Gutenberg Art of War
I. LAYING PLANS
[Ts`ao Kung, in defining the meaning of the Chinese for thetitle of this chapter, says it refers to the deliberations in thetemple selected by the general for his temporary use, or as weshould say, in his tent. See. ss. 26.]
1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance tothe State. 2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either tosafety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can onno account be neglected. 3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constantfactors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, whenseeking 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.
[It appears from what follows that Sun Tzu means by "MoralLaw" a principle of harmony, not unlike the Tao of Lao Tzu in itsmoral aspect. One might be tempted to render it by "morale,"were it not considered as an attribute of the ruler in ss. 13.]
5, 6. The MORAL LAW causes the people to be in completeaccord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardlessof their lives, undismayed by any danger.
[Tu Yu quotes Wang Tzu as saying: "Without constantpractice, the officers will be nervous and undecided whenmustering for battle; without constant practice, the general willbe wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at hand."]
7. HEAVEN signifies night and day, cold and heat, times andseasons.
[The commentators, I think, make an unnecessary mystery oftwo words here. Meng Shih refers to "the hard and the soft,waxing and waning" of Heaven. Wang Hsi, however, may be right insaying that what is meant is "the general economy of Heaven,"including the five elements, the four seasons, wind and clouds,and other phenomena.]
8. EARTH comprises distances, great and small; danger andsecurity; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life anddeath. 9. The COMMANDER stands for the virtues of wisdom,sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.
[The five cardinal virtues of the Chinese are (1) humanityor benevolence; (2) uprightness of mind; (3) self-respect, self-control, or "proper feeling;" (4) wisdom; (5) sincerity or goodfaith. Here "wisdom" and "sincerity" are put before "humanity orbenevolence," and the two military virtues of "courage" and"strictness" substituted for "uprightness of mind" and "self-respect, self-control, or 'proper feeling.'"]
10. By METHOD AND DISCIPLINE are to be understood themarshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, thegraduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roadsby which supplies may reach the army, and the control of militaryexpenditure. 11. These five heads should be familiar to every general:he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not willfail. 12. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking todetermine the military conditions, let them be made the basis ofa comparison, in this wise: -- 13. (1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with theMoral law?
[I.e., "is in harmony with his subjects." Cf. ss. 5.]
(2) Which of the two generals has most ability? (3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven andEarth?
[See ss. 7,8]
(4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?
[Tu Mu alludes to the remarkable story of Ts`ao Ts`ao (A.D.155-220), who was such a strict disciplinarian that once, inaccordance with his own severe regulations against injury tostanding crops, he condemned himself to death for having allowedhim horse to shy into a field of corn! However, in lieu oflosing his head, he was persuaded to satisfy his sense of justiceby cutting off his hair. Ts`ao Ts`ao's own comment on thepresent passage is characteristically curt: "when you lay down alaw, see that it is not disobeyed; if it is disobeyed theoffender must be put to death."]
(5) Which army is stronger?
[Morally as well as physically. As Mei Yao-ch`en puts it,freely rendered, "ESPIRIT DE CORPS and 'big battalions.'"]
(6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?
[Tu Yu quotes Wang Tzu as saying: "Without constantpractice, the officers will be nervous and undecided whenmustering for battle; without constant practice, the general willbe wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at hand."]
(7) In which army is there the greater constancy both inreward and punishment?
[On which side is there the most absolute certainty thatmerit will be properly rewarded and misdeeds summarily punished?]
14. By means of these seven considerations I can forecastvictory or defeat. 15. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts uponit, will conquer: --let such a one be retained in command! Thegeneral that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, willsuffer defeat: --let such a one be dismissed!
[The form of this paragraph reminds us that Sun Tzu'streatise was composed expressly for the benefit of his patron HoLu, king of the Wu State.]
16. While heading the profit of my counsel, avail yourselfalso of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinaryrules. 17. According as circumstances are favorable, one shouldmodify one's plans.
[Sun Tzu, as a practical soldier, will have none of the"bookish theoric." He cautions us here not to pin our faith toabstract principles; "for," as Chang Yu puts it, "while the mainlaws of strategy can be stated clearly enough for the benefit ofall and sundry, you must be guided by the actions of the enemy inattempting to secure a favorable position in actual warfare." Onthe eve of the battle of Waterloo, Lord Uxbridge, commanding thecavalry, went to the Duke of Wellington in order to learn whathis plans and calculations were for the morrow, because, as heexplained, he might suddenly find himself Commander-in-chief andwould be unable to frame new plans in a critical moment. TheDuke listened quietly and then said: "Who will attack the firsttomorrow -- I or Bonaparte?" "Bonaparte," replied Lord Uxbridge."Well," continued the Duke, "Bonaparte has not given me any ideaof his projects; and as my plans will depend upon his, how canyou expect me to tell you what mine are?" [1] ]
18. All warfare is based on deception.
[The truth of this pithy and profound saying will beadmitted by every soldier. Col. Henderson tells us thatWellington, great in so many military qualities, was especiallydistinguished by "the extraordinary skill with which he concealedhis movements and deceived both friend and foe."]
19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; whenusing our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, wemust make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, wemust make him believe we are near. 20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder,and crush him.
[All commentators, except Chang Yu, say, "When he is indisorder, crush him." It is more natural to suppose that Sun Tzuis still illustrating the uses of deception in war.]
21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. Ifhe is in superior strength, evade him. 22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek toirritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
[Wang Tzu, quoted by Tu Yu, says that the good tacticianplays with his adversary as a cat plays with a mouse, firstfeigning weakness and immobility, and then suddenly pouncing uponhim.]
23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.
[This is probably the meaning though Mei Yao-ch`en has thenote: "while we are taking our ease, wait for the enemy to tirehimself out." The YU LAN has "Lure him on and tire him out."]
If his forces are united, separate them.
[Less plausible is the interpretation favored by most of thecommentators: "If sovereign and subject are in accord, putdivision between them."]
24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you arenot expected. 25. These military devices, leading to victory, must not bedivulged beforehand. 26. Now the general who wins a battle makes manycalculations in his temple ere the battle is fought.
[Chang Yu tells us that in ancient times it was customaryfor a temple to be set apart for the use of a general who wasabout to take the field, in order that he might there elaboratehis plan of campaign.]
The general who loses a battle makes but few calculationsbeforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and fewcalculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! Itis by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely towin or lose.
[1] "Words on Wellington," by Sir. W. Fraser.
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II. WAGING WAR
[Ts`ao Kung has the note: "He who wishes to fight mustfirst count the cost," which prepares us for the discovery thatthe subject of the chapter is not what we might expect from thetitle, but is primarily a consideration of ways and means.]
1. Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war, where there arein the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots,and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers,
[The "swift chariots" were lightly built and, according toChang Yu, used for the attack; the "heavy chariots" were heavier,and designed for purposes of defense. Li Ch`uan, it is true,says that the latter were light, but this seems hardly probable.It is interesting to note the analogies between early Chinesewarfare and that of the Homeric Greeks. In each case, the war-chariot was the important factor, forming as it did the nucleusround which was grouped a certain number of foot-soldiers. Withregard to the numbers given here, we are informed that each swiftchariot was accompanied by 75 footmen, and each heavy chariot by25 footmen, so that the whole army would be divided up into athousand battalions, each consisting of two chariots and ahundred men.]
with provisions enough to carry them a thousand LI,
[2.78 modern LI go to a mile. The length may have variedslightly since Sun Tzu's time.]
the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainmentof guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent onchariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces ofsilver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000men. 2. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is longin coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor willbe damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust yourstrength. 3. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources ofthe 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 chieftainswill spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man,however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that mustensue. 5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war,cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
[This concise and difficult sentence is not well explainedby any of the commentators. Ts`ao Kung, Li Ch`uan, Meng Shih, TuYu, Tu Mu and Mei Yao-ch`en have notes to the effect that ageneral, though naturally stupid, may nevertheless conquerthrough sheer force of rapidity. Ho Shih says: "Haste may bestupid, but at any rate it saves expenditure of energy andtreasure; protracted operations may be very clever, but theybring calamity in their train." Wang Hsi evades the difficultyby remarking: "Lengthy operations mean an army growing old,wealth being expended, an empty exchequer and distress among thepeople; true cleverness insures against the occurrence of suchcalamities." Chang Yu says: "So long as victory can beattained, stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness."Now Sun Tzu says nothing whatever, except possibly byimplication, about ill-considered haste being better thaningenious but lengthy operations. What he does say is somethingmuch more guarded, namely that, while speed may sometimes beinjudicious, tardiness can never be anything but foolish -- ifonly because it means impoverishment to the nation. Inconsidering the point raised here by Sun Tzu, the classic exampleof Fabius Cunctator will inevitably occur to the mind. Thatgeneral deliberately measured the endurance of Rome against thatof Hannibals's isolated army, because it seemed to him that thelatter was more likely to suffer from a long campaign in astrange country. But it is quite a moot question whether histactics would have proved successful in the long run. Theirreversal it is true, led to Cannae; but this only establishes anegative presumption in their favor.]
6. There is no instance of a country having benefited fromprolonged warfare. 7. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with theevils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way ofcarrying it on.
[That is, with rapidity. Only one who knows the disastrouseffects of a long war can realize the supreme importance ofrapidity in bringing it to a close. Only two commentators seemto favor this interpretation, but it fits well into the logic ofthe context, whereas the rendering, "He who does not know theevils of war cannot appreciate its benefits," is distinctlypointless.]
8. The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy,neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice.
[Once war is declared, he will not waste precious time inwaiting for reinforcements, nor will he return his army back forfresh supplies, but crosses the enemy's frontier without delay.This may seem an audacious policy to recommend, but with allgreat strategists, from Julius Caesar to Napoleon Bonaparte, thevalue of time -- that is, being a little ahead of your opponent --has counted for more than either numerical superiority or thenicest calculations with regard to commissariat.]
9. Bring war material with you from home, but forage on theenemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.
[The Chinese word translated here as "war material"literally means "things to be used", and is meant in the widestsense. It includes all the impedimenta of an army, apart fromprovisions.]
10. Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to bemaintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing tomaintain an army at a distance causes the people to beimpoverished.
[The beginning of this sentence does not balance properlywith the next, though obviously intended to do so. Thearrangement, moreover, is so awkward that I cannot helpsuspecting some corruption in the text. It never seems to occurto Chinese commentators that an emendation may be necessary forthe sense, and we get no help from them there. The Chinese wordsSun Tzu used to indicate the cause of the people's impoverishmentclearly have reference to some system by which the husbandmensent their contributions of corn to the army direct. But whyshould it fall on them to maintain an army in this way, exceptbecause the State or Government is too poor to do so?]
11. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causesprices to go up; and high prices cause the people's substance tobe drained away.
[Wang Hsi says high prices occur before the army has leftits own territory. Ts`ao Kung understands it of an army that hasalready crossed the frontier.]
12. When their substance is drained away, the peasantrywill be afflicted by heavy exactions. 13, 14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion ofstrength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, andthree-tenths of their income will be dissipated;
[Tu Mu and Wang Hsi agree that the people are not mulctednot of 3/10, but of 7/10, of their income. But this is hardly tobe extracted from our text. Ho Shih has a characteristic tag:"The PEOPLE being regarded as the essential part of the State,and FOOD as the people's heaven, is it not right that those inauthority should value and be careful of both?"]
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 tofour-tenths of its total revenue. 15. Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on theenemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent totwenty of one's own, and likewise a single PICUL of his provenderis equivalent to twenty from one's own store.
[Because twenty cartloads will be consumed in the process oftransporting one cartload to the front. A PICUL is a unit ofmeasure equal to 133.3 pounds (65.5 kilograms).]
16. Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be rousedto anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy,they must have their rewards.
[Tu Mu says: "Rewards are necessary in order to make thesoldiers see the advantage of beating the enemy; thus, when youcapture spoils from the enemy, they must be used as rewards, sothat all your men may have a keen desire to fight, each on hisown account."]
17. Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or morechariots have been taken, those should be rewarded who took thefirst. Our own flags should be substituted for those of theenemy, and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction withours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept. 18. This is called, using the conquered foe to augmentone's own strength. 19. In war, then, let your great object be victory, notlengthy campaigns.
[As Ho Shih remarks: "War is not a thing to be trifledwith." Sun Tzu here reiterates the main lesson which thischapter is intended to enforce."]
20. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is thearbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whetherthe nation shall be in peace or in peril.
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III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM
1. Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the bestthing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; toshatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better torecapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture aregiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.
[The equivalent to an army corps, according to Ssu-ma Fa,consisted nominally of 12500 men; according to Ts`ao Kung, theequivalent of a regiment contained 500 men, the equivalent to adetachment consists from any number between 100 and 500, and theequivalent of a company contains from 5 to 100 men. For the lasttwo, however, Chang Yu gives the exact figures of 100 and 5respectively.]
2. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is notsupreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking theenemy's resistance without fighting.
[Here again, no modern strategist but will approve the wordsof the old Chinese general. Moltke's greatest triumph, thecapitulation of the huge French army at Sedan, was wonpractically without bloodshed.]
3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk theenemy's plans;
[Perhaps the word "balk" falls short of expressing the fullforce of the Chinese word, which implies not an attitude ofdefense, whereby one might be content to foil the enemy'sstratagems one after another, but an active policy of counter-attack. Ho Shih puts this very clearly in his note: "When theenemy has made a plan of attack against us, we must anticipatehim by delivering our own attack first."]
the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces;
[Isolating him from his allies. We must not forget that SunTzu, in speaking of hostilities, always has in mind the numerousstates or principalities into which the China of his day wassplit up.]
the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field;
[When he is already at full strength.]
and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.
4. The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it canpossibly be avoided.
[Another sound piece of military theory. Had the Boersacted upon it in 1899, and refrained from dissipating theirstrength before Kimberley, Mafeking, or even Ladysmith, it ismore than probable that they would have been masters of thesituation before the British were ready seriously to opposethem.]
The preparation of mantlets, movable shelters, and variousimplements of war, will take up three whole months;
[It is not quite clear what the Chinese word, heretranslated as "mantlets", described. Ts`ao Kung simply definesthem as "large shields," but we get a better idea of them from LiCh`uan, who says they were to protect the heads of those who wereassaulting the city walls at close quarters. This seems tosuggest a sort of Roman TESTUDO, ready made. Tu Mu says theywere wheeled vehicles used in repelling attacks, but this isdenied by Ch`en Hao. See supra II. 14. The name is also appliedto turrets on city walls. Of the "movable shelters" we get afairly clear description from several commentators. They werewooden missile-proof structures on four wheels, propelled fromwithin, covered over with raw hides, and used in sieges to conveyparties of men to and from the walls, for the purpose of fillingup the encircling moat with earth. Tu Mu adds that they are nowcalled "wooden donkeys."]
and the piling up of mounds over against the walls will takethree months more.
[These were great mounds or ramparts of earth heaped up tothe level of the enemy's walls in order to discover the weakpoints in the defense, and also to destroy the fortified turretsmentioned in the preceding note.]
5. The general, unable to control his irritation, willlaunch his men to the assault like swarming ants,
[This vivid simile of Ts`ao Kung is taken from the spectacleof an army of ants climbing a wall. The meaning is that thegeneral, losing patience at the long delay, may make a prematureattempt to storm the place before his engines of war are ready.]
with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while thetown still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of asiege.
[We are reminded of the terrible losses of the Japanesebefore Port Arthur, in the most recent siege which history has torecord.]
6. Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troopswithout any fighting; he captures their cities without layingsiege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthyoperations in the field.
[Chia Lin notes that he only overthrows the Government, butdoes no harm to individuals. The classical instance is Wu Wang,who after having put an end to the Yin dynasty was acclaimed"Father and mother of the people."]
7. With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery ofthe Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will becomplete.
[Owing to the double meanings in the Chinese text, thelatter part of the sentence is susceptible of quite a differentmeaning: "And thus, the weapon not being blunted by use, itskeenness remains perfect."]
This is the method of attacking by stratagem. 8. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to theenemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him;
[Straightway, without waiting for any further advantage.]
if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.
[Tu Mu takes exception to the saying; and at first sight,indeed, it appears to violate a fundamental principle of war.Ts'ao Kung, however, gives a clue to Sun Tzu's meaning: "Beingtwo to the enemy's one, we may use one part of our army in theregular way, and the other for some special diversion." Chang Yuthus further elucidates the point: "If our force is twice asnumerous as that of the enemy, it should be split up into twodivisions, one to meet the enemy in front, and one to fall uponhis rear; if he replies to the frontal attack, he may be crushedfrom behind; if to the rearward attack, he may be crushed infront." This is what is meant by saying that 'one part may beused in the regular way, and the other for some specialdiversion.' Tu Mu does not understand that dividing one's armyis simply an irregular, just as concentrating it is the regular,strategical method, and he is too hasty in calling this amistake."]
9. If equally matched, we can offer battle;
[Li Ch`uan, followed by Ho Shih, gives the followingparaphrase: "If attackers and attacked are equally matched instrength, only the able general will fight."]
if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy;
[The meaning, "we can WATCH the enemy," is certainly a greatimprovement on the above; but unfortunately there appears to beno very good authority for the variant. Chang Yu reminds us thatthe saying only applies if the other factors are equal; a smalldifference in numbers is often more than counterbalanced bysuperior energy and discipline.]
if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him. 10. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a smallforce, in the end it must be captured by the larger force. 11. Now the general is the bulwark of the State; if thebulwark is complete at all points; the State will be strong; ifthe bulwark is defective, the State will be weak.
[As Li Ch`uan tersely puts it: "Gap indicates deficiency;if the general's ability is not perfect (i.e. if he is notthoroughly versed in his profession), his army will lackstrength."]
12. There are three ways in which a ruler can bringmisfortune 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 calledhobbling the army.
[Li Ch`uan adds the comment: "It is like tying together thelegs of a thoroughbred, so that it is unable to gallop." Onewould naturally think of "the ruler" in this passage as being athome, and trying to direct the movements of his army from adistance. But the commentators understand just the reverse, andquote the saying of T`ai Kung: "A kingdom should not begoverned from without, and army should not be directed fromwithin." Of course it is true that, during an engagement, orwhen in close touch with the enemy, the general should not be inthe thick of his own troops, but a little distance apart.Otherwise, he will be liable to misjudge the position as a whole,and give wrong orders.]
14. (2) By attempting to govern an army in the same way ashe administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions whichobtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier'sminds.
[Ts`ao Kung's note is, freely translated: "The militarysphere and the civil sphere are wholly distinct; you can't handlean army in kid gloves." And Chang Yu says: "Humanity andjustice are the principles on which to govern a state, but not anarmy; opportunism and flexibility, on the other hand, aremilitary rather than civil virtues to assimilate the governing ofan army"--to that of a State, understood.]
15. (3) By employing the officers of his army withoutdiscrimination,
[That is, he is not careful to use the right man in theright place.]
through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation tocircumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.
[I follow Mei Yao-ch`en here. The other commentators refernot to the ruler, as in SS. 13, 14, but to the officers heemploys. Thus Tu Yu says: "If a general is ignorant of theprinciple of adaptability, he must not be entrusted with aposition of authority." Tu Mu quotes: "The skillful employer ofmen will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man,and the stupid man. For the wise man delights in establishinghis merit, the brave man likes to show his courage in action, thecovetous man is quick at seizing advantages, and the stupid manhas no fear of death."]
16. But when the army is restless and distrustful, troubleis sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simplybringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away. 17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials forvictory: (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not tofight.
[Chang Yu says: If he can fight, he advances and takes theoffensive; if he cannot fight, he retreats and remains on thedefensive. He will invariably conquer who knows whether it isright to take the offensive or the defensive.]
(2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior andinferior forces.
[This is not merely the general's ability to estimatenumbers correctly, as Li Ch`uan and others make out. Chang Yuexpounds the saying more satisfactorily: "By applying the art ofwar, it is possible with a lesser force to defeat a greater, andvice versa. The secret lies in an eye for locality, and in notletting the right moment slip. Thus Wu Tzu says: 'With asuperior force, make for easy ground; with an inferior one, makefor difficult ground.'"]
(3) He will win whose army is animated by the same spiritthroughout all its ranks. (4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take theenemy unprepared. (5) He will win who has military capacity and is notinterfered with by the sovereign.
[Tu Yu quotes Wang Tzu as saying: "It is the sovereign'sfunction to give broad instructions, but to decide on battle itis the function of the general." It is needless to dilate on themilitary disasters which have been caused by undue interferencewith operations in the field on the part of the home government.Napoleon undoubtedly owed much of his extraordinary success tothe fact that he was not hampered by central authority.]
18. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and knowyourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Ifyou know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained youwill also suffer a defeat.
