Chapter 10 Section 3 Sima Rangju, who enforces the law like a mountain, and his grand and far-reaching "Sima Law"

Sima Rangju was a famous military strategist in the late Spring and Autumn Period. His "Sima Fa" was listed as one of the "Seven Books of Martial Arts", which had a profound impact on the development of military science in later generations. Sima Rangju was originally a descendant of Chen Guotianwan.Tian Wan's original surname was Chen, and later he defected to Qi State due to a civil strife in Chen State. He was taken in by Duke Huan of Qi and named Qi Qing, and changed his surname to Tian.Tian Rangju was honored as the Great Sima because of his ability to manage the army, so he was also called Sima Rangju.The date of his birth and death is unknown, but he was active in the Qi State in the early 6th century BC and at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. He was a contemporary of Yan Ying, the prime minister when Qi Jinggong was in power.

During the reign of Duke Jing of Qi, the national strength of the State of Qi declined, and the State of Jin took the opportunity to attack A (northeast of today's Yanggu, Shandong) and Juan (north of today's Juancheng) from the west;The Qi army was defeated in successive battles, and Qi Jinggong was as anxious as ants on a hot pot, unable to do anything.Xiangguo Yanying recommended Tian Rangju to Jing Gong, saying that he "can be able to attach himself to the masses, and can be powerful to the enemy".So Jinggong summoned Rangju and discussed with him the strategy of retreating the enemy.Jinggong was very happy after hearing Rangju's discussion, so he appointed him as a general to resist the attacks of the Jin army and the Yan army.Rang Tho thinks that he comes from a humble background. Although he is an official above the officials, he is hard to convince the public. It is better to ask Jing Gong to send another respected and powerful minister to supervise the army.Duke Jing agreed to this request and sent Zhuang Jia to take up the post.Rang Ju bid farewell to Duke Jing, and made an agreement with Zhuang Jia: "Meet at the gate of the barracks at noon tomorrow." The next day, Rang Ju went to the barracks first and waited for Zhuang Jia.Zhuang Jia has always been arrogant and conceited, he doesn't take Rang Ju seriously, and even went to meet relatives and friends who saw him off, drinking and having fun, delayed the time.By noon, Zhuang Jia had not yet reported to the barracks.Rang Tho then walked into the barracks, rectified the team, and announced discipline.It was almost evening before Zhuang Jia arrived.Rang Tho asks Zhuang Jia why he was late?Zhuang Jia dismissed it nonchalantly, saying that he was late because his relatives and friends hosted a banquet to see him off.Rang Ju sternly said: "The general is ordered to go out and forget everything at home; when he arrives at the barracks, he must forget his relatives and friends; when he beats the drums and goes into battle, he must put his life aside." So he decided to kill Zhuang Jia according to the military law. Jinggong sent someone to intercede, but it didn't help.After Zhuang Jia was beheaded, his army was greatly boosted.When the army set off, Rang Ju made careful arrangements and cared for and cared for the soldiers along the way, and the soldiers were all grateful.Three days later, Rang Ju led his troops to fight the Jin army. All the soldiers took the lead bravely, even the wounded and sick asked to go into battle.Seeing this situation, the Jin army withdrew in a hurry.After the Yan army heard the news, they also crossed the Yellow River north and withdrew their troops back home.Rang Ju led the army in pursuit, regained all the land, and returned to the division triumphantly.Jinggong and all the doctors went to the suburbs to greet him.Before long, Duke Jing enshrined Rangju as Da Sima.However, the doctors Guoshi and Gaoshi, who represented the old aristocratic forces, were jealous of Tianshi, and sought opportunities to slander Jinggong secretly, which caused Qi Jinggong to dismiss Rangju from his position as the great Sima.Rang Tho died of illness due to long-term depression.In the fourth year of Duke Jian of Qi (481 BC), his descendant Tian Chang killed Duke Jian of Qi, supported King Ping of Qi, served as Xiangguo, and killed all the strong men in the public clan, avenging Tian Rangju.Tian He, Hou Tianchang's grandson, made himself king of Qi Wei and promoted the use of Rangju's art of war. Qi State once became the leader of the Warring States Warlords.

"Sima Law" was completed in the middle of the Warring States period, also known as "Sima Rangju Art of War", "Ancient Sima Law", etc., and there have been many versions.There are only five chapters in one volume in this edition: Benevolence, The Righteousness of the Son of Heaven, Deciding Nobility, Strict Position, and Utilizing the Public.There are "Xu Gu Yi Cong Shu" Shadow Song version and Ming and Qing "Martial Arts Seven Books" system.There are Japanese, French and other texts circulating abroad. The highlight of "Sima Law" is that Sima Rangju put forward a clear view on war issues for the first time, that is, the war view of "stopping war with war".He believed: "It is okay to kill people to make people safe"; "It is okay to stop wars with wars"; one").These expositions neither oppose all wars in general, nor blindly advocate wars.If just wars are used to stop unjust wars that have already occurred or will occur, then just wars should be carried out; If you think that the world is stable, or if you are afraid of casualties and relax or even forget to prepare for war, such a country will definitely face danger.These discourses are still alive today.

The war concept of "ending war with war" in "Sima Fa" is reflected in the management of the country and the army, which is the thought of "taking benevolence as the foundation" and "winning with benevolence".It believes that to do benevolence to the people, it is necessary to punish the people and punish crimes, and to consider the timing of raising troops and not delaying the farming season.To be benevolent to your subordinates, you must not forget them in times of crisis, share the fruits of victory with them, and bear the responsibility for failures yourself.Do not burn, kill, loot, destroy fields, crops and forests, and do not harm the old, young and innocent. For the enemy's wounded and sick, heal and send them home.The purpose of these practices is to minimize the hostility of the opposing military and civilians, so that they will be convinced.This is the brilliance of "Sima Law".

"Sima Fa" also has many incisive expositions on combat guidance.That is to say, war directors are required to plan from many aspects before the war to create the conditions for victory.The book points out: In war, first, we must grasp the favorable weather and timing; second, we must have sufficient material preparations; third, we must have high morale; fourth, we must choose favorable terrain; .These are the essence of the "Five Concerns" of "Shuntian, Fucai, Yi (yiyi) people, Lidi, and Youbing" mentioned by "Sima Fa" in its "Dingjue No. 3".In combat, it requires the general to not only think carefully in advance, formulate the correct plan, but also pay attention to adapting to the situation at any time, and deal with it according to the situation, so that he is in an active position.At the same time, we must also pay attention to grasping the enemy's situation. For distant enemies, we must send spies, and for nearby enemies, we must pay attention to observing the enemy's movement, understand its changes, and attack its weak points.

"Sima Law" also abstracts factors such as the number of troops, strength and weakness, army chaos, speed of action, advance and retreat, difficulty, danger, strong and quiet, small fear and great fear, etc., into two categories: light and heavy. A factor of the unity of opposites is analyzed and investigated.Point out that lightness and weight are constantly changing, and we should not stick to stereotypes and use them rigidly.It is commendable among the ancients to discuss war and military issues with simple dialectical thinking.