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[T'sao Kung thinks that "traitors in the enemy's camp" are

referred to. But Ch'en Hao is more likely to be right in saying:

"We must have favourable circumstances in general, not merely

traitors to help us." Chia Lin says: "We must avail ourselves of

wind and dry weather."]

the material for raising fire should always be kept in readiness.

[Tu Mu suggests as material for making fire: "dry vegetable

matter, reeds, brushwood, straw, grease, oil, etc." Here we have

the material cause. Chang Yu says: "vessels for hoarding fire,

stuff for lighting fires."]

3. There is a proper season for making attacks with fire, and

special days for starting a conflagration.

4. The proper season is when the weather is very dry; the special

days are those when the moon is in the constellations of the

Sieve, the Wall, the Wing or the Cross-bar;

[These are, respectively, the 7th, 14th, 27th, and 28th of the

Twenty-eight Stellar Mansions, corresponding roughly to

Sagittarius, Pegasus, Crater and Corvus.]