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5 SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR
6 THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD
7
8 Translated from the Chinese
9 By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)
10
11
12
13[This is the basic text of Sun Tzu on the Art of War. It was
14extracted from Mr. Giles' complete work as titled above. The
15commentary itself, which, of course includes this work embedded
16within it, has been released as suntzu10.txt (or suntzu10.zip).
17This is being released only as an adjunct to that work, which
18contains a wealth of commentary upon this text.]
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22
23I. LAYING PLANS
24
25
26 1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance
27 to the State.
28
29 2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either
30 to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry
31 which can on no account be neglected.
32
33 3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant
34 factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations,
35 when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
36
37 4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth;
38 (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
39
405,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete
41 accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him
42 regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
43
44 7. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat,
45 times and seasons.
46
47 8. Earth comprises distances, great and small;
48 danger and security; open ground and narrow passes;
49 the chances of life and death.
50
51 9. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom,
52 sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.
53
5410. By method and discipline are to be understood
55 the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions,
56 the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance
57 of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the
58 control of military expenditure.
59
6011. These five heads should be familiar to every general:
61 he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them
62 not will fail.
63
6412. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking
65 to determine the military conditions, let them be made
66 the basis of a comparison, in this wise:--
67
6813. (1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued
69 with the Moral law?
70 (2) Which of the two generals has most ability?
71 (3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven
72 and Earth?
73 (4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?
74 (5) Which army is stronger?
75 (6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?
76 (7) In which army is there the greater constancy
77 both in reward and punishment?
78
7914. By means of these seven considerations I can
80 forecast victory or defeat.
81
8215. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts
83 upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command!
84 The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it,
85 will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!
86
8716. While heading the profit of my counsel,
88 avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances
89 over and beyond the ordinary rules.
90
9117. According as circumstances are favorable,
92 one should modify one's plans.
93
9418. All warfare is based on deception.
95
9619. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable;
97 when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we
98 are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away;
99 when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
100
10120. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder,
102 and crush him.
103
10421. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him.
105 If he is in superior strength, evade him.
106
10722. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to
108 irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
109
11023. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.
111 If his forces are united, separate them.
112
11324. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where
114 you are not expected.
115
11625. These military devices, leading to victory,
117 must not be divulged beforehand.
118
11926. Now the general who wins a battle makes many
120 calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought.
121 The general who loses a battle makes but few
122 calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations
123 lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat:
124 how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention
125 to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.
126
127
128II. WAGING WAR
129
130
131 1. Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war,
132 where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots,
133 as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand
134 mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them
135 a thousand li, the expenditure at home and at the front,
136 including entertainment of guests, small items such as
137 glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor,
138 will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day.
139 Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men.
140
141 2. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory
142 is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and
143 their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town,
144 you will exhaust your strength.
145 3. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources
146 of the State will not be equal to the strain.
147
148 4. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped,
149 your strength exhausted and your treasure spent,
150 other chieftains will spring up to take advantage
151 of your extremity. Then no man, however wise,
152 will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.
153
154 5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war,
155 cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
156
157 6. There is no instance of a country having benefited
158 from prolonged warfare.
159
160 7. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted
161 with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand
162 the profitable way of carrying it on.
163
164 8. The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy,
165 neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice.
166
167 9. Bring war material with you from home, but forage
168 on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough
169 for its needs.
170
17110. Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army
172 to be maintained by contributions from a distance.
173 Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes
174 the people to be impoverished.
175
17611. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes
177 prices to go up; and high prices cause the people's
178 substance to be drained away.
179
18012. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry
181 will be afflicted by heavy exactions.
182
18313,14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion
184 of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare,
185 and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated;
186 while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses,
187 breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields,
188 protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons,
189 will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.
190
19115. Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging
192 on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions
193 is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise
194 a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty
195 from one's own store.
196
19716. Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must
198 be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from
199 defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.
200
20117. Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots
202 have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first.
203 Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy,
204 and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours.
205 The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.
206
20718. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment
208 one's own strength.
209
21019. In war, then, let your great object be victory,
211 not lengthy campaigns.
212
21320. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies
214 is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it
215 depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.
216
217
218III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM
219
220
221 1. Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best
222 thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact;
223 to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is
224 better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it,
225 to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire
226 than to destroy them.
227
228 2. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles
229 is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists
230 in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
231
232 3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to
233 balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent
234 the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in
235 order is to attack the enemy's army in the field;
236 and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.
237
238 4. The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it
239 can possibly be avoided. The preparation of mantlets,
240 movable shelters, and various implements of war, will take
241 up three whole months; and the piling up of mounds over
242 against the walls will take three months more.
243
244 5. The general, unable to control his irritation,
245 will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants,
246 with the result that one-third of his men are slain,
247 while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous
248 effects of a siege.
249
250 6. Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's
251 troops without any fighting; he captures their cities
252 without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom
253 without lengthy operations in the field.
254
255 7. With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery
256 of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph
257 will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem.
258
259 8. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten
260 to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one,
261 to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army
262 into two.
263
264 9. If equally matched, we can offer battle;
265 if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy;
266 if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.
267
26810. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made
269 by a small force, in the end it must be captured
270 by the larger force.
271
27211. Now the general is the bulwark of the State;
273 if the bulwark is complete at all points; the State will
274 be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the State will
275 be weak.
276
27712. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring
278 misfortune upon his army:--
279
28013. (1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat,
281 being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey.
282 This is called hobbling the army.
283
28414. (2) By attempting to govern an army in the
285 same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant
286 of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes
287 restlessness in the soldier's minds.
288
28915. (3) By employing the officers of his army
290 without discrimination, through ignorance of the
291 military principle of adaptation to circumstances.