[Li Ch`uan cites the case of Fu Chien, prince of Ch`in, whoin 383 A.D. marched with a vast army against the Chin Emperor.When warned not to despise an enemy who could command theservices of such men as Hsieh An and Huan Ch`ung, he boastfullyreplied: "I have the population of eight provinces at my back,infantry and horsemen to the number of one million; why, theycould dam up the Yangtsze River itself by merely throwing theirwhips into the stream. What danger have I to fear?"Nevertheless, his forces were soon after disastrously routed atthe Fei River, and he was obliged to beat a hasty retreat.]
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb inevery battle.
[Chang Yu said: "Knowing the enemy enables you to take theoffensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on thedefensive." He adds: "Attack is the secret of defense; defenseis the planning of an attack." It would be hard to find a betterepitome of the root-principle of war.]
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IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS
[Ts`ao Kung explains the Chinese meaning of the words forthe title of this chapter: "marching and countermarching on thepart of the two armies with a view to discovering each other'scondition." Tu Mu says: "It is through the dispositions of anarmy that its condition may be discovered. Conceal yourdispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leadsto victory,; show your dispositions, and your condition willbecome patent, which leads to defeat." Wang Hsi remarks that thegood general can "secure success by modifying his tactics to meetthose of the enemy."]
1. Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first putthemselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited foran opportunity of defeating the enemy. 2. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our ownhands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided bythe enemy himself.
[That is, of course, by a mistake on the enemy's part.]
3. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself againstdefeat,
[Chang Yu says this is done, "By concealing the dispositionof his troops, covering up his tracks, and taking unremittingprecautions."]
but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy. 4. Hence the saying: One may KNOW how to conquer withoutbeing able to DO it. 5. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics;ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.
[I retain the sense found in a similar passage in ss. 1-3,in spite of the fact that the commentators are all against me.The meaning they give, "He who cannot conquer takes thedefensive," is plausible enough.]
6. Standing on the defensive indicates insufficientstrength; attacking, a superabundance of strength. 7. The general who is skilled in defense hides in the mostsecret recesses of the earth;
[Literally, "hides under the ninth earth," which is ametaphor indicating the utmost secrecy and concealment, so thatthe enemy may not know his whereabouts."]
he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmostheights of heaven.
[Another metaphor, implying that he falls on his adversarylike a thunderbolt, against which there is no time to prepare.This is the opinion of most of the commentators.]
Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves; on theother, a victory that is complete. 8. To see victory only when it is within the ken of thecommon herd is not the acme of excellence.
[As Ts`ao Kung remarks, "the thing is to see the plantbefore it has germinated," to foresee the event before the actionhas begun. Li Ch`uan alludes to the story of Han Hsin who, whenabout to attack the vastly superior army of Chao, which wasstrongly entrenched in the city of Ch`eng-an, said to hisofficers: "Gentlemen, we are going to annihilate the enemy, andshall meet again at dinner." The officers hardly took his wordsseriously, and gave a very dubious assent. But Han Hsin hadalready worked out in his mind the details of a clever stratagem,whereby, as he foresaw, he was able to capture the city andinflict a crushing defeat on his adversary."]
9. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight andconquer and the whole Empire says, "Well done!"
[True excellence being, as Tu Mu says: "To plan secretly,to move surreptitiously, to foil the enemy's intentions and balkhis schemes, so that at last the day may be won without sheddinga drop of blood." Sun Tzu reserves his approbation for thingsthat "the world's coarse thumb And finger fail to plumb."]
10. To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength;
["Autumn" hair" is explained as the fur of a hare, which isfinest in autumn, when it begins to grow afresh. The phrase is avery common one in Chinese writers.]
to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear thenoise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.
[Ho Shih gives as real instances of strength, sharp sightand quick hearing: Wu Huo, who could lift a tripod weighing 250stone; Li Chu, who at a distance of a hundred paces could seeobjects no bigger than a mustard seed; and Shih K`uang, a blindmusician who could hear the footsteps of a mosquito.]
11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one whonot only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
[The last half is literally "one who, conquering, excels ineasy conquering." Mei Yao-ch`en says: "He who only sees theobvious, wins his battles with difficulty; he who looks below thesurface of things, wins with ease."]
12. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation forwisdom nor credit for courage.
[Tu Mu explains this very well: "Inasmuch as his victoriesare gained over circumstances that have not come to light, theworld as large knows nothing of them, and he wins no reputationfor wisdom; inasmuch as the hostile state submits before therehas been any bloodshed, he receives no credit for courage."]
13. He wins his battles by making no mistakes.
[Ch`en Hao says: "He plans no superfluous marches, hedevises no futile attacks." The connection of ideas is thusexplained by Chang Yu: "One who seeks to conquer by sheerstrength, clever though he may be at winning pitched battles, isalso liable on occasion to be vanquished; whereas he who can lookinto the future and discern conditions that are not yet manifest,will never make a blunder and therefore invariably win."]
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 positionwhich makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment fordefeating the enemy.
[A "counsel of perfection" as Tu Mu truly observes."Position" need not be confined to the actual ground occupied bythe troops. It includes all the arrangements and preparationswhich a wise general will make to increase the safety of hisarmy.]
15. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist onlyseeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who isdestined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
[Ho Shih thus expounds the paradox: "In warfare, first layplans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army tobattle; if you will not begin with stratagem but rely on brutestrength alone, victory will no longer be assured."]
16. The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, andstrictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in hispower 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 ofquantity to Measurement; Calculation to Estimation of quantity;Balancing of chances to Calculation; and Victory to Balancing ofchances.
[It is not easy to distinguish the four terms very clearlyin the Chinese. The first seems to be surveying and measurementof the ground, which enable us to form an estimate of the enemy'sstrength, and to make calculations based on the data thusobtained; we are thus led to a general weighing-up, or comparisonof the enemy's chances with our own; if the latter turn thescale, then victory ensues. The chief difficulty lies in thirdterm, which in the Chinese some commentators take as acalculation of NUMBERS, thereby making it nearly synonymous withthe second term. Perhaps the second term should be thought of asa consideration of the enemy's general position or condition,while the third term is the estimate of his numerical strength.On the other hand, Tu Mu says: "The question of relativestrength having been settled, we can bring the varied resourcesof cunning into play." Ho Shih seconds this interpretation, butweakens it. However, it points to the third term as being acalculation of numbers.]
19. A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as apound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain.
[Literally, "a victorious army is like an I (20 oz.) weighedagainst a SHU (1/24 oz.); a routed army is a SHU weighed againstan I." The point is simply the enormous advantage which adisciplined force, flushed with victory, has over one demoralizedby defeat." Legge, in his note on Mencius, I. 2. ix. 2, makesthe I to be 24 Chinese ounces, and corrects Chu Hsi's statementthat it equaled 20 oz. only. But Li Ch`uan of the T`ang dynastyhere gives the same figure as Chu Hsi.]
20. The onrush of a conquering force is like the burstingof pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.
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V. ENERGY
1. Sun Tzu said: The control of a large force is the sameprinciple as the control of a few men: it is merely a questionof dividing up their numbers.
[That is, cutting up the army into regiments, companies,etc., with subordinate officers in command of each. Tu Mureminds us of Han Hsin's famous reply to the first Han Emperor,who once said to him: "How large an army do you think I couldlead?" "Not more than 100,000 men, your Majesty." "And you?"asked the Emperor. "Oh!" he answered, "the more the better."]
2. Fighting with a large army under your command is nowisedifferent from fighting with a small one: it is merely aquestion of instituting signs and signals. 3. To ensure that your whole host may withstand the bruntof the enemy's attack and remain unshaken - this is effected bymaneuvers direct and indirect.
[We now come to one of the most interesting parts of SunTzu's treatise, the discussion of the CHENG and the CH`I." As itis by no means easy to grasp the full significance of these twoterms, or to render them consistently by good Englishequivalents; it may be as well to tabulate some of thecommentators' remarks on the subject before proceeding further.Li Ch`uan: "Facing the enemy is CHENG, making lateral diversionis CH`I. Chia Lin: "In presence of the enemy, your troopsshould be arrayed in normal fashion, but in order to securevictory abnormal maneuvers must be employed." Mei Yao-ch`en:"CH`I is active, CHENG is passive; passivity means waiting for anopportunity, activity beings the victory itself." Ho Shih: "Wemust cause the enemy to regard our straightforward attack as onethat is secretly designed, and vice versa; thus CHENG may also beCH`I, and CH`I may also be CHENG." He instances the famousexploit of Han Hsin, who when marching ostensibly against Lin-chin (now Chao-i in Shensi), suddenly threw a large force acrossthe Yellow River in wooden tubs, utterly disconcerting hisopponent. [Ch`ien Han Shu, ch. 3.] Here, we are told, the marchon Lin-chin was CHENG, and the surprise maneuver was CH`I."Chang Yu gives the following summary of opinions on the words:"Military writers do not agree with regard to the meaning of CH`Iand CHENG. Wei Liao Tzu [4th cent. B.C.] says: 'Direct warfarefavors frontal attacks, indirect warfare attacks from the rear.'Ts`ao Kung says: 'Going straight out to join battle is a directoperation; appearing on the enemy's rear is an indirectmaneuver.' Li Wei-kung [6th and 7th cent. A.D.] says: 'In war,to march straight ahead is CHENG; turning movements, on the otherhand, are CH`I.' These writers simply regard CHENG as CHENG, andCH`I as CH`I; they do not note that the two are mutuallyinterchangeable and run into each other like the two sides of acircle [see infra, ss. 11]. A comment on the T`ang Emperor T`aiTsung goes to the root of the matter: 'A CH`I maneuver may beCHENG, if we make the enemy look upon it as CHENG; then our realattack will be CH`I, and vice versa. The whole secret lies inconfusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.'"To put it perhaps a little more clearly: any attack or otheroperation is CHENG, on which the enemy has had his attentionfixed; whereas that is CH`I," which takes him by surprise orcomes from an unexpected quarter. If the enemy perceives amovement which is meant to be CH`I," it immediately becomesCHENG."]
4. That the impact of your army may be like a grindstonedashed against an egg - this is effected by the science of weakpoints and strong. 5. In all fighting, the direct method may be used forjoining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order tosecure victory.
[Chang Yu says: "Steadily develop indirect tactics, eitherby pounding the enemy's flanks or falling on his rear." Abrilliant example of "indirect tactics" which decided thefortunes of a campaign was Lord Roberts' night march round thePeiwar Kotal in the second Afghan war. [1]
6. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhausibleas Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams;like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the fourseasons, they pass away to return once more.
[Tu Yu and Chang Yu understand this of the permutations ofCH`I and CHENG." But at present Sun Tzu is not speaking of CHENGat all, unless, indeed, we suppose with Cheng Yu-hsien that aclause relating to it has fallen out of the text. Of course, ashas already been pointed out, the two are so inextricablyinterwoven in all military operations, that they cannot really beconsidered apart. Here we simply have an expression, infigurative language, of the almost infinite resource of a greatleader.]
7. There are not more than five musical notes, yet thecombinations of these five give rise to more melodies than canever be heard. 8. There are not more than five primary colors (blue,yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they producemore 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 moreflavors than can ever be tasted. 10. In battle, there are not more than two methods ofattack - the direct and the indirect; yet these two incombination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers. 11. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other inturn. 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 whichwill even roll stones along in its course. 13. The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop ofa falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.
[The Chinese here is tricky and a certain key word in thecontext it is used defies the best efforts of the translator. TuMu defines this word as "the measurement or estimation ofdistance." But this meaning does not quite fit the illustrativesimile in ss. 15. Applying this definition to the falcon, itseems to me to denote that instinct of SELF RESTRAINT which keepsthe bird from swooping on its quarry until the right moment,together with the power of judging when the right moment hasarrived. The analogous quality in soldiers is the highlyimportant one of being able to reserve their fire until the veryinstant at which it will be most effective. When the "Victory"went into action at Trafalgar at hardly more than drifting pace,she was for several minutes exposed to a storm of shot and shellbefore replying with a single gun. Nelson coolly waited until hewas within close range, when the broadside he brought to bearworked fearful havoc on the enemy's nearest ships.]
14. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in hisonset, and prompt in his decision.
[The word "decision" would have reference to the measurementof distance mentioned above, letting the enemy get near beforestriking. But I cannot help thinking that Sun Tzu meant to usethe word in a figurative sense comparable to our own idiom "shortand sharp." Cf. Wang Hsi's note, which after describing thefalcon's mode of attack, proceeds: "This is just how the'psychological moment' should be seized in war."]
15. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow;decision, to the releasing of a trigger.
[None of the commentators seem to grasp the real point ofthe simile of energy and the force stored up in the bent cross-bow until released by the finger on the trigger.]
16. Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may beseeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all; amid confusionand chaos, your array may be without head or tail, yet it will beproof against defeat.
[Mei Yao-ch`en says: "The subdivisions of the army havingbeen previously fixed, and the various signals agreed upon, theseparating and joining, the dispersing and collecting which willtake place in the course of a battle, may give the appearance ofdisorder when no real disorder is possible. Your formation maybe without head or tail, your dispositions all topsy-turvy, andyet a rout of your forces quite out of the question."]
17. Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline,simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulatesstrength.
[In order to make the translation intelligible, it isnecessary to tone down the sharply paradoxical form of theoriginal. Ts`ao Kung throws out a hint of the meaning in hisbrief note: "These things all serve to destroy formation andconceal one's condition." But Tu Mu is the first to put it quiteplainly: "If you wish to feign confusion in order to lure theenemy on, you must first have perfect discipline; if you wish todisplay timidity in order to entrap the enemy, you must haveextreme courage; if you wish to parade your weakness in order tomake the enemy over-confident, you must have exceedingstrength."]
18. Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is simply aquestion of subdivision;
[See supra, ss. 1.]
concealing courage under a show of timidity presupposes a fund oflatent energy;
[The commentators strongly understand a certain Chinese wordhere differently than anywhere else in this chapter. Thus Tu Musays: "seeing that we are favorably circumstanced and yet makeno move, the enemy will believe that we are really afraid."]
masking strength with weakness is to be effected by tacticaldispositions.
[Chang Yu relates the following anecdote of Kao Tsu, thefirst Han Emperor: "Wishing to crush the Hsiung-nu, he sent outspies to report on their condition. But the Hsiung-nu,forewarned, carefully concealed all their able-bodied men andwell-fed horses, and only allowed infirm soldiers and emaciatedcattle to be seen. The result was that spies one and allrecommended the Emperor to deliver his attack. Lou Ching aloneopposed them, saying: "When two countries go to war, they arenaturally inclined to make an ostentatious display of theirstrength. Yet our spies have seen nothing but old age andinfirmity. This is surely some ruse on the part of the enemy,and it would be unwise for us to attack." The Emperor, however,disregarding this advice, fell into the trap and found himselfsurrounded at Po-teng."]
19. Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy on themove maintains deceitful appearances, according to which theenemy will act.
[Ts`ao Kung's note is "Make a display of weakness and want."Tu Mu says: "If our force happens to be superior to the enemy's,weakness may be simulated in order to lure him on; but ifinferior, he must be led to believe that we are strong, in orderthat he may keep off. In fact, all the enemy's movements shouldbe determined by the signs that we choose to give him." Note thefollowing anecdote of Sun Pin, a descendent of Sun Wu: In 341B.C., the Ch`i State being at war with Wei, sent T`ien Chi andSun Pin against the general P`ang Chuan, who happened to be adeadly personal enemy of the later. Sun Pin said: "The Ch`iState has a reputation for cowardice, and therefore our adversarydespises us. Let us turn this circumstance to account."Accordingly, when the army had crossed the border into Weiterritory, he gave orders to show 100,000 fires on the firstnight, 50,000 on the next, and the night after only 20,000.P`ang Chuan pursued them hotly, saying to himself: "I knew thesemen of Ch`i were cowards: their numbers have already fallen awayby more than half." In his retreat, Sun Pin came to a narrowdefile, with he calculated that his pursuers would reach afterdark. Here he had a tree stripped of its bark, and inscribedupon it the words: "Under this tree shall P`ang Chuan die."Then, as night began to fall, he placed a strong body of archersin ambush near by, with orders to shoot directly they saw alight. Later on, P`ang Chuan arrived at the spot, and noticingthe tree, struck a light in order to read what was written on it.His body was immediately riddled by a volley of arrows, and hiswhole army thrown into confusion. [The above is Tu Mu's versionof the story; the SHIH CHI, less dramatically but probably withmore historical truth, makes P`ang Chuan cut his own throat withan exclamation of despair, after the rout of his army.] ]
He sacrifices something, that the enemy may snatch at it.
20. By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march; thenwith a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.
[With an emendation suggested by Li Ching, this then reads,"He lies in wait with the main body of his troops."]
21. The clever combatant looks to the effect of combinedenergy, and does not require too much from individuals.
[Tu Mu says: "He first of all considers the power of hisarmy in the bulk; afterwards he takes individual talent intoaccount, and uses each men according to his capabilities. Hedoes not demand perfection from the untalented."]
Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combinedenergy. 22. When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting menbecome as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. For it isthe nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on levelground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to come toa standstill, but if round-shaped, to go rolling down.
[Ts`au Kung calls this "the use of natural or inherentpower."]
23. Thus the energy developed by good fighting men is asthe momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain thousandsof feet in height. So much on the subject of energy.
[The chief lesson of this chapter, in Tu Mu's opinion, isthe paramount importance in war of rapid evolutions and suddenrushes. "Great results," he adds, "can thus be achieved withsmall forces."]
[1] "Forty-one Years in India," chapter 46.
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VI. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG
[Chang Yu attempts to explain the sequence of chapters asfollows: "Chapter IV, on Tactical Dispositions, treated of theoffensive and the defensive; chapter V, on Energy, dealt withdirect and indirect methods. The good general acquaints himselffirst with the theory of attack and defense, and then turns hisattention to direct and indirect methods. He studies the art ofvarying and combining these two methods before proceeding to thesubject of weak and strong points. For the use of direct orindirect methods arises out of attack and defense, and theperception of weak and strong points depends again on the abovemethods. Hence the present chapter comes immediately after thechapter on Energy."]
1. Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and awaitsthe coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever issecond in the field and has to hasten to battle will arriveexhausted. 2. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on theenemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.
[One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his ownterms or fights not at all. [1] ]
3. By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemyto approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage, he canmake it impossible for the enemy to draw near.
[In the first case, he will entice him with a bait; in thesecond, he will strike at some important point which the enemywill have to defend.]
4. If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him;
[This passage may be cited as evidence against Mei Yao-Ch`en's interpretation of I. ss. 23.]
if well supplied with food, he can starve him out; if quietlyencamped, 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, ifit marches through country where the enemy is not.
[Ts`ao Kung sums up very well: "Emerge from the void [q.d.like "a bolt from the blue"], strike at vulnerable points, shunplaces that are defended, attack in unexpected quarters."]
7. You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if youonly attack places which are undefended.
[Wang Hsi explains "undefended places" as "weak points; thatis to say, where the general is lacking in capacity, or thesoldiers in spirit; where the walls are not strong enough, or theprecautions not strict enough; where relief comes too late, orprovisions are too scanty, or the defenders are variance amongstthemselves."]
You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only holdpositions that cannot be attacked.
[I.e., where there are none of the weak points mentionedabove. There is rather a nice point involved in theinterpretation of this later clause. Tu Mu, Ch`en Hao, and MeiYao-ch`en assume the meaning to be: "In order to make yourdefense quite safe, you must defend EVEN those places that arenot likely to be attacked;" and Tu Mu adds: "How much more,then, those that will be attacked." Taken thus, however, theclause balances less well with the preceding--always aconsideration in the highly antithetical style which is naturalto the Chinese. Chang Yu, therefore, seems to come nearer themark in saying: "He who is skilled in attack flashes forth fromthe topmost heights of heaven [see IV. ss. 7], making itimpossible for the enemy to guard against him. This being so,the places that I shall attack are precisely those that the enemycannot defend.... He who is skilled in defense hides in the mostsecret recesses of the earth, making it impossible for the enemyto estimate his whereabouts. This being so, the places that Ishall hold are precisely those that the enemy cannot attack."]
8. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponentdoes not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whoseopponent does not know what to attack.
[An aphorism which puts the whole art of war in a nutshell.]
9. O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you welearn to be invisible, through you inaudible;
[Literally, "without form or sound," but it is said ofcourse with reference to the enemy.]
and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands. 10. You may advance and be absolutely irresistible, if youmake for the enemy's weak points; you may retire and be safe frompursuit if your movements are more rapid than those of the enemy. 11. If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to anengagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart anda deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that hewill be obliged to relieve.
