lh | 9ed821d | 2023-04-07 01:36:19 -0700 | [diff] [blame^] | 1 |
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| 5 | SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR
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| 6 | THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD
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| 7 |
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| 8 | Translated from the Chinese
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| 9 | By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)
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| 10 |
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| 11 |
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| 12 |
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| 13 | [This is the basic text of Sun Tzu on the Art of War. It was
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| 14 | extracted from Mr. Giles' complete work as titled above. The
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| 15 | commentary itself, which, of course includes this work embedded
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| 16 | within it, has been released as suntzu10.txt (or suntzu10.zip).
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| 17 | This is being released only as an adjunct to that work, which
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| 18 | contains a wealth of commentary upon this text.]
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| 19 |
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| 20 |
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| 21 |
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| 22 |
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| 23 | I. LAYING PLANS
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| 24 |
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| 25 |
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| 26 | 1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance
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| 27 | to the State.
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| 28 |
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| 29 | 2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either
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| 30 | to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry
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| 31 | which can on no account be neglected.
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| 32 |
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| 33 | 3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant
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| 34 | factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations,
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| 35 | when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
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| 36 |
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| 37 | 4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth;
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| 38 | (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
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| 39 |
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| 40 | 5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete
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| 41 | accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him
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| 42 | regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
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| 43 |
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| 44 | 7. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat,
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| 45 | times and seasons.
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| 46 |
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| 47 | 8. Earth comprises distances, great and small;
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| 48 | danger and security; open ground and narrow passes;
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| 49 | the chances of life and death.
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| 50 |
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| 51 | 9. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom,
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| 52 | sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.
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| 53 |
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| 54 | 10. By method and discipline are to be understood
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| 55 | the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions,
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| 56 | the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance
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| 57 | of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the
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| 58 | control of military expenditure.
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| 59 |
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| 60 | 11. These five heads should be familiar to every general:
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| 61 | he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them
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| 62 | not will fail.
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| 63 |
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| 64 | 12. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking
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| 65 | to determine the military conditions, let them be made
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| 66 | the basis of a comparison, in this wise:--
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| 67 |
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| 68 | 13. (1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued
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| 69 | with the Moral law?
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| 70 | (2) Which of the two generals has most ability?
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| 71 | (3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven
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| 72 | and Earth?
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| 73 | (4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?
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| 74 | (5) Which army is stronger?
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| 75 | (6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?
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| 76 | (7) In which army is there the greater constancy
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| 77 | both in reward and punishment?
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| 78 |
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| 79 | 14. By means of these seven considerations I can
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| 80 | forecast victory or defeat.
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| 81 |
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| 82 | 15. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts
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| 83 | upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command!
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| 84 | The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it,
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| 85 | will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!
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| 86 |
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| 87 | 16. While heading the profit of my counsel,
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| 88 | avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances
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| 89 | over and beyond the ordinary rules.
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| 90 |
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| 91 | 17. According as circumstances are favorable,
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| 92 | one should modify one's plans.
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| 93 |
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| 94 | 18. All warfare is based on deception.
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| 95 |
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| 96 | 19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable;
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| 97 | when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we
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| 98 | are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away;
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| 99 | when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
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| 100 |
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| 101 | 20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder,
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| 102 | and crush him.
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| 103 |
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| 104 | 21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him.
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| 105 | If he is in superior strength, evade him.
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| 106 |
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| 107 | 22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to
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| 108 | irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
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| 109 |
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| 110 | 23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.
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| 111 | If his forces are united, separate them.
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| 112 |
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| 113 | 24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where
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| 114 | you are not expected.
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| 115 |
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| 116 | 25. These military devices, leading to victory,
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| 117 | must not be divulged beforehand.
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| 118 |
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| 119 | 26. Now the general who wins a battle makes many
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| 120 | calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought.
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| 121 | The general who loses a battle makes but few
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| 122 | calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations
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| 123 | lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat:
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| 124 | how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention
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| 125 | to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.
