Strategist Sima Rangju (People Classified as Legalists in Later Ages Part 3)

Sima Rangju. It is read as "Shiba Jousho".

Let's take a look at him this time.

Sima Rangju has a famous book. Along with the previously introduced "Sun Bin's Art of War" by Wu Qi, it is a book called the "Sima Fa," which is counted as one of the Seven Military Classics. It is said that he reorganized a book of the same name that had existed since ancient times and completed it by adding his own theories on military strategy.

The ruler of the State of Qi at that time was Duke Jing.
During his reign, there was an invasion from another country, which became a cause for concern.
Therefore, Yan Ying recommended Rangju.

"In civil affairs, Rangju can make the masses submit, and in military affairs, he can intimidate the enemy. You should by all means appoint this person."

So Duke Jing summoned Rangju and discussed military affairs with him. Duke Jing was very impressed and immediately tried to appoint him as a general to overcome this national crisis.

There is an episode from this time that goes like this.

Rangju said,
"I am originally of humble origin. My lord, you have promoted me to the high position of general.
Therefore, the soldiers do not yet submit to me, and the officials do not trust me.
In other words, my background is humble and my authority is low.
Therefore, I ask that you appoint someone you favor, whom the people of the country respect, to serve as the military overseer."

Duke Jing agreed and decided to send a person named Zhuang Jia.

Rangju finished his greetings to Duke Jing and made a promise with Zhuang Jia: "Let us meet at the military gate at noon tomorrow."

Rangju rode his horse to the army first, prepared a water clock, and waited for Zhuang Jia to arrive.

Zhuang Jia had an arrogant personality and thought, "General Rangju has already joined the army, and since I am the military overseer, there is no need to be in such a hurry," so he held a banquet with relatives and aides who had come to see him off for the expedition.

Because of that, of course, Zhuang Jia did not appear at the military gate even when the promised noon arrived.

Rangju put away the water clock, inspected the troops, established military regulations, and issued orders. By the time the military regulations had finally reached everyone,

evening had come, and Zhuang Jia finally arrived.

When Rangju asked, "Why were you late for the promised time?"
Zhuang Jia said, "The grandees and my relatives came to see me off, so I was delayed."

Rangju continued,
"When a person is a general, once they receive the order to go to war, they forget their home; once they face the army and establish military regulations, they forget their own flesh and blood; and when the drums of attack are beaten, they forget their own life.
Now, the enemy army has invaded deep into the territory of Qi, and the territory is in a state of turmoil.
The soldiers are camping near the border.
My lord is also so worried that he cannot sleep soundly. Even when he eats, he cannot taste his food.

The lives of all our civil and military officials and the masses depend entirely on you.
And yet, how can you be late because of a farewell party?

Then he called the official in charge of military law and asked,
"According to military law, what is the punishment for someone who makes a promise but is late for the promised time?"
"It is punishable by death," the official replied.

Zhuang Jia, thinking that it would be terrible to be killed for such a thing, hurriedly sent someone to report to Duke Jing and seek help.

However, before the messenger could return, Rangju executed Zhuang Jia and notified the entire army of the matter.

A short while later, Duke Jing's messenger arrived, galloping his carriage into the camp to pardon Zhuang Jia.

Rangju declared, "When a general is in the field, there are times when even the orders of the sovereign are not to be followed."
He then asked the officer in charge of military law,
"The regulations state that one must not gallop horses within the camp. Yet, this messenger has entered at a gallop. What is the penalty for this?"
"It is punishable by death."
Given the earlier incident with Zhuang Jia, the messenger was terrified.

Rangju stated, "The sovereign's messenger cannot be killed," so he instead executed the driver and destroyed the carriage, once again notifying the entire army of the incident.

Having done this, he had these events reported to Duke Jing and then set out for the campaign.

In this way, Rangju first established military discipline. He demonstrated that the law would be applied fairly, regardless of one's status.

Sima Rangju finally set out for the campaign.
How did he go about capturing the hearts of his soldiers?

Rangju, who had shown his severity by enforcing the law strictly,
personally took the lead in caring for the soldiers' quarters, their drinking water wells, and their cooking stoves, and even checked on the sick to provide them with medicine.
He gave all of his own salary as a general to the soldiers and shared food equally among them.
Furthermore, he lived on the same level as the weakest among his soldiers.

Wu Qi, whom I introduced earlier, also acted in a similar way, didn't he?

The key points for capturing the hearts of soldiers here are:
Taking the initiative to handle even the smallest or most unpleasant tasks.
Remaining humble and not acting superior.
These two points are common to both of them.

Because of this, when he inspected the troops a short while later, even the sick wished to join the campaign, and they eagerly marched off to the battlefield for Rangju's sake.

The invading forces of other countries, learning that Rangju's strongly led and high-spirited army was approaching, were struck with fear and began to retreat.
Rangju immediately pursued them and reclaimed the territory of Qi that had been invaded all at once.

Finally, it was time for the triumphal return. Before entering the capital of Qi, Rangju disbanded his troops and revoked his military orders. They reaffirmed their loyalty to the sovereign before entering the city.
He properly concluded his mission.

It is said that Duke Jing was so pleased with these results that he went out of his way to the outskirts of the capital to welcome and reward them.
Duke Jing praised Rangju's achievements and appointed him as the supreme commander of the military.

The Tian clan, to which Rangju belonged, flourished greatly as a result of this.

However, even a man as capable as Rangju fell victim to slander by ministers who were jealous of the Tian clan's rise. Duke Jing believed them, distanced himself from Rangju, and Rangju eventually died of illness in despair.

Whether it was Wu Qi or Rangju, they both ultimately ended up losing their positions and even their lives due to the slander of those jealous of them.
It seems that when we take action, we must be more wary of the movements of those close to us than of external enemies.