King Wuling asked Pang Huan, "I have heard rumors circulating that: 'Victory after a hundred battles is not the best kind of goodness; victory without fighting is the best kind of goodness.'" "I would like to hear your explanation." Pang Huan said, "A skilled person values having no one to contend with. Therefore, the highest strategy is to use plans and schemes; next is to rely on human affairs; the lowest is to conquer through battle." Those who use plans and schemes bewilder the ruler of an enemy state, causing him to change and alter corrupt customs, become arrogant and indulgent, lack the methods of a sage, love people without merit and bestow them with titles, reward those who have not labored, pardon crimes when pleased, and recklessly kill out of anger. They enforce laws upon the people while being cautious themselves, rely on few people yet claim to arrive by their own power, indulge in useless matters, are obsessed with turtle divination, and elevate righteousness while suppressing those whose inner thoughts do not align with them. Those who rely on human affairs use gifts of silk and money to bribe those close to the ruler, sealing their mouths so they do not speak out; this causes what is said to be right to become entirely wrong, and what is said to be wrong to become entirely right. They take advantage of moments when the ruler is away from his ministers to block the path of loyal officials. Those who conquer through battle do so when the enemy state is already in decline, and they follow up with an attack. This was how Goujian used it to destroy Wu, how Chu used it to subdue Chen and Cai, how the Three Jin Houses used it to eliminate the Zhi clan, and how Han used it to divide the eastern territories. In today's discussions of military affairs, people all say that the strong and powerful will surely win while the small and weak will inevitably be destroyed. If this were true, then rulers of small states could never become hegemons, and sovereigns with ten thousand chariots would never face ruin or destruction. In the past, Xia was vast while Tang was narrow; Yin was great while Zhou was small; Yue was weak while Wu was strong. These are examples of victory without fighting—the best kind of goodness. This is the method of the hidden classics, the way of proceeding in darkness, and a type of heavenly martial strategy. Nowadays, some campaigns result in hundreds of thousands of corpses and bloodshed stretching for a thousand li, yet the outcome remains undecided. People still consider this as achievement; however, such calculations are far less effective. Therefore, the sage clearly thinks independently and joyfully takes pleasure alone. Those who merely hope for achievement by hearing the clang of bells and drums, desire formation by seeing the colors of banners, long for battle by holding weapons, and seek victory through advancing and fighting in formations—this is precisely what led to Xiangzhu's downfall." King Wuling sighed deeply and said, "Survival or destruction lies within oneself. How subtle is the origin of fortune! "I have heard this, and now I can observe myself as clearly as the sun and moon." Those who attain virtue do not twist fate; those who grasp the essentials speak concisely.