Art of War (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (7 page)

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Authors: Sunzi

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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 harmonise the different elements thereof before pitching his camp.
 
3. After that, comes tactical manœuvring, than which there is nothing more difficult. The difficulty of tactical manœuvring 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. Manœuvring with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.
 
6. If you set a fully equipped army in march in order to snatch 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 outmanœuvre 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 neighbours.
 
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 advantages to account unless we make use of local guides.
 
15. In war, practise dissimulation, and you will succeed. Move only if there is a real advantage to be gained.
 
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 manœuvring.
 
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, it is 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 a 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 OF 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 a desperate position, you must fight.
 
3. There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be 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 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; 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 honour 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 neighbourhood 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-marshes.
 
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.

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