292 This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.
293
29416. But when the army is restless and distrustful,
295 trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes.
296 This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging
297 victory away.
298
29917. Thus we may know that there are five essentials
300 for victory:
301 (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when
302 not to fight.
303 (2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior
304 and inferior forces.
305 (3) He will win whose army is animated by the same
306 spirit throughout all its ranks.
307 (4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take
308 the enemy unprepared.
309 (5) He will win who has military capacity and is
310 not interfered with by the sovereign.
311
31218. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy
313 and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a
314 hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy,
315 for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
316 If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will
317 succumb in every battle.
318
319
320IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS
321
322
323 1. Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put
324 themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then
325 waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.
326
327 2. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our
328 own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy
329 is provided by the enemy himself.
330 3. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat,
331 but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.
332
333 4. Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer
334 without being able to do it.
335
336 5. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics;
337 ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.
338
339 6. Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient
340 strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.
341
342 7. The general who is skilled in defense hides in the
343 most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in
344 attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.
345 Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves;
346 on the other, a victory that is complete.
347
348 8. To see victory only when it is within the ken
349 of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.
350
351 9. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight
352 and conquer and the whole Empire says, "Well done!"
353
35410. To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength;
355 to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight;
356 to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.
357
35811. What the ancients called a clever fighter is
359 one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
360
36112. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation
362 for wisdom nor credit for courage.
363
36413. He wins his battles by making no mistakes.
365 Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty
366 of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is
367 already defeated.
368
36914. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into
370 a position which makes defeat impossible, and does
371 not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
372
37315. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist
374 only seeks battle after the victory has been won,
375 whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights
376 and afterwards looks for victory.
377
37816. The consummate leader cultivates the moral law,
379 and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is
380 in his power to control success.
381
38217. In respect of military method, we have,
383 firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity;
384 thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances;
385 fifthly, Victory.
386
38718. Measurement owes its existence to Earth;
388 Estimation of quantity to Measurement; Calculation to
389 Estimation of quantity; Balancing of chances to Calculation;
390 and Victory to Balancing of chances.
391
39219. A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as
393 a pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain.
394
39520. The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting
396 of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.
397
398
399V. ENERGY
400
401
402 1. Sun Tzu said: The control of a large force
403 is the same principle as the control of a few men:
404 it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.
405
406 2. Fighting with a large army under your command
407 is nowise different from fighting with a small one:
408 it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.
409
410 3. To ensure that your whole host may withstand
411 the brunt of the enemy's attack and remain unshaken--
412 this is effected by maneuvers direct and indirect.
413
414 4. That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone
415 dashed against an egg--this is effected by the science
416 of weak points and strong.
417
418 5. In all fighting, the direct method may be used
419 for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed
420 in order to secure victory.
421
422 6. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible
423 as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams;
424 like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew;
425 like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.
426
427 7. There are not more than five musical notes,
428 yet the combinations of these five give rise to more
429 melodies than can ever be heard.
430
431 8. There are not more than five primary colors
432 (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination
433 they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
434
435 9. There are not more than five cardinal tastes
436 (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations
437 of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.
438
43910. In battle, there are not more than two methods
440 of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two
441 in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.
442
44311. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn.
444 It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end.
445 Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?
446
44712. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent
448 which will even roll stones along in its course.
449
45013. The quality of decision is like the well-timed
451 swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy
452 its victim.
453
45414. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible
455 in his onset, and prompt in his decision.
456
45715. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow;
458 decision, to the releasing of a trigger.
459
46016. Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may
461 be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all;
462 amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head
463 or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat.
464
46517. Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline,
466 simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness
467 postulates strength.
468
46918. Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is
470 simply a question of subdivision; concealing courage under
471 a show of timidity presupposes a fund of latent energy;
472 masking strength with weakness is to be effected
473 by tactical dispositions.
474
47519. Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy
476 on the move maintains deceitful appearances, according to
477 which the enemy will act. He sacrifices something,
478 that the enemy may snatch at it.
479
48020. By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march;
481 then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.
482
48321. The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined
484 energy, and does not require too much from individuals.
485 Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize
486 combined energy.
487
48822. When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting
489 men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones.
490 For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain
491 motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope;
492 if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if
493 round-shaped, to go rolling down.
494
49523. Thus the energy developed by good fighting men
496 is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain
497 thousands of feet in height. So much on the subject
498 of energy.
499
500
501VI. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG
502
503
504 1. Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and
505 awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight;
506 whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle
507 will arrive exhausted.
508
509 2. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on
510 the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.
511
512 3. By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy
513 to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage,
514 he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.
515
516 4. If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him;
517 if well supplied with food, he can starve him out;
518 if quietly encamped, he can force him to move.
519
520 5. Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend;
521 march swiftly to places where you are not expected.
522
523 6. An army may march great distances without distress,
524 if it marches through country where the enemy is not.
525
526 7. You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks
527 if you only attack places which are undefended.You can
528 ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold
529 positions that cannot be attacked.
530
531 8. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose
532 opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful
533 in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
534
535 9. O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you
536 we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible;
537 and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.
538
53910. You may advance and be absolutely irresistible,
540 if you make for the enemy's weak points; you may retire
541 and be safe from pursuit if your movements are more rapid
542 than those of the enemy.
543
54411. If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced
545 to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high
546 rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack
547 some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.
548
54912. If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent
550 the enemy from engaging us even though the lines
551 of our encampment be merely traced out on the ground.
552 All we need do is to throw something odd and unaccountable
553 in his way.
554
55513. By discovering the enemy's dispositions and remaining
556 invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated,
557 while the enemy's must be divided.
558
55914. We can form a single united body, while the
560 enemy must split up into fractions. Hence there will
561 be a whole pitted against separate parts of a whole,
562 which means that we shall be many to the enemy's few.
