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The method of attacking walled cities

Critical Text

攻	城	之	法	修	轒
gong	cheng	zhi	fa	xiu	fen
attack	city	's	method	ready	tower

轀	三	月	而	止	距
wen	san	yue	er	zhi	ju
tank	three	month	and	stop	pile

闉	又	三	月	而	後
yin	you	san	yue	er	hou
earthwork	also	three	month	and	after

已	將	不	勝	其	忿
yi	jiang	bu	sheng	qi	fen
stop	general	not	victory	his	anger

而	蟻	附	之	殺	士
er	yi	fu	zhi	sha	shi
and	ant	to-there	them	kill	officer

卒	三	分	之	一	而
zu	san	fen	zhi	yi	er
soldier	three	part	's	one	and

城	不	拔	者	此	攻
cheng	bu	ba	zhe	ci	gong
city	not	uproot	one-who	this	attack

之	災	也
zhi	zai	ye
's	calamity	(period)

Yinqueshan Text

攻城之法修。。。三月而止距闉有三月而後。。。城不。。。災也

Shiyijia zhu Text

攻城之法為不得已修轒轀具器械三月而後成距闉又三月而後已將不勝其忿而蟻附之殺士卒三分之一而城不拔者此攻之災也

Translation

The method of attacking walled cities. Ready the siege towers and armored vehicles. This is completed after three months. Pile up the earthworks. This also takes three months. If the general is not victorious over his anger and sets them swarming like ants, one-third of the officers and soldiers are killed and the walled city not uprooted. This is the calamity of attack.

Annotations

This materiel and its uses are mentioned in the Guoyu and discussed in the Mozi. For an excellent exposition, see Joseph Needham and Robin D. S. Yates, Science and Civilisation in China, Volume V.6, section e.

The received texts add the phrase "wei bu de yi," "when it can't be avoided," after the opening clause. The Yinqueshan and Yulan (juan 193) texts are without it. This is another example of how the later traditions, uncertain that the Sunzi's meaning will be taken, have incorporated explanatory material into the text.