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54. When a warlike prince attacks a powerful state, his

generalship shows itself in preventing the concentration of the

enemy's forces. He overawes his opponents, and their allies are

prevented from joining against him.

[Mei Tao-ch'en constructs one of the chains of reasoning that are

so much affected by the Chinese: "In attacking a powerful state,

if you can divide her forces, you will have a superiority in

strength; if you have a superiority in strength, you will overawe

the enemy; if you overawe the enemy, the neighbouring states will

be frightened; and if the neighbouring states are frightened, the

enemy's allies will be prevented from joining her." The following

gives a stronger meaning: "If the great state has once been

defeated (before she has had time to summon her allies), then the

lesser states will hold aloof and refrain from massing their

forces." Ch'en Hao and Chang Yu take the sentence in quite

another way.