under Heaven is not the property of one man but of all under Heaven. If you want all under Heaven, it is as if pursuing some wild animal, and then all under Heaven will want a piece of meat. It is similar to you and all under you riding in the same boat to cross over the water, after completing the crossing you will all have profited. However, if you fail to make the crossing, then you will all suffer the harm. If you act as if you’re all on the same vessel, the empire will be open to your aim and none will be closed to you.”
“He who does not take from the people, takes the people. He who does not take from the state, takes the state. He who does not take from anything under Heaven, will take all under Heaven. He who does not take from the people, the people will profit. He who does not take from the states, states will profit. He who does not take from all under Heaven, all under Heaven will profit. Thus such actions lies in it cannot be seen; such affairs lie in it cannot be heard; and victory lies in what cannot be known. How marvelous! How subtle!” DEMISED STATE
“When an eagle is about to attack, it will fly low and draw in its wings. When a fierce wild cat is about to strike, it will lay back its ears and crouch down low. When the Sage is about to move, he will display a stupid countenance.”
“Now there is the case of Shang, where the people confuse and suspicious of each other. Mixed up and extravagant, the Shang Emperor indulgence in pleasure and sex is boundless. This is a sign of a doomed state. I have observed their fields – weeds and grass overwhelm the crops itself. I have observed their people – the perverse and crooked overcome the straight and upright. I have observed their officials – they are violent, perverse, inhumane and evil. They overthrow the laws and make chaos of the punishments. People from all ranks have not awakened to this state of affairs. It is time for their state to perish.” “When the sun appears, the myriad of things is all illuminated. When great righteousness appears, the myriad of things will all profit. When the great army appears, the myriad of things will all submit. Great is the virtue of the Sage! Listening by himself, seeing by himself, this is his pleasure!” HOW A SAGE GOVERNS
King Wen asked T'ai Kung:”What does the Sage govern?”
T'ai Kung said:”What worries does he have? What constraints? The myriad things will realize their positions naturally. What constraints, what worries? The myriad things all flourish naturally. No one should realize the transforming influence of government similar to no one realizes the effects of the passing of time. The Sage takes actionless action, and the myriad of things are transformed. What is exhausted? When things reach the end, they return again to the beginning. Relaxed and complacent he turns about seeking it. Seeking it, he gains it and cannot but store it. Having already stored it, he cannot but implement it. Having already implemented it, he does not turn about and make it clear that he did so. Now because Heaven and Earth need not let everyone know how it works, they are forever able to give birth to the myriad things. The Sage does not pronounce what it doing and he is able to attain glorious name.” 3 GREATS OF GOVERNANCE
“The Sages of antiquity assembled people together as families, assembled families to compose states, and assembled states to constitute the realm of all under Heaven. They divided the realm and enfeoffed worthy men to administer the states. They officially designated this order the ‘Great Order’.”
“They promulgated the government’s instructions and accorded with the people’s customs. They transformed the multitude of ‘crooked’ behavior into ‘straight’, changing their form and appearance. Although the customs of various states were not the same, they all took pleasure in their respective places. The people loved their rulers, so they termed this transformation as the ‘Great settlement’.” “Ah, the Sage concentrates on educating and transforming without notice, they Worthy focuses on rectifying themselves, using themselves as example. The stupid man cannot be transform others not rectify himself, therefore he contends with other men. When the ruler creates too much rules, punishment becomes numerous. When punishment is numerous, the people are troubled. When the people are troubled, they leave and wander off. No one, of whatever position, can be settled in his life, and generations on end have no rest, this they termed the ‘Great Loss’.” GOVERNING THE POPULACE
“The people of the world are like flowing water. If you obstruct it, it will stop. If you open a way, it will flow. If it is quiet, it will be clear. How spiritual! When the Sages sees the beginning, he knows the end.”
King Wen asked:”How does one be at harmony with them?” T'ai Kung said:”Heaven has its constant forms, the people have their normal lives. If you work together with them, then the relationship will be tranquil. The pinnacle is to accord with them, the next-highest is to transform them. When the people are transformed and follow their government, then affairs can be completed even when no actions are taken. The people are enriched even if no one gives them. This is the virtue of the Sage.” King Wen said:”What you have said accords with what I embrace. From dawn to night, I will think about it, never forgetting it, employing it as our constant principle.” CIVIL OFFENSE
King Wen asked T'ai Kung:”What are the methods of civil offense?”