563
56415. And if we are able thus to attack an inferior force
565 with a superior one, our opponents will be in dire straits.
566
56716. The spot where we intend to fight must not be
568 made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare
569 against a possible attack at several different points;
570 and his forces being thus distributed in many directions,
571 the numbers we shall have to face at any given point will
572 be proportionately few.
573
57417. For should the enemy strengthen his van,
575 he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear,
576 he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left,
577 he will weaken his right; should he strengthen his right,
578 he will weaken his left. If he sends reinforcements everywhere,
579 he will everywhere be weak.
580
58118. Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare
582 against possible attacks; numerical strength, from compelling
583 our adversary to make these preparations against us.
584
58519. Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle,
586 we may concentrate from the greatest distances in order
587 to fight.
588
58920. But if neither time nor place be known,
590 then the left wing will be impotent to succor the right,
591 the right equally impotent to succor the left, the van
592 unable to relieve the rear, or the rear to support the van.
593 How much more so if the furthest portions of the army are
594 anything under a hundred LI apart, and even the nearest
595 are separated by several LI!
596
59721. Though according to my estimate the soldiers
598 of Yueh exceed our own in number, that shall advantage
599 them nothing in the matter of victory. I say then
600 that victory can be achieved.
601
60222. Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may
603 prevent him from fighting. Scheme so as to discover
604 his plans and the likelihood of their success.
605
60623. Rouse him, and learn the principle of his
607 activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself,
608 so as to find out his vulnerable spots.
609
61024. Carefully compare the opposing army with your own,
611 so that you may know where strength is superabundant
612 and where it is deficient.
613
61425. In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch
615 you can attain is to conceal them; conceal your dispositions,
616 and you will be safe from the prying of the subtlest spies,
617 from the machinations of the wisest brains.
618
61926. How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy's
620 own tactics--that is what the multitude cannot comprehend.
621
62227. All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer,
623 but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory
624 is evolved.
625
62628. Do not repeat the tactics which have gained
627 you one victory, but let your methods be regulated
628 by the infinite variety of circumstances.
629
63029. Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its
631 natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards.
632
63330. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong
634 and to strike at what is weak.
635
63631. Water shapes its course according to the nature
637 of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works
638 out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.
639
64032. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape,
641 so in warfare there are no constant conditions.
642
64333. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his
644 opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called
645 a heaven-born captain.
646
64734. The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth)
648 are not always equally predominant; the four seasons make
649 way for each other in turn. There are short days and long;
650 the moon has its periods of waning and waxing.
651
652
653VII. MANEUVERING
654
655
656 1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his
657 commands from the sovereign.
658
659 2. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces,
660 he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof
661 before pitching his camp.
662
663 3. After that, comes tactical maneuvering,
664 than which there is nothing more difficult.
665 The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists
666 in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.
667
668 4. Thus, to take a long and circuitous route,
669 after enticing the enemy out of the way, and though starting
670 after him, to contrive to reach the goal before him,
671 shows knowledge of the artifice of DEVIATION.
672
673 5. Maneuvering with an army is advantageous;
674 with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.
675
676 6. If you set a fully equipped army in march in order
677 to snatch an advantage, the chances are that you will be
678 too late. On the other hand, to detach a flying column
679 for the purpose involves the sacrifice of its baggage
680 and stores.
681
682 7. Thus, if you order your men to roll up their
683 buff-coats, and make forced marches without halting day
684 or night, covering double the usual distance at a stretch,
685 doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an advantage,
686 the leaders of all your three divisions will fall into
687 the hands of the enemy.
688
689 8. The stronger men will be in front, the jaded
690 ones will fall behind, and on this plan only one-tenth
691 of your army will reach its destination.
692
693 9. If you march fifty LI in order to outmaneuver
694 the enemy, you will lose the leader of your first division,
695 and only half your force will reach the goal.
696
69710. If you march thirty LI with the same object,
698 two-thirds of your army will arrive.
699
70011. We may take it then that an army without its
701 baggage-train is lost; without provisions it is lost;
702 without bases of supply it is lost.
703
70412. We cannot enter into alliances until we are
705 acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.
706
70713. We are not fit to lead an army on the march
708 unless we are familiar with the face of the country--its
709 mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices,
710 its marshes and swamps.
711
71214. We shall be unable to turn natural advantage
713 to account unless we make use of local guides.
714
71515. In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed.
716
71716. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops,
718 must be decided by circumstances.
719
72017. Let your rapidity be that of the wind,
721 your compactness that of the forest.
722
72318. In raiding and plundering be like fire,
724 is immovability like a mountain.
725
72619. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night,
727 and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
728
72920. When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil be
730 divided amongst your men; when you capture new territory,
731 cut it up into allotments for the benefit of the soldiery.
732
73321. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
734
73522. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice
736 of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering.
737
73823. The Book of Army Management says: On the field
739 of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough:
740 hence the institution of gongs and drums. Nor can ordinary
741 objects be seen clearly enough: hence the institution
742 of banners and flags.
743
74424. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means
745 whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused
746 on one particular point.
747
74825. The host thus forming a single united body,
749 is it impossible either for the brave to advance alone,
750 or for the cowardly to retreat alone. This is the art
751 of handling large masses of men.
752
75326. In night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-fires
754 and drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners,
755 as a means of influencing the ears and eyes of your army.
756
75727. A whole army may be robbed of its spirit;
758 a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind.
759
76028. Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning;
761 by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening,
762 his mind is bent only on returning to camp.
763
76429. A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when
765 its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish
766 and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods.
767
76830. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance
769 of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:--this is the art
770 of retaining self-possession.
771
77231. To be near the goal while the enemy is still
773 far from it, to wait at ease while the enemy is
774 toiling and struggling, to be well-fed while the enemy
775 is famished:--this is the art of husbanding one's strength.