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| 126 |
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| 127 |
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| 128 | II. WAGING WAR
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| 129 |
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| 130 |
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| 131 | 1. Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war,
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| 132 | where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots,
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| 133 | as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand
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| 134 | mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them
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| 135 | a thousand li, the expenditure at home and at the front,
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| 136 | including entertainment of guests, small items such as
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| 137 | glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor,
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| 138 | will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day.
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| 139 | Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men.
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| 140 |
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| 141 | 2. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory
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| 142 | is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and
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| 143 | their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town,
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| 144 | you will exhaust your strength.
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| 145 | 3. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources
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| 146 | of the State will not be equal to the strain.
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| 147 |
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| 148 | 4. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped,
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| 149 | your strength exhausted and your treasure spent,
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| 150 | other chieftains will spring up to take advantage
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| 151 | of your extremity. Then no man, however wise,
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| 152 | will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.
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| 153 |
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| 154 | 5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war,
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| 155 | cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
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| 156 |
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| 157 | 6. There is no instance of a country having benefited
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| 158 | from prolonged warfare.
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| 159 |
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| 160 | 7. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted
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| 161 | with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand
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| 162 | the profitable way of carrying it on.
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| 163 |
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| 164 | 8. The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy,
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| 165 | neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice.
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| 166 |
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| 167 | 9. Bring war material with you from home, but forage
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| 168 | on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough
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| 169 | for its needs.
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| 170 |
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| 171 | 10. Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army
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| 172 | to be maintained by contributions from a distance.
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| 173 | Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes
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| 174 | the people to be impoverished.
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| 175 |
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| 176 | 11. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes
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| 177 | prices to go up; and high prices cause the people's
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| 178 | substance to be drained away.
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| 179 |
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| 180 | 12. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry
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| 181 | will be afflicted by heavy exactions.
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| 182 |
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| 183 | 13,14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion
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| 184 | of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare,
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| 185 | and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated;
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| 186 | while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses,
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| 187 | breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields,
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| 188 | protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons,
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| 189 | will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.
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| 190 |
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| 191 | 15. Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging
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| 192 | on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions
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| 193 | is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise
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| 194 | a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty
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| 195 | from one's own store.
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| 196 |
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| 197 | 16. Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must
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| 198 | be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from
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| 199 | defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.
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| 200 |
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| 201 | 17. Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots
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| 202 | have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first.
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| 203 | Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy,
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| 204 | and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours.
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| 205 | The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.
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| 206 |
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| 207 | 18. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment
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| 208 | one's own strength.
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| 209 |
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| 210 | 19. In war, then, let your great object be victory,
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| 211 | not lengthy campaigns.
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| 212 |
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| 213 | 20. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies
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| 214 | is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it
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| 215 | depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.
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| 216 |
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| 217 |
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| 218 | III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM
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| 219 |
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| 220 |
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| 221 | 1. Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best
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| 222 | thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact;
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| 223 | to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is
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| 224 | better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it,
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| 225 | to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire
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| 226 | than to destroy them.
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| 227 |
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| 228 | 2. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles
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| 229 | is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists
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| 230 | in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
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| 231 |
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| 232 | 3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to
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| 233 | balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent
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| 234 | the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in
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| 235 | order is to attack the enemy's army in the field;
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| 236 | and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.
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| 237 |
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| 238 | 4. The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it
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| 239 | can possibly be avoided. The preparation of mantlets,
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| 240 | movable shelters, and various implements of war, will take
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| 241 | up three whole months; and the piling up of mounds over
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| 242 | against the walls will take three months more.
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| 243 |
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| 244 | 5. The general, unable to control his irritation,
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| 245 | will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants,
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| 246 | with the result that one-third of his men are slain,
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| 247 | while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous
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| 248 | effects of a siege.
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| 249 |
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| 250 | 6. Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's
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| 251 | troops without any fighting; he captures their cities
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| 252 | without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom
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| 253 | without lengthy operations in the field.