T'ai Kung replied:”There are twelve methods of civil offense.” First, accord with what he likes in order to accommodate his wishes. This will feed his arrogance and invariably mount some perverse affair. We can then use the situation to our advantage and be able to eliminate him. Second, be close with those he loves in order to fragment his awesomeness. When men have two different inclinations, their loyalty invariably declines. When his court no longer has any loyal ministers, the state will inevitably be endangered. Third, covertly bribe his assistants, fostering a deep relationship with them. While they stand in his court physically, their thoughts and inclinations will be directed outside it. The state will certainly suffer harm. Fourth, assist him in his licentiousness and indulgence in music in order to dissipate his will. Present him generous gifts of pearls and jade, ply him with beautiful women. Speak deferentially, listen respectfully, follow his commands, and accord with him in everything. He will never imagine you might be in conflict with him and unleash his treacherous ways. Fifth, treat his loyal officials generously, but reduce your gifts to the ruler. When the ruler comes as emissary, delay him and do not listen to him. When he eventually dispatches other men, treat them with sincerity, embrace and trust them. The ruler will then again feel you are in harmony with him. If you manage to treat his formerly loyal officials very generously, his state can then be plotted against. Sixth, make secret alliances with his favored ministers, sow discord between the ruler and his officials that are not in court. Make his talented people assist other enemy states. Get other enemy states to encroach upon his territory. Few states in such situation have survived. Seventh, if you want to get his trust, you must offer generous gifts. To gather in his assistants, loyal associates and loved ones, you must secretly show them the gains, they can realize by colluding with you. Have them slight their work and then their preparation will be futile. Eighth, present him with great treasures, and make plans with him. When the plans are successful and profit him, he will have faith in you because of the profits. This is what is termed ‘being closely embraced’. The result of being closely embraced is that he will inevitably be used by us. When someone rules a state but is externally controlled, his territory will inevitably be defeated. Ninth, honor him with praise. Do nothing that will cause him personal discomfort. Display the proper respect accruing to a great power, and you will certainly be trusted. Magnify his honor; be the first to gloriously praise him, humbly embellishing him as a Sage. Then his state will suffer great losses. Tenth, be submissive so that he will trust you, and thereby learn about his true situation. Accept his ideas and respond to his affairs as if you were twins. Once you have learned everything, subtly control him. Thus when the ultimate day arrives, it will seem as if Heaven wants him destroyed. Eleventh, block up his channels of information. Among his subordinates, there is no one who does not value rank and wealth nor hate danger and misfortune. Secretly express great respect towards them, and gradually bestow valuable gifts in order to gather the outstanding talents. Accumulate your own resources until they become very substantial, but put up an external appearance of shortage. Covertly bring in wise knights, and entrust them with planning great strategy. Attract courageous generals, and augment their spirit. Even when they are more sufficiently rich and honored, constantly add to their riches. When your faction has been fully established, you will have attained the objective referred to as blocking his information channels. If someone has a state but his information channels are blocked, how can he be considered as having the state? Twelfth, support his dissolute officials in order to confuse him. Introduce beautiful women and licentious sounds in order to befuddle him. Send him outstanding dogs and horses in order to tire him (through hunting). From time to time, allow him great power in order to entice him to greater arrogance. Then investigate the signs and plot with the world against him. When these twelve methods are fully employed, they will become a military weapon, Thus when, as it is said, one all indications and signs. Once the proper signs are already visible, attack him. ACCORDING WITH THE PEOPLE
King Wen asked T'ai Kung:”What should one do so that he can govern the populace?”
T'ai Kung said:”When your greatness overspreads the populace, only then will you be able to encompass it. When your trustworthiness has overspread populace, only then will you be able to make covenants with it. When your benevolence has overspread populace, only then will you be able to embrace it. When your grace has overspread populace, only then can you preserve it. When your authority covers the populace, only then will you be able not to lose it. Govern without doubt, similar to the revolutions of heaven or the changes of the seasons, nothing can change them. Only when these six are complete will you be able to establish governance over populace. Accordingly, one who profits populace will find populace open to him,. One who harms populace will find populace closed to him. If one gives life to populace, populace will regard him as virtuous. If one kills populace, populace will want to get rid of him. If one accords to populace, populace will be accessible to him; if one impoverishes populace, populace will regard him as their enemy. One who gives peace to populace, populace will rely on; one who endangers populace, populace will view as a disaster. Populace is not the realm of one man. Only one who run it according to the Way can dwell in the position of authority.” 3 THREE DOUBTS
King Wu inquired of T'ai Kung: I want to attain our aim of overthrowing the Shang, but I have three doubts. I am afraid that our strength will be inadequate to attack the strong, unable to estrange his close supporters within the court and unable to cause disunity between Shang and his people. What should I do?
T'ai Kung replied: Accord with the situation, be very cautious in making plans, and employ your material resources. Now in order to attack the strong, you must nurture their arrogance, and increase them to make them even more extended. What is too arrogant will certainly fall; what is too extended must have deficiencies. Attack the strong through growing his arrogance. Cause estrangement of his favored officials by using their favorites, and cause disharmony with his people by means of people. Now in the way of planning, thoroughness and secrecy are treasured. You should become involved with him in numerous affairs and ply him with temptations of profit. Conflict will then surely rise. If you want to cause his close supporters to become estranged from him, you must do it by using what he favor – making gifts to those he favors, giving them what they want. Tempt them with what they find profitable, use them to sow discord between ruler and close supporters, and causing the close supporters to be unable to attain their ambitions. Those who covet profits will extremely happy at the prospects, and they will continue seeding doubts among the close supporters and the ruler. Now without doubt the Way for attacking is to first obfuscate the king’s clarity and then attack his army, destroying his greatness and eliminating the misfortune of the people. Debauch him with beautiful women, entice him with profit. Nurture him with (food) flavors and provide him with the company of female musicians. Then after you have caused his subordinates to become estranged from him, you must cause the people to grow distant from him while never letting him know of your plans. Appear to support him and draw him into your trap. Do not let him become aware of what is happening, for only then can you plan be successful. When bestowing your beneficence on the people, you cannot begrudge the expenses. People are similar to cows and horses. Frequently make gifts of food and clothing and follow up by loving them. The mind is the means to open knowledge; knowledge is the means to open up the source of wealth; and wealth is the means to open up the people. Gaining allegiance of the people is the way to attract worthy men. When one is enlightened by sagely advisers, he can govern all under Heaven. |
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