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[Cf. VIII. § 3 fin. Huang Shih-kung of the Ch'in dynasty, who is

said to have been the patron of Chang Liang and to have written

the _San Lueh_, has these words attributed to him: "The

responsibility of setting an army in motion must devolve on the

general alone; if advance and retreat are controlled from the

Palace, brilliant results will hardly be achieved. Hence the

god-like ruler and the enlightened monarch are content to play a

humble part in furthering their country's cause [lit., kneel down

to push the chariot wheel]." This means that "in matters lying

outside the zenana, the decision of the military commander must

be absolute." Chang Yu also quote the saying: "Decrees from the

Son of Heaven do not penetrate the walls of a camp."]

24. The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats

without fearing disgrace,

[It was Wellington, I think, who said that the hardest thing of

all for a soldier is to retreat.]