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Legalism -> Shang Jun Shu -> Policies -> 2

昔之能制天下者，Of old, the one who could regulate the empire was he,
必先制其民者也； who regarded as his first task the regulating of his own people;
能勝強敵者， the one who could conquer a strong enemy was he,
必先勝其民者也。 who regarded as his first task the conquering of his own people.
故勝民之本在制民，For the way in which the conquering of the people is based upon the regulating of the people
若冶於金，is like the effect of smelting in regard to metal
陶於土也。 or the work of the potter in regard to clay;
本不堅， if the basis is not solid,
則民如飛鳥走獸， then people are like flying birds or like animals.
其孰能制之？ Who can regulate these?
民本，法也。The basis of the people is the law.
故善治者，塞民以法，而名地作矣。Therefore, a good ruler obstructed the people by means of the law, and so his reputation and his territory flourished.
名尊地廣以至於王者，何故？What is the cause of one's reputation becoming respected and one's territory wide, so that one attains sovereignty?
戰勝者也。(It is because one conquers in war.)
名卑地削以至於亡者，何故？What is the cause of one's reputation becoming debased and one's territory diminished, so that one comes to ruin?
戰罷者也。It is because one is worn out by war.
不勝而王，不敗而亡者，自古及今，未嘗有也。From antiquity to the present time, it has never happened that one attained supremacy without conquest, or that one came to ruin without defeat.
民勇者，戰勝；民不勇者，戰敗。If the people are brave, one conquers in war, but if they are not brave, one is defeated in war.
能壹民於戰者， If one can unify the people for war,
民勇； they are brave,
不能壹民於戰者， but if one cannot unify the people for war,
民不勇。 they are not brave.
聖王見王之致於兵也， A sage-king obtains the kingship through the efforts of his soldiers.
故舉國而責之於兵。Therefore, he rouses the country and charges it with the obligation of military service.
入其國，觀其治，民用者強。If one enters a state and sees its administration, it is strong if its people are of use.
奚以知民之見用者也？How does one know that the people are of use?
民之見戰也，如餓狼之見肉，則民用矣。If they, on perceiving war, behave like hungry wolves on seeing meat, then they are of use.
凡戰者，民之所惡也；Generally, war is a thing that people hate;
能使民樂戰者，王。he who succeeds in making people delight in war, attains supremacy.
疆國之民，父遺其子，兄遺其弟，妻遺其夫，皆曰：「不得，無返。」With the people of a strong state, the father, in making a parting bequest to his son, the elder brother to his younger brother, the wife to her husband, all say: 'Do not return unless you win.'
又曰：「失法離令，若死我死，鄉治之。」And further they say: 'If you incur death by failing in obedience to the law or by transgressing orders, we too shall die.'
行間無所逃，遷徙無所入。If in the villages they are governed in an orderly manner, then deserters from the ranks will have no resort and stragglers will have nowhere to go.
行間之治，連以五，辨之以章，束之以令，拙無所處，罷無所生。By the order in the ranks they should be organized into bands of five; they should be distinguished by badges and controlled by mandates, so that there would be no place for bungling and no danger that exhaustion would arise.
是以三軍之眾，從令如流，死而不旋踵。Thus the multitudes of the three armies obeyed the mandates like running water, and in danger of death they did not turn on their heels.

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