译文及注释:
Translation: The army of the king does not need to engage in battle to make the enemy surrender. War must be prepared for in order to avoid trouble. However in the current long period of peace people have forgotten this principle. The hundred thousand troops of the Western Xia have betrayed their generations-old alliance and invaded the border city. They have burned killed and looted as if they were in a lawless land. The main general is incompetent and acts recklessly. Chengzhi is originally a civil official who does not understand military strategy and tactics. Moreover he is a young and ignorant person whose only skill is eating and drinking. Upon hearing that the enemy has arrived he immediately gathers troops and treats the enemy soldiers as if they are not worth a single blow as if dealing with dead people. The troops are hastily deployed without proper organization and do not understand how to occupy advantageous positions. The soldiers are also arrogant and spoiled. Due to lack of training the horses are very fat and cannot run and they cannot bear the weight of armor. Even if they have good weapons they cannot be used. As a result the soldiers are made to walk with difficulty and many fall into deep mountain gorges causing the enemy to mock them. The enemy's ambush is neatly arranged cutting off the path below the mountain and the soldiers are surrounded. There is no choice but to surrender and the main general cries and ties himself up. The enemy gives the order that those who have performing skills can save their lives so some people compete to showcase their skills or sing. The rest of the people have their noses or ears cut off and are sent away. They run to the east while being terrified. With missing ears and noses they look like monsters but they do not feel ashamed or embarrassed and are fortunate to have escaped with their lives. The cause of this disastrous defeat and humiliation is all due to the actions of the main general. Not understanding military strategy not understanding the importance of terrain and only relying on luck bringing such shame to the country is truly a heartbreaking matter.
Annotations:
- Wu Zhan: The opponent cannot resist.
- Wang Zhe: In ancient times the ruler who could win people over with virtue was called a king.
- Shi: Army.
- Cheng Ping: Long-term peace and stability.
- Xi Rong: Refers to the Western Xia.
- Shi Meng: Generations of friendship. At the end of the Tang Dynasty Tuoba Sigong occupied Xiazhou (now Hengshan Shaanxi) and his descendants passed it down. In the Song Dynasty they were given the surname Zhao and the title of the Great Xia Kingdom. At that time the leader of the Western Xia Yuanhao also received a title from the Song Dynasty and was named the Western Ping King.
- Shu Hu: Refers to the minority households near the border that have been assimilated into Han Chinese customs.
- Zhang Bao: Fortresses built to defend against enemy invasions in strategic locations on the border.
- Cheng Zhi: Official title.