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| 254 |
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| 255 | 7. With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery
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| 256 | of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph
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| 257 | will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem.
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| 258 |
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| 259 | 8. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten
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| 260 | to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one,
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| 261 | to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army
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| 262 | into two.
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| 263 |
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| 264 | 9. If equally matched, we can offer battle;
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| 265 | if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy;
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| 266 | if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.
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| 267 |
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| 268 | 10. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made
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| 269 | by a small force, in the end it must be captured
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| 270 | by the larger force.
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| 271 |
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| 272 | 11. Now the general is the bulwark of the State;
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| 273 | if the bulwark is complete at all points; the State will
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| 274 | be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the State will
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| 275 | be weak.
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| 276 |
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| 277 | 12. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring
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| 278 | misfortune upon his army:--
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| 279 |
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| 280 | 13. (1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat,
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| 281 | being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey.
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| 282 | This is called hobbling the army.
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| 283 |
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| 284 | 14. (2) By attempting to govern an army in the
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| 285 | same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant
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| 286 | of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes
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| 287 | restlessness in the soldier's minds.
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| 288 |
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| 289 | 15. (3) By employing the officers of his army
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| 290 | without discrimination, through ignorance of the
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| 291 | military principle of adaptation to circumstances.
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| 292 | This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.
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| 293 |
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| 294 | 16. But when the army is restless and distrustful,
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| 295 | trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes.
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| 296 | This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging
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| 297 | victory away.
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| 298 |
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| 299 | 17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials
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| 300 | for victory:
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| 301 | (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when
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| 302 | not to fight.
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| 303 | (2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior
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| 304 | and inferior forces.
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| 305 | (3) He will win whose army is animated by the same
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| 306 | spirit throughout all its ranks.
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| 307 | (4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take
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| 308 | the enemy unprepared.
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| 309 | (5) He will win who has military capacity and is
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| 310 | not interfered with by the sovereign.
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| 311 |
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| 312 | 18. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy
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| 313 | and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a
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| 314 | hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy,
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| 315 | for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
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| 316 | If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will
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| 317 | succumb in every battle.
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| 318 |
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| 319 |
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| 320 | IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS
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| 321 |
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| 322 |
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| 323 | 1. Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put
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| 324 | themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then
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| 325 | waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.
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| 326 |
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| 327 | 2. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our
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| 328 | own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy
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| 329 | is provided by the enemy himself.
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| 330 | 3. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat,
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| 331 | but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.
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| 332 |
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| 333 | 4. Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer
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| 334 | without being able to do it.
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| 335 |
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| 336 | 5. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics;
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| 337 | ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.
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| 338 |
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| 339 | 6. Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient
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| 340 | strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.
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| 341 |
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| 342 | 7. The general who is skilled in defense hides in the
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| 343 | most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in
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| 344 | attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.
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| 345 | Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves;
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| 346 | on the other, a victory that is complete.
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| 347 |
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| 348 | 8. To see victory only when it is within the ken
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| 349 | of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.
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| 350 |
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| 351 | 9. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight
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| 352 | and conquer and the whole Empire says, "Well done!"
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| 353 |
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| 354 | 10. To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength;
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| 355 | to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight;
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| 356 | to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.
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| 357 |
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| 358 | 11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is
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| 359 | one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
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| 360 |
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| 361 | 12. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation
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| 362 | for wisdom nor credit for courage.
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| 363 |
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| 364 | 13. He wins his battles by making no mistakes.
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| 365 | Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty
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| 366 | of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is
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| 367 | already defeated.
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| 368 |
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| 369 | 14. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into
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| 370 | a position which makes defeat impossible, and does
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| 371 | not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
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| 372 |
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| 373 | 15. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist
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| 374 | only seeks battle after the victory has been won,
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| 375 | whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights
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| 376 | and afterwards looks for victory.
