1
司馬穰苴者，田完之苗裔也。 齊景公時，晉伐阿、甄，而燕侵河上，齊師敗績。 景公患之。 晏嬰乃薦田穰苴曰：「穰苴雖田氏庶孽，然其人文能附眾，武能威敵，願君試之。」 景公召穰苴，與語兵事，大說之，以為將軍，將兵捍燕晉之師。 穰苴曰：「臣素卑賤，君擢之閭伍之中，加之大夫之上，士卒未附，百姓不信，人微權輕，願得君之寵臣，國之所尊，以監軍，乃可。」 於是景公許之，使莊賈往。 穰苴既辭，與莊賈約曰：「旦日日中會於軍門。」 穰苴先馳至軍，立表下漏待賈。 賈素驕貴，以為將己之軍而己為監，不甚急； 親戚左右送之，留飲。 日中而賈不至。 穰苴則仆表決漏，入，行軍勒兵，申明約束。 約束既定，夕時，莊賈乃至。 穰苴曰：「何後期為？」 賈謝曰：「不佞大夫親戚送之，故留。」 穰苴曰：「將受命之日則忘其家，臨軍約束則忘其親，援枹鼓之急則忘其身。 今敵國深侵，邦內騷動，士卒暴露於境，君寢不安席，食不甘味，百姓之命皆懸於君，何謂相送乎！」 召軍正問曰：「軍法期而後至者雲何？」 對曰：「當斬。」 莊賈懼，使人馳報景公，請救。 既往，未及反，於是遂斬莊賈以徇三軍。 三軍之士皆振慄。 久之，景公遣使者持節赦賈，馳入軍中。 穰苴曰：「將在軍，君令有所不受。」 問軍正曰：「馳三軍法何？」 正曰：「當斬。」 使者大懼。 穰苴曰：「君之使不可殺之。」 乃斬其仆，車之左駙，馬之左驂，以徇三軍。 遣使者還報，然後行。 士卒次舍井灶飲食問疾醫藥，身自拊循之。 悉取將軍之資糧享士卒，身與士卒平分糧食。 最比其羸弱者，三日而後勒兵。 病者皆求行，爭奮出為之赴戰。 晉師聞之，為罷去。 燕師聞之，度水而解。 於是追擊之，遂取所亡封內故境而引兵歸。 未至國，釋兵旅，解約束，誓盟而後入邑。 景公與諸大夫郊迎，勞師成禮，然後反歸寢。 既見穰苴，尊為大司馬。 田氏日以益尊於齊。
Sima Rangju was a descendant of Tian Wan. During the reign of Lord Jing of Qi, Jin attacked A and Zhen, while Yan invaded the lands along the river, and the Qi army suffered a defeat. Lord Jing was worried about it. Yan Ying then recommended Tian Rangju, saying, "Though Rangju is only a minor collateral of the Tian clan, in civil affairs he can win the allegiance of the troops, and in martial affairs he can overawe the enemy. I hope Your Lordship will try him." Lord Jing summoned Rangju and spoke with him about military affairs. He was greatly pleased, made him general, and had him lead troops to defend against the Yan and Jin armies. Rangju said, "I have long been lowly. Your Lordship raised me from among the common ranks and placed me above grand officers. The soldiers are not yet attached to me, the people do not yet trust me; my person is lowly and my authority light. I wish to obtain Your Lordship's favored minister, one whom the state honors, to supervise the army—only then will it do." Thus, Lord Jing permitted it and sent Zhuang Jia to go. Rangju, having taken leave, made an agreement with Zhuang Jia, saying: 'Tomorrow at noon, meet at the army gate.' Rangju first galloped to the army camp, erected a pole, set up a water clock, and awaited Jia. Jia was by nature arrogant and of high rank. He thought that the general would command the army while he himself was only the army supervisor, and so he was not in much of a hurry; His relatives and attendants sent him off, and he stayed drinking. At noon Jia had not arrived. Rangju then overturned the pole and drained the water clock, entered the camp, marched through the army and mustered the troops, and proclaimed the regulations. The regulations having been established, at evening time Zhuang Jia then arrived. Rangju said, "Why did you arrive after the appointed time?" Jia apologized, saying, "This unworthy officer's relatives saw me off, and so I stayed." Rangju said, "On the day a general receives his command, he forgets his household; when he faces army regulations, he forgets his kin; when the drumsticks are urgently needed, he forgets his own body. Now the enemy states are deeply invading, the state within is disturbed, the soldiers are exposed on the borders, the lord sleeps uneasily on his mat and eats without tasting sweetness, and the people's lives all hang on you—what do you mean by an escort!" He summoned the army judge and asked, "According to military law, what is done to one who arrives after the appointed time?" The army judge answered, "He should be beheaded." Zhuang Jia was afraid and sent men galloping to report to Lord Jing, requesting rescue. The messenger had already gone but not yet returned; thereupon Rangju beheaded Zhuang Jia to display