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The Art of War, by Sun Zu
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Title: The Art of War
Author: Sun Zu
Release Date: December 28, 2005 [eBook #17405]
[Last updated: January 14, 2012]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ART
OF WAR ***
SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR
THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD
Translated from the Chinese
By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)
[This is the basic text of Sun Tzu on the Art of War. It was
extracted from Mr. Giles' complete work as titled above.
The commentary itself, which, of course includes this work
embedded within it, has been released as Project
Gutenberg's eBook #132.]
I. LAYING PLANS
1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the
State.
2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or
to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no
account be neglected.
3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors,
to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when
seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The
Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete
accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him
regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
7. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and
seasons.
8. Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and
security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life
and death.
9. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom,
sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.
10. By method and discipline are to be understood the
marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the
graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of
roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control
of military expenditure.
11. These five heads should be familiar to every general: he
who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not
will fail.
12. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to
determine the military conditions, let them be made the
basis of a comparison, in this wise:--
13. (1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral
law?
(2) Which of the two generals has most ability?
(3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and
Earth?
(4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?
(5) Which army is stronger?
(6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?
(7) In which army is there the greater constancy both in
reward and punishment?
14. By means of these seven considerations I can forecast
victory or defeat.
15. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon
it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command! The
general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it,
will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!
16. While heading the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also
of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary
rules.
17. According as circumstances are favorable, one should
modify one's plans.
18. All warfare is based on deception.
19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when
using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near,
we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far
away, we must make him believe we are near.
20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and
crush him.
21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in
superior strength, evade him.
22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate
him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are
united, separate them.
24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are
not expected.
25. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be
divulged beforehand.
26. Now the general who wins a battle makes many
calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The
general who loses a battle makes but few calculations
beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and
few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at
all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is
likely to win or lose.
II. WAGING WAR
1. Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war, where there are in
the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots,
and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with provisions
enough to carry them a thousand li, the expenditure at
home and at the front, including entertainment of guests,
small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on
chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces
of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of
100,000 men.
2. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in
coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor
will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust
your strength.
3. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the
State will not be equal to the strain.
4. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped,
your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other
chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your
extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert
the consequences that must ensue.
5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war,
cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
6. There is no instance of a country having benefited from
prolonged warfare.
7. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils
of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of
carrying it on.
8. The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are
his supply-wagons loaded more than twice.
9. Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the
enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.
10. Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to be
maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing
to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be
impoverished.
11. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes
prices to go up; and high prices cause the people's
substance to be drained away.
12. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry will
be afflicted by heavy exactions.
13,14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of
strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and
three-tenths of their income will be dissipated; while
government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses,
breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and
shields, protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy
wagons, will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.
15. Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the
enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent
to twenty of one's own, and likewise a single picul of his
provender is equivalent to twenty from one's own store.
16. Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused
to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the
enemy, they must have their rewards.
17. Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots
have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the
first. Our own flags should be substituted for those of the
enemy, and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction
with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated
and kept.
18. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one's
own strength.
19. In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy
campaigns.
20. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the
arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends
whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.
III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM
1. Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of
all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to
shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to
recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a
regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to
destroy them.
2. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not
supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking
the enemy's resistance without fighting.
3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the
enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of
the enemy's forces; the next in order is to attack the
enemy's army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to
besiege walled cities.
4. The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it can possibly be
avoided. The preparation of mantlets, movable shelters, and
various implements of war, will take up three whole months;
and the piling up of mounds over against the walls will take
three months more.
5. The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his
men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that
one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains
untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege.
6. Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops
without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying
siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy
operations in the field.
7. With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the
Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be
complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem.
8. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's
one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as
numerous, to divide our army into two.
9. If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior
in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every
way, we can flee from him.
10. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a
small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger
force.
11. Now the general is the bulwark of the State; if the
bulwark is complete at all points; the State will be strong; if
the bulwark is defective, the State will be weak.
12. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring
misfortune upon his army:--
13. (1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat,
being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called
hobbling the army.
14. (2) By attempting to govern an army in the same way as
he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions
which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the
soldier's minds.
15. (3) By employing the officers of his army without
discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of
adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of
the soldiers.
16. But when the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is
sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply
bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away.
17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for
victory:
(1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not to
fight.
(2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior and
inferior forces.
(3) He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit
throughout all its ranks.
(4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the
enemy unprepared.
(5) He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered
with by the sovereign.
18. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know
yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If
you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory
gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the
enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS
1. Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put themselves
beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an
opportunity of defeating the enemy.
2. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands,
but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by
the enemy himself.
3. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against
defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.
4. Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without
being able to do it.
5. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to
defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.
6. Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength;
attacking, a superabundance of strength.
7. The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most
secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack
flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven. Thus on
the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves; on the
other, a victory that is complete.
8. To see victory only when it is within the ken of the
common herd is not the acme of excellence.
9. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and
conquer and the whole Empire says, "Well done!"
10. To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see
the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise
of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.
11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not
only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
12. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for
wisdom nor credit for courage.
13. He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no
mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it
means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.
14. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position
which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the
moment for defeating the enemy.
15. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks
battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is
destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for
victory.
16. The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and
strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his
power to control success.
17. In respect of military method, we have, firstly,
Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity; thirdly,
Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances; fifthly, Victory.
18. Measurement owes its existence to Earth; Estimation of
quantity to Measurement; Calculation to Estimation of
quantity; Balancing of chances to Calculation; and Victory to
Balancing of chances.
19. A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as a
pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain.
20. The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of
pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.
V. ENERGY
1. Sun Tzu said: The control of a large force is the same
principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question
of dividing up their numbers.
2. Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise
different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a
question of instituting signs and signals.
3. To ensure that your whole host may withstand the brunt
of the enemy's attack and remain unshaken-- this is effected
by maneuvers direct and indirect.
4. That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone
dashed against an egg--this is effected by the science of
weak points and strong.
5. In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining
battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to
secure victory.
6. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as
Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and
streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew;
like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.
7. There are not more than five musical notes, yet the
combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than
can ever be heard.
8. There are not more than five primary colors (blue, yellow,
red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more
hues than can ever been seen.
9. There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid,
salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them yield more
flavors than can ever be tasted.
10. In battle, there are not more than two methods of
attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two in
combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.
11. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn.
It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end. Who
can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?
12. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will
even roll stones along in its course.
13. The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a
falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.
14. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset,
and prompt in his decision.
15. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow;
decision, to the releasing of a trigger.
16. Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be
seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all; amid
confusion and chaos, your array may be without head or tail,
yet it will be proof against defeat.
17. Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline,
simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness
postulates strength.
18. Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is simply a
question of subdivision; concealing courage under a show of
timidity presupposes a fund of latent energy; masking
strength with weakness is to be effected by tactical
dispositions.
19. Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy on the
move maintains deceitful appearances, according to which
the enemy will act. He sacrifices something, that the enemy
may sn**ch at it.
20. By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march; then
with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.
21. The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined
energy, and does not require too much from individuals.
Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize
combined energy.
22. When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting men
become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. For it is
the nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on level
ground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to
come to a standstill, but if round-shaped, to go rolling
down.
23. Thus the energy developed by good fighting men is as
the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain
thousands of feet in height. So much on the subject of
energy.
VI. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG
1. Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the
coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is
second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive
exhausted.
2. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the
enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed
on him.
3. By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the
enemy to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting
damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw
near.
4. If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him; if well
supplied with food, he can starve him out; if quietly
encamped, he can force him to move.
5. Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend;
march swiftly to places where you are not expected.
6. An army may march great distances without distress, if it
marches through country where the enemy is not.
7. You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only
attack places which are undefended.You can ensure the
safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot
be attacked.
8. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent
does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense
whose opponent does not know what to attack.
9. O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn
to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold
the enemy's fate in our hands.
10. You may advance and be absolutely irresistible, if you
make for the enemy's weak points; you may retire and be
safe from pursuit if your movements are more rapid than
those of the enemy.
11. If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an
engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high
rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some
other place that he will be obliged to relieve.
12. If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy
from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment
be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to
throw something odd and unaccountable in his way.
13. By discovering the enemy's dispositions and remaining
invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated,
while the enemy's must be divided.
14. We can form a single united body, while the enemy must
split up into fractions. Hence there will be a whole pitted
against separate parts of a whole, which means that we
shall be many to the enemy's few.
15. And if we are able thus to attack an inferior force with a
superior one, our opponents will be in dire straits.
16. The spot where we intend to fight must not be made
known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a
possible attack at several different points; and his forces
being thus distributed in many directions, the numbers we
shall have to face at any given point will be proportionately
few.
17. For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken
his rear; should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van;
should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should
he strengthen his right, he will weaken his left. If he sends
reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.
18. Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare
against possible attacks; numerical strength, from
compelling our adversary to make these preparations
against us.
19. Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle, we
may concentrate from the greatest distances in order to
fight.
20. But if neither time nor place be known, then the left wing
will be impotent to succor the right, the right equally
impotent to succor the left, the van unable to relieve the
rear, or the rear to support the van. How much more so if
the furthest portions of the army are anything under a
hundred LI apart, and even the nearest are separated by
several LI!
21. Though according to my estimate the soldiers of Yueh
exceed our own in number, that shall advantage them
nothing in the matter of victory. I say then that victory can
be achieved.
22. Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may
prevent him from fighting. Scheme so as to discover his
plans and the likelihood of their success.
23. Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or
inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his
vulnerable spots.
24. Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so
that you may know where strength is superabundant and
where it is deficient.
25. In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can
attain is to conceal them; conceal your dispositions, and you
will be safe from the prying of the subtlest spies, from the
machinations of the wisest brains.
26. How victory may be produced for them out of the
enemy's own tactics--that is what the multitude cannot
comprehend.
27. All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what
none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.
28. Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one
victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite
variety of circumstances.
29. Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its
natural course runs away from high places and hastens
downwards.
30. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike
at what is weak.
31. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the
ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory
in relation to the foe whom he is facing.
32. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in
warfare there are no constant conditions.
33. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent
and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born
captain.
34. The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth) are
not always equally predominant; the four seasons make way
for each other in turn. There are short days and long; the
moon has its periods of waning and waxing.
VII. MANEUVERING
1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands
from the sovereign.
2. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he
must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof
before pitching his camp.
3. After that, comes tactical maneuvering, than which there
is nothing more difficult. The difficulty of tactical
maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct,
and misfortune into gain.
4. Thus, to take a long and circuitous route, after enticing
the enemy out of the way, and though starting after him, to
contrive to reach the goal before him, shows knowledge of
the artifice of DEVIATION.
5. Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an
undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.
6. If you set a fully equipped army in march in order to
sn**ch an advantage, the chances are that you will be too
late. On the other hand, to detach a flying column for the
purpose involves the sacrifice of its baggage and stores.
7. Thus, if you order your men to roll up their buff-coats, and
make forced marches without halting day or night, covering
double the usual distance at a stretch, doing a hundred LI in
order to wrest an advantage, the leaders of all your three
divisions will fall into the hands of the enemy.
8. The stronger men will be in front, the jaded ones will fall
behind, and on this plan only one-tenth of your army will
reach its destination.
9. If you march fifty LI in order to outmaneuver the enemy,
you will lose the leader of your first division, and only half
your force will reach the goal.
10. If you march thirty LI with the same object, two-thirds of
your army will arrive.
11. We may take it then that an army without its baggage-
train is lost; without provisions it is lost; without bases of
supply it is lost.
12. We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted
with the designs of our neighbors.
13. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we
are familiar with the face of the country--its mountains and
forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.
14. We shall be unable to turn natural advantage to account
unless we make use of local guides.
15. In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed.
16. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops, must
be decided by circumstances.
17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness
that of the forest.
18. In raiding and plundering be like fire, in immovability like
a mountain.
19. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and
when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
20. When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil be divided
amongst your men; when you capture new territory, cut it up
into allotments for the benefit of the soldiery.
21. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
22. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviation.
Such is the art of maneuvering.
23. The Book of Army Management says: On the field of
battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough: hence
the institution of gongs and drums. Nor can ordinary objects
be seen clearly enough: hence the institution of banners and
flags.
24. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby
the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one
particular point.
25. The host thus forming a single united body, is it
impossible either for the brave to advance alone, or for the
cowardly to retreat alone. This is the art of handling large
masses of men.
26. In night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-fires and
drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners, as a
means of influencing the ears and eyes of your army.
27. A whole army may be robbed of its spirit; a commander-
in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind.
28. Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning; by
noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is
bent only on returning to camp.
29. A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit
is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to
return. This is the art of studying moods.
30. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of
disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:--this is the art of
retaining self-possession.
31. To be near the goal while the enemy is still far from it, to
wait at ease while the enemy is toiling and struggling, to be
well-fed while the enemy is famished:--this is the art of
husbanding one's strength.
32. To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose banners
are in perfect order, to refrain from attacking an army drawn
up in calm and confident array:--this is the art of studying
circumstances.
33. It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the
enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.
34. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight; do not
attack soldiers whose temper is keen.
35. Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not
interfere with an army that is returning home.
36. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not
press a desperate foe too hard.
37. Such is the art of warfare.
VIII. VARIATION IN TACTICS
1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands
from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his
forces
2. When in difficult country, do not encamp. In country where
high roads intersect, join hands with your allies. Do not
linger in dangerously isolated positions. In hemmed-in
situations, you must resort to stratagem. In desperate
position, you must fight.
3. There are roads which must not be followed, armies which
must be not attacked, towns which must not be besieged,
positions which must not be contested, commands of the
sovereign which must not be obeyed.
4. The general who thoroughly understands the advantages
that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle his
troops.
5. The general who does not understand these, may be well
acquainted with the configuration of the country, yet he will
not be able to turn his knowledge to practical account.
6. So, the student of war who is unversed in the art of war of
varying his plans, even though he be acquainted with the
Five Advantages, will fail to make the best use of his men.
7. Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations of
advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.
8. If our expectation of advantage be tempered in this way,
we may succeed in accomplishing the essential part of our
schemes.
9. If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are
always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate
ourselves from misfortune.
10. Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage on them;
and make trouble for them, and keep them constantly
engaged; hold out specious allurements, and make them
rush to any given point.
11. The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of
the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to
receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but
rather on the fact that we have made our position
unassailable.
12. There are five dangerous faults which may affect a
general:
(1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;
(2) cowardice, which leads to capture;
(3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;
(4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame;
(5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry
and trouble.
13. These are the five besetting sins of a general, ruinous to
the conduct of war.
14. When an army is overthrown and its leader slain, the
cause will surely be found among these five dangerous
faults. Let them be a subject of meditation.
IX. THE ARMY ON THE MARCH
1. Sun Tzu said: We come now to the question of encamping
the army, and observing signs of the enemy. Pass quickly
over mountains, and keep in the neighborhood of valleys.
2. Camp in high places, facing the sun. Do not climb heights
in order to fight. So much for mountain warfare.
3. After crossing a river, you should get far away from it.
4. When an invading force crosses a river in its onward
march, do not advance to meet it in mid-stream. It will be
best to let half the army get across, and then deliver your
attack.
5. If you are anxious to fight, you should not go to meet the
invader near a river which he has to cross.
6. Moor your craft higher up than the enemy, and facing the
sun. Do not move up-stream to meet the enemy. So much
for river warfare.
7. In crossing salt-marshes, your sole concern should be to
get over them quickly, without any delay.
8. If forced to fight in a salt-marsh, you should have water
and grass near you, and get your back to a clump of trees.
So much for operations in salt-marches.
9. In dry, level country, take up an easily accessible position
with rising ground to your right and on your rear, so that the
danger may be in front, and safety lie behind. So much for
campaigning in flat country.
10. These are the four useful branches of military knowledge
which enabled the Yellow Emperor to vanquish four several
sovereigns.
11. All armies prefer high ground to low and sunny places to
dark.
12. If you are careful of your men, and camp on hard ground,
the army will be free from disease of every kind, and this will
spell victory.
13. When you come to a hill or a bank, occupy the sunny side,
with the slope on your right rear. Thus you will at once act
for the benefit of your soldiers and utilize the natural
advantages of the ground.
14. When, in consequence of heavy rains up-country, a river
which you wish to ford is swollen and flecked with foam, you
must wait until it subsides.
15. Country in which there are precipitous cliffs with torrents
running between, deep natural hollows, confined places,
tangled thickets, quagmires and crevasses, should be left
with all possible speed and not approached.
16. While we keep away from such places, we should get the
enemy to approach them; while we face them, we should let
the enemy have them on his rear.
17. If in the neighborhood of your camp there should be any
hilly country, ponds surrounded by aquatic grass, hollow
basins filled with reeds, or woods with thick undergrowth,
they must be carefully routed out and searched; for these
are places where men in ambush or insidious spies are likely
to be lurking.
18. When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet, he is
relying on the natural strength of his position.
19. When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle, he is
anxious for the other side to advance.
20. If his place of encampment is easy of access, he is
tendering a bait.
21. Movement amongst the trees of a forest shows that the
enemy is advancing. The appearance of a number of screens
in the midst of thick grass means that the enemy wants to
make us suspicious.
22. The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an
ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is
coming.
23. When there is dust rising in a high column, it is the sign of
chariots advancing; when the dust is low, but spread over a
wide area, it betokens the approach of infantry. When it
branches out in different directions, it shows that parties
have been sent to collect firewood. A few clouds of dust
moving to and fro signify that the army is encamping.
