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
no 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 penetrated 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 penetrated 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 penetrate 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 make
the best of both strong and weak--that is a question involving
the proper use of ground. 34.Thus the skillful general conducts
his army just as though he were leading a single man,
willy-nilly, by the hand. 35.It is the business of a general to
be quiet and thus ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus
maintain order. 36.He must be able to mystify his officers and
men by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them in
total ignorance. 37.By altering his arrangements and changing
his plans, he keeps the enemy without definite knowledge. By
shifting his camp and taking circuitous routes, he prevents the
enemy from anticipating his purpose. 38.At the critical moment,
the leader of an army acts like one who has climbed up a height
and then kicks away the ladder behind him. He carries his men
deep into hostile territory before he shows his hand. 39.He
burns his boats and breaks his cooking-pots; like a shepherd
driving a flock of sheep, he drives his men this way and that,
and nothing knows whither he is going. 40.To muster his host
and bring it into danger:--this may be termed the business of
the general. 41.The different measures suited to the nine
varieties of ground; the expediency of aggressive or defensive
tactics; and the fundamental laws of human nature: these are
things that must most certainly be studied. 42.When invading
hostile territory, the general principle is, that penetrating
deeply brings cohesion; penetrating but a short way means
dispersion. 43.When you leave your own country behind, and take
your army across neighborhood territory, you find yourself on
critical ground. When there are means of communication on all
four sides, the ground is one of intersecting highways. 44.When
you penetrate deeply into a country, it is serious ground. When
you penetrate but a little way, it is facile ground. 45.When
you have the enemy's strongholds on your rear, and narrow
passes in front, it is hemmed-in ground. When there is no place
of refuge at all, it is desperate ground. 46.Therefore, on
dispersive ground, I would inspire my men with unity of
purpose. On facile ground, I would see that there is close
connection between all parts of my army. 47.On contentious
ground, I would hurry up my rear. 48.On open ground, I would
keep a vigilant eye on my defenses. On ground of intersecting
highways, I would consolidate my alliances. 49.On serious
ground, I would try to ensure a continuous stream of supplies.
On difficult ground, I would keep pushing on along the road.
50.On hemmed-in ground, I would block any way of retreat. On
desperate ground, I would proclaim to my soldiers the
hopelessness of saving their lives. 51.For it is the soldier's
disposition to offer an obstinate resistance when surrounded,
to fight hard when he cannot help himself, and to obey promptly
when he has fallen into danger. 52.We cannot enter into
alliance with neighboring princes until we are acquainted with
their designs. 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. We shall be unable to turn natural advantages to
account unless we make use of local guides. 53.To be ignored of
any one of the following four or five principles does not befit
a warlike prince. 54.When a warlike prince attacks a powerful
state, his generalship shows itself in preventing the
concentration of the enemy's forces. He overawes his opponents,
and their allies are prevented from joining against him.
55.Hence he does not strive to ally himself with all and
sundry, nor does he foster the power of other states. He
carries out his own secret designs, keeping his antagonists in
awe. Thus he is able to capture their cities and overthrow
their kingdoms. 56.Bestow rewards without regard to rule, issue
orders without regard to previous arrangements; and you will be
able to handle a whole army as though you had to do with but a
single man. 57.Confront your soldiers with the deed itself;
never let them know your design. When the outlook is bright,
bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the
situation is gloomy. 58.Place your army in deadly peril, and it
will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will
come off in safety. 59.For it is precisely when a force has
fallen into harm's way that is capable of striking a blow for
victory. 60.Success in warfare is gained by carefully
accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose. 61.By
persistently hanging on the enemy's flank, we shall succeed in
the long run in killing the commander-in-chief. 62.This is
called ability to accomplish a thing by sheer cunning. 63.On
the day that you take up your command, block the frontier
passes, destroy the official tallies, and stop the passage of
all emissaries. 64.Be stern in the council-chamber, so that you
may control the situation. 65.If the enemy leaves a door open,
you must rush in. 66.Forestall your opponent by seizing what he
holds dear, and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the
ground. 67.Walk in the path defined by rule, and accommodate
yourself to the enemy until you can fight a decisive battle.
68.At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the
enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of
a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose
you.
XII. THE ATTACK BY FIRE
1.Sun Tzu said: There are five ways of attacking with
fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp; the second
is to burn stores; the third is to burn baggage trains; the
fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines; the fifth is to hurl
dropping fire amongst the enemy. 2.In order to carry out an
attack, we must have means available. The material for raising
fire should always be kept in readiness. 3.There is a proper
season for making attacks with fire, and special days for
starting a conflagration. 4.The proper season is when the
weather is very dry; the special days are those when the moon
is in the constellations of the Sieve, the Wall, the Wing or
the Cross-bar; for these four are all days of rising wind. 5.In
attacking with fire, one should be prepared to meet five
possible developments: 6.(1) When fire breaks out inside to
enemy's camp, respond at once with an attack from without.
