Tian Rangju is a descendant of Tian Wan. During the reign of Duke Jing of Qi, the state of Jin attacked A and Zhen, while the state of Yan invaded the He Shang area of Qi. Qi's army was on a losing streak, causing Duke Jing to be very anxious. Yan Ying recommended Tian Rangju, saying, "Although Rangju is just a collateral descendant of the Tian family, he's good at administration and scaring the enemy stiff. I hope you can give him a shot." Duke Jing summoned Rangju, discussed military matters with him, greatly appreciated him, and appointed him as a general to lead the army against the armies of Yan and Jin.
Rangju said, "I originally had a humble position, but you have promoted me from the common people, putting me above the nobles. The soldiers aren't really with me yet, and the people don't trust me. I don't have much power or authority. I hope you can allow me to bring a trusted minister to supervise the army, so that I can better control the troops." Duke Jing agreed and sent Zhuang Jia to supervise the army. After bidding farewell to Duke Jing, Rangju made an appointment with Zhuang Jia, saying, "Meet me at the camp gate tomorrow at noon."
Rang Ju arrived at the military camp, raised the command flag, and waited for Zhuang Jia by the water clock. Zhuang Jia, being haughty and self-important due to his high status, felt no urgency; his friends and entourage came to see him off and stayed to drink. Finally, Zhuang Jia arrived, hours late. Rang Ju ordered the soldiers to lower the battle standard, stop the timer, enter the camp, organize the troops, and enforce military discipline. After military discipline was established, Rang Ju asked him, "Why are you late?" Zhuang Jia explained, "I was delayed because I had a bunch of people seeing me off." Rang Ju replied, "Once a general receives orders, he should forget about his family; when executing military orders in the army, he should forget about his relatives; when the war drums sound, he should forget about his life and death. Now, the enemy is invading, the country is in turmoil, soldiers are risking their lives in border battles, the king is restless, and the lives of the people are in your hands. There is no time for farewells!" Rang Ju then summoned the military police officer and asked, "According to military law, what should be done if someone arrives after the agreed time?" The officer replied, "He'd be executed." Zhuang Jia was afraid and quickly sent messengers to seek help from Duke Jing. Before the messengers returned, Rang Ju beheaded Zhuang Jia in front of the entire army. The soldiers were all terrified. After a while, Duke Jing sent a messenger bearing a pardon to spare Zhuang Jia, who hurried to the military camp. Rang Ju said, "Even in the army, not all orders from the king can be accepted." He then asked the military police officer, "What should be done if someone disobeys military orders in the army?" The officer replied, "Death is the penalty." The messengers were very afraid. Rang Ju said, "Messengers of the king cannot be killed." So he had the messenger's servant executed and symbolically damaged the carriage to underscore the gravity of the situation. Only then did he dismiss the messenger and proceed.
The soldiers set up camp, dug wells, cooked, ate, and looked after the sick. Rang Ju went around, giving everyone a pat on the back and a word of encouragement. He waited three days before getting the army back into shape. The sick soldiers were all begging to fight! Word reached the Jin and Yan armies, and they both pulled back—the Yan after crossing the river. The Qi army chased after them, winning back lost ground before heading home. Before they even reached Qi's border, they stood down, relaxed the rules, and only entered the city after a big swearing-in ceremony. Duke Jing and his court greeted the army outside the city with a huge celebration, and only then did Rang Ju head back to the palace. After meeting with Rang Ju, Duke Jing appointed him as the Grand Marshal. The Tian family's star was on the rise.
Later, the Baos, Gaos, Guos, and other nobles were green with envy, and they went straight to Duke Jing to smear Rang Ju. Duke Jing believed the rumors and dismissed Rang Ju. Rang Ju died of a broken heart. Tian Qi, Tian Bao, and their crew held a serious grudge against the Gaos and Guos. Later, Tian Chang killed Duke Jian and exterminated all members of the Gao and Guo families. When Tian He, Tian Chang's great-grandson, became King Wei of Qi, he used Rang Ju's tactics to scare the other states into submission, and soon they were all paying tribute to Qi. King Wei even had his ministers study up on old Sima military strategies, adding in Rang Ju's ideas, and calling the whole thing "The Sima Rang Ju Art of War."
Sima Qian said: I have read Rangju's military text and I think its thinking is broad and deep. Even the wars of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties couldn't fully show what it was all about. The writing itself is a bit weak. However, Rangju was just leading troops for a small state – he didn't have time for all that fancy etiquette in a military text. Lots of versions of his military writings are out there, so I won't bother discussing them. So I'll just write about Rangju's life instead.
