Pang Zi asked Hecuanzi, "The method of employing troops involves Heaven, Earth, and Man; rewards to encourage battle, and punishments to ensure discipline. These five factors have been considered, yet the Jiuyi people apply them but do not necessarily achieve victory. Why is this so?" Hecuanzi said, "Things have life; therefore, metal, wood, water, and fire restrain each other even before they are used. Have you never seen a closed pass?" If it is set upright and leaned against, then even a woman can lift it; if it is fallen and placed aside, then regardless of its nature, one cannot raise it properly. If one holds its end, then even an elite soldier cannot lift it off the ground. A pass, though merely a single body, has varying degrees of weight—this is due to circumstances making it so. From the example of a pass, we see that things possess inherent properties and their effectiveness depends on circumstance. The Jiuyi people applying these principles yet not necessarily achieving victory is because they do not understand the nature of things and life. If one understands the nature of things and life, then the five factors are merely unified as one.

Pang Zi said, "How can the five be made into one?" Hecuanzi said, "Heaven cannot make the early become late; Earth cannot make the high become low; people cannot turn a man into a woman; rewards cannot encourage those who are not capable; punishments cannot force what is absolutely impossible."

Pang Zi said, "How can one achieve success?" Hecuanzi said, "Heaven cannot command people, and people cannot command Heaven. One must follow the natural state of things; success or failure depends on this. These two factors lie in authority and circumstance." In terms of authority, therefore, generating wealth can surpass abundance; in terms of circumstance, therefore, employing troops can achieve overwhelming victory. The generation of wealth depends on effort applied to the land and harmony with Heaven; victory in war depends on alignment with the Dao and unity among people. Those who do not understand this take what is contrary as harmonious, and regard dangers as benefits. Taking what is contrary as harmonious leads to poverty in wealth; regarding dangers as benefits results in the defeat of one's troops. Those who understood the right time aligned themselves with the Dao; those who did not understand it endangered the divine. Where the Dao perishes and the divine fails, what thing can prevent its downfall? Therefore it is said: "Dao! Dao! To preserve harmony with the divine!"

Pang Zi said, "How can one maintain harmony with the divine?" Hecuanzi said: "The wise give rise to the sage; the sage gives rise to the Dao; the Dao gives rise to law; law gives rise to spirit; spirit gives rise to clarity." The divine and clarity are the culmination of correctness; the culmination receives from its root, hence harmony is maintained.