When discussing the use of troops, Qi Weiwang and Sun Bin asked Sun Bin: "What if the two armies are evenly matched and the generals of both sides are in a very stable position, and no one dares to attack first?" Sun Bin replied: "First, send a small number of troops, led by brave junior generals, to test the enemy and prepare for the failure of the test. Don't just think about winning. The test troops should secretly attack the enemy's flank. This is the way to win a great victory. " Wang Wei asked: "Is there a certain rule in the use of soldiers?" Sun Bin said, "Yes." Wang Wei asked: "The enemy is strong and serenade is outnumbered. What should we do?" Sun Bin saluted King Cheng Qi and replied, "This is a wise king's question. In the situation that our army is large in number and powerful, how can we use troops? This cautious attitude is indeed the foundation of Anbang. In this situation, we can use the trick of luring the enemy, which is called' praising the teacher', that is, deliberately disrupting the formation of our own army, catering to the enemy's psychology and attracting the enemy to fight against ourselves. " Wang Wei asked again, "What should we do if there are many enemy troops and they are strong and we are weak?" Sun Bin said: "Retreat tactics should be adopted, which is called' retreating soldiers' to avoid the enemy's sharp. However, it is necessary to do a good job of covering the guards and let their troops retreat safely. Retreat the troops. Soldiers with long weapons are in front, soldiers with short weapons are behind, and they are equipped with bows and arrows for emergency use. ... our army must wait until the enemy is tired and then wait for an opportunity to attack. " Wang Wei asked: "Our army and the enemy are leaving at the same time. I don't know how many soldiers to release. What should we do?" Sun Bin said, "Call .." Wang Wei asked, "How can the poor bandits chase them?" Sun Bin said, "..." Wang Wei asked, "What about an evenly matched enemy?" Sun Bin replied: "In order to confuse the enemy and disperse the troops, our army seized the fighter plane and made a surprise attack without finding the enemy. But when the enemy troops are not scattered, we should stay put and wait patiently for the fighters. Don't be suspicious of the enemy and attack blindly. " Wang Wei asked, "If our army is one to ten with the enemy, is there any way to attack the enemy?" Sun Bin replied, "Yes! You can use the tactic of' attacking it unprepared and taking it by surprise' to launch a sudden attack on the enemy. " Wang Wei asked: "What is the reason for losing the battle when the geographical position and strength are equal?" Sun Bin replied, "This is because his army is not sharp." Wang Wei asked, "How can we make soldiers obey?" Sun Bin replied: "With the usual prestige."
Wang Wei said, "You speak very well! What you said about the secret of using troops is really useful! " Tian Ji asked Sun Bin, "What's your concern about fighting? What is the way to get the enemy into trouble? What is the reason why we can't capture the barrier trench? What is the reason for losing the weather? What is the reason for losing the geographical position? What are the reasons for the loss of harmony? Is there any law to follow in these six items? " Sun Bin replied, "Yes. The biggest worry about using soldiers is that they are used in the wrong place. The way to get the enemy into trouble is to take risks. Therefore, a few miles of swamp will hinder the army's action ... It can be seen that the worry of using troops is not in the right place, but the way to trap the enemy is in danger. The reason why we can't conquer the obstacle ditch is that there are no obstacles. Sun Bin said, "Beat drums for marching, but don't move. When the enemy attacks, do everything possible to lure them. Tian Ji asked: "The deployment has been confirmed." . How can we make soldiers obey orders completely in action? Sun Bin replied: "Strict military discipline and clear rewards." . "Tian Ji asked," the most important thing is to reward the fight? "Sun Bin said," No. Reward is a way to improve morale, which can make soldiers forget their lives and battles; Punishment is a means to strictly abide by military discipline and make soldiers afraid to take it. Rewards help to win, but fighting is not the most important thing. "Tian Ji asked again:" So, when fighting, is strength, power, ingenuity and cunning the most important? " Sun Bin replied, "Not really. Power is a necessary condition to ensure the overall command of the army, power is a condition to ensure the service life of the army, ingenuity can make the enemy unprepared, and cunning can make the enemy in trouble. These are all conducive to victory, but they are not the most important places to use. "Tian Ji changed his face with anger and said," These six items are commonly used by people who are good at fighting, but you say these are not the most important things. Then what is the most important? " Sun Bin said: "Fully understand the enemy's situation and make good use of the terrain according to the changes that will happen at that time and the war situation ... This is the law of leading troops to fight. Being good at attacking without passive defense is the most important thing in the way of using troops. .. "Tian Ji asked Sun Bin," is there any way to deal with the enemy's position without attacking? Sun Bin said: "There is a way. Use the dangerous terrain to increase the fortress, restrain the soldiers, don't act rashly, and don't be angered by the enemy's provocation. " Tian Ji asked, "the enemy is numerous and brave. Is there any way to beat them? " Sun Bin said, "Yes. It is necessary to increase forts, set up flags widely to confuse the enemy, strictly enforce military orders, restrain soldiers, avoid the enemy's anger, make the enemy proud, try to attract the enemy, make the enemy tired, and then surprise, destroy the enemy's strength and prepare for a protracted war. " Tian Ji asked Sun Bin, "What's the use of conical formation? What's the use of goose formation? What's the use of choosing Qiang Bing? What is the role of soldiers who use strong crossbows and hard bows? What is the use of a formation moving as fast as the wind? What role do ordinary soldiers play? "Sun Bin said:" The cone formation is adopted to break through the enemy's solid positions and destroy the enemy's elite troops. The use of the goose formation is convenient for us to cooperate with each other when facing the enemy Choose strong soldiers to defeat the enemy generals in decisive battles. Soldiers who fire strong bows and crossbows are used to fight for a long time when the two sides are deadlocked. Use wind-style mobile rapid formation ... ordinary soldiers cooperate with the battle to ensure the victory of the battle. "Sun Bin added:" wise kings and generals who are proficient in the art of war will not use ordinary soldiers to complete key tasks. " After the question and answer, Sun Bin came out. His disciples asked him, "How did Wang Wei and Tian Ji ask for advice? "
Sun Bin said, "Wang Wei asked nine questions and Tian Ji asked seven questions. It can be said that he knows how to use troops, but he has not fully mastered the laws of war. I heard that a king who always keeps his promise will prosper in his country ... those who are unprepared to fight will fail, and those who are militaristic will die. It has been passed down for three generations, so we must have a sense of urgency! "