Page 92 sur 266

[Chuang Yu quotes a saying: "Equally guilty are those who advance

against orders and those who retreat against orders." Tu Mu tells

a story in this connection of Wu Ch'i, when he was fighting

against the Ch'in State. Before the battle had begun, one of his

soldiers, a man of matchless daring, sallied forth by himself,

captured two heads from the enemy, and returned to camp. Wu Ch'i

had the man instantly executed, whereupon an officer ventured to

remonstrate, saying: "This man was a good soldier, and ought not

to have been beheaded." Wu Ch'i replied: "I fully believe he was

a good soldier, but I had him beheaded because he acted without

orders."]

This is the art of handling large masses of men.

26. In night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-fires and

drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners, as a means

of influencing the ears and eyes of your army.