Interpretation of the 49th Xirong in Zhuge Liang's Art of War. General Court

Xirong No. 49

——Wait for civil strife and attack it

Xirong is brave and good at profit, either in the city or in the wild, with less rice and more golden shells. The old people fight bravely and are difficult to defeat. To the west of the moraine, there are many kinds of soldiers, and the land is wide and dangerous. The customs are very negative, and many old people are not loyal. When we wait for external provocations and internal disturbances, we can break them.

Qi

translation

The ethnic minorities in the west are brave and greedy, some live in cities, some scattered in the wild, where there is not enough food, but gold and silver are abundant. These people are all brave and good at fighting, and it is difficult to make them yield. They live in the west of the desert, and the race is multiplying rapidly. They have a wide and dangerous situation. They are used to acting aggressively and do not want to surrender to the Central Plains. So they can only wait for the opportunity to advance to them and defeat them completely when they encounter challenges from other ethnic groups and internal friends are in chaos.

analysis

This article clearly points out that the ethnic minorities in the Western Regions are "brave and profitable", and analyzes the reasons for this character from their living environment and other conditions. The article further points out that the geographical characteristics of the Western Regions are "wide and dangerous", so it puts forward countermeasures: "wait for external provocations, wait for internal disturbances" to subdue.

Extension example

Ban Chao attacked and killed the messenger

In 73 BC, Ban Chao was ordered to send an envoy to the Western Regions to help Shanshan, with the intention of cutting off the communication between Huns and Shanshan and consolidating the relations between neighboring countries. Ban Chao selected 36 people as his entourage and came to Shanshan. The king was very attentive to the courtesy of the Han envoy. But after a few days, the king of Shanshan suddenly became slack with them. Ban Chao judged that it was probably the envoy of the Huns. Shanshan was afraid of offending the Huns and alienated the envoy of the Han Dynasty. In order to confirm this conjecture, Ban Chao summoned the Shanshan attendant in charge of the reception to the room, and lied to him, saying: "The Hun envoy has been here for several days, where are they living now?" When the waiter saw Ban Chao tell the secret, he thought that the Han envoy knew the details, so he had to come clean. After receiving this information, Ban Chao decided to surround his tent at night while the Huns were unprepared, set fire and attack at the same time. It was the night when the wind was blowing. Ban Chao ordered ten people to ambush behind the Hun tent with drums, and twenty people to ambush in front of the tent to guard the door. He himself led the other six people to set fire in the wind and agreed to see the fire and blow drums. When the fire broke out, ten people immediately beat drums and shouted, and the rest of them all went to the Xiongnu tent. The Hun envoy woke up from his dream and panicked. As a result, more than 30 people were killed and more than 100 people were burned. The next day, Ban Chao summoned the king of Shanshan, showed him the head of the Hun envoy, and warned him not to deal with the Huns again. The whole country of Shanshan was shocked, so it decided to break off relations with the Huns, and attached itself to the Eastern Han Dynasty, and sent its son to the Han Dynasty as a hostage.

Shanshan's attachment to the Eastern Han Dynasty was the result of Ban Chao's removal of the Hun envoys. At that time, both the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Huns were fighting for Shanshan. In order to achieve friendship with Shanshan, the Eastern Han Dynasty had to break up the relationship between the Huns and Shanshan. Ban Chao's killing of the Hun emissaries must have caused the Huns' dissatisfaction with Shanshan, so Shanshan had to choose the Eastern Han Dynasty as a friendly neighbor, and made a sincere friendship with the Han Dynasty.

 解读《诸葛亮兵法.将苑》 西戎第四十九

西戎第四十九

——伺内乱而击之

  西戎之性，勇悍好利，或城居，或野处，米粮少，金贝多，故人勇战斗，难败。自碛石以西，诸戎种繁，地广形险，俗负强很，故人多不臣。当候之以外衅，伺之以内乱，则可破矣。

  碛 qi

译文

　　西部的少数民族，性情勇悍贪利，有的结城而住，有的分散居住野外，那里没有充足的粮食，但金银财宝却很丰盈，这些人个个都勇猛善战，很难使他们屈服。他们住在大漠以西，种族繁衍很快，有广阔、险峻的形势，他们习惯于逞强行凶，不愿臣服于中原，所以只有等待时机，当他们外遇他族挑战，内朋混乱时，才可以向他们进兵，彻底地击败他们。

