〔Cao Cao said: Attacking with fire means choosing the time and day. 〕
Grandson said:
There are five ways to attack fire: one is the fireman, the second is the fire accumulation, the third is the fire yoke, the fourth is the fire storehouse, and the fifth is the fire ground.
There is a reason for the fire,
[Cao Cao said: Because of the traitor. 〕
Because it must be served.
[Cao Cao said: Burning utensils. 〕
Sometimes it will catch fire for some days. In time, the sky is dry;
〔Cao Cao said: Dryness is also drought. 〕
For the sun, the moon is on the skip, wall, wing, and Zhenye; for all four, the day of the wind rises.
If the fire starts from the inside, the army should be outside.
〔Cao Cao said: We should respond with soldiers. 〕
When the fire starts, its soldiers are quiet and don't attack. The fire is extremely hot, so you can follow it, but you can't stop it.
[Cao Cao said: Seeing what is available, advance, and know what is difficult, retreat. 〕
Fire can be emitted outside, not waiting inside, it will be emitted in time. The fire has the upper hand, but no one has the upper hand.
[Cao Cao said: It's inconvenient. 〕
The wind in the day is long, but the wind in the night stops.
[Cao Cao said: Of course the number is. 〕
Every army must know the changes of the five fires and guard them with skills. Therefore, the fire is used for the attacker, [Cao Cao said: Winning Ming is also. 〕The attacker is stronger with water. Water can never be taken away.
〔Cao Cao said: Water can never kill the enemy's food, divide the enemy's army, and cannot take the enemy's accumulation. 〕He who defeats the attack and does not repair his government is fierce! The fate is called Fei Liu.
[Cao Cao said: If the water stays, it won't be returned. Or to say: The reward is not time, but the retention fee is also, and the reward is not more than a day. 〕Therefore, it is said: If the master is concerned about it, the good will repair it. If it is not profitable, it must not be used, and it must not be dangerous without fighting.
[Cao Cao said: Use soldiers as a last resort. 〕
The Lord must not be angry and prosper the army, and will not be able to use war in sorrow; use it for profit, but stop it when it is inconsistent.
〔Cao Cao said: Do not use your soldiers with your own happiness or anger. 〕
Anger can be regained, and sorrow can be regained; neither can a country be resurrected, nor can the dead be resurrected. Therefore, the master is cautious, and the good general is wary, this is also the way to stabilize the country.
[Translation]
Sun Tzu said: There are five methods of fire attack: the first is to use fire to destroy the enemy’s men and horses, the second is to burn the enemy’s food and grass accumulation, the third is to burn the enemy’s luggage, and the fourth is to burn the enemy’s food and grass. One is to burn down the enemy’s warehouses, and the fifth is to burn down the enemy’s transportation facilities. Before launching a fire attack, a necessary condition must be met, and fire equipment must be prepared in advance. In addition, you should choose a favorable time when you start a fire, and start a fire on a favorable date. The so-called favorable time refers to the dry weather; the favorable date refers to the time when the moon moves to the four constellations of "Ji", "Wall", "Wing", and "Zhen", because only when the moon moves to this position When the four constellations are in the position, it is the windy day. To carry out a fire attack, random changes must be made according to the circumstances caused by these five fire attacks. When the fire has already been burned in the enemy camp, troops must be dispatched quickly to attack outside and inside and outside. Use your troops to fight at the right time. When the fire is burning, if the enemy is still calm, you must carefully watch and wait and not attack immediately; when the fire is at its peak, you can send troops according to the actual situation. If you cannot attack, stop immediately. If the fire is set outside the enemy camp, there is no need to wait for the fire in the enemy camp, as long as the time and conditions are all right, the fire can be set. Because the fire is in the upwind direction, it cannot attack in the downwind or upwind direction. If the wind blows during the day, it won't blow at night.
Anyone who leads an army in a battle must be familiar with the five methods of fire attack, and use them reasonably according to changes, master the theory of "fire sometimes, fire day", and be strictly guarded. Therefore, assisting with fire is powerful; assisting with water is powerful. Water can cut off the support of the enemy’s food, grass and troops, but it cannot damage the enemy’s military accumulation.
Assisting with water and fire, winning the battle, occupying the land and the city, but not commending those who have contributed, is bound to be dangerous. This is called "Fei Liu". Therefore, wise monarchs must consider the matter of victory and reward, and good generals must also reward those soldiers who have made merits in the offensive. If it is not beneficial to the country, you cannot take action lightly; if you are not sure of winning, you should not use troops casually; and you cannot start a war lightly if you are not a last resort. The monarch cannot rely on temporary anger to send troops to fight, and the general cannot rely on temporary resentment to fight the enemy. Things that are in the national interest can only be acted upon after thinking twice, and those that are not in the national interest should be stopped immediately. You can rejoice after being angry, and you can be happy again after resentment, but once the country is dead, it can no longer exist, and soldiers will not live again if they die. Therefore, wise monarchs should use their troops cautiously, and good generals must be vigilant when fighting, because these are related to the security of the country and the army.