[Tu Mu says: "If the enemy is the invading party, we cancut his line of communications and occupy the roads by which hewill have to return; if we are the invaders, we may direct ourattack against the sovereign himself." It is clear that Sun Tzu,unlike certain generals in the late Boer war, was no believer infrontal attacks.]
12. If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemyfrom engaging us even though the lines of our encampment bemerely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throwsomething odd and unaccountable in his way.
[This extremely concise expression is intelligiblyparaphrased by Chia Lin: "even though we have constructedneither wall nor ditch." Li Ch`uan says: "we puzzle him bystrange and unusual dispositions;" and Tu Mu finally clinches themeaning by three illustrative anecdotes--one of Chu-ko Liang, whowhen occupying Yang-p`ing and about to be attacked by Ssu-ma I,suddenly struck his colors, stopped the beating of the drums, andflung open the city gates, showing only a few men engaged insweeping and sprinkling the ground. This unexpected proceedinghad the intended effect; for Ssu-ma I, suspecting an ambush,actually drew off his army and retreated. What Sun Tzu isadvocating here, therefore, is nothing more nor less than thetimely use of "bluff."]
13. By discovering the enemy's dispositions and remaininginvisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, whilethe enemy's must be divided.
[The conclusion is perhaps not very obvious, but Chang Yu(after Mei Yao-ch`en) rightly explains it thus: "If the enemy'sdispositions are visible, we can make for him in one body;whereas, our own dispositions being kept secret, the enemy willbe obliged to divide his forces in order to guard against attackfrom every quarter."]
14. We can form a single united body, while the enemy mustsplit up into fractions. Hence there will be a whole pittedagainst separate parts of a whole, which means that we shall bemany to the enemy's few. 15. And if we are able thus to attack an inferior forcewith a superior one, our opponents will be in dire straits. 16. The spot where we intend to fight must not be madeknown; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possibleattack at several different points;
[Sheridan once explained the reason of General Grant'svictories by saying that "while his opponents were kept fullyemployed wondering what he was going to do, HE was thinking mostof what he was going to do himself."]
and his forces being thus distributed in many directions, thenumbers we shall have to face at any given point will beproportionately few. 17. For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weakenhis rear; should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van;should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; shouldhe strengthen his right, he will weaken his left. If he sendsreinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.
[In Frederick the Great's INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS GENERALS weread: "A defensive war is apt to betray us into too frequentdetachment. Those generals who have had but little experienceattempt to protect every point, while those who are betteracquainted with their profession, having only the capital objectin view, guard against a decisive blow, and acquiesce in smallmisfortunes to avoid greater."]
18. Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare againstpossible attacks; numerical strength, from compelling ouradversary to make these preparations against us.
[The highest generalship, in Col. Henderson's words, is "tocompel the enemy to disperse his army, and then to concentratesuperior force against each fraction in turn."]
19. Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle, wemay concentrate from the greatest distances in order to fight.
[What Sun Tzu evidently has in mind is that nice calculationof distances and that masterly employment of strategy whichenable a general to divide his army for the purpose of a long andrapid march, and afterwards to effect a junction at precisely theright spot and the right hour in order to confront the enemy inoverwhelming strength. Among many such successful junctionswhich military history records, one of the most dramatic anddecisive was the appearance of Blucher just at the criticalmoment on the field of Waterloo.]
20. But if neither time nor place be known, then the leftwing will be impotent to succor the right, the right equallyimpotent to succor the left, the van unable to relieve the rear,or the rear to support the van. How much more so if the furthestportions of the army are anything under a hundred LI apart, andeven the nearest are separated by several LI!
[The Chinese of this last sentence is a little lacking inprecision, but the mental picture we are required to draw isprobably that of an army advancing towards a given rendezvous inseparate columns, each of which has orders to be there on a fixeddate. If the general allows the various detachments to proceedat haphazard, without precise instructions as to the time andplace of meeting, the enemy will be able to annihilate the armyin detail. Chang Yu's note may be worth quoting here: "If we donot know the place where our opponents mean to concentrate or theday on which they will join battle, our unity will be forfeitedthrough our preparations for defense, and the positions we holdwill be insecure. Suddenly happening upon a powerful foe, weshall be brought to battle in a flurried condition, and no mutualsupport will be possible between wings, vanguard or rear,especially if there is any great distance between the foremostand hindmost divisions of the army."]
21. Though according to my estimate the soldiers of Yuehexceed our own in number, that shall advantage them nothing inthe matter of victory. I say then that victory can be achieved.
[Alas for these brave words! The long feud between the twostates ended in 473 B.C. with the total defeat of Wu by Kou Chienand its incorporation in Yueh. This was doubtless long after SunTzu's death. With his present assertion compare IV. ss. 4.Chang Yu is the only one to point out the seeming discrepancy,which he thus goes on to explain: "In the chapter on TacticalDispositions it is said, 'One may KNOW how to conquer withoutbeing able to DO it,' whereas here we have the statement that'victory' can be achieved.' The explanation is, that in theformer chapter, where the offensive and defensive are underdiscussion, it is said that if the enemy is fully prepared, onecannot make certain of beating him. But the present passagerefers particularly to the soldiers of Yueh who, according to SunTzu's calculations, will be kept in ignorance of the time andplace of the impending struggle. That is why he says here thatvictory can be achieved."]
22. Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may preventhim from fighting. Scheme so as to discover his plans and thelikelihood of their success.
[An alternative reading offered by Chia Lin is: "Knowbeforehand all plans conducive to our success and to the enemy'sfailure."
23. Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity orinactivity.
[Chang Yu tells us that by noting the joy or anger shown bythe enemy on being thus disturbed, we shall be able to concludewhether his policy is to lie low or the reverse. He instancesthe action of Cho-ku Liang, who sent the scornful present of awoman's head-dress to Ssu-ma I, in order to goad him out of hisFabian tactics.]
Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerablespots. 24. Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, sothat you may know where strength is superabundant and where it isdeficient.
[Cf. IV. ss. 6.]
25. In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch youcan attain is to conceal them;
[The piquancy of the paradox evaporates in translation.Concealment is perhaps not so much actual invisibility (see suprass. 9) as "showing no sign" of what you mean to do, of the plansthat are formed in your brain.]
conceal your dispositions, and you will be safe from the pryingof the subtlest spies, from the machinations of the wisestbrains.
[Tu Mu explains: "Though the enemy may have clever andcapable officers, they will not be able to lay any plans againstus."]
26. How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy'sown tactics--that is what the multitude cannot comprehend. 27. All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but whatnone can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.
[I.e., everybody can see superficially how a battle is won;what they cannot see is the long series of plans and combinationswhich has preceded the battle.]
28. Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you onevictory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinitevariety of circumstances.
[As Wang Hsi sagely remarks: "There is but one root-principle underlying victory, but the tactics which lead up to itare infinite in number." With this compare Col. Henderson: "Therules of strategy are few and simple. They may be learned in aweek. They may be taught by familiar illustrations or a dozendiagrams. But such knowledge will no more teach a man to lead anarmy like Napoleon than a knowledge of grammar will teach him towrite like Gibbon."]
29. Military tactics are like unto water; for water in itsnatural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards. 30. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and tostrike at what is weak.
[Like water, taking the line of least resistance.]
31. Water shapes its course according to the nature of theground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory inrelation to the foe whom he is facing. 32. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, soin warfare there are no constant conditions. 33. He who can modify his tactics in relation to hisopponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain. 34. The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth) arenot always equally predominant;
[That is, as Wang Hsi says: "they predominatealternately."]
the four seasons make way for each other in turn.
[Literally, "have no invariable seat."]
There are short days and long; the moon has its periods of waningand waxing.
[Cf. V. ss. 6. The purport of the passage is simply toillustrate the want of fixity in war by the changes constantlytaking place in Nature. The comparison is not very happy,however, because the regularity of the phenomena which Sun Tzumentions is by no means paralleled in war.]
[1] See Col. Henderson's biography of Stonewall Jackson, 1902ed., vol. II, p. 490.
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VII. MANEUVERING
1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commandsfrom the sovereign. 2. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, hemust blend and harmonize the different elements thereof beforepitching his camp.
["Chang Yu says: "the establishment of harmony andconfidence between the higher and lower ranks before venturinginto the field;" and he quotes a saying of Wu Tzu (chap. 1 adinit.): "Without harmony in the State, no military expeditioncan be undertaken; without harmony in the army, no battle arraycan be formed." In an historical romance Sun Tzu is representedas saying to Wu Yuan: "As a general rule, those who are wagingwar should get rid of all the domestic troubles before proceedingto attack the external foe."]
3. After that, comes tactical maneuvering, than which thereis nothing more difficult.
[I have departed slightly from the traditionalinterpretation of Ts`ao Kung, who says: "From the time ofreceiving the sovereign's instructions until our encampment overagainst the enemy, the tactics to be pursued are most difficult."It seems to me that the tactics or maneuvers can hardly be saidto begin until the army has sallied forth and encamped, andCh`ien Hao's note gives color to this view: "For levying,concentrating, harmonizing and entrenching an army, there areplenty of old rules which will serve. The real difficulty comeswhen we engage in tactical operations." Tu Yu also observes that"the great difficulty is to be beforehand with the enemy inseizing favorable position."]
The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning thedevious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.
[This sentence contains one of those highly condensed andsomewhat enigmatical expressions of which Sun Tzu is so fond.This is how it is explained by Ts`ao Kung: "Make it appear thatyou are a long way off, then cover the distance rapidly andarrive on the scene before your opponent." Tu Mu says:"Hoodwink the enemy, so that he may be remiss and leisurely whileyou are dashing along with utmost speed." Ho Shih gives aslightly different turn: "Although you may have difficult groundto traverse and natural obstacles to encounter this is a drawbackwhich can be turned into actual advantage by celerity ofmovement." Signal examples of this saying are afforded by thetwo famous passages across the Alps--that of Hannibal, which laidItaly at his mercy, and that of Napoleon two thousand yearslater, which resulted in the great victory of Marengo.]
4. Thus, to take a long and circuitous route, afterenticing the enemy out of the way, and though starting after him,to contrive to reach the goal before him, shows knowledge of theartifice of DEVIATION.
[Tu Mu cites the famous march of Chao She in 270 B.C. torelieve the town of O-yu, which was closely invested by a Ch`inarmy. The King of Chao first consulted Lien P`o on theadvisability of attempting a relief, but the latter thought thedistance too great, and the intervening country too rugged anddifficult. His Majesty then turned to Chao She, who fullyadmitted the hazardous nature of the march, but finally said:"We shall be like two rats fighting in a whole--and the pluckierone will win!" So he left the capital with his army, but hadonly gone a distance of 30 LI when he stopped and beganthrowing up entrenchments. For 28 days he continuedstrengthening his fortifications, and took care that spies shouldcarry the intelligence to the enemy. The Ch`in general wasoverjoyed, and attributed his adversary's tardiness to the factthat the beleaguered city was in the Han State, and thus notactually part of Chao territory. But the spies had no soonerdeparted than Chao She began a forced march lasting for two daysand one night, and arrive on the scene of action with suchastonishing rapidity that he was able to occupy a commandingposition on the "North hill" before the enemy had got wind of hismovements. A crushing defeat followed for the Ch`in forces, whowere obliged to raise the siege of O-yu in all haste and retreatacross the border.]
5. Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with anundisciplined multitude, most dangerous.
[I adopt the reading of the T`UNG TIEN, Cheng Yu-hsien andthe T`U SHU, since they appear to apply the exact nuance requiredin order to make sense. The commentators using the standard texttake this line to mean that maneuvers may be profitable, or theymay be dangerous: it all depends on the ability of the general.]
6. If you set a fully equipped army in march in order tosnatch an advantage, the chances are that you will be too late.On the other hand, to detach a flying column for the purposeinvolves the sacrifice of its baggage and stores.
[Some of the Chinese text is unintelligible to the Chinesecommentators, who paraphrase the sentence. I submit my ownrendering without much enthusiasm, being convinced that there issome deep-seated corruption in the text. On the whole, it isclear that Sun Tzu does not approve of a lengthy march beingundertaken without supplies. Cf. infra, ss. 11.]
7. Thus, if you order your men to roll up their buff-coats,and make forced marches without halting day or night, coveringdouble the usual distance at a stretch,
[The ordinary day's march, according to Tu Mu, was 30 LI;but on one occasion, when pursuing Liu Pei, Ts`ao Ts`ao is saidto have covered the incredible distance of 300 _li_ withintwenty-four hours.]
doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an advantage, the leaders ofall your three divisions will fall into the hands of the enemy. 8. The stronger men will be in front, the jaded ones willfall behind, and on this plan only one-tenth of your army willreach its destination.
[The moral is, as Ts`ao Kung and others point out: Don'tmarch a hundred LI to gain a tactical advantage, either with orwithout impedimenta. Maneuvers of this description should beconfined to short distances. Stonewall Jackson said: "Thehardships of forced marches are often more painful than thedangers of battle." He did not often call upon his troops forextraordinary exertions. It was only when he intended asurprise, or when a rapid retreat was imperative, that hesacrificed everything for speed. [1] ]
9. If you march fifty LI in order to outmaneuver the enemy,you will lose the leader of your first division, and only halfyour force will reach the goal.
[Literally, "the leader of the first division will beTORN AWAY."]
10. If you march thirty LI with the same object, two-thirdsof your army will arrive.
[In the T`UNG TIEN is added: "From this we may know thedifficulty of maneuvering."]
11. We may take it then that an army without its baggage-train is lost; without provisions it is lost; without bases ofsupply it is lost.
[I think Sun Tzu meant "stores accumulated in depots." ButTu Yu says "fodder and the like," Chang Yu says "Goods ingeneral," and Wang Hsi says "fuel, salt, foodstuffs, etc."]
12. We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquaintedwith the designs of our neighbors. 13. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless weare familiar with the face of the country--its mountains andforests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps. 14. We shall be unable to turn natural advantage to accountunless we make use of local guides.
[ss. 12-14 are repeated in chap. XI. ss. 52.]
15. In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed.
[In the tactics of Turenne, deception of the enemy,especially as to the numerical strength of his troops, took avery prominent position. [2] ]
16. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops, mustbe decided by circumstances. 17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind,
[The simile is doubly appropriate, because the wind is notonly swift but, as Mei Yao-ch`en points out, "invisible andleaves no tracks."]
your compactness that of the forest.
[Meng Shih comes nearer to the mark in his note: "Whenslowly marching, order and ranks must be preserved"--so as toguard against surprise attacks. But natural forest do not growin rows, whereas they do generally possess the quality of densityor compactness.]
18. In raiding and plundering be like fire,
[Cf. SHIH CHING, IV. 3. iv. 6: "Fierce as a blazing firewhich no man can check."]
is immovability like a mountain.
[That is, when holding a position from which the enemy istrying to dislodge you, or perhaps, as Tu Yu says, when he istrying to entice you into a trap.]
19. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, andwhen you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
[Tu Yu quotes a saying of T`ai Kung which has passed into aproverb: "You cannot shut your ears to the thunder or your eyesto the lighting--so rapid are they." Likewise, an attack shouldbe made so quickly that it cannot be parried.]
20. When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil bedivided amongst your men;
[Sun Tzu wishes to lessen the abuses of indiscriminateplundering by insisting that all booty shall be thrown into acommon stock, which may afterwards be fairly divided amongstall.]
when you capture new territory, cut it up into allotments for thebenefit of the soldiery.
[Ch`en Hao says "quarter your soldiers on the land, and letthem sow and plant it." It is by acting on this principle, andharvesting the lands they invaded, that the Chinese havesucceeded in carrying out some of their most memorable andtriumphant expeditions, such as that of Pan Ch`ao who penetratedto the Caspian, and in more recent years, those of Fu-k`ang-anand Tso Tsung-t`ang.]
21. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
[Chang Yu quotes Wei Liao Tzu as saying that we must notbreak camp until we have gained the resisting power of the enemyand the cleverness of the opposing general. Cf. the "sevencomparisons" in I. ss. 13.]
22. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice ofdeviation.
[See supra, SS. 3, 4.]
Such is the art of maneuvering.
[With these words, the chapter would naturally come to anend. But there now follows a long appendix in the shape of anextract from an earlier book on War, now lost, but apparentlyextant at the time when Sun Tzu wrote. The style of thisfragment is not noticeable different from that of Sun Tzuhimself, but no commentator raises a doubt as to itsgenuineness.]
23. The Book of Army Management says:
[It is perhaps significant that none of the earliercommentators give us any information about this work. Mei Yao-Ch`en calls it "an ancient military classic," and Wang Hsi, "anold book on war." Considering the enormous amount of fightingthat had gone on for centuries before Sun Tzu's time between thevarious kingdoms and principalities of China, it is not in itselfimprobable that a collection of military maxims should have beenmade and written down at some earlier period.]
On the field of battle,
[Implied, though not actually in the Chinese.]
the spoken word does not carry far enough: hence the institutionof gongs and drums. Nor can ordinary objects be seen clearlyenough: hence the institution of banners and flags. 24. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means wherebythe ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particularpoint.
[Chang Yu says: "If sight and hearing convergesimultaneously on the same object, the evolutions of as many as amillion soldiers will be like those of a single man."!]
25. The host thus forming a single united body, is itimpossible either for the brave to advance alone, or for thecowardly to retreat alone.
[Chuang Yu quotes a saying: "Equally guilty are those whoadvance against orders and those who retreat against orders." TuMu tells a story in this connection of Wu Ch`i, when he wasfighting against the Ch`in State. Before the battle had begun,one of his soldiers, a man of matchless daring, sallied forth byhimself, captured two heads from the enemy, and returned to camp.Wu Ch`i had the man instantly executed, whereupon an officerventured to remonstrate, saying: "This man was a good soldier,and ought not to have been beheaded." Wu Ch`i replied: "I fullybelieve he was a good soldier, but I had him beheaded because heacted without orders."]
This is the art of handling large masses of men. 26. In night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-firesand drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners, as ameans of influencing the ears and eyes of your army.
[Ch`en Hao alludes to Li Kuang-pi's night ride to Ho-yang atthe head of 500 mounted men; they made such an imposing displaywith torches, that though the rebel leader Shih Ssu-ming had alarge army, he did not dare to dispute their passage.]
27. A whole army may be robbed of its spirit;
["In war," says Chang Yu, "if a spirit of anger can be madeto pervade all ranks of an army at one and the same time, itsonset will be irresistible. Now the spirit of the enemy'ssoldiers will be keenest when they have newly arrived on thescene, and it is therefore our cue not to fight at once, but towait until their ardor and enthusiasm have worn off, and thenstrike. It is in this way that they may be robbed of their keenspirit." Li Ch`uan and others tell an anecdote (to be found inthe TSO CHUAN, year 10, ss. 1) of Ts`ao Kuei, a protege of DukeChuang of Lu. The latter State was attacked by Ch`i, and theduke was about to join battle at Ch`ang-cho, after the first rollof the enemy's drums, when Ts`ao said: "Not just yet." Onlyafter their drums had beaten for the third time, did he give theword for attack. Then they fought, and the men of Ch`i wereutterly defeated. Questioned afterwards by the Duke as to themeaning of his delay, Ts`ao Kuei replied: "In battle, acourageous spirit is everything. Now the first roll of the drumtends to create this spirit, but with the second it is already onthe wane, and after the third it is gone altogether. I attackedwhen their spirit was gone and ours was at its height. Hence ourvictory." Wu Tzu (chap. 4) puts "spirit" first among the "fourimportant influences" in war, and continues: "The value of awhole army--a mighty host of a million men--is dependent on oneman alone: such is the influence of spirit!"]
a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind.
[Chang Yu says: "Presence of mind is the general's mostimportant asset. It is the quality which enables him todiscipline disorder and to inspire courage into the panic-stricken." The great general Li Ching (A.D. 571-649) has asaying: "Attacking does not merely consist in assaulting walledcities or striking at an army in battle array; it must includethe art of assailing the enemy's mental equilibrium."]
28. Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning;
[Always provided, I suppose, that he has had breakfast. Atthe battle of the Trebia, the Romans were foolishly allowed tofight fasting, whereas Hannibal's men had breakfasted attheir leisure. See Livy, XXI, liv. 8, lv. 1 and 8.]
by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind isbent only on returning to camp. 29. A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when itsspirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclinedto return. This is the art of studying moods. 30. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance ofdisorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:--this is the art ofretaining self-possession. 31. To be near the goal while the enemy is still far fromit, to wait at ease while the enemy is toiling and struggling, tobe well-fed while the enemy is famished:--this is the art ofhusbanding one's strength. 32. To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose banners arein perfect order, to refrain from attacking an army drawn up incalm and confident array:--this is the art of studyingcircumstances. 33. It is a military axiom not to advance uphill againstthe enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill. 34. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight; do notattack soldiers whose temper is keen. 35. Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy.
