戰(zhàn)法必本于政勝

　　戰(zhàn)爭的勝敗根本上取決于政治的優(yōu)劣。中國古代兵家、法家從政治角度看待戰(zhàn)爭，認(rèn)為戰(zhàn)爭的本質(zhì)是政治，戰(zhàn)爭是政治的派生，政通人和是戰(zhàn)爭致勝的決定性因素。這與德國軍事學(xué)家克勞塞維茨“戰(zhàn)爭無非是政治通過另一種手段的繼續(xù)”（《戰(zhàn)爭論》）的觀點(diǎn)有異曲同工之妙，但要早兩千多年。

Methods of Warfare Must Be Based on the Success of Politics

　　The military outcome is determined by the strength of politics. Ancient Chinese strategists and legalists looked at war from the angle of politics, regarding war as political in essence and an extension of politics. Efficient governance and social harmony among the people were the decisive factors of winning a war. That is an expression of the same idea as the Prussian military strategist Carl von Clausewitz in his On War when he suggested that war was the continuation of politics by another mean, but the former is 2000 years earlier than the latter.

引例

　　凡戰(zhàn)法必本于政勝，則其民不爭，不爭則無以私意，以上為意。（《商君書·戰(zhàn)法》）（戰(zhàn)爭取勝的原則必須以政治上的優(yōu)勝為基礎(chǔ)，這樣人民就不會相互爭斗；人民不相互爭斗，也就不會各逞私意，而都統(tǒng)一到君主的意志上來了。）

　　The principle of winning a war must be based on the success in politics. This way people will not fight each other. Not fighting each other, they will not act out of self-interest but adhere to the will of the ruler. Therefore, the rule of a successful king will consist in making the people refrain from fighting with neighbors but brave in fighting against enemies. (The Book of Lord Shang)