776
77732. To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose
778 banners are in perfect order, to refrain from attacking
779 an army drawn up in calm and confident array:--this
780 is the art of studying circumstances.
781
78233. It is a military axiom not to advance uphill
783 against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.
784
78534. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight;
786 do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.
787
78835. Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy.
789 Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.
790
79136. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free.
792 Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
793
79437. Such is the art of warfare.
795
796
797VIII. VARIATION IN TACTICS
798
799
800 1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives
801 his commands from the sovereign, collects his army
802 and concentrates his forces
803
804 2. When in difficult country, do not encamp. In country
805 where high roads intersect, join hands with your allies.
806 Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions.
807 In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to stratagem.
808 In desperate position, you must fight.
809
810 3. There are roads which must not be followed,
811 armies which must be not attacked, towns which must
812 be besieged, positions which must not be contested,
813 commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.
814
815 4. The general who thoroughly understands the advantages
816 that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle
817 his troops.
818
819 5. The general who does not understand these, may be well
820 acquainted with the configuration of the country, yet he
821 will not be able to turn his knowledge to practical account.
822
823 6. So, the student of war who is unversed in the art
824 of war of varying his plans, even though he be acquainted
825 with the Five Advantages, will fail to make the best use
826 of his men.
827
828 7. Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations of
829 advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.
830
831 8. If our expectation of advantage be tempered in
832 this way, we may succeed in accomplishing the essential
833 part of our schemes.
834
835 9. If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties
836 we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate
837 ourselves from misfortune.
838
83910. Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage
840 on them; and make trouble for them, and keep them
841 constantly engaged; hold out specious allurements,
842 and make them rush to any given point.
843
84411. The art of war teaches us to rely not on the
845 likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness
846 to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking,
847 but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.
848
84912. There are five dangerous faults which may affect
850 a general:
851 (1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;
852 (2) cowardice, which leads to capture;
853 (3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;
854 (4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame;
855 (5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him
856 to worry and trouble.
857
85813. These are the five besetting sins of a general,
859 ruinous to the conduct of war.
860
86114. When an army is overthrown and its leader slain,
862 the cause will surely be found among these five
863 dangerous faults. Let them be a subject of meditation.
864
865
866IX. THE ARMY ON THE MARCH
867
868
869 1. Sun Tzu said: We come now to the question of
870 encamping the army, and observing signs of the enemy.
871 Pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the neighborhood
872 of valleys.
873
874 2. Camp in high places, facing the sun. Do not climb
875 heights in order to fight. So much for mountain warfare.
876
877 3. After crossing a river, you should get far away
878 from it.
879
880 4. When an invading force crosses a river in its
881 onward march, do not advance to meet it in mid-stream.
882 It will be best to let half the army get across,
883 and then deliver your attack.
884
885 5. If you are anxious to fight, you should not go
886 to meet the invader near a river which he has to cross.
887
888 6. Moor your craft higher up than the enemy, and facing
889 the sun. Do not move up-stream to meet the enemy.
890 So much for river warfare.
891
892 7. In crossing salt-marshes, your sole concern
893 should be to get over them quickly, without any delay.
894
895 8. If forced to fight in a salt-marsh, you should
896 have water and grass near you, and get your back
897 to a clump of trees. So much for operations in salt-marches.
898
899 9. In dry, level country, take up an easily accessible
900 position with rising ground to your right and on your rear,
901 so that the danger may be in front, and safety lie behind.
902 So much for campaigning in flat country.
903
90410. These are the four useful branches of military
905 knowledge which enabled the Yellow Emperor to vanquish
906 four several sovereigns.
907
90811. All armies prefer high ground to low and sunny
909 places to dark.
910
91112. If you are careful of your men, and camp on hard
912 ground, the army will be free from disease of every kind,
913 and this will spell victory.
914
91513. When you come to a hill or a bank, occupy the
916 sunny side, with the slope on your right rear.
917 Thus you will at once act for the benefit of your soldiers
918 and utilize the natural advantages of the ground.
919
92014. When, in consequence of heavy rains up-country,
921 a river which you wish to ford is swollen and flecked
922 with foam, you must wait until it subsides.
923
92415. Country in which there are precipitous cliffs
925 with torrents running between, deep natural hollows,
926 confined places, tangled thickets, quagmires and crevasses,
927 should be left with all possible speed and not approached.
928
92916. While we keep away from such places, we should
930 get the enemy to approach them; while we face them,
931 we should let the enemy have them on his rear.
932
93317. If in the neighborhood of your camp there should
934 be any hilly country, ponds surrounded by aquatic grass,
935 hollow basins filled with reeds, or woods with thick
936 undergrowth, they must be carefully routed out and searched;
937 for these are places where men in ambush or insidious
938 spies are likely to be lurking.
939
94018. When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet,
941 he is relying on the natural strength of his position.
942
94319. When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle,
944 he is anxious for the other side to advance.
945
94620. If his place of encampment is easy of access,
947 he is tendering a bait.
948
94921. Movement amongst the trees of a forest shows that the
950 enemy is advancing. The appearance of a number of screens
951 in the midst of thick grass means that the enemy wants to make us suspicious.
952
95322. The rising of birds in their flight is the sign
954 of an ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden
955 attack is coming.
956
95723. When there is dust rising in a high column,
958 it is the sign of chariots advancing; when the dust is low,
959 but spread over a wide area, it betokens the approach
960 of infantry. When it branches out in different directions,
961 it shows that parties have been sent to collect firewood.
962 A few clouds of dust moving to and fro signify that the army
963 is encamping.
964
96524. Humble words and increased preparations are signs
966 that the enemy is about to advance. Violent language
967 and driving forward as if to the attack are signs that he
968 will retreat.