7.(2) If there is an outbreak of fire, but the enemy's soldiers
remain quiet, bide your time and do not attack. 8.(3) When the
force of the flames has reached its height, follow it up with
an attack, if that is practicable; if not, stay where you are.
9.(4) If it is possible to make an assault with fire from
without, do not wait for it to break out within, but deliver
your attack at a favorable moment. 10.(5) When you start a
fire, be to windward of it. Do not attack from the leeward.
11.A wind that rises in the daytime lasts long, but a night
breeze soon falls. 12.In every army, the five developments
connected with fire must be known, the movements of the stars
calculated, and a watch kept for the proper days. 13.Hence
those who use fire as an aid to the attack show intelligence;
those who use water as an aid to the attack gain an accession
of strength. 14.By means of water, an enemy may be intercepted,
but not robbed of all his belongings. 15.Unhappy is the fate of
one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks
without cultivating the spirit of enterprise; for the result is
waste of time and general stagnation. 16.Hence the saying: The
enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general
cultivates his resources. 17.Move not unless you see an
advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be
gained; fight not unless the position is critical. 18.No ruler
should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own
spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.
19.If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not,
stay where you are. 20.Anger may in time change to gladness;
vexation may be succeeded by content. 21.But a kingdom that has
once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can
the dead ever be brought back to life. 22.Hence the enlightened
ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution. This is
the way to keep a country at peace and an army intact.
XIII. THE USE OF SPIES
1.Sun Tzu said: Raising a host of a hundred thousand men
and marching them great distances entails heavy loss on the
people and a drain on the resources of the State. The daily
expenditure will amount to a thousand ounces of silver. There
will be commotion at home and abroad, and men will drop down
exhausted on the highways. As many as seven hundred thousand
families will be impeded in their labor. 2.Hostile armies may
face each other for years, striving for the victory which is
decided in a single day. This being so, to remain in ignorance
of the enemy's condition simply because one grudges the outlay
of a hundred ounces of silver in honors and emoluments, is the
height of inhumanity. 3.One who acts thus is no leader of men,
no present help to his sovereign, no master of victory. 4.Thus,
what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike
and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary
men, is foreknowledge. 5.Now this foreknowledge cannot be
elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from
experience, nor by any deductive calculation. 6.Knowledge of
the enemy's dispositions can only be obtained from other men.
7.Hence the use of spies, of whom there are five classes:
1.Local spies; 2.inward spies; 3.converted spies; 4.doomed
spies; 5.surviving spies.
8.When these five kinds of spy are all at work, none can
discover the secret system. This is called "divine manipulation
of the threads." It is the sovereign's most precious faculty.
9.Having local spies means employing the services of the
inhabitants of a district. 10.Having inward spies, making use
of officials of the enemy. 11.Having converted spies, getting
hold of the enemy's spies and using them for our own purposes.
12.Having doomed spies, doing certain things openly for
purposes of deception, and allowing our spies to know of them
and report them to the enemy. 13.Surviving spies, finally, are
those who bring back news from the enemy's camp. 14.Hence it is
that which none in the whole army are more intimate relations
to be maintained than with spies. None should be more liberally
rewarded. In no other business should greater secrecy be
preserved. 15.Spies cannot be usefully employed without a
certain intuitive sagacity. 16.They cannot be properly managed
without benevolence and straightforwardness. 17.Without subtle
ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of
their reports. 18.Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for
every kind of business. 19.If a secret piece of news is
divulged by a spy before the time is ripe, he must be put to
death together with the man to whom the secret was told.
20.Whether the object be to crush an army, to storm a city, or
to assassinate an individual, it is always necessary to begin
by finding out the names of the attendants, the aides-de-camp,
and door-keepers and sentries of the general in command. Our
spies must be commissioned to ascertain these. 21.The enemy's
spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted
with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they will
become converted spies and available for our service. 22.It is
through the information brought by the converted spy that we
are able to acquire and employ local and inward spies. 23.It is
owing to his information, again, that we can cause the doomed
spy to carry false tidings to the enemy. 24.Lastly, it is by
his information that the surviving spy can be used on appointed
occasions. 25.The end and aim of spying in all its five
varieties is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can
only be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy.
Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated with
the utmost liberality. 26.Of old, the rise of the Yin dynasty
was due to I Chih who had served under the Hsia. Likewise, the
rise of the Chou dynasty was due to Lu Ya who had served under
the Yin. 27.Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wise
general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for
purposes of spying and thereby they achieve great results.
Spies are a most important element in water, because on them
depends an army's ability to move.
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