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| 377 |
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| 378 | 16. The consummate leader cultivates the moral law,
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| 379 | and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is
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| 380 | in his power to control success.
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| 381 |
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| 382 | 17. In respect of military method, we have,
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| 383 | firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity;
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| 384 | thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances;
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| 385 | fifthly, Victory.
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| 386 |
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| 387 | 18. Measurement owes its existence to Earth;
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| 388 | Estimation of quantity to Measurement; Calculation to
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| 389 | Estimation of quantity; Balancing of chances to Calculation;
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| 390 | and Victory to Balancing of chances.
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| 391 |
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| 392 | 19. A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as
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| 393 | a pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain.
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| 394 |
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| 395 | 20. The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting
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| 396 | of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.
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| 397 |
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| 398 |
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| 399 | V. ENERGY
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| 400 |
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| 401 |
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| 402 | 1. Sun Tzu said: The control of a large force
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| 403 | is the same principle as the control of a few men:
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| 404 | it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.
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| 405 |
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| 406 | 2. Fighting with a large army under your command
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| 407 | is nowise different from fighting with a small one:
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| 408 | it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.
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| 409 |
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| 410 | 3. To ensure that your whole host may withstand
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| 411 | the brunt of the enemy's attack and remain unshaken--
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| 412 | this is effected by maneuvers direct and indirect.
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| 413 |
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| 414 | 4. That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone
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| 415 | dashed against an egg--this is effected by the science
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| 416 | of weak points and strong.
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| 417 |
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| 418 | 5. In all fighting, the direct method may be used
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| 419 | for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed
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| 420 | in order to secure victory.
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| 421 |
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| 422 | 6. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible
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| 423 | as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams;
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| 424 | like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew;
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| 425 | like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.
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| 426 |
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| 427 | 7. There are not more than five musical notes,
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| 428 | yet the combinations of these five give rise to more
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| 429 | melodies than can ever be heard.
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| 430 |
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| 431 | 8. There are not more than five primary colors
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| 432 | (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination
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| 433 | they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
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| 434 |
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| 435 | 9. There are not more than five cardinal tastes
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| 436 | (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations
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| 437 | of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.
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| 438 |
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| 439 | 10. In battle, there are not more than two methods
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| 440 | of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two
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| 441 | in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.
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| 442 |
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| 443 | 11. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn.
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| 444 | It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end.
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| 445 | Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?
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| 446 |
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| 447 | 12. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent
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| 448 | which will even roll stones along in its course.
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| 449 |
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| 450 | 13. The quality of decision is like the well-timed
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| 451 | swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy
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| 452 | its victim.
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| 453 |
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| 454 | 14. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible
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| 455 | in his onset, and prompt in his decision.
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| 456 |
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| 457 | 15. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow;
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| 458 | decision, to the releasing of a trigger.
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| 459 |
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| 460 | 16. Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may
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| 461 | be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all;
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| 462 | amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head
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| 463 | or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat.
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| 464 |
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| 465 | 17. Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline,
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| 466 | simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness
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| 467 | postulates strength.
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| 468 |
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| 469 | 18. Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is
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| 470 | simply a question of subdivision; concealing courage under
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| 471 | a show of timidity presupposes a fund of latent energy;
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| 472 | masking strength with weakness is to be effected
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| 473 | by tactical dispositions.
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| 474 |
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| 475 | 19. Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy
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| 476 | on the move maintains deceitful appearances, according to
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| 477 | which the enemy will act. He sacrifices something,
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| 478 | that the enemy may snatch at it.
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| 479 |
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| 480 | 20. By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march;
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| 481 | then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.
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| 482 |
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| 483 | 21. The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined
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| 484 | energy, and does not require too much from individuals.
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| 485 | Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize
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| 486 | combined energy.
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| 487 |
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| 488 | 22. When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting
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| 489 | men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones.
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| 490 | For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain
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| 491 | motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope;
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| 492 | if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if
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| 493 | round-shaped, to go rolling down.