969
97025. When the light chariots come out first and take
971 up a position on the wings, it is a sign that the enemy
972 is forming for battle.
973
97426. Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant
975 indicate a plot.
976
97727. When there is much running about and the soldiers
978 fall into rank, it means that the critical moment has come.
979
98028. When some are seen advancing and some retreating,
981 it is a lure.
982
98329. When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears,
984 they are faint from want of food.
985
98630. If those who are sent to draw water begin
987 by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.
988
98931. If the enemy sees an advantage to be gained and
990 makes no effort to secure it, the soldiers are exhausted.
991
99232. If birds gather on any spot, it is unoccupied.
993 Clamor by night betokens nervousness.
994
99533. If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's
996 authority is weak. If the banners and flags are shifted
997 about, sedition is afoot. If the officers are angry,
998 it means that the men are weary.
999
100034. When an army feeds its horses with grain and kills
1001 its cattle for food, and when the men do not hang their
1002 cooking-pots over the camp-fires, showing that they
1003 will not return to their tents, you may know that they
1004 are determined to fight to the death.
1005
100635. The sight of men whispering together in small
1007 knots or speaking in subdued tones points to disaffection
1008 amongst the rank and file.
1009
101036. Too frequent rewards signify that the enemy is
1011 at the end of his resources; too many punishments betray
1012 a condition of dire distress.
1013
101437. To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright
1015 at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.
1016
101738. When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths,
1018 it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.
1019
102039. If the enemy's troops march up angrily and remain
1021 facing ours for a long time without either joining
1022 battle or taking themselves off again, the situation
1023 is one that demands great vigilance and circumspection.
1024
102540. If our troops are no more in number than the enemy,
1026 that is amply sufficient; it only means that no direct attack
1027 can be made. What we can do is simply to concentrate all
1028 our available strength, keep a close watch on the enemy,
1029 and obtain reinforcements.
1030
103141. He who exercises no forethought but makes light
1032 of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.
1033
103442. If soldiers are punished before they have grown
1035 attached to you, they will not prove submissive; and,
1036 unless submissive, then will be practically useless.
1037 If, when the soldiers have become attached to you,
1038 punishments are not enforced, they will still be unless.
1039
104043. Therefore soldiers must be treated in the first
1041 instance with humanity, but kept under control by means
1042 of iron discipline. This is a certain road to victory.
1043
104444. If in training soldiers commands are habitually
1045 enforced, the army will be well-disciplined; if not,
1046 its discipline will be bad.
1047
104845. If a general shows confidence in his men but always
1049 insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.
1050
1051
1052X. TERRAIN
1053
1054
1055 1. Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain,
1056 to wit: (1) Accessible ground; (2) entangling ground;
1057 (3) temporizing ground; (4) narrow passes; (5) precipitous
1058 heights; (6) positions at a great distance from the enemy.
1059
1060 2. Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides
1061 is called accessible.
1062
1063 3. With regard to ground of this nature, be before
1064 the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots,
1065 and carefully guard your line of supplies. Then you
1066 will be able to fight with advantage.
1067
1068 4. Ground which can be abandoned but is hard
1069 to re-occupy is called entangling.
1070
1071 5. From a position of this sort, if the enemy
1072 is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him.
1073 But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you
1074 fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible,
1075 disaster will ensue.
1076
1077 6. When the position is such that neither side will gain
1078 by making the first move, it is called temporizing ground.
1079
1080 7. In a position of this sort, even though the enemy
1081 should offer us an attractive bait, it will be advisable
1082 not to stir forth, but rather to retreat, thus enticing
1083 the enemy in his turn; then, when part of his army has
1084 come out, we may deliver our attack with advantage.
1085
1086 8. With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy
1087 them first, let them be strongly garrisoned and await
1088 the advent of the enemy.
1089
1090 9. Should the army forestall you in occupying a pass,
1091 do not go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned,
1092 but only if it is weakly garrisoned.
1093
109410. With regard to precipitous heights, if you are
1095 beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the
1096 raised and sunny spots, and there wait for him to come up.
1097
109811. If the enemy has occupied them before you,
1099 do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.
1100
110112. If you are situated at a great distance from
1102 the enemy, and the strength of the two armies is equal,
1103 it is not easy to provoke a battle, and fighting will be
1104 to your disadvantage.
1105
110613. These six are the principles connected with Earth.
1107 The general who has attained a responsible post must be
1108 careful to study them.
1109
111014. Now an army is exposed to six several calamities,
1111 not arising from natural causes, but from faults
1112 for which the general is responsible. These are:
1113 (1) Flight; (2) insubordination; (3) collapse; (4) ruin;
1114 (5) disorganization; (6) rout.
1115
111615. Other conditions being equal, if one force is
1117 hurled against another ten times its size, the result
1118 will be the flight of the former.
1119
112016. When the common soldiers are too strong and
1121 their officers too weak, the result is insubordination.
1122 When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers
1123 too weak, the result is collapse.
1124
112517. When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate,
1126 and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account
1127 from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief
1128 can tell whether or no he is in a position to fight,
1129 the result is ruin.
1130
113118. When the general is weak and without authority;
1132 when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there
1133 are no fixes duties assigned to officers and men,
1134 and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner,
1135 the result is utter disorganization.
1136
113719. When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's
1138 strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one,
1139 or hurls a weak detachment against a powerful one,
1140 and neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank,
1141 the result must be rout.
1142
114320. These are six ways of courting defeat, which must
1144 be carefully noted by the general who has attained
1145 a responsible post.
1146
114721. The natural formation of the country is the soldier's
1148 best ally; but a power of estimating the adversary,
1149 of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly
1150 calculating difficulties, dangers and distances,
1151 constitutes the test of a great general.
1152
115322. He who knows these things, and in fighting puts
1154 his knowledge into practice, will win his battles.
