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 Qi Lord Jing's reign, Jin attacked A and Zhen, while Yan invaded the river region. The Qi army suffered defeat. Lord Jing was worried about it. Yan Ying then recommended Tian Rangju, saying: 'Though Rangju is of the Tian clan's bastard branch, his civil ability attaches the masses and his martial ability awes enemies. I wish Your Majesty to test 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 was originally lowly. Your Majesty raised me from the 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 Majesty's favored minister, the one honored by the state, to supervise the army. Only then will it be acceptable.' 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 originally an arrogant noble. He considered that the general was leading his own army while he himself was the supervisor, so he was not very urgent; his relatives and attendants sent him off and he stayed drinking. At noon Jia had not arrived. Rangju then overturned the pole, broke the water clock, entered the camp, conducted the army review, restrained the troops, and explained the regulations. The regulations having been established, at evening time Zhuang Jia then arrived. Rangju said: 'Why are you late?' Jia apologized, saying: 'This unworthy grand officer's relatives sent me off, thus I stayed.' Rangju said: 'On the day a general receives his command, he forgets his home. When facing army regulations, he forgets his relatives. When grasping the drumsticks in urgency, he forgets his own body. Now enemy states deeply invade, the state within is disturbed, soldiers are exposed on the border, the lord sleeps uneasily on his mat, eats without tasting sweetness, the people's lives all hang on the lord—what is called sending off!' He summoned the army officer and asked, saying: 'According to military law, what happens to those who arrive after the appointed time?' He answered: '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, thus Rangju then beheaded Zhuang Jia to show the three armies. The soldiers of the three armies all trembled. After a long time, Lord Jing sent an envoy holding a tally to pardon Jia, who galloped into the army camp. Rangju said: 'When a general is in the army, there are some of the lord's commands that are not accepted.' He asked the army officer: 'What is the law for galloping through the three armies?' The officer said: 'Should be beheaded.' The envoy was greatly afraid. Rangju said: 'The lord's envoy cannot be killed.' Thus he beheaded the groom, the chariot's left driver, and the horse's left trace horse, to show 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 first ranked their weak ones, and only after three days did he restrain the troops. The sick ones all sought to go, and contended to rouse themselves out to fight battles for him. The Jin army heard of it and withdrew. The Yan army heard of it, crossed the water, 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. Having seen Rangju, he honored him as Grand Marshal. The Tian clan day by day became increasingly honored in Qi.
2
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。
Soon after, the grand officers of the Bao clan, Gao, Guo and such harmed 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. Afterwards it reached Tian Chang killing Lord Jian, completely extinguishing the Gao clan and Guo clan lineages. It reached Chang's great-grandson He, who thus established himself as Qi King Wei. He used troops and exercised authority, greatly promulgated Rangju's methods, and the feudal lords came to court Qi.
3
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 read the Sima Military Methods—vast, profound, and far-reaching. Though the Three Dynasties' campaigns could not exhaust their meanings, as for their writing, it is also little praised. As for Rangju, conducting an army for a small state—what leisure did he have to reach the Sima Military Methods' courtesy? The world already has many Sima Military Methods, therefore they are not discussed here. I have recorded Rangju's hereditary biography.