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| 494 |
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| 495 | 23. Thus the energy developed by good fighting men
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| 496 | is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain
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| 497 | thousands of feet in height. So much on the subject
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| 498 | of energy.
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| 499 |
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| 500 |
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| 501 | VI. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG
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| 502 |
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| 503 |
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| 504 | 1. Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and
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| 505 | awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight;
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| 506 | whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle
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| 507 | will arrive exhausted.
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| 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 |
|
| 539 | 10. 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 |
|
| 544 | 11. 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 |
|
| 549 | 12. 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 |
|
| 555 | 13. 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 |
|
| 559 | 14. 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 |
|
| 564 | 15. And if we are able thus to attack an inferior force
|
| 565 | with a superior one, our opponents will be in dire straits.
|
| 566 |
|
| 567 | 16. 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 |
|
| 574 | 17. 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 |
|
| 581 | 18. 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 |
|
| 585 | 19. Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle,
|
| 586 | we may concentrate from the greatest distances in order
|
| 587 | to fight.
|
| 588 |
|
| 589 | 20. 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 |
|
| 597 | 21. 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 |
|
| 602 | 22. 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 |
|
| 606 | 23. 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 |
|
| 610 | 24. 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 |
|
| 614 | 25. 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 |
|
| 619 | 26. How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy's
|
| 620 | own tactics--that is what the multitude cannot comprehend.
|
| 621 |
|
| 622 | 27. 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 |
|
| 626 | 28. 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 |
|
| 630 | 29. Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its
|
| 631 | natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards.
|
| 632 |
|
| 633 | 30. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong
|
| 634 | and to strike at what is weak.
|
| 635 |
|
| 636 | 31. 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 |
|
| 640 | 32. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape,
|
| 641 | so in warfare there are no constant conditions.
|
| 642 |
|
| 643 | 33. 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 |
|
| 647 | 34. 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 |
|
| 653 | VII. 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 |
|
| 697 | 10. If you march thirty LI with the same object,
|
| 698 | two-thirds of your army will arrive.
|
| 699 |
|
| 700 | 11. 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 |
|
| 704 | 12. We cannot enter into alliances until we are
|
| 705 | acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.
|
| 706 |
|
| 707 | 13. 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 |
|
| 712 | 14. We shall be unable to turn natural advantage
|
| 713 | to account unless we make use of local guides.
|
| 714 |
|
| 715 | 15. In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed.
|
| 716 |
|
| 717 | 16. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops,
|
| 718 | must be decided by circumstances.
|
| 719 |
|
| 720 | 17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind,
|
| 721 | your compactness that of the forest.
|
| 722 |
|
| 723 | 18. In raiding and plundering be like fire,
|
| 724 | is immovability like a mountain.
|
| 725 |
|
| 726 | 19. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night,
|
| 727 | and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
|
| 728 |
|
| 729 | 20. 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 |
|
| 733 | 21. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
|
| 734 |
|
| 735 | 22. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice
|
| 736 | of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering.
|
| 737 |
|
| 738 | 23. 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 |
|
| 744 | 24. 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 |
|
| 748 | 25. 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 |
|
| 753 | 26. 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 |
|
| 757 | 27. A whole army may be robbed of its spirit;
|
| 758 | a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind.
|
| 759 |
|
| 760 | 28. 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 |
|
| 764 | 29. 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 |
|
| 768 | 30. 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 |
|
| 772 | 31. 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 |
|
| 777 | 32. 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 |
|
| 782 | 33. It is a military axiom not to advance uphill
|
| 783 | against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.
|
| 784 |
|
| 785 | 34. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight;
|
| 786 | do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.
|
| 787 |
|
| 788 | 35. Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy.
|
| 789 | Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.
|
| 790 |
|
| 791 | 36. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free.
|
| 792 | Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
|
| 793 |
|
| 794 | 37. Such is the art of warfare.