the punishment before the three armies. All the soldiers in the three armies shuddered in fear. After some time, Lord Jing sent an envoy carrying his credentials of authority to pardon Jia; the envoy galloped straight into the army camp. Rangju said, "When the general is in the army, he is not bound to accept all the lord's commands." He asked the army judge, "What does military law say about galloping through the army camp?" The army judge said, "He should be beheaded." The envoy was greatly afraid. Rangju said, "The lord's envoy cannot be killed." Rangju thereupon beheaded the envoy's groom, the left outside horse of his chariot team, and the left trace horse, displaying the punishment before the three armies. He sent the envoy back to report, then proceeded. He personally oversaw the soldiers' encampments, wells, stoves, food, drink, and inquired about illnesses and medicine. He personally stroked and comforted them. He took all the general's provisions to feast the soldiers, and personally shared the rations equally with the soldiers. He waited until even the weakest men had recovered, and only after three days did he assemble and drill the troops. Even the sick asked to march; they vied to exert themselves and go out to fight for him. The Jin army heard of it and withdrew. When the Yan army heard of this, it crossed back over the river and dispersed. Thus, he pursued them, then took back the lost territories within the former borders and led the troops back. Not yet having reached the state, he released the troops, dissolved the regulations, swore covenants, and then entered the towns. Lord Jing with the various grand officers welcomed them in the suburbs, rewarded the army and completed the rites, then returned to the palace. After Lord Jing had seen Rangju, he honored him as Grand Marshal. The Tian clan day by day became increasingly honored in Qi.
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已而大夫鮑氏、高、國之屬害之，譖於景公。 景公退穰苴，苴發疾而死。 田乞、田豹之徒由此怨高、國等。 其後及田常殺簡公，盡滅高子、國子之族。 至常曾孫和，因自立為齊威王，用兵行威，大放穰苴之法，而諸侯朝齊。
Before long, the grand officers of the Bao, Gao, and Guo families and their faction grew jealous of him and slandered him to Lord Jing. Lord Jing dismissed Rangju, and Rangju fell ill and died. Tian Qi, Tian Bao and their followers thus resented Gao, Guo and the others. Later, when Tian Chang killed Lord Jian, he exterminated the lineages of Gaozi and Guozi completely. By the time of Tian Chang's great-great-grandson He, he thereupon established himself as King Wei of Qi. He employed troops and exercised authority, greatly promulgated Rangju's methods, and the feudal lords came to court Qi.
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齊威王使大夫追論古者司馬兵法而附穰苴於其中，因號曰司馬穰苴兵法。
Qi King Wei sent grand officers to trace and discuss the ancient Sima military methods and attached Rangju within them, thus naming them the Sima Rangju Military Methods.
4
太史公曰：余讀司馬兵法，閎廓深遠，雖三代征伐，未能竟其義，如其文也，亦少褒矣。 若夫穰苴，區區為小國行師，何暇及司馬兵法之揖讓乎？ 世既多司馬兵法，以故不論，著穰苴之列傳焉。
The Grand Historian says: I have read the Sima Military Methods. They are vast, profound, and far-reaching; even the campaigns of the Three Dynasties could not exhaust their principles. As for the writing itself, however, there is little to praise. As for Rangju, he merely led campaigns for a small state; how could he have had leisure to reach the ritual courtesies described in the Sima Military Methods? Since the world already has many discussions of the Sima Military Methods, I do not treat them here, but have written Rangju's biography.