24. Humble words and increased preparations are signs that
the enemy is about to advance. Violent language and driving
forward as if to the attack are signs that he will retreat.
25. When the light chariots come out first and take up a
position on the wings, it is a sign that the enemy is forming
for battle.
26. Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant
indicate a plot.
27. When there is much running about and the soldiers fall
into rank, it means that the critical moment has come.
28. When some are seen advancing and some retreating, it is
a lure.
29. When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, they are
faint from want of food.
30. If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking
themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.
31. If the enemy sees an advantage to be gained and makes
no effort to secure it, the soldiers are exhausted.
32. If birds gather on any spot, it is unoccupied. Clamor by
night betokens nervousness.
33. If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's
authority is weak. If the banners and flags are shifted about,
sedition is afoot. If the officers are angry, it means that the
men are weary.
34. When an army feeds its horses with grain and kills its
cattle for food, and when the men do not hang their
cooking-pots over the camp-fires, showing that they will not
return to their tents, you may know that they are
determined to fight to the death.
35. The sight of men whispering together in small knots or
speaking in subdued tones points to disaffection amongst
the rank and file.
36. Too frequent rewards signify that the enemy is at the
end of his resources; too many punishments betray a
condition of dire distress.
37. To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright at the
enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.
38. When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths,
it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.
39. If the enemy's troops march up angrily and remain facing
ours for a long time without either joining battle or taking
themselves off again, the situation is one that demands
great vigilance and circumspection.
40. If our troops are no more in number than the enemy,
that is amply sufficient; it only means that no direct attack
can be made. What we can do is simply to concentrate all
our available strength, keep a close watch on the enemy, and
obtain reinforcements.
41. He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his
opponents is sure to be captured by them.
42. If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached
to you, they will not prove submissive; and, unless
submissive, then will be practically useless. If, when the
soldiers have become attached to you, punishments are not
enforced, they will still be useless.
43. Therefore soldiers must be treated in the first instance
with humanity, but kept under control by means of iron
discipline. This is a certain road to victory.
44. If in training soldiers commands are habitually enforced,
the army will be well-disciplined; if not, its discipline will be
bad.
45. If a general shows confidence in his men but always
insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.
X. TERRAIN
1. Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to
wit: (1) Accessible ground; (2) entangling ground; (3)
temporizing ground; (4) narrow passes; (5) precipitous
heights; (6) positions at a great distance from the enemy.
2. Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is
called accessible.
3. With regard to ground of this nature, be before the enemy
in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard
your line of supplies. Then you will be able to fight with
advantage.
4. Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy
is called entangling.
5. From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared,
you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is
prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then,
return being impossible, disaster will ensue.
6. When the position is such that neither side will gain by
making the first move, it is called temporizing ground.
7. In a position of this sort, even though the enemy should
offer us an attractive bait, it will be advisable not to stir
forth, but rather to retreat, thus enticing the enemy in his
turn; then, when part of his army has come out, we may
deliver our attack with advantage.
8. With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy them
first, let them be strongly garrisoned and await the advent
of the enemy.
9. Should the army forestall you in occupying a pass, do not
go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned, but only if it is
weakly garrisoned.
10. With regard to precipitous heights, if you are beforehand
with your adversary, you should occupy the raised and sunny
spots, and there wait for him to come up.
11. If the enemy has occupied them before you, do not
follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.
12. If you are situated at a great distance from the enemy,
and the strength of the two armies is equal, it is not easy to
provoke a battle, and fighting will be to your disadvantage.
13. These six are the principles connected with Earth. The
general who has attained a responsible post must be careful
to study them.
14. Now an army is exposed to six several calamities, not
arising from natural causes, but from faults for which the
general is responsible. These are: (1) Flight; (2)
insubordination; (3) collapse; (4) ruin; (5) disorganization; (6)
rout.
15. Other conditions being equal, if one force is hurled
against another ten times its size, the result will be the flight
of the former.
16. When the common soldiers are too strong and their
officers too weak, the result is insubordination. When the
officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak,
the result is collapse.
17. When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate,
and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account
from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-
chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the
result is ruin.
18. When the general is weak and without authority; when
his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixes
duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are
formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter
disorganization.
19. When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's
strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, or
hurls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and
neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank, the result
must be rout.
20. These are six ways of courting defeat, which must be
carefully noted by the general who has attained a
responsible post.
21. The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best
ally; but a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling
the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties,
dangers and distances, constitutes the test of a great
general.