|
| 795 |
|
| 796 |
|
| 797 | VIII. 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 |
|
| 839 | 10. 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 |
|
| 844 | 11. 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 |
|
| 849 | 12. 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 |
|
| 858 | 13. These are the five besetting sins of a general,
|
| 859 | ruinous to the conduct of war.
|
| 860 |
|
| 861 | 14. 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 |
|
| 866 | IX. 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 |
|
| 904 | 10. These are the four useful branches of military
|
| 905 | knowledge which enabled the Yellow Emperor to vanquish
|
| 906 | four several sovereigns.
|
| 907 |
|
| 908 | 11. All armies prefer high ground to low and sunny
|
| 909 | places to dark.
|
| 910 |
|
| 911 | 12. 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 |
|
| 915 | 13. 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 |
|
| 920 | 14. 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 |
|
| 924 | 15. 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 |
|
| 929 | 16. 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 |
|
| 933 | 17. 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 |
|
| 940 | 18. When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet,
|
| 941 | he is relying on the natural strength of his position.
|
| 942 |
|
| 943 | 19. When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle,
|
| 944 | he is anxious for the other side to advance.
|
| 945 |
|
| 946 | 20. If his place of encampment is easy of access,
|
| 947 | he is tendering a bait.
|
| 948 |
|
| 949 | 21. 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 |
|
| 953 | 22. 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 |
|
| 957 | 23. 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 |
|
| 965 | 24. 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 |
|
| 970 | 25. 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 |
|
| 974 | 26. Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant
|
| 975 | indicate a plot.
|
| 976 |
|
| 977 | 27. When there is much running about and the soldiers
|
| 978 | fall into rank, it means that the critical moment has come.
|
| 979 |
|
| 980 | 28. When some are seen advancing and some retreating,
|
| 981 | it is a lure.
|
| 982 |
|
| 983 | 29. When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears,
|
| 984 | they are faint from want of food.
|
| 985 |
|
| 986 | 30. If those who are sent to draw water begin
|
| 987 | by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.
|
| 988 |
|
| 989 | 31. If the enemy sees an advantage to be gained and
|
| 990 | makes no effort to secure it, the soldiers are exhausted.
|
| 991 |
|
| 992 | 32. If birds gather on any spot, it is unoccupied.
|
| 993 | Clamor by night betokens nervousness.
|
| 994 |
|
| 995 | 33. 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 |
|
| 1000 | 34. 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 |
|
| 1006 | 35. 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 |
|
| 1010 | 36. 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 |
|
| 1014 | 37. To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright
|
| 1015 | at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.
|
| 1016 |
|
| 1017 | 38. When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths,
|
| 1018 | it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.
|
| 1019 |
|
| 1020 | 39. 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 |
|
| 1025 | 40. 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 |
|
| 1031 | 41. He who exercises no forethought but makes light
|
| 1032 | of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.
|
| 1033 |
|
| 1034 | 42. 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 |
|
| 1040 | 43. 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 |
|
| 1044 | 44. If in training soldiers commands are habitually
|
| 1045 | enforced, the army will be well-disciplined; if not,
|
| 1046 | its discipline will be bad.
|
| 1047 |
|
| 1048 | 45. If a general shows confidence in his men but always
|
| 1049 | insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.
|
| 1050 |
|
| 1051 |
|
| 1052 | X. 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 |
|
| 1094 | 10. 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 |
|
| 1098 | 11. If the enemy has occupied them before you,
|
| 1099 | do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.
|
| 1100 |
|
| 1101 | 12. 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 |
|
| 1106 | 13. 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 |
|
| 1110 | 14. 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 |
|
| 1116 | 15. 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 |
|
| 1120 | 16. 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 |
|
| 1125 | 17. 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 |
|
| 1131 | 18. 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 |
|
| 1137 | 19. 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 |
|
| 1143 | 20. These are six ways of courting defeat, which must
|
| 1144 | be carefully noted by the general who has attained
|
| 1145 | a responsible post.