1155 He who knows them not, nor practices them, will surely
1156 be defeated.
1157
115823. If fighting is sure to result in victory,
1159 then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it;
1160 if fighting will not result in victory, then you must not
1161 fight even at the ruler's bidding.
1162
116324. The general who advances without coveting fame
1164 and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only
1165 thought is to protect his country and do good service
1166 for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.
1167
116825. Regard your soldiers as your children, and they
1169 will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them
1170 as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you
1171 even unto death.
1172
117326. If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make
1174 your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce
1175 your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder:
1176 then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children;
1177 they are useless for any practical purpose.
1178
117927. If we know that our own men are in a condition
1180 to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open
1181 to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.
1182
118328. If we know that the enemy is open to attack,
1184 but are unaware that our own men are not in a condition
1185 to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.
1186
118729. If we know that the enemy is open to attack,
1188 and also know that our men are in a condition to attack,
1189 but are unaware that the nature of the ground makes
1190 fighting impracticable, we have still gone only halfway
1191 towards victory.
1192
119330. Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion,
1194 is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never
1195 at a loss.
1196
119731. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and
1198 know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt;
1199 if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your
1200 victory complete.
1201
1202
1203XI. THE NINE SITUATIONS
1204
1205
1206 1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war recognizes nine varieties of ground:
1207 (1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground; (3) contentious ground;
1208 (4) open ground; (5) ground of intersecting highways;
1209 (6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground; (8) hemmed-in ground;
1210 (9) desperate ground.
1211
1212 2. When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory,
1213 it is dispersive ground.
1214
1215 3. When he has penetrated into hostile territory,
1216 but to no great distance, it is facile ground.
1217
1218 4. Ground the possession of which imports great
1219 advantage to either side, is contentious ground.
1220
1221 5. Ground on which each side has liberty of movement
1222 is open ground.
1223
1224 6. Ground which forms the key to three contiguous states,
1225 so that he who occupies it first has most of the Empire
1226 at his command, is a ground of intersecting highways.
1227
1228 7. When an army has penetrated into the heart of a
1229 hostile country, leaving a number of fortified cities
1230 in its rear, it is serious ground.
1231
1232 8. Mountain forests, rugged steeps, marshes and fens--all
1233 country that is hard to traverse: this is difficult ground.
1234
1235 9. Ground which is reached through narrow gorges,
1236 and from which we can only retire by tortuous paths,
1237 so that a small number of the enemy would suffice to crush
1238 a large body of our men: this is hemmed in ground.
1239
124010. Ground on which we can only be saved from
1241 destruction by fighting without delay, is desperate ground.
1242
124311. On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not.
1244 On facile ground, halt not. On contentious ground,
1245 attack not.
1246
124712. On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's way.
1248 On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands
1249 with your allies.
1250
125113. On serious ground, gather in plunder.
1252 In difficult ground, keep steadily on the march.
1253
125414. On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem.
1255 On desperate ground, fight.
1256
125715. Those who were called skillful leaders of old knew
1258 how to drive a wedge between the enemy's front and rear;
1259 to prevent co-operation between his large and small divisions;
1260 to hinder the good troops from rescuing the bad,
1261 the officers from rallying their men.
1262
126316. When the enemy's men were united, they managed
1264 to keep them in disorder.
1265
126617. When it was to their advantage, they made
1267 a forward move; when otherwise, they stopped still.
1268
126918. If asked how to cope with a great host of the enemy
1270 in orderly array and on the point of marching to the attack,
1271 I should say: "Begin by seizing something which your
1272 opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will."
1273
127419. Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of
1275 the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes,
1276 and attack unguarded spots.
1277
127820. The following are the principles to be observed
1279 by an invading force: The further you penetrate into
1280 a country, the greater will be the solidarity of your troops,
1281 and thus the defenders will not prevail against you.
1282
128321. Make forays in fertile country in order to supply
1284 your army with food.
1285
128622. Carefully study the well-being of your men,
1287 and do not overtax them. Concentrate your energy and hoard
1288 your strength. Keep your army continually on the move,
1289 and devise unfathomable plans.
1290
129123. Throw your soldiers into positions whence there
1292 is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight.
1293 If they will face death, there is nothing they may
1294 not achieve. Officers and men alike will put forth
1295 their uttermost strength.
1296
129724. Soldiers when in desperate straits lose
1298 the sense of fear. If there is no place of refuge,
1299 they will stand firm. If they are in hostile country,
1300 they will show a stubborn front. If there is no help
1301 for it, they will fight hard.
1302
130325. Thus, without waiting to be marshaled, the soldiers
1304 will be constantly on the qui vive; without waiting to
1305 be asked, they will do your will; without restrictions,
1306 they will be faithful; without giving orders, they can
1307 be trusted.
1308
130926. Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with
1310 superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes,
1311 no calamity need be feared.
1312
131327. If our soldiers are not overburdened with money,
1314 it is not because they have a distaste for riches;
1315 if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they
1316 are disinclined to longevity.
1317
131828. On the day they are ordered out to battle,
1319 your soldiers may weep, those sitting up bedewing
1320 their garments, and those lying down letting the tears run
1321 down their cheeks. But let them once be brought to bay,
1322 and they will display the courage of a Chu or a Kuei.
1323
132429. The skillful tactician may be likened to the
1325 shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found
1326 in the ChUng mountains. Strike at its head, and you
1327 will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you
1328 will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle,
1329 and you will be attacked by head and tail both.
1330
133130. Asked if an army can be made to imitate the shuai-jan,
1332 I should answer, Yes. For the men of Wu and the men
1333 of Yueh are enemies; yet if they are crossing a river
1334 in the same boat and are caught by a storm, they will come
1335 to each other's assistance just as the left hand helps the right.