[Li Ch`uan and Tu Mu, with extraordinary inability to see ametaphor, take these words quite literally of food and drink thathave been poisoned by the enemy. Ch`en Hao and Chang Yucarefully point out that the saying has a wider application.]
Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.
[The commentators explain this rather singular piece ofadvice by saying that a man whose heart is set on returning homewill fight to the death against any attempt to bar his way, andis therefore too dangerous an opponent to be tackled. Chang Yuquotes the words of Han Hsin: "Invincible is the soldier whohath his desire and returneth homewards." A marvelous tale istold of Ts`ao Ts`ao's courage and resource in ch. 1 of the SANKUO CHI: In 198 A.D., he was besieging Chang Hsiu in Jang, whenLiu Piao sent reinforcements with a view to cutting off Ts`ao'sretreat. The latter was obliged to draw off his troops, only tofind himself hemmed in between two enemies, who were guardingeach outlet of a narrow pass in which he had engaged himself. Inthis desperate plight Ts`ao waited until nightfall, when he boreda tunnel into the mountain side and laid an ambush in it. Assoon as the whole army had passed by, the hidden troops fell onhis rear, while Ts`ao himself turned and met his pursuers infront, so that they were thrown into confusion and annihilated.Ts`ao Ts`ao said afterwards: "The brigands tried to check myarmy in its retreat and brought me to battle in a desperateposition: hence I knew how to overcome them."]
36. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free.
[This does not mean that the enemy is to be allowed toescape. The object, as Tu Mu puts it, is "to make him believethat there is a road to safety, and thus prevent his fightingwith the courage of despair." Tu Mu adds pleasantly: "Afterthat, you may crush him."]
Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
[Ch`en Hao quotes the saying: "Birds and beasts whenbrought to bay will use their claws and teeth." Chang Yu says:"If your adversary has burned his boats and destroyed hiscooking-pots, and is ready to stake all on the issue of a battle,he must not be pushed to extremities." Ho Shih illustrates themeaning by a story taken from the life of Yen-ch`ing. Thatgeneral, together with his colleague Tu Chung-wei was surroundedby a vastly superior army of Khitans in the year 945 A.D. Thecountry was bare and desert-like, and the little Chinese forcewas soon in dire straits for want of water. The wells they boredran dry, and the men were reduced to squeezing lumps of mud andsucking out the moisture. Their ranks thinned rapidly, until atlast Fu Yen-ch`ing exclaimed: "We are desperate men. Far betterto die for our country than to go with fettered hands intocaptivity!" A strong gale happened to be blowing from thenortheast and darkening the air with dense clouds of sandy dust.To Chung-wei was for waiting until this had abated beforedeciding on a final attack; but luckily another officer, Li Shou-cheng by name, was quicker to see an opportunity, and said:"They are many and we are few, but in the midst of this sandstormour numbers will not be discernible; victory will go to thestrenuous fighter, and the wind will be our best ally."Accordingly, Fu Yen-ch`ing made a sudden and wholly unexpectedonslaught with his cavalry, routed the barbarians and succeededin breaking through to safety.]
37. Such is the art of warfare.
[1] See Col. Henderson, op. cit. vol. I. p. 426.
[2] For a number of maxims on this head, see "Marshal Turenne"(Longmans, 1907), p. 29.
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VIII. VARIATION IN TACTICS
[The heading means literally "The Nine Variations," but asSun Tzu does not appear to enumerate these, and as, indeed, hehas already told us (V SS. 6-11) that such deflections from theordinary course are practically innumerable, we have littleoption but to follow Wang Hsi, who says that "Nine" stands for anindefinitely large number. "All it means is that in warfare weought to very our tactics to the utmost degree.... I do not knowwhat Ts`ao Kung makes these Nine Variations out to be, but it hasbeen suggested that they are connected with the Nine Situations"- of chapt. XI. This is the view adopted by Chang Yu. The onlyother alternative is to suppose that something has been lost--asupposition to which the unusual shortness of the chapter lendssome weight.]
1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives hiscommands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrateshis forces.
[Repeated from VII. ss. 1, where it is certainly more inplace. It may have been interpolated here merely in order tosupply a beginning to the chapter.]
2. When in difficult country, do not encamp. In countrywhere high roads intersect, join hands with your allies. Do notlinger in dangerously isolated positions.
[The last situation is not one of the Nine Situations asgiven in the beginning of chap. XI, but occurs later on (ibid.ss. 43. q.v.). Chang Yu defines this situation as being situatedacross the frontier, in hostile territory. Li Ch`uan says it is"country in which there are no springs or wells, flocks or herds,vegetables or firewood;" Chia Lin, "one of gorges, chasms andprecipices, without a road by which to advance."]
In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to stratagem. Indesperate position, you must fight. 3. There are roads which must not be followed,
["Especially those leading through narrow defiles," says LiCh`uan, "where an ambush is to be feared."]
armies which must be not attacked,
[More correctly, perhaps, "there are times when an army mustnot be attacked." Ch`en Hao says: "When you see your way toobtain a rival advantage, but are powerless to inflict a realdefeat, refrain from attacking, for fear of overtaxing your men'sstrength."]
towns which must not be besieged,
[Cf. III. ss. 4 Ts`ao Kung gives an interestingillustration from his own experience. When invading theterritory of Hsu-chou, he ignored the city of Hua-pi, which laydirectly in his path, and pressed on into the heart of thecountry. This excellent strategy was rewarded by the subsequentcapture of no fewer than fourteen important district cities.Chang Yu says: "No town should be attacked which, if taken,cannot be held, or if left alone, will not cause any trouble."Hsun Ying, when urged to attack Pi-yang, replied: "The city issmall and well-fortified; even if I succeed intaking it, it willbe no great feat of arms; whereas if I fail, I shall make myselfa laughing-stock." In the seventeenth century, sieges stillformed a large proportion of war. It was Turenne who directedattention to the importance of marches, countermarches andmaneuvers. He said: "It is a great mistake to waste men intaking a town when the same expenditure of soldiers will gain aprovince." [1] ]
positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereignwhich must not be obeyed.
[This is a hard saying for the Chinese, with their reverencefor authority, and Wei Liao Tzu (quoted by Tu Mu) is moved toexclaim: "Weapons are baleful instruments, strife isantagonistic to virtue, a military commander is the negation ofcivil order!" The unpalatable fact remains, however, that evenImperial wishes must be subordinated to military necessity.]
4. The general who thoroughly understands the advantagesthat accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle histroops. 5. The general who does not understand these, may be wellacquainted with the configuration of the country, yet he will notbe able to turn his knowledge to practical account.
[Literally, "get the advantage of the ground," which meansnot only securing good positions, but availing oneself of naturaladvantages in every possible way. Chang Yu says: "Every kind ofground is characterized by certain natural features, and alsogives scope for a certain variability of plan. How it ispossible to turn these natural features to account unlesstopographical knowledge is supplemented by versatility of mind?"]
6. So, the student of war who is unversed in the art of warof varying his plans, even though he be acquainted with the FiveAdvantages, will fail to make the best use of his men.
[Chia Lin tells us that these imply five obvious andgenerally advantageous lines of action, namely: "if a certainroad is short, it must be followed; if an army is isolated, itmust be attacked; if a town is in a parlous condition, it must bebesieged; if a position can be stormed, it must be attempted; andif consistent with military operations, the ruler's commands mustbe obeyed." But there are circumstances which sometimes forbid ageneral to use these advantages. For instance, "a certain roadmay be the shortest way for him, but if he knows that it aboundsin natural obstacles, or that the enemy has laid an ambush on it,he will not follow that road. A hostile force may be open toattack, but if he knows that it is hard-pressed and likely tofight with desperation, he will refrain from striking," and soon.]
7. Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations ofadvantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.
["Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageousone," says Ts`ao Kung, "the opposite state should be alwayspresent to your mind."]
8. If our expectation of advantage be tempered in this way,we may succeed in accomplishing the essential part of ourschemes.
[Tu Mu says: "If we wish to wrest an advantage from theenemy, we must not fix our minds on that alone, but allow for thepossibility of the enemy also doing some harm to us, and let thisenter as a factor into our calculations."]
9. If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties weare always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricateourselves from misfortune.
[Tu Mu says: "If I wish to extricate myself from adangerous position, I must consider not only the enemy's abilityto injure me, but also my own ability to gain an advantage overthe enemy. If in my counsels these two considerations areproperly blended, I shall succeed in liberating myself.... Forinstance; if I am surrounded by the enemy and only think ofeffecting an escape, the nervelessness of my policy will incitemy adversary to pursue and crush me; it would be far better toencourage my men to deliver a bold counter-attack, and use theadvantage thus gained to free myself from the enemy's toils."See the story of Ts`ao Ts`ao, VII. ss. 35, note.]
10. Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage on them;
[Chia Lin enumerates several ways of inflicting this injury,some of which would only occur to the Oriental mind:--"Enticeaway the enemy's best and wisest men, so that he may be leftwithout counselors. Introduce traitors into his country, thatthe government policy may be rendered futile. Foment intrigueand deceit, and thus sow dissension between the ruler and hisministers. By means of every artful contrivance, causedeterioration amongst his men and waste of his treasure. Corrupthis morals by insidious gifts leading him into excess. Disturband unsettle his mind by presenting him with lovely women."Chang Yu (after Wang Hsi) makes a different interpretation of SunTzu here: "Get the enemy into a position where he must sufferinjury, and he will submit of his own accord."]
and make trouble for them,
[Tu Mu, in this phrase, in his interpretation indicates thattrouble should be make for the enemy affecting their"possessions," or, as we might say, "assets," which he considersto be "a large army, a rich exchequer, harmony amongst thesoldiers, punctual fulfillment of commands." These give us awhip-hand over the enemy.]
and keep them constantly engaged;
[Literally, "make servants of them." Tu Yu says "preventthe from having any rest."]
hold out specious allurements, and make them rush to any givenpoint.
[Meng Shih's note contains an excellent example of theidiomatic use of: "cause them to forget PIEN (the reasons foracting otherwise than on their first impulse), and hasten in ourdirection."]
11. The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihoodof the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receivehim; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on thefact that we have made our position unassailable. 12. There are five dangerous faults which may affect ageneral: (1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;
["Bravery without forethought," as Ts`ao Kung analyzes it,which causes a man to fight blindly and desperately like a madbull. Such an opponent, says Chang Yu, "must not be encounteredwith brute force, but may be lured into an ambush and slain."Cf. Wu Tzu, chap. IV. ad init.: "In estimating the character ofa general, men are wont to pay exclusive attention to hiscourage, forgetting that courage is only one out of manyqualities which a general should possess. The merely brave manis prone to fight recklessly; and he who fights recklessly,without any perception of what is expedient, must be condemned."Ssu-ma Fa, too, make the incisive remark: "Simply going to one'sdeath does not bring about victory."]
(2) cowardice, which leads to capture;
[Ts`ao Kung defines the Chinese word translated here as"cowardice" as being of the man "whom timidity prevents fromadvancing to seize an advantage," and Wang Hsi adds "who is quickto flee at the sight of danger." Meng Shih gives the closerparaphrase "he who is bent on returning alive," this is, the manwho will never take a risk. But, as Sun Tzu knew, nothing is tobe achieved in war unless you are willing to take risks. T`aiKung said: "He who lets an advantage slip will subsequentlybring upon himself real disaster." In 404 A.D., Liu Yu pursuedthe rebel Huan Hsuan up the Yangtsze and fought a naval battlewith him at the island of Ch`eng-hung. The loyal troops numberedonly a few thousands, while their opponents were in great force.But Huan Hsuan, fearing the fate which was in store for himshould be be overcome, had a light boat made fast to the side ofhis war-junk, so that he might escape, if necessary, at amoment's notice. The natural result was that the fighting spiritof his soldiers was utterly quenched, and when the loyalists madean attack from windward with fireships, all striving with theutmost ardor to be first in the fray, Huan Hsuan's forces wererouted, had to burn all their baggage and fled for two days andnights without stopping. Chang Yu tells a somewhat similar storyof Chao Ying-ch`i, a general of the Chin State who during abattle with the army of Ch`u in 597 B.C. had a boat kept inreadiness for him on the river, wishing in case of defeat to bethe first to get across.]
(3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;
[Tu Mu tells us that Yao Hsing, when opposed in 357 A.D. byHuang Mei, Teng Ch`iang and others shut himself up behind hiswalls and refused to fight. Teng Ch`iang said: "Our adversaryis of a choleric temper and easily provoked; let us make constantsallies and break down his walls, then he will grow angry andcome out. Once we can bring his force to battle, it is doomed tobe our prey." This plan was acted upon, Yao Hsiang came out tofight, was lured as far as San-yuan by the enemy's pretendedflight, and finally attacked and slain.]
(4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame;
[This need not be taken to mean that a sense of honor isreally a defect in a general. What Sun Tzu condemns is rather anexaggerated sensitiveness to slanderous reports, the thin-skinnedman who is stung by opprobrium, however undeserved. Mei Yao-ch`en truly observes, though somewhat paradoxically: "The seekafter glory should be careless of public opinion."]
(5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worryand trouble.
[Here again, Sun Tzu does not mean that the general is to becareless of the welfare of his troops. All he wishes toemphasize is the danger of sacrificing any important militaryadvantage to the immediate comfort of his men. This is ashortsighted policy, because in the long run the troops willsuffer more from the defeat, or, at best, the prolongation of thewar, which will be the consequence. A mistaken feeling of pitywill often induce a general to relieve a beleaguered city, or toreinforce a hard-pressed detachment, contrary to his militaryinstincts. It is now generally admitted that our repeatedefforts to relieve Ladysmith in the South African War were somany strategical blunders which defeated their own purpose. Andin the end, relief came through the very man who started out withthe distinct resolve no longer to subordinate the interests ofthe whole to sentiment in favor of a part. An old soldier of oneof our generals who failed most conspicuously in this war, triedonce, I remember, to defend him to me on the ground that he wasalways "so good to his men." By this plea, had he but known it,he was only condemning him out of Sun Tzu's mouth.]
13. These are the five besetting sins of a general, ruinousto the conduct of war. 14. When an army is overthrown and its leader slain, thecause will surely be found among these five dangerous faults.Let them be a subject of meditation.
[1] "Marshal Turenne," p. 50.
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IX. THE ARMY ON THE MARCH
[The contents of this interesting chapter are betterindicated in ss. 1 than by this heading.]
1. Sun Tzu said: We come now to the question of encampingthe army, and observing signs of the enemy. Pass quickly overmountains, and keep in the neighborhood of valleys.
[The idea is, not to linger among barren uplands, but tokeep close to supplies of water and grass. Cf. Wu Tzu, ch. 3:"Abide not in natural ovens," i.e. "the openings of valleys."Chang Yu tells the following anecdote: Wu-tu Ch`iang was arobber captain in the time of the Later Han, and Ma Yuan was sentto exterminate his gang. Ch`iang having found a refuge in thehills, Ma Yuan made no attempt to force a battle, but seized allthe favorable positions commanding supplies of water and forage.Ch`iang was soon in such a desperate plight for want ofprovisions that he was forced to make a total surrender. He didnot know the advantage of keeping in the neighborhood ofvalleys."]
2. Camp in high places,
[Not on high hills, but on knolls or hillocks elevated abovethe surrounding country.]
facing the sun.
[Tu Mu takes this to mean "facing south," and Ch`en Hao"facing east." Cf. infra, SS. 11, 13.
Do not climb heights in order to fight. So much for mountainwarfare. 3. After crossing a river, you should get far away from it.
["In order to tempt the enemy to cross after you," accordingto Ts`ao Kung, and also, says Chang Yu, "in order not to beimpeded in your evolutions." The T`UNG TIEN reads, "If THE ENEMYcrosses a river," etc. But in view of the next sentence, this isalmost certainly an interpolation.]
4. When an invading force crosses a river in its onwardmarch, do not advance to meet it in mid-stream. It will be bestto let half the army get across, and then deliver your attack.
[Li Ch`uan alludes to the great victory won by Han Hsin overLung Chu at the Wei River. Turning to the CH`IEN HAN SHU, ch.34, fol. 6 verso, we find the battle described as follows: "Thetwo armies were drawn up on opposite sides of the river. In thenight, Han Hsin ordered his men to take some ten thousand sacksfilled with sand and construct a dam higher up. Then, leadinghalf his army across, he attacked Lung Chu; but after a time,pretending to have failed in his attempt, he hastily withdrew tothe other bank. Lung Chu was much elated by this unlooked-forsuccess, and exclaiming: "I felt sure that Han Hsin was really acoward!" he pursued him and began crossing the river in his turn.Han Hsin now sent a party to cut open the sandbags, thusreleasing a great volume of water, which swept down and preventedthe greater portion of Lung Chu's army from getting across. Hethen turned upon the force which had been cut off, andannihilated it, Lung Chu himself being amongst the slain. Therest of the army, on the further bank, also scattered and fled inall directions.]
5. If you are anxious to fight, you should not go to meetthe invader near a river which he has to cross.
[For fear of preventing his crossing.]
6. Moor your craft higher up than the enemy, and facing thesun.
[See supra, ss. 2. The repetition of these words inconnection with water is very awkward. Chang Yu has the note:"Said either of troops marshaled on the river-bank, or of boatsanchored in the stream itself; in either case it is essential tobe higher than the enemy and facing the sun." The othercommentators are not at all explicit.]
Do not move up-stream to meet the enemy.
[Tu Mu says: "As water flows downwards, we must not pitchour camp on the lower reaches of a river, for fear the enemyshould open the sluices and sweep us away in a flood. Chu-ko Wu-hou has remarked that 'in river warfare we must not advanceagainst the stream,' which is as much as to say that our fleetmust not be anchored below that of the enemy, for then they wouldbe able to take advantage of the current and make short work ofus." There is also the danger, noted by other commentators, thatthe enemy may throw poison on the water to be carried down tous.]
So much for river warfare. 7. In crossing salt-marshes, your sole concern should be toget over them quickly, without any delay.
[Because of the lack of fresh water, the poor quality of theherbage, and last but not least, because they are low, flat, andexposed to attack.]
8. If forced to fight in a salt-marsh, you should havewater and grass near you, and get your back to a clump of trees.
[Li Ch`uan remarks that the ground is less likely to betreacherous where there are trees, while Tu Mu says that theywill serve to protect the rear.]
So much for operations in salt-marches. 9. In dry, level country, take up an easily accessibleposition with rising ground to your right and on your rear,
[Tu Mu quotes T`ai Kung as saying: "An army should have astream or a marsh on its left, and a hill or tumulus on itsright."]
so that the danger may be in front, and safety lie behind. Somuch for campaigning in flat country. 10. These are the four useful branches of militaryknowledge
[Those, namely, concerned with (1) mountains, (2) rivers,(3) marshes, and (4) plains. Compare Napoleon's "MilitaryMaxims," no. 1.]
which enabled the Yellow Emperor to vanquish four severalsovereigns.
[Regarding the "Yellow Emperor": Mei Yao-ch`en asks, withsome plausibility, whether there is an error in the text asnothing is known of Huang Ti having conquered four otherEmperors. The SHIH CHI (ch. 1 ad init.) speaks only of hisvictories over Yen Ti and Ch`ih Yu. In the LIU T`AO it ismentioned that he "fought seventy battles and pacified theEmpire." Ts`ao Kung's explanation is, that the Yellow Emperorwas the first to institute the feudal system of vassals princes,each of whom (to the number of four) originally bore the title ofEmperor. Li Ch`uan tells us that the art of war originated underHuang Ti, who received it from his Minister Feng Hou.]
