Sima Rangju (Chinese:司馬穰苴) or
Tian Rangju (Chinese: 田穰苴) (dates of birth and death unknown) was a famous Chinese military general during the Spring and Autumn period, often seen as the spiritual successor of
Jiang Ziya. He served in the
State of Qi, defending it from the states of
Jin and
Yan, and went as high in the army as Da Sima, the Minister of War. As a result, he is also sometimes called Sima Rangju . He was later dismissed by
Duke Jing of Qi, who apparently listened to hypocrites, falsely accusing Rangju. He was depressed and fell ill, resulting in his death. Little is known about his life due to the lack of historical records, but his thoughts and ideas passed on. His works were later composed into a book called
The Methods of the Sima. He was highly praised by
Sima Qian, a famous Chinese historian.
Read more...: Life
Life
Yan Ying, the Prime Minister of Duke Jing of Qi, recommended Rangju to the duke and he became a general. He was ordered to restore territory lost to the states of Jin and Yan. In order to build his prestige within the army, he suggested to the Duke to send someone to oversee his actions. The Duke sent Zhuang Gu (庄贾) as the overseer. Zhuang Gu was always arrogant, and he was late attending a parade. Rangju followed the regulations and ordered that Zhuang Gu be executed. When a messenger sent by Zhuang Gu retrieved a document that gave Zhuang Gu the command of the army, Rangju said: "When the general is commanding an army, he can disobey orders from the King." He then asked a law officer: "What punishment does he deserve for galloping in the army camp? " The answer was "execution". Rangju then executed the messenger for galloping freely inside the army camp, also killing his horse and destroying his cart.
Rangju enforced the laws with fairness and his prestige increased rapidly within the army. He defeated the armies of Jin and Yan, restoring lost land. He was promoted to Da Sima, the Minister of War. The Tian Clan which he belonged to also became more powerful. Other Qi clans including Bao (鲍), Gao (高) and Guo saw him as a threat and made false allegations against Rangju in front of the Duke. In the end, the Duke dismissed Rangju. Rangju died soon afterward. The next leader of the Tian clan Tian Qi (田乞) therefore despised those three families. The son of Tian Qi, called Tian Chang (田常), later destroyed the three families.
Tian Chang's great grandson King Wei of Qi organised the works of Rangju and it was known as The Precepts of War, also known as The Methods of the Sima.
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original article.
司馬穰苴（？ - ？），
媯姓，
田氏，名
穰苴，春秋時代後期
齊國的將軍、大夫、軍事家、軍事理論家，田完的後裔。田穰苴活躍於前6世紀末至前5世紀初，輔佐
齊景公，因官拜大司馬，因此又被稱為
司馬穰苴。
Read more...: 經歷
經歷
齊景公相國晏嬰推薦穰苴，並說：「雖說穰苴為田家之妾生子，可他的文才能使眾人歸附，武略能使敵人膽怯，望您能試用此人。」齊景公召見穰苴，與他共議用兵之事。齊景公欣喜，立命穰苴為上將軍，派穰苴收複晉燕兩國侵占的國土。穰苴為樹立威信，請景公派大臣為監軍，景公派了寵臣莊賈，穰苴與莊賈約曰：「第二天中午，在軍營正門見面。」莊賈一向驕橫，和親戚飲酒相送，閱兵時遲到，穰苴依軍法斬殺了莊賈。
但莊賈被捕時，秘密派人至宮中求救，不久，景公派特使駕車奔馳，前來向穰苴傳達了景公特赦莊賈的命令，穰苴回答：「將領領導部隊時，有時可以不接受君主的命令。」穰苴問軍正：「在部隊中奔馳，該當何罪？」軍正回答「當斬」，來使大懼，懇求饒命。穰苴說：「他是欽差，不可以殺他。」遂釋放了特使，斬殺了車夫，又命令武士拆車，把馬砍死，以示三軍。
司馬穰苴執法嚴明，使軍心大振，同時穰苴對士兵的生活起居，如營舍住宿和食物、藥品等事都非常關切，樣樣親自查訪探問，並將自己的俸祿分給士兵，自己只喫全部隊最低標準的食物。於是士兵勇敢，紛紛效死，擊敗晉燕軍隊，收回失去的國土，回國官拜大司馬，因此被稱為司馬穰苴，田氏勢力越發膨脹。
鮑氏、高氏、國氏等貴族將穰苴視為眼中釘，不斷地在齊景公面前誹謗穰苴，于是齊景公將穰苴罷黜，不久後穰苴憂憤而病死。田氏宗主田乞與族人田豹因此痛恨三氏。日後田乞的兒子田恆將鮑氏、高氏、國氏族滅。田常的曾孫齊威王田因齊將司馬穰苴的兵法附于古兵法之後，稱為「司馬法」。
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original article.