1336
133731. Hence it is not enough to put one's trust
1338 in the tethering of horses, and the burying of chariot
1339 wheels in the ground
1340
134132. The principle on which to manage an army is to set
1342 up one standard of courage which all must reach.
1343
134433. How to make the best of both strong and weak--that
1345 is a question involving the proper use of ground.
1346
134734. Thus the skillful general conducts his army just
1348 as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by
1349 the hand.
1350
135135. It is the business of a general to be quiet and thus
1352 ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus maintain order.
1353
135436. He must be able to mystify his officers and men
1355 by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them
1356 in total ignorance.
1357
135837. By altering his arrangements and changing
1359 his plans, he keeps the enemy without definite knowledge.
1360 By shifting his camp and taking circuitous routes,
1361 he prevents the enemy from anticipating his purpose.
1362
136338. At the critical moment, the leader of an army
1364 acts like one who has climbed up a height and then kicks
1365 away the ladder behind him. He carries his men deep
1366 into hostile territory before he shows his hand.
1367
136839. He burns his boats and breaks his cooking-pots;
1369 like a shepherd driving a flock of sheep, he drives
1370 his men this way and that, and nothing knows whither he
1371 is going.
1372
137340. To muster his host and bring it into danger:--this
1374 may be termed the business of the general.
1375
137641. The different measures suited to the nine
1377 varieties of ground; the expediency of aggressive or
1378 defensive tactics; and the fundamental laws of human nature:
1379 these are things that must most certainly be studied.
1380
138142. When invading hostile territory, the general
1382 principle is, that penetrating deeply brings cohesion;
1383 penetrating but a short way means dispersion.
1384
138543. When you leave your own country behind, and take
1386 your army across neighborhood territory, you find yourself
1387 on critical ground. When there are means of communication
1388 on all four sides, the ground is one of intersecting highways.
1389
139044. When you penetrate deeply into a country, it is
1391 serious ground. When you penetrate but a little way,
1392 it is facile ground.
1393
139445. When you have the enemy's strongholds on your rear,
1395 and narrow passes in front, it is hemmed-in ground.
1396 When there is no place of refuge at all, it is desperate ground.
1397
139846. Therefore, on dispersive ground, I would inspire
1399 my men with unity of purpose. On facile ground, I would
1400 see that there is close connection between all parts
1401 of my army.
1402
140347. On contentious ground, I would hurry up my rear.
1404
140548. On open ground, I would keep a vigilant eye
1406 on my defenses. On ground of intersecting highways,
1407 I would consolidate my alliances.
1408
140949. On serious ground, I would try to ensure
1410 a continuous stream of supplies. On difficult ground,
1411 I would keep pushing on along the road.
1412
141350. On hemmed-in ground, I would block any way
1414 of retreat. On desperate ground, I would proclaim
1415 to my soldiers the hopelessness of saving their lives.
1416
141751. For it is the soldier's disposition to offer
1418 an obstinate resistance when surrounded, to fight hard
1419 when he cannot help himself, and to obey promptly when he
1420 has fallen into danger.
1421
142252. We cannot enter into alliance with neighboring
1423 princes until we are acquainted with their designs. We are
1424 not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar
1425 with the face of the country--its mountains and forests,
1426 its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.
1427 We shall be unable to turn natural advantages to account
1428 unless we make use of local guides.
1429
143053. To be ignored of any one of the following four
1431 or five principles does not befit a warlike prince.
1432
143354. When a warlike prince attacks a powerful state,
1434 his generalship shows itself in preventing the concentration
1435 of the enemy's forces. He overawes his opponents,
1436 and their allies are prevented from joining against him.
1437
143855. Hence he does not strive to ally himself with all
1439 and sundry, nor does he foster the power of other states.
1440 He carries out his own secret designs, keeping his
1441 antagonists in awe. Thus he is able to capture their
1442 cities and overthrow their kingdoms.
1443
144456. Bestow rewards without regard to rule,
1445 issue orders without regard to previous arrangements;
1446 and you will be able to handle a whole army as though
1447 you had to do with but a single man.
1448
144957. Confront your soldiers with the deed itself;
1450 never let them know your design. When the outlook is bright,
1451 bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when
1452 the situation is gloomy.
1453
145458. Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive;
1455 plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off
1456 in safety.
1457
145859. For it is precisely when a force has fallen into
1459 harm's way that is capable of striking a blow for victory.
1460
146160. Success in warfare is gained by carefully
1462 accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.
1463
146461. By persistently hanging on the enemy's flank, we shall
1465 succeed in the long run in killing the commander-in-chief.
1466
146762. This is called ability to accomplish a thing
1468 by sheer cunning.
1469
147063. On the day that you take up your command,
1471 block the frontier passes, destroy the official tallies,
1472 and stop the passage of all emissaries.
1473
147464. Be stern in the council-chamber, so that you
1475 may control the situation.
1476
147765. If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.
1478
147966. Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear,
1480 and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the ground.
1481
148267. Walk in the path defined by rule, and accommodate
1483 yourself to the enemy until you can fight a decisive battle.
1484
148568. At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden,
1486 until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate
1487 the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late
1488 for the enemy to oppose you.
1489
1490
1491XII. THE ATTACK BY FIRE
1492
1493
1494 1. Sun Tzu said: There are five ways of attacking
1495 with fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp;
1496 the second is to burn stores; the third is to burn
1497 baggage trains; the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines;
1498 the fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy.
1499
1500 2. In order to carry out an attack, we must have
1501 means available. The material for raising fire should
1502 always be kept in readiness.
1503
1504 3. There is a proper season for making attacks with fire,
1505 and special days for starting a conflagration.
1506
1507 4. The proper season is when the weather is very dry;
1508 the special days are those when the moon is in the
1509 constellations of the Sieve, the Wall, the Wing
1510 or the Cross-bar; for these four are all days of rising wind.