11. All armies prefer high ground to low.
["High Ground," says Mei Yao-ch`en, "is not only moreagreement and salubrious, but more convenient from a militarypoint of view; low ground is not only damp and unhealthy, butalso disadvantageous for fighting."]
and sunny places to dark. 12. If you are careful of your men,
[Ts`ao Kung says: "Make for fresh water and pasture, whereyou can turn out your animals to graze."]
and camp on hard ground, the army will be free from disease ofevery kind,
[Chang Yu says: "The dryness of the climate will preventthe outbreak of illness."]
and this will spell victory. 13. When you come to a hill or a bank, occupy the sunnyside, with the slope on your right rear. Thus you will at onceact for the benefit of your soldiers and utilize the naturaladvantages of the ground. 14. When, in consequence of heavy rains up-country, a riverwhich you wish to ford is swollen and flecked with foam, you mustwait until it subsides. 15. Country in which there are precipitous cliffs withtorrents running between, deep natural hollows,
[The latter defined as "places enclosed on every side bysteep banks, with pools of water at the bottom.]
confined places,
[Defined as "natural pens or prisons" or "places surroundedby precipices on three sides--easy to get into, but hard to getout of."]
tangled thickets,
[Defined as "places covered with such dense undergrowth thatspears cannot be used."]
quagmires
[Defined as "low-lying places, so heavy with mud as to beimpassable for chariots and horsemen."]
and crevasses,
[Defined by Mei Yao-ch`en as "a narrow difficult way betweenbeetling cliffs." Tu Mu's note is "ground covered with trees androcks, and intersected by numerous ravines and pitfalls." Thisis very vague, but Chia Lin explains it clearly enough as adefile or narrow pass, and Chang Yu takes much the same view. Onthe whole, the weight of the commentators certainly inclines tothe rendering "defile." But the ordinary meaning of the Chinesein one place is "a crack or fissure" and the fact that themeaning of the Chinese elsewhere in the sentence indicatessomething in the nature of a defile, make me think that Sun Tzuis here speaking of crevasses.]
should be left with all possible speed and not approached. 16. While we keep away from such places, we should get theenemy to approach them; while we face them, we should let theenemy have them on his rear. 17. If in the neighborhood of your camp there should be anyhilly country, ponds surrounded by aquatic grass, hollow basinsfilled with reeds, or woods with thick undergrowth, they must becarefully routed out and searched; for these are places where menin ambush or insidious spies are likely to be lurking.
[Chang Yu has the note: "We must also be on our guardagainst traitors who may lie in close covert, secretly spying outour weaknesses and overhearing our instructions."]
18. When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet, heis relying on the natural strength of his position.
[Here begin Sun Tzu's remarks on the reading of signs, muchof which is so good that it could almost be included in a modernmanual like Gen. Baden-Powell's "Aids to Scouting."]
19. When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle, heis anxious for the other side to advance.
[Probably because we are in a strong position from which hewishes to dislodge us. "If he came close up to us, says Tu Mu,"and tried to force a battle, he would seem to despise us, andthere would be less probability of our responding to thechallenge."]
20. If his place of encampment is easy of access, he istendering a bait. 21. Movement amongst the trees of a forest shows that theenemy is advancing.
[Ts`ao Kung explains this as "felling trees to clear apassage," and Chang Yu says: "Every man sends out scouts toclimb high places and observe the enemy. If a scout sees thatthe trees of a forest are moving and shaking, he may know thatthey are being cut down to clear a passage for the enemy'smarch."]
The appearance of a number of screens in the midst of thick grassmeans that the enemy wants to make us suspicious.
[Tu Yu's explanation, borrowed from Ts`ao Kung's, is asfollows: "The presence of a number of screens or sheds in themidst of thick vegetation is a sure sign that the enemy has fledand, fearing pursuit, has constructed these hiding-places inorder to make us suspect an ambush." It appears that these"screens" were hastily knotted together out of any long grasswhich the retreating enemy happened to come across.]
22. The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of anambuscade.
[Chang Yu's explanation is doubtless right: "When birdsthat are flying along in a straight line suddenly shoot upwards,it means that soldiers are in ambush at the spot beneath."]
Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming. 23. When there is dust rising in a high column, it is thesign of chariots advancing; when the dust is low, but spread overa wide area, it betokens the approach of infantry.
["High and sharp," or rising to a peak, is of coursesomewhat exaggerated as applied to dust. The commentatorsexplain the phenomenon by saying that horses and chariots, beingheavier than men, raise more dust, and also follow one another inthe same wheel-track, whereas foot-soldiers would be marching inranks, many abreast. According to Chang Yu, "every army on themarch must have scouts some way in advance, who on sighting dustraised by the enemy, will gallop back and report it to thecommander-in-chief." Cf. Gen. Baden-Powell: "As you move along,say, in a hostile country, your eyes should be looking afar forthe enemy or any signs of him: figures, dust rising, birdsgetting up, glitter of arms, etc." [1] ]
When it branches out in different directions, it shows thatparties have been sent to collect firewood. A few clouds of dustmoving to and fro signify that the army is encamping.
[Chang Yu says: "In apportioning the defenses for acantonment, light horse will be sent out to survey the positionand ascertain the weak and strong points all along itscircumference. Hence the small quantity of dust and itsmotion."]
24. Humble words and increased preparations are signs thatthe enemy is about to advance.
["As though they stood in great fear of us," says Tu Mu."Their object is to make us contemptuous and careless, afterwhich they will attack us." Chang Yu alludes to the story ofT`ien Tan of the Ch`i-mo against the Yen forces, led by Ch`iChieh. In ch. 82 of the SHIH CHI we read: "T`ien Tan openlysaid: 'My only fear is that the Yen army may cut off the nosesof their Ch`i prisoners and place them in the front rank to fightagainst us; that would be the undoing of our city.' The otherside being informed of this speech, at once acted on thesuggestion; but those within the city were enraged at seeingtheir fellow-countrymen thus mutilated, and fearing only lestthey should fall into the enemy's hands, were nerved to defendthemselves more obstinately than ever. Once again T`ien Tan sentback converted spies who reported these words to the enemy:"What I dread most is that the men of Yen may dig up theancestral tombs outside the town, and by inflicting thisindignity on our forefathers cause us to become faint-hearted.'Forthwith the besiegers dug up all the graves and burned thecorpses lying in them. And the inhabitants of Chi-mo, witnessingthe outrage from the city-walls, wept passionately and were allimpatient to go out and fight, their fury being increasedtenfold. T`ien Tan knew then that his soldiers were ready forany enterprise. But instead of a sword, he himself too amattock in his hands, and ordered others to be distributedamongst his best warriors, while the ranks were filled up withtheir wives and concubines. He then served out all the remainingrations and bade his men eat their fill. The regular soldierswere told to keep out of sight, and the walls were manned withthe old and weaker men and with women. This done, envoys weredispatched to the enemy's camp to arrange terms of surrender,whereupon the Yen army began shouting for joy. T`ien Tan alsocollected 20,000 ounces of silver from the people, and got thewealthy citizens of Chi-mo to send it to the Yen general with theprayer that, when the town capitulated, he would allow theirhomes to be plundered or their women to be maltreated. Ch`iChieh, in high good humor, granted their prayer; but his army nowbecame increasingly slack and careless. Meanwhile, T`ien Tan gottogether a thousand oxen, decked them with pieces of red silk,painted their bodies, dragon-like, with colored stripes, andfastened sharp blades on their horns and well-greased rushes ontheir tails. When night came on, he lighted the ends of therushes, and drove the oxen through a number of holes which he hadpierced in the walls, backing them up with a force of 5000 pickedwarriors. The animals, maddened with pain, dashed furiouslyinto the enemy's camp where they caused the utmost confusion anddismay; for their tails acted as torches, showing up the hideouspattern on their bodies, and the weapons on their horns killed orwounded any with whom they came into contact. In the meantime,the band of 5000 had crept up with gags in their mouths, and nowthrew themselves on the enemy. At the same moment a frightfuldin arose in the city itself, all those that remained behindmaking as much noise as possible by banging drums and hammeringon bronze vessels, until heaven and earth were convulsed by theuproar. Terror-stricken, the Yen army fled in disorder, hotlypursued by the men of Ch`i, who succeeded in slaying theirgeneral Ch`i Chien.... The result of the battle was the ultimaterecovery of some seventy cities which had belonged to the Ch`iState."]
Violent language and driving forward as if to the attack aresigns that he will retreat. 25. When the light chariots come out first and take up aposition on the wings, it is a sign that the enemy is forming forbattle. 26. Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenantindicate a plot.
[The reading here is uncertain. Li Ch`uan indicates "atreaty confirmed by oaths and hostages." Wang Hsi and Chang Yu,on the other hand, simply say "without reason," "on a frivolouspretext."]
27. When there is much running about
[Every man hastening to his proper place under his ownregimental banner.]
and the soldiers fall into rank, it means that the criticalmoment has come. 28. When some are seen advancing and some retreating, it isa lure. 29. When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, theyare faint from want of food. 30. If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinkingthemselves, the army is suffering from thirst.
[As Tu Mu remarks: "One may know the condition of a wholearmy from the behavior of a single man."]
31. If the enemy sees an advantage to be gained and makesno effort to secure it, the soldiers are exhausted. 32. If birds gather on any spot, it is unoccupied.
[A useful fact to bear in mind when, for instance, as Ch`enHao says, the enemy has secretly abandoned his camp.]
Clamor by night betokens nervousness.
33. If there is disturbance in the camp, the general'sauthority is weak. If the banners and flags are shifted about,sedition is afoot. If the officers are angry, it means that themen are weary.
[Tu Mu understands the sentence differently: "If all theofficers of an army are angry with their general, it means thatthey are broken with fatigue" owing to the exertions which he hasdemanded from them.]
34. When an army feeds its horses with grain and kills itscattle for food,
[In the ordinary course of things, the men would be fed ongrain and the horses chiefly on grass.]
and when the men do not hang their cooking-pots over the camp-fires, showing that they will not return to their tents, you mayknow that they are determined to fight to the death.
[I may quote here the illustrative passage from the HOU HANSHU, ch. 71, given in abbreviated form by the P`EI WEN YUN FU:"The rebel Wang Kuo of Liang was besieging the town of Ch`en-ts`ang, and Huang-fu Sung, who was in supreme command, and TungCho were sent out against him. The latter pressed for hastymeasures, but Sung turned a deaf ear to his counsel. At last therebels were utterly worn out, and began to throw down theirweapons of their own accord. Sung was not advancing to theattack, but Cho said: 'It is a principle of war not to pursuedesperate men and not to press a retreating host.' Sunganswered: 'That does not apply here. What I am about to attackis a jaded army, not a retreating host; with disciplined troops Iam falling on a disorganized multitude, not a band of desperatemen.' Thereupon he advances to the attack unsupported by hiscolleague, and routed the enemy, Wang Kuo being slain."]
35. The sight of men whispering together in small knots orspeaking in subdued tones points to disaffection amongst the rankand file. 36. Too frequent rewards signify that the enemy is at theend of his resources;
[Because, when an army is hard pressed, as Tu Mu says, thereis always a fear of mutiny, and lavish rewards are given to keepthe men in good temper.]
too many punishments betray a condition of dire distress.
[Because in such case discipline becomes relaxed, andunwonted severity is necessary to keep the men to their duty.]
37. To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright atthe enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.[I follow the interpretation of Ts`ao Kung, also adopted byLi Ch`uan, Tu Mu, and Chang Yu. Another possible meaning by Tu Yu, Chia Lin, Mei Tao-ch`en and Wang Hsi, is: "Thegeneral who is first tyrannical towards his men, and then interror lest they should mutiny, etc." This would connect thesentence with what went before about rewards and punishments.]
38. When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths,it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.
[Tu Mu says: "If the enemy open friendly relations besending hostages, it is a sign that they are anxious for anarmistice, either because their strength is exhausted or for someother reason." But it hardly needs a Sun Tzu to draw such anobvious inference.]
39. If the enemy's troops march up angrily and remainfacing ours for a long time without either joining battle ortaking themselves off again, the situation is one that demandsgreat vigilance and circumspection.
[Ts`ao Kung says a maneuver of this sort may be only a ruseto gain time for an unexpected flank attack or the laying of anambush.]
40. If our troops are no more in number than the enemy,that is amply sufficient; it only means that no direct attack canbe made.
[Literally, "no martial advance." That is to say, CHENGtactics and frontal attacks must be eschewed, and stratagemresorted to instead.]
What we can do is simply to concentrate all our availablestrength, keep a close watch on the enemy, and obtainreinforcements.
[This is an obscure sentence, and none of the commentatorssucceed in squeezing very good sense out of it. I follow LiCh`uan, who appears to offer the simplest explanation: "Only theside that gets more men will win." Fortunately we have Chang Yuto expound its meaning to us in language which is lucidityitself: "When the numbers are even, and no favorable openingpresents itself, although we may not be strong enough to delivera sustained attack, we can find additional recruits amongst oursutlers and camp-followers, and then, concentrating our forcesand keeping a close watch on the enemy, contrive to snatch thevictory. But we must avoid borrowing foreign soldiers to helpus." He then quotes from Wei Liao Tzu, ch. 3: "The nominalstrength of mercenary troops may be 100,000, but their real valuewill be not more than half that figure."]
41. He who exercises no forethought but makes light of hisopponents is sure to be captured by them.
[Ch`en Hao, quoting from the TSO CHUAN, says: "If bees andscorpions carry poison, how much more will a hostile state! Evena puny opponent, then, should not be treated with contempt."]
42. If soldiers are punished before they have grownattached to you, they will not prove submissive; and, unlesssubmissive, then will be practically useless. If, when thesoldiers have become attached to you, punishments are notenforced, they will still be unless. 43. Therefore soldiers must be treated in the firstinstance with humanity, but kept under control by means of irondiscipline.
[Yen Tzu [B.C. 493] said of Ssu-ma Jang-chu: "His civilvirtues endeared him to the people; his martial prowess kept hisenemies in awe." Cf. Wu Tzu, ch. 4 init.: "The ideal commanderunites culture with a warlike temper; the profession of armsrequires a combination of hardness and tenderness."]
This is a certain road to victory.
44. If in training soldiers commands are habituallyenforced, the army will be well-disciplined; if not, itsdiscipline will be bad. 45. If a general shows confidence in his men but alwaysinsists on his orders being obeyed,
[Tu Mu says: "A general ought in time of peace to showkindly confidence in his men and also make his authorityrespected, so that when they come to face the enemy, orders maybe executed and discipline maintained, because they all trust andlook up to him." What Sun Tzu has said in ss. 44, however, wouldlead one rather to expect something like this: "If a general isalways confident that his orders will be carried out," etc."]
the gain will be mutual.
[Chang Yu says: "The general has confidence in the menunder his command, and the men are docile, having confidence inhim. Thus the gain is mutual" He quotes a pregnant sentencefrom Wei Liao Tzu, ch. 4: "The art of giving orders is not totry to rectify minor blunders and not to be swayed by pettydoubts." Vacillation and fussiness are the surest means ofsapping the confidence of an army.]
[1] "Aids to Scouting," p. 26.
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X. TERRAIN
[Only about a third of the chapter, comprising ss. ss. 1-13,deals with "terrain," the subject being more fully treated in ch.XI. The "six calamities" are discussed in SS. 14-20, and therest of the chapter is again a mere string of desultory remarks,though not less interesting, perhaps, on that account.]
1. Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain,to wit: (1) Accessible ground;
[Mei Yao-ch`en says: "plentifully provided with roads andmeans of communications."]
(2) entangling ground;
[The same commentator says: "Net-like country, venturinginto which you become entangled."]
(3) temporizing ground;
[Ground which allows you to "stave off" or "delay."]
(4) narrow passes; (5) precipitous heights; (6) positions at agreat distance from the enemy.
[It is hardly necessary to point out the faultiness of thisclassification. A strange lack of logical perception is shown inthe Chinaman's unquestioning acceptance of glaring cross-divisions such as the above.]
2. Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides iscalled ACCESSIBLE. 3. With regard to ground of this nature, be before theenemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefullyguard your line of supplies.
[The general meaning of the last phrase is doubtlessly, asTu Yu says, "not to allow the enemy to cut your communications."In view of Napoleon's dictum, "the secret of war lies in thecommunications," [1] we could wish that Sun Tzu had done morethan skirt the edge of this important subject here and in I. ss.10, VII. ss. 11. Col. Henderson says: "The line of supply maybe said to be as vital to the existence of an army as the heartto the life of a human being. Just as the duelist who finds hisadversary's point menacing him with certain death, and his ownguard astray, is compelled to conform to his adversary'smovements, and to content himself with warding off his thrusts,so the commander whose communications are suddenly threatenedfinds himself in a false position, and he will be fortunate if hehas not to change all his plans, to split up his force into moreor less isolated detachments, and to fight with inferior numberson ground which he has not had time to prepare, and where defeatwill not be an ordinary failure, but will entail the ruin orsurrender of his whole army." [2]
Then you will be able to fight with advantage. 4. Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupyis called ENTANGLING. 5. From a position of this sort, if the enemy isunprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemyis 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 bymaking the first move, it is called TEMPORIZING ground.
[Tu Mu says: "Each side finds it inconvenient to move, andthe situation remains at a deadlock."]
7. In a position of this sort, even though the enemy shouldoffer us an attractive bait,
[Tu Yu says, "turning their backs on us and pretending toflee." But this is only one of the lures which might induce usto quit our position.]
it will be advisable not to stir forth, but rather to retreat,thus enticing the enemy in his turn; then, when part of his armyhas come out, we may deliver our attack with advantage. 8. With regard to NARROW PASSES, if you can occupy themfirst, let them be strongly garrisoned and await the advent ofthe enemy.
[Because then, as Tu Yu observes, "the initiative will liewith us, and by making sudden and unexpected attacks we shallhave the enemy at our mercy."]
9. Should the army forestall you in occupying a pass, donot go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned, but only if itis weakly garrisoned. 10. With regard to PRECIPITOUS HEIGHTS, if you arebeforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the raised andsunny spots, and there wait for him to come up.
[Ts`ao Kung says: "The particular advantage of securingheights and defiles is that your actions cannot then be dictatedby the enemy." [For the enunciation of the grand principlealluded to, see VI. ss. 2]. Chang Yu tells the followinganecdote of P`ei Hsing-chien (A.D. 619-682), who was sent on apunitive expedition against the Turkic tribes. "At night hepitched his camp as usual, and it had already been completelyfortified by wall and ditch, when suddenly he gave orders thatthe army should shift its quarters to a hill near by. This washighly displeasing to his officers, who protested loudly againstthe extra fatigue which it would entail on the men. P`ei Hsing-chien, however, paid no heed to their remonstrances and had thecamp moved as quickly as possible. The same night, a terrificstorm came on, which flooded their former place of encampment tothe depth of over twelve feet. The recalcitrant officers wereamazed at the sight, and owned that they had been in the wrong.'How did you know what was going to happen?' they asked. P`eiHsing-chien replied: 'From this time forward be content to obeyorders without asking unnecessary questions.' From this it maybe seen," Chang Yu continues, "that high and sunny places areadvantageous not only for fighting, but also because they areimmune from disastrous floods."]
11. If the enemy has occupied them before you, do notfollow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.
[The turning point of Li Shih-min's campaign in 621 A.D.against the two rebels, Tou Chien-te, King of Hsia, and WangShih-ch`ung, Prince of Cheng, was his seizure of the heights ofWu-lao, in spike of which Tou Chien-te persisted in his attemptto relieve his ally in Lo-yang, was defeated and taken prisoner.See CHIU T`ANG, ch. 2, fol. 5 verso, and also ch. 54.]
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 toprovoke a battle,
[The point is that we must not think of undertaking a longand wearisome march, at the end of which, as Tu Yu says, "weshould be exhausted and our adversary fresh and keen."]
and fighting will be to your disadvantage.
13. These six are the principles connected with Earth.
[Or perhaps, "the principles relating to ground." See,however, I. ss. 8.]
The general who has attained a responsible post must be carefulto study them. 14. Now an army is exposed to six several calamities, notarising from natural causes, but from faults for which thegeneral 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 hurledagainst another ten times its size, the result will be the FLIGHTof the former. 16. When the common soldiers are too strong and theirofficers too weak, the result is INSUBORDINATION.
[Tu Mu cites the unhappy case of T`ien Pu [HSIN T`ANG SHU,ch. 148], who was sent to Wei in 821 A.D. with orders to lead anarmy against Wang T`ing-ts`ou. But the whole time he was incommand, his soldiers treated him with the utmost contempt, andopenly flouted his authority by riding about the camp on donkeys,several thousands at a time. T`ien Pu was powerless to put astop to this conduct, and when, after some months had passed, hemade an attempt to engage the enemy, his troops turned tail anddispersed in every direction. After that, the unfortunate mancommitted suicide by cutting his throat.]
When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers tooweak, the result is COLLAPSE.
[Ts`ao Kung says: "The officers are energetic and want topress on, the common soldiers are feeble and suddenly collapse."]
17. When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate,and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from afeeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tellwhether or no he is in a position to fight, the result is RUIN.
[Wang Hsi`s note is: "This means, the general is angrywithout cause, and at the same time does not appreciate theability of his subordinate officers; thus he arouses fierceresentment and brings an avalanche of ruin upon his head."]
18. When the general is weak and without authority; whenhis orders are not clear and distinct;
[Wei Liao Tzu (ch. 4) says: "If the commander gives hisorders with decision, the soldiers will not wait to hear themtwice; if his moves are made without vacillation, the soldierswill not be in two minds about doing their duty." General Baden-Powell says, italicizing the words: "The secret of gettingsuccessful work out of your trained men lies in one nutshell--inthe clearness of the instructions they receive." [3] Cf. alsoWu Tzu ch. 3: "the most fatal defect in a military leader isdifference; the worst calamities that befall an army arise fromhesitation."]
when there are no fixes duties assigned to officers and men,
[Tu Mu says: "Neither officers nor men have any regularroutine."]
and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, theresult is utter DISORGANIZATION. 19. When a general, unable to estimate the enemy'sstrength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, orhurls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects toplace picked soldiers in the front rank, the result must be ROUT.
