Wei Liao Zi Art of War Chapter 17

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Wei Liao Zi Art of War Chapter 17, 经卒令

本篇主要论述部队战斗编组及军旗、徽章的佩戴，用以识别约束部队，使军队队形整齐，行动有序，赏罚有据。

English

To regulate the troops, segment them into three armies. The Left Army will have green flags, and the troops will wear green feathers. The Right Army will have white flags, and the troops will wear white feathers. The Central Army will have yellow flags, and the troops will wear yellow feathers.

The troops will have five emblems: The front line will have the green emblems, the second row red emblems, the third row yellow emblems, the fourth row white emblems, and the fifth row black emblems.

The next rule for regulating the troops is that anyone who loses his emblem will be punished. The first five lines place their emblems on their heads; the next five lines place their emblems on their necks; the next five on their chest, the next five on their stomachs and the last five on their waists. In this way, it will never happen that the troops will have someone other than their own officers or officers other than their own troops. If someone sees a case where it is incorrect but does not inquire about it, or sees confusion but does not act to stop it, his crime will be comparable to that of the offender.

When the drums sound for the troops to move and engage in battle, those lines that move forward confront the danger, while those that retreat to the rear are reviled. Those who venture forward past the five lines will be rewarded; those that retreat past the five lines to the rear will be executed. By this rule, it can be known that advancing and retreating, moving to the fore and rear are achievements. Thus it is said: 'If you beat the drum, they advance like thunderclap, they move like the wind and rain, no one will dare oppose you to the fore, no one will dare chase after you to the rear.' This speaks volume about having regulations.

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Modern

管理军队，就是依经手卒把军队区分为三军。左军用青旗，士兵戴青色羽毛；右军用白旗，士兵戴白色羽毛；中军用黄旗，士兵戴黄色羽毛。士兵的标记有五种，第一行用青色标记，第二行用红色标记，第三行用黄色标记，第四行用白色标记，第五行用黑色标记，按此次序规定，管理士兵，遗失标记的，要给以惩罚。第一个五行的标记佩在头上，第二个五行的标记佩在颈上，第三个五行的标记佩在胸前，第四个五行的标记佩在腹部，第五个五行的标记佩在腰间。这样，士兵就不会认错他的官长，官长也不会认错他的士兵。如果官长发现不属于自己的士兵而不加盘问，见到行列混乱而不加制止，就和犯错误的人同罪。开始进行格斗的时候，如果前行的奋勇前进，就是敢于战斗，后行的退缩不前，就是沾污军誉，超过前面五行而前进的有赏，越出后面五行而后退的就杀。这些规定都是为了分清吏卒们进、退、先、后的功过是非。因此可以说，命令一下，军队前进就象雷霆那样迅速，冲击就象风雨那样猛烈，没有哪个敌人敢于在前面阻挡，也没有哪个敌人敢于在后面尾追，这就说明了经卒令的重大作用。

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Original

经卒者，以经令分之为三分焉。左军苍旗，卒戴苍羽；右军白旗，卒戴白羽；中军黄旗，卒戴黄羽。卒有五章：前一行苍章，次二行赤章，次三行黄章，次四行白章，次五行黑章，次以经卒，亡章者有诛。前一五行置章于首，次二五行置章于项，次三五行置章于胸，次四五行置章于腹，次五五行置章于腰。如此，卒无非其吏，吏无非其卒。见非而不诘，见乱而不禁，其罪如之。鼓行交斗，则前行进为犯难，后行退为辱众，踰五行而前者有赏，踰五行而后者有诛。所以知进退先后吏卒之功也。故曰，鼓之前如雷霆，动如风雨，莫敢当其前，莫敢蹑其后，言有经也。

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