|
| 1146 |
|
| 1147 | 21. 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 |
|
| 1153 | 22. 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 |
|
| 1158 | 23. 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 |
|
| 1163 | 24. 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 |
|
| 1168 | 25. 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 |
|
| 1173 | 26. 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 |
|
| 1179 | 27. 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 |
|
| 1183 | 28. 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 |
|
| 1187 | 29. 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 |
|
| 1193 | 30. Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion,
|
| 1194 | is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never
|
| 1195 | at a loss.
|
| 1196 |
|
| 1197 | 31. 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 |
|
| 1203 | XI. 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 |
|
| 1240 | 10. Ground on which we can only be saved from
|
| 1241 | destruction by fighting without delay, is desperate ground.
|
| 1242 |
|
| 1243 | 11. On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not.
|
| 1244 | On facile ground, halt not. On contentious ground,
|
| 1245 | attack not.
|
| 1246 |
|
| 1247 | 12. 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 |
|
| 1251 | 13. On serious ground, gather in plunder.
|
| 1252 | In difficult ground, keep steadily on the march.
|
| 1253 |
|
| 1254 | 14. On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem.
|
| 1255 | On desperate ground, fight.
|
| 1256 |
|
| 1257 | 15. 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 |
|
| 1263 | 16. When the enemy's men were united, they managed
|
| 1264 | to keep them in disorder.
|
| 1265 |
|
| 1266 | 17. When it was to their advantage, they made
|
| 1267 | a forward move; when otherwise, they stopped still.
|
| 1268 |
|
| 1269 | 18. 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 |
|
| 1274 | 19. 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 |
|
| 1278 | 20. 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 |
|
| 1283 | 21. Make forays in fertile country in order to supply
|
| 1284 | your army with food.
|
| 1285 |
|
| 1286 | 22. 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 |
|
| 1291 | 23. 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 |
|
| 1297 | 24. 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 |
|
| 1303 | 25. 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 |
|
| 1309 | 26. Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with
|
| 1310 | superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes,
|
| 1311 | no calamity need be feared.
|
| 1312 |
|
| 1313 | 27. 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 |
|
| 1318 | 28. 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 |
|
| 1324 | 29. 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 |
|
| 1331 | 30. 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 |
|
| 1337 | 31. 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 |
|
| 1341 | 32. The principle on which to manage an army is to set
|
| 1342 | up one standard of courage which all must reach.
|
| 1343 |
|
| 1344 | 33. How to make the best of both strong and weak--that
|
| 1345 | is a question involving the proper use of ground.
|
| 1346 |
|
| 1347 | 34. Thus the skillful general conducts his army just
|
| 1348 | as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by
|
| 1349 | the hand.
|
| 1350 |
|
| 1351 | 35. It is the business of a general to be quiet and thus
|
| 1352 | ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus maintain order.
|
| 1353 |
|
| 1354 | 36. 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 |
|
| 1358 | 37. 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 |
|
| 1363 | 38. 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 |
|
| 1368 | 39. 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 |
|
| 1373 | 40. To muster his host and bring it into danger:--this
|
| 1374 | may be termed the business of the general.
|
| 1375 |
|
| 1376 | 41. 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 |
|
| 1381 | 42. When invading hostile territory, the general
|
| 1382 | principle is, that penetrating deeply brings cohesion;
|
| 1383 | penetrating but a short way means dispersion.
|
| 1384 |
|
| 1385 | 43. 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 |
|
| 1390 | 44. 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 |
|
| 1394 | 45. 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 |
|
| 1398 | 46. 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 |
|
| 1403 | 47. On contentious ground, I would hurry up my rear.
|
| 1404 |
|
| 1405 | 48. 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 |
|
| 1409 | 49. 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 |
|
| 1413 | 50. 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 |
|
| 1417 | 51. 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 |
|
| 1422 | 52. 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 |
|
| 1430 | 53. To be ignored of any one of the following four
|
| 1431 | or five principles does not befit a warlike prince.
