Verse 10-Wei Liao Zi Art of War Chapter 24

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Verse 10-Wei Liao Zi Art of War Chapter 24

English

In my opinion, when soldiers abandon their units and return home, the other members of their squad in the same barracks and their officers would be punished by taking their rations, to be put into the army’s provisions. Thus a person is nominally with the army, but in reality, double the ration is taxed from the household. The resources of the state are then expended and the harvest of the people are naturally exhausted. How can the disaster of defeat be avoided in such a case?

Modern

我认为现在士兵逃亡回家的，就对原籍同伍的五家人和主管官吏，罚以粮食，充实仓库，作为军需物资，这样一来，名义上是一支军队，而民众却有两倍的负担，弄得国内空虚，民不聊生，怎能避免失败的灾难呢?

Original

臣以谓卒逃归者，同舍伍人及吏罚入粮为饶，名为军实，是有一军之名，而有二实之出，国内空虚，自竭民岁，曷以免奔北之祸乎?

Applications

From: Wei Liao Zi Art of War Chapter 24