1511
1512 5. In attacking with fire, one should be prepared
1513 to meet five possible developments:
1514
1515 6. (1) When fire breaks out inside to enemy's camp,
1516 respond at once with an attack from without.
1517
1518 7. (2) If there is an outbreak of fire, but the enemy's
1519 soldiers remain quiet, bide your time and do not attack.
1520
1521 8. (3) When the force of the flames has reached its height,
1522 follow it up with an attack, if that is practicable;
1523 if not, stay where you are.
1524
1525 9. (4) If it is possible to make an assault with fire
1526 from without, do not wait for it to break out within,
1527 but deliver your attack at a favorable moment.
1528
152910. (5) When you start a fire, be to windward of it.
1530 Do not attack from the leeward.
1531
153211. A wind that rises in the daytime lasts long,
1533 but a night breeze soon falls.
1534
153512. In every army, the five developments connected with
1536 fire must be known, the movements of the stars calculated,
1537 and a watch kept for the proper days.
1538
153913. Hence those who use fire as an aid to the attack show intelligence;
1540 those who use water as an aid to the attack gain an accession of strength.
1541
154214. By means of water, an enemy may be intercepted,
1543 but not robbed of all his belongings.
1544
154515. Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his
1546 battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating
1547 the spirit of enterprise; for the result is waste of time
1548 and general stagnation.
1549
155016. Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his
1551 plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.
1552
155317. Move not unless you see an advantage; use not
1554 your troops unless there is something to be gained;
1555 fight not unless the position is critical.
1556
155718. No ruler should put troops into the field merely
1558 to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight
1559 a battle simply out of pique.
1560
156119. If it is to your advantage, make a forward move;
1562 if not, stay where you are.
1563
156420. Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may
1565 be succeeded by content.
1566
156721. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can
1568 never come again into being; nor can the dead ever
1569 be brought back to life.
1570
157122. Hence the enlightened ruler is heedful,
1572 and the good general full of caution. This is the way
1573 to keep a country at peace and an army intact.
1574
1575
1576XIII. THE USE OF SPIES
1577
1578
1579 1. Sun Tzu said: Raising a host of a hundred thousand
1580 men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss
1581 on the people and a drain on the resources of the State.
1582 The daily expenditure will amount to a thousand ounces
1583 of silver. There will be commotion at home and abroad,
1584 and men will drop down exhausted on the highways.
1585 As many as seven hundred thousand families will be impeded
1586 in their labor.
1587
1588 2. Hostile armies may face each other for years,
1589 striving for the victory which is decided in a single day.
1590 This being so, to remain in ignorance of the enemy's
1591 condition simply because one grudges the outlay of a hundred
1592 ounces of silver in honors and emoluments, is the height
1593 of inhumanity.
1594
1595 3. One who acts thus is no leader of men, no present
1596 help to his sovereign, no master of victory.
1597
1598 4. Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good
1599 general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond
1600 the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.
1601
1602 5. Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits;
1603 it cannot be obtained inductively from experience,
1604 nor by any deductive calculation.
1605
1606 6. Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only
1607 be obtained from other men.
1608
1609 7. Hence the use of spies, of whom there are five classes:
1610 (1) Local spies; (2) inward spies; (3) converted spies;
1611 (4) doomed spies; (5) surviving spies.
1612
1613 8. When these five kinds of spy are all at work,
1614 none can discover the secret system. This is called "divine
1615 manipulation of the threads." It is the sovereign's
1616 most precious faculty.
1617
1618 9. Having local spies means employing the services
1619 of the inhabitants of a district.
1620
162110. Having inward spies, making use of officials
1622 of the enemy.
1623
162411. Having converted spies, getting hold of the enemy's
1625 spies and using them for our own purposes.
1626
162712. Having doomed spies, doing certain things openly
1628 for purposes of deception, and allowing our spies to know
1629 of them and report them to the enemy.
1630
163113. Surviving spies, finally, are those who bring
1632 back news from the enemy's camp.
1633
163414. Hence it is that which none in the whole army are
1635 more intimate relations to be maintained than with spies.
1636 None should be more liberally rewarded. In no other
1637 business should greater secrecy be preserved.
1638
163915. Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain
1640 intuitive sagacity.
1641
164216. They cannot be properly managed without benevolence
1643 and straightforwardness.
1644
164517. Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make
1646 certain of the truth of their reports.
1647
164818. Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every
1649 kind of business.
1650
165119. If a secret piece of news is divulged by a spy
1652 before the time is ripe, he must be put to death together
1653 with the man to whom the secret was told.
1654
165520. Whether the object be to crush an army, to storm
1656 a city, or to assassinate an individual, it is always
1657 necessary to begin by finding out the names of the attendants,
1658 the aides-de-camp, and door-keepers and sentries of the general
1659 in command. Our spies must be commissioned to ascertain these.
1660
166121. The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us
1662 must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and
1663 comfortably housed. Thus they will become converted
1664 spies and available for our service.
1665
166622. It is through the information brought by the
1667 converted spy that we are able to acquire and employ
1668 local and inward spies.
1669
167023. It is owing to his information, again, that we can
1671 cause the doomed spy to carry false tidings to the enemy.
1672
167324. Lastly, it is by his information that the surviving
1674 spy can be used on appointed occasions.
1675
167625. The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties
1677 is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only
1678 be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy.
1679 Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated
1680 with the utmost liberality.
1681
168226. Of old, the rise of the Yin dynasty was due to I
1683 Chih who had served under the Hsia. Likewise, the rise
1684 of the Chou dynasty was due to Lu Ya who had served
1685 under the Yin.
1686
168727. Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the
1688 wise general who will use the highest intelligence of
1689 the army for purposes of spying and thereby they achieve
1690 great results. Spies are a most important element in water,
1691 because on them depends an army's ability to move.
1692
1693