[Chang Yu paraphrases the latter part of the sentence andcontinues: "Whenever there is fighting to be done, the keenestspirits should be appointed to serve in the front ranks, both inorder to strengthen the resolution of our own men and todemoralize the enemy." Cf. the primi ordines of Caesar ("DeBello Gallico," V. 28, 44, et al.).]
20. These are six ways of courting defeat, which must becarefully noted by the general who has attained a responsiblepost.
[See supra, ss. 13.]
21. The natural formation of the country is the soldier'sbest ally;
[Ch`en Hao says: "The advantages of weather and season arenot equal to those connected with ground."]
but a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling theforces 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 hisknowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows themnot, nor practices them, will surely be defeated. 23. If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you mustfight, even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will notresult in victory, then you must not fight even at the ruler'sbidding.
[Cf. VIII. ss. 3 fin. Huang Shih-kung of the Ch`in dynasty,who is said to have been the patron of Chang Liang and to havewritten the SAN LUEH, has these words attributed to him: "Theresponsibility of setting an army in motion must devolve on thegeneral alone; if advance and retreat are controlled from thePalace, brilliant results will hardly be achieved. Hence thegod-like ruler and the enlightened monarch are content to play ahumble part in furthering their country's cause [lit., kneel downto push the chariot wheel]." This means that "in matters lyingoutside the zenana, the decision of the military commander mustbe absolute." Chang Yu also quote the saying: "Decrees from theSon of Heaven do not penetrate the walls of a camp."] 24. The general who advances without coveting fame andretreats without fearing disgrace,
[It was Wellington, I think, who said that the hardest thingof all for a soldier is to retreat.]
whose only thought is to protect his country and do good servicefor his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.
[A noble presentiment, in few words, of the Chinese "happywarrior." Such a man, says Ho Shih, "even if he had to sufferpunishment, would not regret his conduct."]
25. Regard your soldiers as your children, and they willfollow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your ownbeloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.
[Cf. I. ss. 6. In this connection, Tu Mu draws for us anengaging picture of the famous general Wu Ch`i, from whosetreatise on war I have frequently had occasion to quote: "Hewore the same clothes and ate the same food as the meanest of hissoldiers, refused to have either a horse to ride or a mat tosleep on, carried his own surplus rations wrapped in a parcel,and shared every hardship with his men. One of his soldiers wassuffering from an abscess, and Wu Ch`i himself sucked out thevirus. The soldier's mother, hearing this, began wailing andlamenting. Somebody asked her, saying: 'Why do you cry? Yourson is only a common soldier, and yet the commander-in-chiefhimself has sucked the poison from his sore.' The woman replied,'Many years ago, Lord Wu performed a similar service for myhusband, who never left him afterwards, and finally met his deathat the hands of the enemy. And now that he has done the same formy son, he too will fall fighting I know not where.'" Li Ch`uanmentions the Viscount of Ch`u, who invaded the small state ofHsiao during the winter. The Duke of Shen said to him: "Many ofthe soldiers are suffering severely from the cold." So he made around of the whole army, comforting and encouraging the men; andstraightway they felt as if they were clothed in garments linedwith floss silk.]
26. If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make yourauthority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce yourcommands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: thenyour soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they areuseless for any practical purpose.
[Li Ching once said that if you could make your soldiersafraid of you, they would not be afraid of the enemy. Tu Murecalls an instance of stern military discipline which occurredin 219 A.D., when Lu Meng was occupying the town of Chiang-ling.He had given stringent orders to his army not to molest theinhabitants nor take anything from them by force. Nevertheless,a certain officer serving under his banner, who happened to be afellow-townsman, ventured to appropriate a bamboo hat belongingto one of the people, in order to wear it over his regulationhelmet as a protection against the rain. Lu Meng considered thatthe fact of his being also a native of Ju-nan should not beallowed to palliate a clear breach of discipline, and accordinglyhe ordered his summary execution, the tears rolling down hisface, however, as he did so. This act of severity filled thearmy with wholesome awe, and from that time forth even articlesdropped in the highway were not picked up.]
27. If we know that our own men are in a condition toattack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, wehave gone only halfway towards victory.
[That is, Ts`ao Kung says, "the issue in this case isuncertain."]
28. If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but areunaware that our own men are not in a condition to attack, wehave gone only halfway towards victory.
[Cf. III. ss. 13 (1).]
29. If we know that the enemy is open to attack, and alsoknow that our men are in a condition to attack, but are unawarethat the nature of the ground makes fighting impracticable, wehave still gone only halfway towards victory. 30. Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is neverbewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.
[The reason being, according to Tu Mu, that he has taken hismeasures so thoroughly as to ensure victory beforehand. "He doesnot move recklessly," says Chang Yu, "so that when he does move,he makes no mistakes."]
31. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and knowyourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you knowHeaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.
[Li Ch`uan sums up as follows: "Given a knowledge of threethings--the affairs of men, the seasons of heaven and the naturaladvantages of earth--, victory will invariably crown yourbattles."]
[1] See "Pensees de Napoleon 1er," no. 47.
[2] "The Science of War," chap. 2.
[3] "Aids to Scouting," p. xii.
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XI. THE NINE SITUATIONS
1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war recognizes nine varietiesof ground: (1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground; (3)contentious ground; (4) open ground; (5) ground of intersectinghighways; (6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground; (8) hemmed-inground; (9) desperate ground. 2. When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory, it isdispersive ground.
[So called because the soldiers, being near to their homesand anxious to see their wives and children, are likely to seizethe opportunity afforded by a battle and scatter in everydirection. "In their advance," observes Tu Mu, "they will lackthe valor of desperation, and when they retreat, they will findharbors of refuge."]
3. When he has penetrated into hostile territory, but to nogreat distance, it is facile ground.
[Li Ch`uan and Ho Shih say "because of the facility forretreating," and the other commentators give similarexplanations. Tu Mu remarks: "When your army has crossed theborder, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to makeit clear to everybody that you have no hankering after home."]
4. Ground the possession of which imports great advantageto either side, is contentious ground.
[Tu Mu defines the ground as ground "to be contended for."Ts`ao Kung says: "ground on which the few and the weak candefeat the many and the strong," such as "the neck of a pass,"instanced by Li Ch`uan. Thus, Thermopylae was of thisclassification because the possession of it, even for a few daysonly, meant holding the entire invading army in check and thusgaining invaluable time. Cf. Wu Tzu, ch. V. ad init.: "Forthose who have to fight in the ratio of one to ten, there isnothing better than a narrow pass." When Lu Kuang was returningfrom his triumphant expedition to Turkestan in 385 A.D., and hadgot as far as I-ho, laden with spoils, Liang Hsi, administratorof Liang-chou, taking advantage of the death of Fu Chien, King ofCh`in, plotted against him and was for barring his way into theprovince. Yang Han, governor of Kao-ch`ang, counseled him,saying: "Lu Kuang is fresh from his victories in the west, andhis soldiers are vigorous and mettlesome. If we oppose him inthe shifting sands of the desert, we shall be no match for him,and we must therefore try a different plan. Let us hasten tooccupy the defile at the mouth of the Kao-wu pass, thus cuttinghim off from supplies of water, and when his troops areprostrated with thirst, we can dictate our own terms withoutmoving. Or if you think that the pass I mention is too far off,we could make a stand against him at the I-wu pass, which isnearer. The cunning and resource of Tzu-fang himself would beexpended in vain against the enormous strength of these twopositions." Liang Hsi, refusing to act on this advice, wasoverwhelmed and swept away by the invader.]
5. Ground on which each side has liberty of movement isopen ground.
[There are various interpretations of the Chinese adjectivefor this type of ground. Ts`ao Kung says it means "groundcovered with a network of roads," like a chessboard. Ho Shihsuggested: "ground on which intercommunication is easy."]
6. Ground which forms the key to three contiguous states,
[Ts`au Kung defines this as: "Our country adjoining theenemy's and a third country conterminous with both." Meng Shihinstances the small principality of Cheng, which was bounded onthe north-east by Ch`i, on the west by Chin, and on the south byCh`u.]
so that he who occupies it first has most of the Empire at hiscommand,
[The belligerent who holds this dominating position canconstrain most of them to become his allies.]
is a ground of intersecting highways. 7. When an army has penetrated into the heart of a hostilecountry, leaving a number of fortified cities in its rear, it isserious ground.
[Wang Hsi explains the name by saying that "when an army hasreached such a point, its situation is serious."]
8. Mountain forests,
[Or simply "forests."]
rugged steeps, marshes and fens--all country that is hard totraverse: this is difficult ground. 9. Ground which is reached through narrow gorges, and fromwhich we can only retire by tortuous paths, so that a smallnumber of the enemy would suffice to crush a large body of ourmen: this is hemmed in ground. 10. Ground on which we can only be saved from destructionby fighting without delay, is desperate ground.
[The situation, as pictured by Ts`ao Kung, is very similarto the "hemmed-in ground" except that here escape is no longerpossible: "A lofty mountain in front, a large river behind,advance impossible, retreat blocked." Ch`en Hao says: "to be on'desperate ground' is like sitting in a leaking boat or crouchingin a burning house." Tu Mu quotes from Li Ching a vividdescription of the plight of an army thus entrapped: "Suppose anarmy invading hostile territory without the aid of local guides:-- it falls into a fatal snare and is at the enemy's mercy. Aravine on the left, a mountain on the right, a pathway soperilous that the horses have to be roped together and thechariots carried in slings, no passage open in front, retreat cutoff behind, no choice but to proceed in single file. Then,before there is time to range our soldiers in order of battle,the enemy is overwhelming strength suddenly appears on the scene.Advancing, we can nowhere take a breathing-space; retreating, wehave no haven of refuge. We seek a pitched battle, but in vain;yet standing on the defensive, none of us has a moment's respite.If we simply maintain our ground, whole days and months willcrawl by; the moment we make a move, we have to sustain theenemy's attacks on front and rear. The country is wild,destitute of water and plants; the army is lacking in thenecessaries of life, the horses are jaded and the men worn-out,all the resources of strength and skill unavailing, the pass sonarrow that a single man defending it can check the onset of tenthousand; all means of offense in the hands of the enemy, allpoints of vantage already forfeited by ourselves:--in thisterrible plight, even though we had the most valiant soldiers andthe keenest of weapons, how could they be employed with theslightest effect?" Students of Greek history may be reminded ofthe awful close to the Sicilian expedition, and the agony of theAthenians under Nicias and Demonsthenes. [See Thucydides, VII.78 sqq.].]
11. On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facileground, halt not. On contentious ground, attack not.
[But rather let all your energies be bent on occupying theadvantageous position first. So Ts`ao Kung. Li Ch`uan andothers, however, suppose the meaning to be that the enemy hasalready forestalled us, sot that it would be sheer madness toattack. In the SUN TZU HSU LU, when the King of Wu inquires whatshould be done in this case, Sun Tzu replies: "The rule withregard to contentious ground is that those in possession have theadvantage over the other side. If a position of this kind issecured first by the enemy, beware of attacking him. Lure himaway by pretending to flee--show your banners and sound yourdrums--make a dash for other places that he cannot afford tolose--trail brushwood and raise a dust--confound his ears andeyes--detach a body of your best troops, and place it secretly inambuscade. Then your opponent will sally forth to the rescue."]
12. On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's way.
[Because the attempt would be futile, and would expose theblocking force itself to serious risks. There are twointerpretations available here. I follow that of Chang Yu. Theother is indicated in Ts`ao Kung's brief note: "Draw closertogether"--i.e., see that a portion of your own army is not cutoff.]
On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands with yourallies.
[Or perhaps, "form alliances with neighboring states."]
13. On serious ground, gather in plunder.
[On this, Li Ch`uan has the following delicious note: "Whenan army penetrates far into the enemy's country, care must betaken not to alienate the people by unjust treatment. Follow theexample of the Han Emperor Kao Tsu, whose march into Ch`interritory was marked by no violation of women or looting ofvaluables. [Nota bene: this was in 207 B.C., and may well causeus to blush for the Christian armies that entered Peking in 1900A.D.] Thus he won the hearts of all. In the present passage,then, I think that the true reading must be, not 'plunder,' but'do not plunder.'" Alas, I fear that in this instance the worthycommentator's feelings outran his judgment. Tu Mu, at least, hasno such illusions. He says: "When encamped on 'serious ground,'there being no inducement as yet to advance further, and nopossibility of retreat, one ought to take measures for aprotracted resistance by bringing in provisions from all sides,and keep a close watch on the enemy."]
In difficult ground, keep steadily on the march.
[Or, in the words of VIII. ss. 2, "do not encamp.]
14. On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem.
[Ts`au Kung says: "Try the effect of some unusualartifice;" and Tu Yu amplifies this by saying: "In such aposition, some scheme must be devised which will suit thecircumstances, and if we can succeed in deluding the enemy, theperil may be escaped." This is exactly what happened on thefamous occasion when Hannibal was hemmed in among the mountainson the road to Casilinum, and to all appearances entrapped by thedictator Fabius. The stratagem which Hannibal devised to bafflehis foes was remarkably like that which T`ien Tan had alsoemployed with success exactly 62 years before. [See IX. ss. 24,note.] When night came on, bundles of twigs were fastened to thehorns of some 2000 oxen and set on fire, the terrified animalsbeing then quickly driven along the mountain side towards thepasses which were beset by the enemy. The strange spectacle ofthese rapidly moving lights so alarmed and discomfited the Romansthat they withdrew from their position, and Hannibal's armypassed safely through the defile. [See Polybius, III. 93, 94;Livy, XXII. 16 17.]
On desperate ground, fight.
[For, as Chia Lin remarks: "if you fight with all yourmight, there is a chance of life; where as death is certain ifyou cling to your corner."]
15. Those who were called skillful leaders of old knew howto drive a wedge between the enemy's front and rear;
[More literally, "cause the front and rear to lose touchwith each other."]
to prevent co-operation between his large and small divisions; tohinder the good troops from rescuing the bad, the officers fromrallying their men. 16. When the enemy's men were united, they managed to keepthem in disorder. 17. When it was to their advantage, they made a forwardmove; when otherwise, they stopped still.
[Mei Yao-ch`en connects this with the foregoing: "Havingsucceeded in thus dislocating the enemy, they would push forwardin order to secure any advantage to be gained; if there was noadvantage to be gained, they would remain where they were."]
18. If asked how to cope with a great host of the enemy inorderly array and on the point of marching to the attack, Ishould say: "Begin by seizing something which your opponentholds dear; then he will be amenable to your will."
[Opinions differ as to what Sun Tzu had in mind. Ts`ao Kungthinks it is "some strategical advantage on which the enemy isdepending." Tu Mu says: "The three things which an enemy isanxious to do, and on the accomplishment of which his successdepends, are: (1) to capture our favorable positions; (2) toravage our cultivated land; (3) to guard his own communications."Our object then must be to thwart his plans in these threedirections and thus render him helpless. [Cf. III. ss. 3.] Byboldly seizing the initiative in this way, you at once throw theother side on the defensive.]
19. Rapidity is the essence of war:
[According to Tu Mu, "this is a summary of leadingprinciples in warfare," and he adds: "These are the profoundesttruths of military science, and the chief business of thegeneral." The following anecdotes, told by Ho Shih, shows theimportance attached to speed by two of China's greatest generals.In 227 A.D., Meng Ta, governor of Hsin-ch`eng under the WeiEmperor Wen Ti, was meditating defection to the House of Shu, andhad entered into correspondence with Chu-ko Liang, Prime Ministerof that State. The Wei general Ssu-ma I was then militarygovernor of Wan, and getting wind of Meng Ta's treachery, he atonce set off with an army to anticipate his revolt, havingpreviously cajoled him by a specious message of friendly import.Ssu-ma's officers came to him and said: "If Meng Ta has leaguedhimself with Wu and Shu, the matter should be thoroughlyinvestigated before we make a move." Ssu-ma I replied: "Meng Tais an unprincipled man, and we ought to go and punish him atonce, while he is still wavering and before he has thrown off themask." Then, by a series of forced marches, be brought his armyunder the walls of Hsin-ch`eng with in a space of eight days.Now Meng Ta had previously said in a letter to Chu-ko Liang:"Wan is 1200 LI from here. When the news of my revolt reachesSsu-ma I, he will at once inform his imperial master, but it willbe a whole month before any steps can be taken, and by that timemy city will be well fortified. Besides, Ssu-ma I is sure not tocome himself, and the generals that will be sent against us arenot worth troubling about." The next letter, however, was filledwith consternation: "Though only eight days have passed since Ithrew off my allegiance, an army is already at the city-gates.What miraculous rapidity is this!" A fortnight later, Hsin-ch`eng had fallen and Meng Ta had lost his head. [SeeCHIN SHU, ch. 1, f. 3.] In 621 A.D., Li Ching was sent fromK`uei-chou in Ssu-ch`uan to reduce the successful rebel HsiaoHsien, who had set up as Emperor at the modern Ching-chou Fu inHupeh. It was autumn, and the Yangtsze being then in flood,Hsiao Hsien never dreamt that his adversary would venture to comedown through the gorges, and consequently made no preparations.But Li Ching embarked his army without loss of time, and was justabout to start when the other generals implored him to postponehis departure until the river was in a less dangerous state fornavigation. Li Ching replied: "To the soldier, overwhelmingspeed is of paramount importance, and he must never missopportunities. Now is the time to strike, before Hsiao Hsieneven knows that we have got an army together. If we seize thepresent moment when the river is in flood, we shall appear beforehis capital with startling suddenness, like the thunder which isheard before you have time to stop your ears against it. [SeeVII. ss. 19, note.] This is the great principle in war. Even ifhe gets to know of our approach, he will have to levy hissoldiers in such a hurry that they will not be fit to oppose us.Thus the full fruits of victory will be ours." All came about ashe predicted, and Hsiao Hsien was obliged to surrender, noblystipulating that his people should be spared and he alone sufferthe penalty of death.]
take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way byunexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots. 20. The following are the principles to be observed by aninvading force: The further you penetrate into a country, thegreater will be the solidarity of your troops, and thus thedefenders will not prevail against you. 21. Make forays in fertile country in order to supply yourarmy with food.
[Cf. supra, ss. 13. Li Ch`uan does not venture on a notehere.]
22. Carefully study the well-being of your men,
[For "well-being", Wang Hsi means, "Pet them, humor them,give them plenty of food and drink, and look after themgenerally."]
and do not overtax them. Concentrate your energy and hoard yourstrength.
[Ch`en recalls the line of action adopted in 224 B.C. by thefamous general Wang Chien, whose military genius largelycontributed to the success of the First Emperor. He had invadedthe Ch`u State, where a universal levy was made to oppose him.But, being doubtful of the temper of his troops, he declined allinvitations to fight and remained strictly on the defensive. Invain did the Ch`u general try to force a battle: day after dayWang Chien kept inside his walls and would not come out, butdevoted his whole time and energy to winning the affection andconfidence of his men. He took care that they should be wellfed, sharing his own meals with them, provided facilities forbathing, and employed every method of judicious indulgence toweld them into a loyal and homogenous body. After some time hadelapsed, he told off certain persons to find out how the men wereamusing themselves. The answer was, that they were contendingwith one another in putting the weight and long-jumping. WhenWang Chien heard that they were engaged in these athleticpursuits, he knew that their spirits had been strung up to therequired pitch and that they were now ready for fighting. Bythis time the Ch`u army, after repeating their challenge againand again, had marched away eastwards in disgust. The Ch`ingeneral immediately broke up his camp and followed them, and inthe battle that ensued they were routed with great slaughter.Shortly afterwards, the whole of Ch`u was conquered by Ch`in, andthe king Fu-ch`u led into captivity.]
Keep your army continually on the move,
[In order that the enemy may never know exactly where youare. It has struck me, however, that the true reading might be"link your army together."]
and devise unfathomable plans. 23. Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is noescape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will facedeath, there is nothing they may not achieve.
[Chang Yu quotes his favorite Wei Liao Tzu (ch. 3): "If oneman were to run amok with a sword in the market-place, andeverybody else tried to get our of his way, I should not allowthat this man alone had courage and that all the rest werecontemptible cowards. The truth is, that a desperado and a manwho sets some value on his life do not meet on even terms."]
Officers and men alike will put forth their uttermost strength.
[Chang Yu says: "If they are in an awkward place together,they will surely exert their united strength to get out of it."]
