2
Audience with King Wei

SUN PIN , IN HIS AUDIENCE WITH KING WEI , SAID :

“Now the military does not rely on an unvarying strategic configuration of power. This is the Tao transmitted from the Former Kings. Victory in warfare is the means by which to preserve vanquished states and continue severed generations. Not being victorious in warfare is the means by which to diminish territory and endanger the altars of state. For this reason military affairs cannot but be investigated. Yet one who takes pleasure in the military will perish, and one who finds profit in victory will be insulted. The military is not something to take pleasure in, victory not something through which to profit.

“Move only after all affairs have been prepared. Thus one whose walled city is small but defense solid has accumulated resources. One whose troops are few but army is strong has righteousness. Now mounting a defense without anything to rely upon, or engaging in battle without righteousness, no one under Heaven would be able to be solid and strong.

“At the time when Yao possessed All under Heaven there were seven tribes who dishonored the king’s edicts and did not put them into effect. There were the two Yi in the east, and four in the central states. It was not possible for Yao to be at ease and attain the profit of governing All under Heaven. He was victorious in battle and his strength was established; therefore, All under Heaven submitted.

“In antiquity Shen Nung did battle with the Fu and Sui; the Yellow Emperor did battle with Ch’ih Yu at Shu-lü; Yao attacked Kung Kung; Shun attacked Ch’e and drove off the Three Miao; T’ang deposed Chieh; King Wu attacked Chou; and the Duke of Chou obliterated the remnant state of Shang-yen when it rebelled.

“Thus if someone’s virtue is not like that of the Five Emperors; his ability does not reach that of the Three Kings; nor his wisdom match that of the Duke of Chou—and yet he says, ‘I want to accumulate benevolence and righteousness, practice the rites and music, and wear flowing robes and thereby prevent conflict and seizure’—it is not that Yao and Shun did not want this, but they could not attain it.

Therefore they mobilized the military to constrain the evil.”

COMMENTARY

This chapter, the first substantive one on tactics, opens as does the Art of War with a statement emphasizing the critical, life-and-death nature of warfare. Sun-tzu had previously said: “Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Tao to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed.” The initial paragraph similarly summarizes Sun Pin’s attitude toward military affairs: insofar as evil or threats to one’s security remain in the world, the military and warfare are both necessary and unavoidable. The state’s very survival depends upon understanding the principles of warfare, undertaking military preparations, and acting when necessary with commitment and resolve. From a more humanitarian perspective, military forces provide the only means to eradicate the great scourges of mankind, to act on behalf of others to eliminate evil and repression, just as Ch’i (in a very self-interested manner) did in rescuing Chao and Han from Wei’s forces. In this regard Sun Pin’s sentiments generally accord with the thoughts of other military writers in the Warring States period, allowing for sometimes significant variations in perspective.

The chapter’s main thrust is justified by citing the historical character and inevitability of weapons and warfare, a theme reiterated in chapter nine where Sun Pin stresses that warfare is inherent to mankind. When the evil encroached upon the good, and especially upon the Sage rules of antiquity, it was painfully discovered that only force could constrain them. Consequently even such great paragons of Virtue as Yao and Shun were compelled to create weapons and evolve tactics as they mounted military actions to extirpate the evil. Sun Pin cites numerous examples of these ancient, semi-legendary conflicts among tribes and totems to support his argument and thus directly contradicts the Confucians led by the able but pedantic Mencius who vociferously claimed that antiquity was an ideal period when Virtue alone held sway over civilization, and rulers cultivated such pristine purity that even incor- rigibles were shamed into submissive obedience. As Sun Pin pointedly concludes, Yao and Shun wished to govern with benevolence and righteousness, but it simply proved inadequate to the daunting task of contending with force and brutality, just as it does at all levels of government today.

At the same time Sun Pin, as Sun-tzu and many other military writers, equally warns against the danger of becoming enthralled with warfare, of being seduced by the apparent profits and thereby dooming the state to extinction. Although he only explicitly raises it once more, the belief that frequent battles debilitate a state and even numerous victories can lead to ruin clearly underlies the entire Military Methods.

Apart from being physically prepared, the soldiers must embrace a moral cause, must fight out of and for righteousness. Only those properly motivated by virtue (in addition to the immediate stimulus of rewards and fear of punishments) prove committed and effective in combat. Although he does not again mention the importance of righteousness for the troops, Sun Pin does stress the need for it in the commander, and further asserts that individual warriors will fail to qualify for chariot assignment if they lack a constellation of virtues. Even today, righteousness remains a strong motivator, capable of arousing fervor when dramatically proclaimed by a skilled speaker, inciting men to action not only for moral causes, but also hatred, nationalism, and bigotry clothed in its garb. The wise can still avail of its power, whether in the search for companions and associates in the Tao or to brace themselves for daily struggles.