Meeting King Wei

Sun Bin had an audience with King Wei of Qi and said: “The way of war has no eternally unchanging advantageous posture on which one can rely. This is the principle transmitted by the former kings. If one wins a battle, one can save a state on the verge of destruction and continue a lineage about to be cut off; if one loses, one will cede territory and endanger the regime. Therefore war must not be examined without care. Yet those who love war will perish, and those who covet victory will meet disgrace. War is not something to be loved, and victory is not something to be coveted. One should act only after preparations are complete. Thus a city may be small yet held firmly because it has material stores; troops may be few yet strong in combat because they stand on the side of justice. If one defends without stores, or fights without justice, no one in the world can be both secure and strong in such a condition. “When Yao governed the world, there were seven tribes that refused to carry out the king’s commands: two in the Yi regions and four in the Central Plains. Yao......