24. Soldiers when in desperate straits lose the sense offear. If there is no place of refuge, they will stand firm. Ifthey are in hostile country, they will show a stubborn front. Ifthere is no help for it, they will fight hard. 25. Thus, without waiting to be marshaled, the soldierswill be constantly on the qui vive; without waiting to be asked,they will do your will;
[Literally, "without asking, you will get."]
without restrictions, they will be faithful; without givingorders, they can be trusted. 26. Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away withsuperstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, nocalamity need be feared.
[The superstitious, "bound in to saucy doubts and fears,"degenerate into cowards and "die many times before their deaths."Tu Mu quotes Huang Shih-kung: "'Spells and incantations shouldbe strictly forbidden, and no officer allowed to inquire bydivination into the fortunes of an army, for fear the soldiers'minds should be seriously perturbed.' The meaning is," hecontinues, "that if all doubts and scruples are discarded, yourmen will never falter in their resolution until they die."]
27. If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it isnot because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives arenot unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined tolongevity.
[Chang Yu has the best note on this passage: "Wealth andlong life are things for which all men have a naturalinclination. Hence, if they burn or fling away valuables, andsacrifice their own lives, it is not that they dislike them, butsimply that they have no choice." Sun Tzu is slyly insinuatingthat, as soldiers are but human, it is for the general to seethat temptations to shirk fighting and grow rich are not thrownin their way.]
28. On the day they are ordered out to battle, yoursoldiers may weep,
[The word in the Chinese is "snivel." This is taken toindicate more genuine grief than tears alone.]
those sitting up bedewing their garments, and those lying downletting the tears run down their cheeks.
[Not because they are afraid, but because, as Ts`ao Kungsays, "all have embraced the firm resolution to do or die." Wemay remember that the heroes of the Iliad were equally childlikein showing their emotion. Chang Yu alludes to the mournfulparting at the I River between Ching K`o and his friends, whenthe former was sent to attempt the life of the King of Ch`in(afterwards First Emperor) in 227 B.C. The tears of all floweddown like rain as he bade them farewell and uttered the followinglines: "The shrill blast is blowing, Chilly the burn; Yourchampion is going--Not to return." [1] ]
But let them once be brought to bay, and they will display thecourage of a Chu or a Kuei.
[Chu was the personal name of Chuan Chu, a native of the WuState and contemporary with Sun Tzu himself, who was employed byKung-tzu Kuang, better known as Ho Lu Wang, to assassinate hissovereign Wang Liao with a dagger which he secreted in the bellyof a fish served up at a banquet. He succeeded in his attempt,but was immediately hacked to pieced by the king's bodyguard.This was in 515 B.C. The other hero referred to, Ts`ao Kuei (orTs`ao Mo), performed the exploit which has made his name famous166 years earlier, in 681 B.C. Lu had been thrice defeated byCh`i, and was just about to conclude a treaty surrendering alarge slice of territory, when Ts`ao Kuei suddenly seized HuanKung, the Duke of Ch`i, as he stood on the altar steps and held adagger against his chest. None of the duke's retainers dared tomove a muscle, and Ts`ao Kuei proceeded to demand fullrestitution, declaring the Lu was being unjustly treated becauseshe was a smaller and a weaker state. Huan Kung, in peril of hislife, was obliged to consent, whereupon Ts`ao Kuei flung away hisdagger and quietly resumed his place amid the terrifiedassemblage without having so much as changed color. As was to beexpected, the Duke wanted afterwards to repudiate the bargain,but his wise old counselor Kuan Chung pointed out to him theimpolicy of breaking his word, and the upshot was that this boldstroke regained for Lu the whole of what she had lost in threepitched battles.]
29. The skillful tactician may be likened to the SHUAI-JAN.Now the SHUAI-JAN is a snake that is found in the Ch`angmountains.
["Shuai-jan" means "suddenly" or "rapidly," and the snake inquestion was doubtless so called owing to the rapidity of itsmovements. Through this passage, the term in the Chinese has nowcome to be used in the sense of "military maneuvers."]
Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strikeat its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at itsmiddle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both. 30. Asked if an army can be made to imitate the SHUAI-JAN,
[That is, as Mei Yao-ch`en says, "Is it possible to make thefront and rear of an army each swiftly responsive to attack onthe other, just as though they were part of a single livingbody?"]
I should answer, Yes. For the men of Wu and the men of Yueh areenemies;
[Cf. VI. ss. 21.]
yet if they are crossing a river in the same boat and are caughtby a storm, they will come to each other's assistance just as theleft hand helps the right.
[The meaning is: If two enemies will help each other in atime of common peril, how much more should two parts of the samearmy, bound together as they are by every tie of interest andfellow-feeling. Yet it is notorious that many a campaign hasbeen ruined through lack of cooperation, especially in the caseof allied armies.]
31. Hence it is not enough to put one's trust in thetethering of horses, and the burying of chariot wheels in theground
[These quaint devices to prevent one's army from runningaway recall the Athenian hero Sophanes, who carried the anchorwith him at the battle of Plataea, by means of which he fastenedhimself firmly to one spot. [See Herodotus, IX. 74.] It is notenough, says Sun Tzu, to render flight impossible by suchmechanical means. You will not succeed unless your men havetenacity and unity of purpose, and, above all, a spirit ofsympathetic cooperation. This is the lesson which can be learnedfrom the SHUAI-JAN.]
32. The principle on which to manage an army is to set upone standard of courage which all must reach.
[Literally, "level the courage [of all] as though [it werethat of] one." If the ideal army is to form a single organicwhole, then it follows that the resolution and spirit of itscomponent parts must be of the same quality, or at any rate mustnot fall below a certain standard. Wellington's seeminglyungrateful description of his army at Waterloo as "the worst hehad ever commanded" meant no more than that it was deficient inthis important particular--unity of spirit and courage. Had henot foreseen the Belgian defections and carefully kept thosetroops in the background, he would almost certainly have lost theday.]
33. How to make the best of both strong and weak--that is aquestion involving the proper use of ground.
[Mei Yao-ch`en's paraphrase is: "The way to eliminate thedifferences of strong and weak and to make both serviceable is toutilize accidental features of the ground." Less reliabletroops, if posted in strong positions, will hold out as long asbetter troops on more exposed terrain. The advantage of positionneutralizes the inferiority in stamina and courage. Col.Henderson says: "With all respect to the text books, and to theordinary tactical teaching, I am inclined to think that the studyof ground is often overlooked, and that by no means sufficientimportance is attached to the selection of positions... and tothe immense advantages that are to be derived, whether you aredefending or attacking, from the proper utilization of naturalfeatures." [2] ]
34. Thus the skillful general conducts his army just asthough he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand.
[Tu Mu says: "The simile has reference to the ease withwhich he does it."]
35. It is the business of a general to be quiet and thusensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus maintain order. 36. He must be able to mystify his officers and men byfalse reports and appearances,
[Literally, "to deceive their eyes and ears."]
and thus keep them in total ignorance.
[Ts`ao Kung gives us one of his excellent apophthegms: "Thetroops must not be allowed to share your schemes in thebeginning; they may only rejoice with you over their happyoutcome." "To mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy," is oneof the first principles in war, as had been frequently pointedout. But how about the other process--the mystification of one'sown men? Those who may think that Sun Tzu is over-emphatic onthis point would do well to read Col. Henderson's remarks onStonewall Jackson's Valley campaign: "The infinite pains," hesays, "with which Jackson sought to conceal, even from his mosttrusted staff officers, his movements, his intentions, and histhoughts, a commander less thorough would have pronounceduseless"--etc. etc. [3] In the year 88 A.D., as we read in ch.47 of the HOU HAN SHU, "Pan Ch`ao took the field with 25,000 menfrom Khotan and other Central Asian states with the object ofcrushing Yarkand. The King of Kutcha replied by dispatching hischief commander to succor the place with an army drawn from thekingdoms of Wen-su, Ku-mo, and Wei-t`ou, totaling 50,000 men.Pan Ch`ao summoned his officers and also the King of Khotan to acouncil of war, and said: 'Our forces are now outnumbered andunable to make head against the enemy. The best plan, then, isfor us to separate and disperse, each in a different direction.The King of Khotan will march away by the easterly route, and Iwill then return myself towards the west. Let us wait until theevening drum has sounded and then start.' Pan Ch`ao now secretlyreleased the prisoners whom he had taken alive, and the King ofKutcha was thus informed of his plans. Much elated by the news,the latter set off at once at the head of 10,000 horsemen to barPan Ch`ao's retreat in the west, while the King of Wen-su rodeeastward with 8000 horse in order to intercept the King ofKhotan. As soon as Pan Ch`ao knew that the two chieftains hadgone, he called his divisions together, got them well in hand,and at cock-crow hurled them against the army of Yarkand, as itlay encamped. The barbarians, panic-stricken, fled in confusion,and were closely pursued by Pan Ch`ao. Over 5000 heads werebrought back as trophies, besides immense spoils in the shape ofhorses and cattle and valuables of every description. Yarkandthen capitulating, Kutcha and the other kingdoms drew off theirrespective forces. From that time forward, Pan Ch`ao's prestigecompletely overawed the countries of the west." In this case, wesee that the Chinese general not only kept his own officers inignorance of his real plans, but actually took the bold step ofdividing his army in order to deceive the enemy.]
37. By altering his arrangements and changing his plans,
[Wang Hsi thinks that this means not using the samestratagem twice.]
he keeps the enemy without definite knowledge.
[Chang Yu, in a quotation from another work, says: "Theaxiom, that war is based on deception, does not apply only todeception of the enemy. You must deceive even your own soldiers.Make them follow you, but without letting them know why."]
By shifting his camp and taking circuitous routes, he preventsthe enemy from anticipating his purpose. 38. At the critical moment, the leader of an army acts likeone who has climbed up a height and then kicks away the ladderbehind him. He carries his men deep into hostile territorybefore he shows his hand.
[Literally, "releases the spring" (see V. ss. 15), that is,takes some decisive step which makes it impossible for the armyto return--like Hsiang Yu, who sunk his ships after crossing ariver. Ch`en Hao, followed by Chia Lin, understands the wordsless well as "puts forth every artifice at his command."]
39. He burns his boats and breaks his cooking-pots; like ashepherd driving a flock of sheep, he drives his men this way andthat, and nothing knows whither he is going.
[Tu Mu says: "The army is only cognizant of orders toadvance or retreat; it is ignorant of the ulterior ends ofattacking and conquering."]
40. To muster his host and bring it into danger:--this maybe termed the business of the general.
[Sun Tzu means that after mobilization there should be nodelay in aiming a blow at the enemy's heart. Note how he returnsagain and again to this point. Among the warring states ofancient China, desertion was no doubt a much more present fearand serious evil than it is in the armies of today.]
41. The different measures suited to the nine varieties ofground;
[Chang Yu says: "One must not be hide-bound in interpretingthe rules for the nine varieties of ground.]
the expediency of aggressive or defensive tactics; and thefundamental laws of human nature: these are things that mustmost certainly be studied. 42. When invading hostile territory, the general principleis, that penetrating deeply brings cohesion; penetrating but ashort way means dispersion.
[Cf. supra, ss. 20.]
43. When you leave your own country behind, and take yourarmy across neighborhood territory, you find yourself on criticalground.
[This "ground" is curiously mentioned in VIII. ss. 2, but itdoes not figure among the Nine Situations or the Six Calamitiesin chap. X. One's first impulse would be to translate it distantground," but this, if we can trust the commentators, is preciselywhat is not meant here. Mei Yao-ch`en says it is "a position notfar enough advanced to be called 'facile,' and not near enough tohome to be 'dispersive,' but something between the two." Wang Hsisays: "It is ground separated from home by an interjacent state,whose territory we have had to cross in order to reach it.Hence, it is incumbent on us to settle our business therequickly." He adds that this position is of rare occurrence,which is the reason why it is not included among the NineSituations.]
When there are means of communication on all four sides, theground is one of intersecting highways. 44. When you penetrate deeply into a country, it is seriousground. When you penetrate but a little way, it is facileground. 45. When you have the enemy's strongholds on your rear, andnarrow passes in front, it is hemmed-in ground. When there is noplace of refuge at all, it is desperate ground. 46. Therefore, on dispersive ground, I would inspire my menwith unity of purpose.
[This end, according to Tu Mu, is best attained by remainingon the defensive, and avoiding battle. Cf. supra, ss. 11.]
On facile ground, I would see that there is close connectionbetween all parts of my army.
[As Tu Mu says, the object is to guard against two possiblecontingencies: "(1) the desertion of our own troops; (2) asudden attack on the part of the enemy." Cf. VII. ss. 17. MeiYao-ch`en says: "On the march, the regiments should be in closetouch; in an encampment, there should be continuity between thefortifications."]
47. On contentious ground, I would hurry up my rear.
[This is Ts`ao Kung's interpretation. Chang Yu adopts it,saying: "We must quickly bring up our rear, so that head andtail may both reach the goal." That is, they must not be allowedto straggle up a long way apart. Mei Yao-ch`en offers anotherequally plausible explanation: "Supposing the enemy has not yetreached the coveted position, and we are behind him, we shouldadvance with all speed in order to dispute its possession."Ch`en Hao, on the other hand, assuming that the enemy has hadtime to select his own ground, quotes VI. ss. 1, where Sun Tzuwarns us against coming exhausted to the attack. His own idea ofthe situation is rather vaguely expressed: "If there is afavorable position lying in front of you, detach a picked body oftroops to occupy it, then if the enemy, relying on their numbers,come up to make a fight for it, you may fall quickly on theirrear with your main body, and victory will be assured." It wasthus, he adds, that Chao She beat the army of Ch`in. (See p.57.)]
48. On open ground, I would keep a vigilant eye on mydefenses. On ground of intersecting highways, I wouldconsolidate my alliances. 49. On serious ground, I would try to ensure a continuousstream of supplies.
[The commentators take this as referring to forage andplunder, not, as one might expect, to an unbroken communicationwith a home base.]
On difficult ground, I would keep pushing on along the road. 50. On hemmed-in ground, I would block any way of retreat.
[Meng Shih says: "To make it seem that I meant to defendthe position, whereas my real intention is to burst suddenlythrough the enemy's lines." Mei Yao-ch`en says: "in order tomake my soldiers fight with desperation." Wang Hsi says,"fearing lest my men be tempted to run away." Tu Mu points outthat this is the converse of VII. ss. 36, where it is the enemywho is surrounded. In 532 A.D., Kao Huan, afterwards Emperor andcanonized as Shen-wu, was surrounded by a great army under Erh-chu Chao and others. His own force was comparatively small,consisting only of 2000 horse and something under 30,000 foot.The lines of investment had not been drawn very closely together,gaps being left at certain points. But Kao Huan, instead oftrying to escape, actually made a shift to block all theremaining outlets himself by driving into them a number of oxenand donkeys roped together. As soon as his officers and men sawthat there was nothing for it but to conquer or die, theirspirits rose to an extraordinary pitch of exaltation, and theycharged with such desperate ferocity that the opposing ranksbroke and crumbled under their onslaught.]
On desperate ground, I would proclaim to my soldiers thehopelessness of saving their lives.
Tu Yu says: "Burn your baggage and impedimenta, throw awayyour stores and provisions, choke up the wells, destroy yourcooking-stoves, and make it plain to your men that they cannotsurvive, but must fight to the death." Mei Yao-ch`en says: "Theonly chance of life lies in giving up all hope of it." Thisconcludes what Sun Tzu has to say about "grounds" and the"variations" corresponding to them. Reviewing the passages whichbear on this important subject, we cannot fail to be struck bythe desultory and unmethodical fashion in which it is treated.Sun Tzu begins abruptly in VIII. ss. 2 to enumerate "variations"before touching on "grounds" at all, but only mentions five,namely nos. 7, 5, 8 and 9 of the subsequent list, and one that isnot included in it. A few varieties of ground are dealt with inthe earlier portion of chap. IX, and then chap. X sets forth sixnew grounds, with six variations of plan to match. None of theseis mentioned again, though the first is hardly to bedistinguished from ground no. 4 in the next chapter. At last, inchap. XI, we come to the Nine Grounds par excellence, immediatelyfollowed by the variations. This takes us down to ss. 14. InSS. 43-45, fresh definitions are provided for nos. 5, 6, 2, 8 and9 (in the order given), as well as for the tenth ground noticedin chap. VIII; and finally, the nine variations are enumeratedonce more from beginning to end, all, with the exception of 5, 6and 7, being different from those previously given. Though it isimpossible to account for the present state of Sun Tzu's text, afew suggestive facts maybe brought into prominence: (1) Chap.VIII, according to the title, should deal with nine variations,whereas only five appear. (2) It is an abnormally short chapter.(3) Chap. XI is entitled The Nine Grounds. Several of these aredefined twice over, besides which there are two distinct lists ofthe corresponding variations. (4) The length of the chapter isdisproportionate, being double that of any other except IX. I donot propose to draw any inferences from these facts, beyond thegeneral conclusion that Sun Tzu's work cannot have come down tous in the shape in which it left his hands: chap. VIII isobviously defective and probably out of place, while XI seems tocontain matter that has either been added by a later hand orought to appear elsewhere.]
51. For it is the soldier's disposition to offer anobstinate resistance when surrounded, to fight hard when hecannot help himself, and to obey promptly when he has fallen intodanger.
[Chang Yu alludes to the conduct of Pan Ch`ao's devotedfollowers in 73 A.D. The story runs thus in the HOU HAN SHU, ch.47: "When Pan Ch`ao arrived at Shan-shan, Kuang, the King of thecountry, received him at first with great politeness and respect;but shortly afterwards his behavior underwent a sudden change,and he became remiss and negligent. Pan Ch`ao spoke about thisto the officers of his suite: 'Have you noticed,' he said, 'thatKuang's polite intentions are on the wane? This must signifythat envoys have come from the Northern barbarians, and thatconsequently he is in a state of indecision, not knowing withwhich side to throw in his lot. That surely is the reason. Thetruly wise man, we are told, can perceive things before they havecome to pass; how much more, then, those that are alreadymanifest!' Thereupon he called one of the natives who had beenassigned to his service, and set a trap for him, saying: 'Whereare those envoys from the Hsiung-nu who arrived some day ago?'The man was so taken aback that between surprise and fear hepresently blurted out the whole truth. Pan Ch`ao, keeping hisinformant carefully under lock and key, then summoned a generalgathering of his officers, thirty-six in all, and began drinkingwith them. When the wine had mounted into their heads a little,he tried to rouse their spirit still further by addressing themthus: 'Gentlemen, here we are in the heart of an isolatedregion, anxious to achieve riches and honor by some greatexploit. Now it happens that an ambassador from the Hsiung-noarrived in this kingdom only a few days ago, and the result isthat the respectful courtesy extended towards us by our royalhost has disappeared. Should this envoy prevail upon him toseize our party and hand us over to the Hsiung-no, our bones willbecome food for the wolves of the desert. What are we to do?'With one accord, the officers replied: 'Standing as we do inperil of our lives, we will follow our commander through life anddeath.' For the sequel of this adventure, see chap. XII. ss. 1,note.]
52. We cannot enter into alliance with neighboring princesuntil we are acquainted with their designs. We are not fit tolead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face ofthe country--its mountains and forests, its pitfalls andprecipices, its marshes and swamps. We shall be unable to turnnatural advantages to account unless we make use of local guides.
[These three sentences are repeated from VII. SS. 12-14 --in order to emphasize their importance, the commentators seem tothink. I prefer to regard them as interpolated here in order toform an antecedent to the following words. With regard to localguides, Sun Tzu might have added that there is always the risk ofgoing wrong, either through their treachery or somemisunderstanding such as Livy records (XXII. 13): Hannibal, weare told, ordered a guide to lead him into the neighborhood ofCasinum, where there was an important pass to be occupied; buthis Carthaginian accent, unsuited to the pronunciation of Latinnames, caused the guide to understand Casilinum instead ofCasinum, and turning from his proper route, he took the army inthat direction, the mistake not being discovered until they hadalmost arrived.]
53. To be ignored of any one of the following four or fiveprinciples does not befit a warlike prince. 54. When a warlike prince attacks a powerful state, hisgeneralship shows itself in preventing the concentration of theenemy's forces. He overawes his opponents, and their allies areprevented from joining against him.
