Using Troops-Zhuge Liang

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Using Troops-Zhuge Liang

English

In the Classic of History, there is verse that says:"If you insult a gentleman, it is very difficult to gain his trust and if you insult a non-gentleman, it is very unlikely that he will give his best." Thus the general must gain the respect and trust of the army. He must be able to maintain discipline in his army and the integrity of the rewards and punishment system. He must be an all rounder in literary and military fields as well. He must be flexible in the way he handles matters. He is always cultivating himself to be benevolent, righteous, smart and brave. When he is leading his troops to battle and has given the order to hide, he should be able to make his men behave like fishes in water, without any sounds. When he has given the order to attack, he should make his men behave like otters, charge out fast and with great aggression, creating chaos in enemy's camp, severe all enemy's communication, destroy the enemy and wave our the flags to show the might of the army. The general should also be able to make his men listen to his orders and deployment. When the order of retreat is given, the men retreat in an orderly fashion. When the order to attack is given, he is able to make his men "rain" down on the enemy, with attacking posture like a tiger coming down a hill, destroying the enemy completely.

Some strategies should be implemented when facing the enemy: When face with an emergency, handle it with composure. When the enemy is greedy, bait him with small benefits. When the enemy is in chaos, attack him. When the enemy belittle us, fan his arrogance further. When the enemy is in unity, seek to break them down. When the enemy is strong, seek to reduce their strength or advantage. Comfort the army when in dangerous position an create joy when the army feels depress. Treat those that surrender us with care and benevolence. Allow a channel for the army to vent their injustice if any. Support the weaker ones and restrain the stronger ones. Treat the military advisors like your families. Refuse to mix with those who only talks about things people like to hear. Distribute the spoils of war to your subordinates as a form of reward.

Last but not least, when the enemy is weak, the general should not use full strength against the enemy. The general should not underestimate the enemy no matter what, and the general should not treat his subordinates badly just because he is the favourite of the ruler. The general should be well-versed with the battle conditions and circumstances, make detail plans and when he is sure of victory, then execute the plans. He should not have the spoils of war all to himself. If a general can do all the above, be disciplined himself, he would make his army give his best in every battle.

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Modern

《书经》上说：“戏侮君子，则难以得到他人的真心；蔑视小人，也就无法使他人尽心为自己效力。”因此，行兵的要诀是，必须得到军队的人心，严格把握有关赏罚制度与纪律，必须文武兼备，刚柔相济，精通礼、乐、诗、书，使自己在修养方面先达到仁义，而后有智勇的内涵；率军作战时，下令部队隐蔽，则应该使士兵如同鱼儿潜水无声无息；下令部队出击时，就应该使战士如同獭奔跑一样飞遥前进，既快又猛，打乱敌人的阵营，切断敌人的联系，削弱敌人的势力，挥动旗帜以显示我军的威力，并能使部队服从指挥。听从调动。撤退时部队应如同大山移动一般稳重、整齐；进攻时，应使部队如同暴风骤雨，彻底摧垮敌军，同敌人交战，就应该有猛虎下山一般的威势。

对待敌人，还要采用一些谋略：突然面临紧急情况，应该从容不迫；敌人贪利，就利用小利诱惑敌人；对于处与混乱状态的敌人，乘机攻取他；对于鄙视我方的敌人，使他更加骄傲；对于内部团结的敌人，尽量分离他们；对于强大的敌人，就想办法削弱他的力量。安抚处于危境的军队，使忧郁的军队感到喜悦，投降我军的战俘，用怀柔政策对待他们，让部下的冤屈由地方申诉，扶持弱者，抑制气焰嚣张的部下，对待有智谋的部下如同亲人，坚决打击巧言令色的小人，抢到战利品的部下有奖赏。

此外，如果敌人势弱，则不使全力打击他们，不可因自己的军力强大而藐视敌人，不能因为自己的能力高强而骄傲自大，更不可因为自己受宠而对部下作威作福。对于整个战局的进行，首先要制定周详的计划，要有充分的把握才可率军出征，不能独自获取战场上的胜利品，男女俘虏也不可独自役使。作为将领做到了这些，严格号令，将士必定积极作战，效命疆场。

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Original

书曰：“狎侮君子，罔以尽人心；狎侮小人，罔以尽人力。”固行兵之要，务揽英雄之心，严赏罚之科，总文武之道，操刚柔之术，说礼乐而敦诗书，先仁义而后智勇；静如潜鱼，动若奔獭，丧其所连，折其所强，耀以旌旗，戒以金鼓，退若山移，进如风雨，击崩若摧，合战如虎；迫而容之，利而诱之，乱而取之，卑而骄之，亲而离之，强而弱之；有危者安之，有惧者悦之，有叛者怀之，有冤者申之，有强者抑之，有弱者扶之，有谋者亲之，有谗者覆之，获财者与之；不倍兵以攻弱，不恃众以轻敌，不傲才以骄之，不以宠而作威；先计而后动，知胜而始战；得其财帛不自宝，得其子女不自使。将能如此，严号申令而人愿斗，则兵合刃接而人乐死矣。

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