|
| 1432 |
|
| 1433 | 54. 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 |
|
| 1438 | 55. 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 |
|
| 1444 | 56. 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 |
|
| 1449 | 57. 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 |
|
| 1454 | 58. 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 |
|
| 1458 | 59. For it is precisely when a force has fallen into
|
| 1459 | harm's way that is capable of striking a blow for victory.
|
| 1460 |
|
| 1461 | 60. Success in warfare is gained by carefully
|
| 1462 | accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.
|
| 1463 |
|
| 1464 | 61. By persistently hanging on the enemy's flank, we shall
|
| 1465 | succeed in the long run in killing the commander-in-chief.
|
| 1466 |
|
| 1467 | 62. This is called ability to accomplish a thing
|
| 1468 | by sheer cunning.
|
| 1469 |
|
| 1470 | 63. 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 |
|
| 1474 | 64. Be stern in the council-chamber, so that you
|
| 1475 | may control the situation.
|
| 1476 |
|
| 1477 | 65. If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.
|
| 1478 |
|
| 1479 | 66. Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear,
|
| 1480 | and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the ground.
|
| 1481 |
|
| 1482 | 67. Walk in the path defined by rule, and accommodate
|
| 1483 | yourself to the enemy until you can fight a decisive battle.
|
| 1484 |
|
| 1485 | 68. 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 |
|
| 1491 | XII. 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 |
|
| 1529 | 10. (5) When you start a fire, be to windward of it.
|
| 1530 | Do not attack from the leeward.
|
| 1531 |
|
| 1532 | 11. A wind that rises in the daytime lasts long,
|
| 1533 | but a night breeze soon falls.
|
| 1534 |
|
| 1535 | 12. 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 |
|
| 1539 | 13. 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 |
|
| 1542 | 14. By means of water, an enemy may be intercepted,
|
| 1543 | but not robbed of all his belongings.
|
| 1544 |
|
| 1545 | 15. 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 |
|
| 1550 | 16. Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his
|
| 1551 | plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.
|
| 1552 |
|
| 1553 | 17. 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 |
|
| 1557 | 18. 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 |
|
| 1561 | 19. If it is to your advantage, make a forward move;
|
| 1562 | if not, stay where you are.
|
| 1563 |
|
| 1564 | 20. Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may
|
| 1565 | be succeeded by content.
|
| 1566 |
|
| 1567 | 21. 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 |
|
| 1571 | 22. 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 |
|
| 1576 | XIII. 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 |
|
| 1621 | 10. Having inward spies, making use of officials
|
| 1622 | of the enemy.
|
| 1623 |
|
| 1624 | 11. Having converted spies, getting hold of the enemy's
|
| 1625 | spies and using them for our own purposes.
|
| 1626 |
|
| 1627 | 12. 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 |
|
| 1631 | 13. Surviving spies, finally, are those who bring
|
| 1632 | back news from the enemy's camp.
|
| 1633 |
|
| 1634 | 14. 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 |
|
| 1639 | 15. Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain
|
| 1640 | intuitive sagacity.
|
| 1641 |
|
| 1642 | 16. They cannot be properly managed without benevolence
|
| 1643 | and straightforwardness.
|
| 1644 |
|
| 1645 | 17. Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make
|
| 1646 | certain of the truth of their reports.
|
| 1647 |
|
| 1648 | 18. Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every
|
| 1649 | kind of business.
|
| 1650 |
|
| 1651 | 19. 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 |
|
| 1655 | 20. 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 |
|
| 1661 | 21. 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 |
|
| 1666 | 22. 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 |
|
| 1670 | 23. It is owing to his information, again, that we can
|
| 1671 | cause the doomed spy to carry false tidings to the enemy.
|
| 1672 |
|
| 1673 | 24. Lastly, it is by his information that the surviving
|
| 1674 | spy can be used on appointed occasions.
|
| 1675 |
|
| 1676 | 25. 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 |
|
| 1682 | 26. 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 |
|
| 1687 | 27. 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 |
|