　　解析

　　本篇文章明确指出西域少数民族“勇悍好利”，并从其生活环境等条件，分析形成这种性格特点的原因。文章又进一步指出，西域“地广形险”的地理特点，因而提出对策：“候之以外衅，伺之以内乱”才能降服。

　　拓例

　　班超袭杀使者
　　公元前７３年，班超奉命出使西域帮国鄯善，意在切断匈奴与鄯善的来往，巩固邻邦关系。班超挑选了３６人作为随从，来到鄯善国，国王对汉使礼数有加，关怀备至。可是过了不几天，鄯善王对他们却忽然疏懈怠慢起来。班超判断，很可能是匈奴的使者来临，鄯善怕得罪匈奴，才疏远汉使。为了证实这一猜想，班超将负责招待的鄯善侍役召至房中，诈他说：“匈奴的使者已来了好几天，他们现在住在哪里？”侍者见班超道出机密，以为汉使已知底细，只好和盘托出。班超得此情报，决定在夜间趁匈奴来使毫无准备之机，包围其帐篷，一面放火，一面进攻。是夜，正好刮着大风，班超命令十人拿着鼓埋伏在匈奴帐篷后面，二十人埋伏在帐篷前面守住门口，他自己领着其余六人顺风放火，约定见火鸣鼓。当火起时，十人立即擂鼓呐喊，其余一齐杀入匈奴帐篷。匈奴使者从梦中惊醒，惊慌失措，结果三十余人被斩杀，一百多人被烧死。次日，班超召见鄯善王，向他出示匈奴使者首级，告诫他不得再与匈奴来往。鄯善举国震惧，遂决计与匈奴断绝关系，归附东汉，并遣其子入汉为质。
　　鄯善国归附东汉，是班超除掉匈奴使者的结果。当时，东汉和匈奴都在争取鄯善，东汉要实现与鄯善友好，必须拆散匈奴与鄯善的关系。班超斩杀匈奴使者，必定引起匈奴对鄯善的不满，使鄯善只好选择东汉为友邻，真心实意与汉朝相好。

(This article is an original article by Zhuge Changqing, and the pictures are selected from the Internet. Welcome to forward it, and please indicate the source for forwarding)

Introduction to Zhuge Changqing: Zhuge Changqing, the inheritor and promoter of traditional Chinese culture, is willing to "learn from sages, promote virtue, revitalize China and benefit the world" together with people with the same ideals in the world.

(Zhuge Changqing: zhuge8031@163.com ）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

Zhuge Changqing's Chinese Dream

Learn from sages and carry forward virtue

Revitalizing China for the benefit of the world

 （本文是诸葛长青原创文章，图片选自网络。欢迎转发，转发引用请注明出处）

诸葛长青简介：诸葛长青，中国国学传统文化传承弘扬者，愿与天下志同道合者一起“学习圣贤、弘扬善德、振兴中华、造福世界”。

（诸葛长青：zhuge8031@163.com）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

  诸葛长青中国梦  

学习圣贤 弘扬善德

振兴中华 造福世界

Selected Articles in Previous Periods

Click the article title to view

往期精选文章

点击文章标题查看

1The wisdom of traditional Chinese culture changes the destiny: filial piety to parents+five in one+self-improvement

1 国学智慧改命运：孝敬父母+五合一+自强不息

2Zhuge Changqing's Three Golden Keys to Changing Destiny

2诸葛长青改命运三把金钥匙诸葛长青施食仪轨 （十五步简洁版）

3Zhuge Changqing's Greeting Ritual (15 Steps Concise Version)

3 诸葛长青施食仪轨 （十五步简洁版）

4How to repent: the ritual of repentance and the method of repentance (full version)

4   如何忏悔：忏悔仪轨忏悔方法（完整版）

5How to read the Dizang Sutra: Methods for reciting Dizang Sutra (complete version)

5 如何念地藏经：念地藏经仪轨方法（完整版）

6How to release? The ritual of releasing life

6怎样放生？放生仪轨

7Zhuge Changqing's Repentance Culture: A Case Study of Repentance Methods for Changing Destiny

7诸葛长青忏悔文化：改变命运忏悔方法案例

8Free Life Culture: Free Life Culture in Ancient China

8放生文化：中国古代的放生文化

9Shocking photo of feeding: Buddha, Bodhisattva and Dharma Protector come to the scene

9施食震撼照片：佛菩萨护法神亲临现场

10Feeding Rite Return: the return is changed to simple return

10施食仪轨回向：回向修改为简洁回向