- 卒離而不集兵合而不齊
- 合於利而動不合於利而止
- 敢問敵衆整而將來待之若何曰先奪其所愛則聽矣
to prevent co-operation between his large and small divisions; to hinder the good troops from rescuing the bad,
I doubt if 貴賤 can mean “officers and men,” as Capt. Calthrop translates. This is wanted for 上下.
the officers from rallying their men.
The reading 扶, derived from the Yü Lan, must be considered very doubtful. The original text has 救 and the T‘u Shu 收.
16. When the enemy’s men were scattered, they prevented them from concentrating;
Capt. Calthrop translates 卒離 “they scattered the enemy,” which cannot be right.
even when their forces were united, they managed to keep them in disorder.
Mei Yao-ch‘ên’s note makes the sense plain: 或已離而不能合或雖合而不能齊. All these clauses, of course, down to 不齊, are dependent on 使 in § 15.
17. When it was to their advantage, they made a forward move; when otherwise, they stopped still.
Mei Yao-ch‘ên connects this with the foregoing: 然能使敵若此當須有利則動無利則止 “Having succeeded in thus dislocating the enemy, they would push forward in order to secure any advantage to be gained; if there was no advantage to be gained, they would remain where they were.”
18. If asked how to cope with a great host of the enemy in orderly array and on the point of marching to the attack,
敢問 is like 或問, introducing a supposed question.
I should say: “Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.”