22. He who knows these things, and in fighting puts his
knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows
them not, nor practices them, will surely be defeated.
23. If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight,
even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will not result in
victory, then you must not fight even at the ruler's bidding.
24. The general who advances without coveting fame and
retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to
protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is
the jewel of the kingdom.
25. Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow
you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own
beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.
26. If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your
authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your
commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder:
then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they
are useless for any practical purpose.
27. If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack,
but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we
have gone only halfway towards victory.
28. If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but are
unaware that our own men are not in a condition to attack,
we have gone only halfway towards victory.
29. If we know that the enemy is open to attack, and also
know that our men are in a condition to attack, but are
unaware that the nature of the ground makes fighting
impracticable, we have still gone only halfway towards
victory.
30. Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never
bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.
31. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know
yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know
Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory
complete.
XI. THE NINE SITUATIONS
1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war recognizes nine varieties of
ground: (1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground; (3)
contentious ground; (4) open ground; (5) ground of
intersecting highways; (6) serious ground; (7) difficult
ground; (8) hemmed-in ground; (9) desperate ground.
2. When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory, it is
dispersive ground.
3. When he has pe*****ted into hostile territory, but to no
great distance, it is facile ground.
4. Ground the possession of which imports great advantage
to either side, is contentious ground.
5. Ground on which each side has liberty of movement is
open ground.
6. Ground which forms the key to three contiguous states,
so that he who occupies it first has most of the Empire at
his command, is a ground of intersecting highways.
7. When an army has pe*****ted into the heart of a hostile
country, leaving a number of fortified cities in its rear, it is
serious ground.
8. Mountain forests, rugged steeps, marshes and fens--all
country that is hard to traverse: this is difficult ground.
9. Ground which is reached through narrow gorges, and from
which we can only retire by tortuous paths, so that a small
number of the enemy would suffice to crush a large body of
our men: this is hemmed in ground.
10. Ground on which we can only be saved from destruction
by fighting without delay, is desperate ground.
11. On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facile
ground, halt not. On contentious ground, attack not.
12. On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's way. On
the ground of intersecting highways, join hands with your
allies.
13. On serious ground, gather in plunder. In difficult ground,
keep steadily on the march.
14. On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem. On
desperate ground, fight.
15. Those who were called skillful leaders of old knew how to
drive a wedge between the enemy's front and rear; to
prevent co-operation between his large and small divisions;
to hinder the good troops from rescuing the bad, the
officers from rallying their men.
16. When the enemy's men were united, they managed to
keep them in disorder.
17. When it was to their advantage, they made a forward
move; when otherwise, they stopped still.
18. If asked how to cope with a great host of the enemy in
orderly array and on the point of marching to the attack, I
should say: "Begin by seizing something which your
opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will."
19. Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the
enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes,
and attack unguarded spots.
20. The following are the principles to be observed by an
invading force: The further you pe*****te into a country, the
greater will be the solidarity of your troops, and thus the
defenders will not prevail against you.
21. Make forays in fertile country in order to supply your
army with food.
22. Carefully study the well-being of your men, and do not
overtax them. Concentrate your energy and hoard your
strength. Keep your army continually on the move, and
devise unfathomable plans.
23. Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no
escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face
death, there is nothing they may not achieve. Officers and
men alike will put forth their uttermost strength.
24. Soldiers when in desperate straits lose the sense of fear.
If there is no place of refuge, they will stand firm. If they are
in hostile country, they will show a stubborn front. If there is
no help for it, they will fight hard.
25. Thus, without waiting to be marshaled, the soldiers will
be constantly on the qui vive; without waiting to be asked,
they will do your will; without restrictions, they will be
faithful; without giving orders, they can be trusted.
26. Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with
superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no
calamity need be feared.
27. If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not
because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not
unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to
longevity.
28. On the day they are ordered out to battle, your soldiers
may weep, those sitting up bedewing their garments, and
those lying down letting the tears run down their cheeks.
But let them once be brought to bay, and they will display
the courage of a Chu or a Kuei.
29. The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now
the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the ChUng
mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its
tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head;
strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail
both.
30. Asked if an army can be made to imitate the shuai-jan, I
should answer, Yes. For the men of Wu and the men of Yueh
are enemies; yet if they are crossing a river in the same boat
and are caught by a storm, they will come to each other's
assistance just as the left hand helps the right.
31. Hence it is not enough to put one's trust in the tethering
of horses, and the burying of chariot wheels in the ground.
32. The principle on which to manage an army is to set up
one standard of courage which all must reach.
33. How to
