“King Hui of Liang asked Wei Liao-zi ‘The Yellow Emperor possessed “Recision” and “Accretion” and could win a hundred victories in a hundred battles. Is it true?”

Wei Liao-zi replied, “Recision” being used to attack them (sc. the enemy), “accretion” being used to defend them, is not what is meant by the Heavenly Offices, the seasons and the days, Yin and Yang, facing and turning one’s back (as the Yin-Yang specialists claim). The Yellow Emperor merely managed human affairs and that is all. Why is this?

Now there is a city which cannot be captured by an assault from east or west and cannot be captured by an assault from north or south; surely one cannot climb the walls in the four directions by following the seasons, can one? Rather, the reason why it cannot be attacked is that the city walls are high, the moat deep, the weapons and instruments are ready and prepared, and the brave warriors have united and made plans. If the city walls were low, the moat shallow, and the defense weak, then it could be captured. Looking at the matter from this point of view, Heavenly Offices, seasons, and days are not as good as human affairs.

The Heavenly Offices states, “A formation that has its back to water is on “cut-off ground”; a formation that faces a slope is a “wasted army”. When King Wu attacked Chou, he drew up his formation with his back to the River Chi and faced the mountain slopes. With 22,500 men he struck at the ten million men of Chou and obliterated Shang. Surely Chou did not make use of the formation of the Heavenly Offices, did he?

When General Xin of Chu fought with the men of Qi, a comet appeared with its handle (tail) in Qi. (Supposedly) where a handle is located there is victory, and it should not be attacked. General Xin said, “What do comets know? Those who fight trusting to comets will certainly be overthrown and we will gain the victory over them.” The next day, he fought with Qi and inflicted a great defeat upon them.

The Yellow Emperor said, “As for putting spirits first and putting ghosts first, I investigate my knowledge first.” What he meant was that Heavenly Offices were nothing but human affairs.”

Wei Liao Zi, Heavenly Offices 天官, translated by Robin Yates.

The WLZ took pains, as did their physician counterparts in the Neijing, to distinguish themselves from the rising popularity of occult-minded Yin Yang specialists during the Qin and early Han.

梁惠王問尉繚子曰：黃帝刑德，可以百勝，有之乎？尉繚子對曰：刑以伐之，德以守之，非所謂天官時日陰陽向背也。黃帝者，人事而已矣。

今有城，東西攻不能取；南北攻不能取；四方豈無順時乘之者耶？然不能取者，城高池深，兵器備具，財穀多積，豪士一謀者也。若城下池淺守弱，則取之矣。由此觀之，天官時日不若人事也。

按天官曰：背水陣為絕地，向阪陣為廢軍。武王伐紂，背濟水向山阪而陣，以二萬二千五百人，擊紂之億萬而滅商，豈紂不得天官之陣哉！

楚將公子心與齊人戰，時有彗星出，柄在齊。柄所在勝，不可擊。公子心曰：彗星何知？以彗鬥者固倒而勝焉。明日與齊戰，大破之。

黃帝曰：先神先鬼，先稽我智。謂之天官人事而已。