● "Rely on our own preparedness" (恃吾有以待) is not only the wisdom of ancient military strategists but also a mission requirement for revolutionary soldiers in the new era.
The Art of War, chapter "Nine Variations" (《孙子兵法·九变篇》), states: "Therefore, in the art of employing troops, do not rely on the enemy not coming, but rely on having the means to receive him; do not rely on the enemy not attacking, but rely on having what cannot be attacked." This means that in the principles of employing troops, one should not place hope in the enemy not arriving, but should depend on one's own thorough preparation to respond; one should not place hope in the enemy not attacking, but should depend on having a defense the enemy cannot break through.
The dialectic of war and peace tells us: only by being capable of war can one stop war; only by preparing to fight can one avoid having to fight; the less capable of fighting one is, the more likely one is to be beaten. During World War II, Nazi Germany exploited the maneuver advantages of its armored mechanized forces to launch Blitzkrieg, rapidly overrunning Poland, France, and other countries—yet it never extended its "blade of slaughter" toward Switzerland. One important reason was that Switzerland's "National Redoubt" (国家堡垒) plan of universal military service gave the German forces pause. In June 1940, after occupying France, the German military dispatched reconnaissance aircraft over Swiss airspace; the photographs taken showed that every pass in the Alps had a fortified bunker and every road had concealed anti-tank guns. The German military thus concluded that "Switzerland is like a hard bone—biting down on it would break your teeth." This tells us that peace has never been bestowed by an enemy; it is won through one's own strength. At present, facing a grave and complex international situation and the risk of chaos and war erupting at our doorstep, we are all the more in need of sleeping on our weapons and remaining vigilant (枕戈待旦), meeting "unforeseen changes" (不可测之变) with "having the means to receive them" (有以待).
"Rely on our own preparedness" is not only the wisdom of ancient military strategists but also a mission requirement for revolutionary soldiers in the new era. As revolutionary soldiers of the new era, one must deeply comprehend its essential meaning, always maintain a sense of vigilance (忧患意识) that does not forget danger in safety, does not forget peril in survival, and does not forget worry in joy; clearly recognize the national security situation; discard complacent thinking; break free from the chronic ailments of peacetime (和平积弊); keep the string of combat readiness and warfighting taut at all times; and firmly establish the concept of combat readiness (战备观念) to be able to respond to battle at any moment. The primary duty and main business of a soldier is to prepare for war and fight; the goal of preparing for war and fighting is to be capable of winning. What is meant by "having the means to receive" is to forge genuine, solid skills and hard, unyielding combat power. One must persist in treating every training exercise as a tempering in actual combat, honing every skill to the utmost and making it thoroughly reliable, ensuring that at the critical moment one can be deployed, hold the line, and win the fight—making one's own capabilities the solid foundation for resisting risks and defending peace.
In preparing for war and fighting, constancy is paramount. "Having the means to receive" is not a momentary surge of hot-blooded impulse; it is reflected in day-after-day steadfast adherence. Only when revolutionary soldiers of the new era conscientiously carry out routine equipment maintenance, materiel stockpiling, and combat readiness duty—keeping weapons and equipment in a state of full readiness at all times, keeping themselves in peak combat posture at all times, achieving unrelenting routine combat readiness, having contingency plans for sudden situations, and being able to respond to battle in urgent moments—can they, through their own complete preparedness, safeguard the mountains and rivers of the motherland from harm and the years of peace from disturbance.