[Mei Tao-ch`en constructs one of the chains of reasoningthat are so much affected by the Chinese: "In attacking apowerful state, if you can divide her forces, you will have asuperiority in strength; if you have a superiority in strength,you will overawe the enemy; if you overawe the enemy, theneighboring states will be frightened; and if the neighboringstates are frightened, the enemy's allies will be prevented fromjoining her." The following gives a stronger meaning: "If thegreat state has once been defeated (before she has had time tosummon her allies), then the lesser states will hold aloof andrefrain from massing their forces." Ch`en Hao and Chang Yu takethe sentence in quite another way. The former says: "Powerfulthough a prince may be, if he attacks a large state, he will beunable to raise enough troops, and must rely to some extent onexternal aid; if he dispenses with this, and with overweeningconfidence in his own strength, simply tries to intimidate theenemy, he will surely be defeated." Chang Yu puts his view thus:"If we recklessly attack a large state, our own people will bediscontented and hang back. But if (as will then be the case)our display of military force is inferior by half to that of theenemy, the other chieftains will take fright and refuse to joinus."]
55. Hence he does not strive to ally himself with all andsundry, nor does he foster the power of other states. He carriesout his own secret designs, keeping his antagonists in awe.
[The train of thought, as said by Li Ch`uan, appears to bethis: Secure against a combination of his enemies, "he canafford to reject entangling alliances and simply pursue his ownsecret designs, his prestige enable him to dispense with externalfriendships."]
Thus he is able to capture their cities and overthrow theirkingdoms.
[This paragraph, though written many years before the Ch`inState became a serious menace, is not a bad summary of the policyby which the famous Six Chancellors gradually paved the way forher final triumph under Shih Huang Ti. Chang Yu, following uphis previous note, thinks that Sun Tzu is condemning thisattitude of cold-blooded selfishness and haughty isolation.]
56. Bestow rewards without regard to rule,
[Wu Tzu (ch. 3) less wisely says: "Let advance be richlyrewarded and retreat be heavily punished."]
issue orders
[Literally, "hang" or post up."]
without regard to previous arrangements;
["In order to prevent treachery," says Wang Hsi. Thegeneral meaning is made clear by Ts`ao Kung's quotation from theSSU-MA FA: "Give instructions only on sighting the enemy; giverewards when you see deserving deeds." Ts`ao Kung's paraphrase:"The final instructions you give to your army should notcorrespond with those that have been previously posted up."Chang Yu simplifies this into "your arrangements should not bedivulged beforehand." And Chia Lin says: "there should be nofixity in your rules and arrangements." Not only is there dangerin letting your plans be known, but war often necessitates theentire reversal of them at the last moment.]
and you will be able to handle a whole army as though you had todo with but a single man.
[Cf. supra, ss. 34.]
57. Confront your soldiers with the deed itself; never letthem know your design.
[Literally, "do not tell them words;" i.e. do not give yourreasons for any order. Lord Mansfield once told a juniorcolleague to "give no reasons" for his decisions, and the maximis even more applicable to a general than to a judge.]
When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tellthem 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.
[These words of Sun Tzu were once quoted by Han Hsin inexplanation of the tactics he employed in one of his mostbrilliant battles, already alluded to on p. 28. In 204 B.C., hewas sent against the army of Chao, and halted ten miles from themouth of the Ching-hsing pass, where the enemy had mustered infull force. Here, at midnight, he detached a body of 2000 lightcavalry, every man of which was furnished with a red flag. Theirinstructions were to make their way through narrow defiles andkeep a secret watch on the enemy. "When the men of Chao see mein full flight," Han Hsin said, "they will abandon theirfortifications and give chase. This must be the sign for you torush in, pluck down the Chao standards and set up the red bannersof Han in their stead." Turning then to his other officers, heremarked: "Our adversary holds a strong position, and is notlikely to come out and attack us until he sees the standard anddrums of the commander-in-chief, for fear I should turn back andescape through the mountains." So saying, he first of all sentout a division consisting of 10,000 men, and ordered them to formin line of battle with their backs to the River Ti. Seeing thismaneuver, the whole army of Chao broke into loud laughter. Bythis time it was broad daylight, and Han Hsin, displaying thegeneralissimo's flag, marched out of the pass with drums beating,and was immediately engaged by the enemy. A great battlefollowed, lasting for some time; until at length Han Hsin and hiscolleague Chang Ni, leaving drums and banner on the field, fledto the division on the river bank, where another fierce battlewas raging. The enemy rushed out to pursue them and to securethe trophies, thus denuding their ramparts of men; but the twogenerals succeeded in joining the other army, which was fightingwith the utmost desperation. The time had now come for the 2000horsemen to play their part. As soon as they saw the men of Chaofollowing up their advantage, they galloped behind the desertedwalls, tore up the enemy's flags and replaced them by those ofHan. When the Chao army looked back from the pursuit, the sightof these red flags struck them with terror. Convinced that theHans had got in and overpowered their king, they broke up in wilddisorder, every effort of their leader to stay the panic being invain. Then the Han army fell on them from both sides andcompleted the rout, killing a number and capturing the rest,amongst whom was King Ya himself.... After the battle, some ofHan Hsin's officers came to him and said: "In the ART OF WAR weare told to have a hill or tumulus on the right rear, and a riveror marsh on the left front. [This appears to be a blend of SunTzu and T`ai Kung. See IX ss. 9, and note.] You, on thecontrary, ordered us to draw up our troops with the river at ourback. Under these conditions, how did you manage to gain thevictory?" The general replied: "I fear you gentlemen have notstudied the Art of War with sufficient care. Is it not writtenthere: 'Plunge your army into desperate straits and it will comeoff in safety; place it in deadly peril and it will survive'?Had I taken the usual course, I should never have been able tobring my colleague round. What says the Military Classic--'Swoopdown on the market-place and drive the men off to fight.' [Thispassage does not occur in the present text of Sun Tzu.] If I hadnot placed my troops in a position where they were obliged tofight for their lives, but had allowed each man to follow his owndiscretion, there would have been a general debandade, and itwould have been impossible to do anything with them." Theofficers admitted the force of his argument, and said: "Theseare higher tactics than we should have been capable of." [SeeCH`IEN HAN SHU, ch. 34, ff. 4, 5.] ]
59. For it is precisely when a force has fallen into harm'sway that is capable of striking a blow for victory.
[Danger has a bracing effect.]
60. Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodatingourselves to the enemy's purpose.
[Ts`ao Kung says: "Feign stupidity"--by an appearance ofyielding and falling in with the enemy's wishes. Chang Yu's notemakes the meaning clear: "If the enemy shows an inclination toadvance, lure him on to do so; if he is anxious to retreat, delayon purpose that he may carry out his intention." The object isto make him remiss and contemptuous before we deliver ourattack.]
61. By persistently hanging on the enemy's flank,
[I understand the first four words to mean "accompanying theenemy in one direction." Ts`ao Kung says: "unite the soldiersand make for the enemy." But such a violent displacement ofcharacters is quite indefensible.]
we shall succeed in the long run
[Literally, "after a thousand LI."]
in killing the commander-in-chief.
[Always a great point with the Chinese.]
62. This is called ability to accomplish a thing by sheercunning. 63. On the day that you take up your command, block thefrontier passes, destroy the official tallies,
[These were tablets of bamboo or wood, one half of which wasissued as a permit or passport by the official in charge of agate. Cf. the "border-warden" of LUN YU III. 24, who may havehad similar duties. When this half was returned to him, within afixed period, he was authorized to open the gate and let thetraveler through.]
and stop the passage of all emissaries.
[Either to or from the enemy's country.]
64. Be stern in the council-chamber,
[Show no weakness, and insist on your plans being ratifiedby the sovereign.]
so that you may control the situation.
[Mei Yao-ch`en understands the whole sentence to mean: Takethe strictest precautions to ensure secrecy in yourdeliberations.]
65. If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in. 66. Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear,
[Cf. supra, ss. 18.]
and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the ground.
[Ch`en Hao`s explanation: "If I manage to seize a favorableposition, but the enemy does not appear on the scene, theadvantage thus obtained cannot be turned to any practicalaccount. He who intends therefore, to occupy a position ofimportance to the enemy, must begin by making an artfulappointment, so to speak, with his antagonist, and cajole himinto going there as well." Mei Yao-ch`en explains that this"artful appointment" is to be made through the medium of theenemy's own spies, who will carry back just the amount ofinformation that we choose to give them. Then, having cunninglydisclosed our intentions, "we must manage, though starting afterthe enemy, to arrive before him (VII. ss. 4). We must startafter him in order to ensure his marching thither; we must arrivebefore him in order to capture the place without trouble. Takenthus, the present passage lends some support to Mei Yao-ch`en'sinterpretation of ss. 47.]
67. Walk in the path defined by rule,
[Chia Lin says: "Victory is the only thing that matters,and this cannot be achieved by adhering to conventional canons."It is unfortunate that this variant rests on very slightauthority, for the sense yielded is certainly much moresatisfactory. Napoleon, as we know, according to the veterans ofthe old school whom he defeated, won his battles by violatingevery accepted canon of warfare.]
and accommodate yourself to the enemy until you can fight adecisive battle.
[Tu Mu says: "Conform to the enemy's tactics until afavorable opportunity offers; then come forth and engage in abattle that shall prove decisive."]
68. At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, untilthe enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidityof a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy tooppose you.
[As the hare is noted for its extreme timidity, thecomparison hardly appears felicitous. But of course Sun Tzu wasthinking only of its speed. The words have been taken to mean:You must flee from the enemy as quickly as an escaping hare; butthis is rightly rejected by Tu Mu.]
[1] Giles' Biographical Dictionary, no. 399.
[2] "The Science of War," p. 333.
[3] "Stonewall Jackson," vol. I, p. 421.
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XII. THE ATTACK BY FIRE
[Rather more than half the chapter (SS. 1-13) is devoted tothe subject of fire, after which the author branches off intoother topics.]
1. Sun Tzu said: There are five ways of attacking withfire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp;
[So Tu Mu. Li Ch`uan says: "Set fire to the camp, and killthe soldiers" (when they try to escape from the flames). PanCh`ao, sent on a diplomatic mission to the King of Shan-shan [seeXI. ss. 51, note], found himself placed in extreme peril by theunexpected arrival of an envoy from the Hsiung-nu [the mortalenemies of the Chinese]. In consultation with his officers, heexclaimed: "Never venture, never win! [1] The only course opento us now is to make an assault by fire on the barbarians undercover of night, when they will not be able to discern ournumbers. Profiting by their panic, we shall exterminate themcompletely; this will cool the King's courage and cover us withglory, besides ensuring the success of our mission.' theofficers all replied that it would be necessary to discuss thematter first with the Intendant. Pan Ch`ao then fell into apassion: 'It is today,' he cried, 'that our fortunes must bedecided! The Intendant is only a humdrum civilian, who onhearing of our project will certainly be afraid, and everythingwill be brought to light. An inglorious death is no worthy fatefor valiant warriors.' All then agreed to do as he wished.Accordingly, as soon as night came on, he and his little bandquickly made their way to the barbarian camp. A strong gale wasblowing at the time. Pan Ch`ao ordered ten of the party to takedrums and hide behind the enemy's barracks, it being arrangedthat when they saw flames shoot up, they should begin drummingand yelling with all their might. The rest of his men, armedwith bows and crossbows, he posted in ambuscade at the gate ofthe camp. He then set fire to the place from the windward side,whereupon a deafening noise of drums and shouting arose on thefront and rear of the Hsiung-nu, who rushed out pell-mell infrantic disorder. Pan Ch`ao slew three of them with his ownhand, while his companions cut off the heads of the envoy andthirty of his suite. The remainder, more than a hundred in all,perished in the flames. On the following day, Pan Ch`ao,divining his thoughts, said with uplifted hand: 'Although youdid not go with us last night, I should not think, Sir, of takingsole credit for our exploit.' This satisfied Kuo Hsun, and PanCh`ao, having sent for Kuang, King of Shan-shan, showed him thehead of the barbarian envoy. The whole kingdom was seized withfear and trembling, which Pan Ch`ao took steps to allay byissuing a public proclamation. Then, taking the king's sons ashostage, he returned to make his report to Tou Ku." HOU HAN SHU,ch. 47, ff. 1, 2.] ]
the second is to burn stores;
[Tu Mu says: "Provisions, fuel and fodder." In order tosubdue the rebellious population of Kiangnan, Kao Kengrecommended Wen Ti of the Sui dynasty to make periodical raidsand burn their stores of grain, a policy which in the long runproved entirely successful.]
the third is to burn baggage trains;
[An example given is the destruction of Yuan Shao`s wagonsand impedimenta by Ts`ao Ts`ao in 200 A.D.]
the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines;
[Tu Mu says that the things contained in "arsenals" and"magazines" are the same. He specifies weapons and otherimplements, bullion and clothing. Cf. VII. ss. 11.]
the fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy.
[Tu Yu says in the T`UNG TIEN: "To drop fire into theenemy's camp. The method by which this may be done is to set thetips of arrows alight by dipping them into a brazier, and thenshoot them from powerful crossbows into the enemy's lines."]
2. In order to carry out an attack, we must have meansavailable.
[T`sao Kung thinks that "traitors in the enemy's camp" arereferred to. But Ch`en Hao is more likely to be right in saying:"We must have favorable circumstances in general, not merelytraitors to help us." Chia Lin says: "We must avail ourselvesof wind and dry weather."]
the material for raising fire should always be kept in readiness.
[Tu Mu suggests as material for making fire: "dry vegetablematter, reeds, brushwood, straw, grease, oil, etc." Here we havethe material cause. Chang Yu says: "vessels for hoarding fire,stuff for lighting fires."]
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; thespecial days are those when the moon is in the constellations ofthe Sieve, the Wall, the Wing or the Cross-bar;
[These are, respectively, the 7th, 14th, 27th, and 28th ofthe Twenty-eight Stellar Mansions, corresponding roughly toSagittarius, Pegasus, Crater and Corvus.]
for these four are all days of rising wind. 5. In attacking with fire, one should be prepared to meetfive possible developments: 6. (1) When fire breaks out inside to enemy's camp, respondat once with an attack from without. 7. (2) If there is an outbreak of fire, but the enemy'ssoldiers remain quiet, bide your time and do not attack.
[The prime object of attacking with fire is to throw theenemy into confusion. If this effect is not produced, it meansthat the enemy is ready to receive us. Hence the necessity forcaution.]
8. (3) When the force of the flames has reached its height,follow it up with an attack, if that is practicable; if not, staywhere you are.
[Ts`ao Kung says: "If you see a possible way, advance; butif you find the difficulties too great, retire."]
9. (4) If it is possible to make an assault with fire fromwithout, do not wait for it to break out within, but deliver yourattack at a favorable moment.
[Tu Mu says that the previous paragraphs had reference tothe fire breaking out (either accidentally, we may suppose, or bythe agency of incendiaries) inside the enemy's camp. "But," hecontinues, "if the enemy is settled in a waste place litteredwith quantities of grass, or if he has pitched his camp in aposition which can be burnt out, we must carry our fire againsthim at any seasonable opportunity, and not await on in hopes ofan outbreak occurring within, for fear our opponents shouldthemselves burn up the surrounding vegetation, and thus renderour own attempts fruitless." The famous Li Ling once baffled theleader of the Hsiung-nu in this way. The latter, takingadvantage of a favorable wind, tried to set fire to the Chinesegeneral's camp, but found that every scrap of combustiblevegetation in the neighborhood had already been burnt down. Onthe other hand, Po-ts`ai, a general of the Yellow Turban rebels,was badly defeated in 184 A.D. through his neglect of this simpleprecaution. "At the head of a large army he was besiegingCh`ang-she, which was held by Huang-fu Sung. The garrison wasvery small, and a general feeling of nervousness pervaded theranks; so Huang-fu Sung called his officers together and said:"In war, there are various indirect methods of attack, andnumbers do not count for everything. [The commentator herequotes Sun Tzu, V. SS. 5, 6 and 10.] Now the rebels have pitchedtheir camp in the midst of thick grass which will easily burnwhen the wind blows. If we set fire to it at night, they will bethrown into a panic, and we can make a sortie and attack them onall sides at once, thus emulating the achievement of T`ien Tan.'[See p. 90.] That same evening, a strong breeze sprang up; soHuang-fu Sung instructed his soldiers to bind reeds together intotorches and mount guard on the city walls, after which he sentout a band of daring men, who stealthily made their way throughthe lines and started the fire with loud shouts and yells.Simultaneously, a glare of light shot up from the city walls, andHuang-fu Sung, sounding his drums, led a rapid charge, whichthrew the rebels into confusion and put them to headlong flight."[HOU HAN SHU, ch. 71.] ]
10. (5) When you start a fire, be to windward of it. Donot attack from the leeward.
[Chang Yu, following Tu Yu, says: "When you make a fire,the enemy will retreat away from it; if you oppose his retreatand attack him then, he will fight desperately, which will notconduce to your success." A rather more obvious explanation isgiven by Tu Mu: "If the wind is in the east, begin burning tothe east of the enemy, and follow up the attack yourself fromthat side. If you start the fire on the east side, and thenattack from the west, you will suffer in the same way as yourenemy."]
11. A wind that rises in the daytime lasts long, but anight breeze soon falls.
[Cf. Lao Tzu's saying: "A violent wind does not last thespace of a morning." (TAO TE CHING, chap. 23.) Mei Yao-ch`enand Wang Hsi say: "A day breeze dies down at nightfall, and anight breeze at daybreak. This is what happens as a generalrule." The phenomenon observed may be correct enough, but howthis sense is to be obtained is not apparent.]
12. In every army, the five developments connected withfire must be known, the movements of the stars calculated, and awatch kept for the proper days.
[Tu Mu says: "We must make calculations as to the paths ofthe stars, and watch for the days on which wind will rise,before making our attack with fire." Chang Yu seems to interpretthe text differently: "We must not only know how to assail ouropponents with fire, but also be on our guard against similarattacks from them."]
13. Hence those who use fire as an aid to the attack showintelligence; those who use water as an aid to the attack gain anaccession of strength. 14. By means of water, an enemy may be intercepted, but notrobbed of all his belongings.
[Ts`ao Kung's note is: "We can merely obstruct the enemy'sroad or divide his army, but not sweep away all his accumulatedstores." Water can do useful service, but it lacks the terribledestructive power of fire. This is the reason, Chang Yuconcludes, why the former is dismissed in a couple of sentences,whereas the attack by fire is discussed in detail. Wu Tzu (ch.4) speaks thus of the two elements: "If an army is encamped onlow-lying marshy ground, from which the water cannot run off, andwhere the rainfall is heavy, it may be submerged by a flood. Ifan army is encamped in wild marsh lands thickly overgrown withweeds and brambles, and visited by frequent gales, it may beexterminated by fire."]
15. Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battlesand succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit ofenterprise; for the result is waste of time and generalstagnation.
[This is one of the most perplexing passages in Sun Tzu.Ts`ao Kung says: "Rewards for good service should not bedeferred a single day." And Tu Mu: "If you do not takeopportunity to advance and reward the deserving, yoursubordinates will not carry out your commands, and disaster willensue." For several reasons, however, and in spite of theformidable array of scholars on the other side, I prefer theinterpretation suggested by Mei Yao-ch`en alone, whose words Iwill quote: "Those who want to make sure of succeeding in theirbattles and assaults must seize the favorable moments when theycome and not shrink on occasion from heroic measures: that is tosay, they must resort to such means of attack of fire, water andthe like. What they must not do, and what will prove fatal, isto sit still and simply hold to the advantages they have got."]
16. Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his planswell ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.
[Tu Mu quotes the following from the SAN LUEH, ch. 2: "Thewarlike prince controls his soldiers by his authority, kits themtogether by good faith, and by rewards makes them serviceable.If faith decays, there will be disruption; if rewards aredeficient, commands will not be respected."]
17. Move not unless you see an advantage; use not yourtroops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unlessthe position is critical.
[Sun Tzu may at times appear to be over-cautious, but henever goes so far in that direction as the remarkable passage inthe TAO TE CHING, ch. 69. "I dare not take the initiative, butprefer to act on the defensive; I dare not advance an inch, butprefer to retreat a foot."]
18. No ruler should put troops into the field merely togratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simplyout of pique. 19. If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; ifnot, stay where you are.
[This is repeated from XI. ss. 17. Here I feel convincedthat it is an interpolation, for it is evident that ss. 20 oughtto follow immediately on ss. 18.]
20. Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may besucceeded by content. 21. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can nevercome again into being;
[The Wu State was destined to be a melancholy example ofthis saying.]
nor can the dead ever be brought back to life. 22. Hence the enlightened ruler is heedful, and the goodgeneral full of caution. This is the way to keep a country atpeace and an army intact.
[1] "Unless you enter the tiger's lair, you cannot get hold ofthe tiger's cubs."
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XIII. THE USE OF SPIES
1. Sun Tzu said: Raising a host of a hundred thousand menand marching them great distances entails heavy loss on thepeople and a drain on the resources of the State. The dailyexpenditure will amount to a thousand ounces of silver.
[Cf. II. ss. ss. 1, 13, 14.]
There will be commotion at home and abroad, and men will dropdown exhausted on the highways.
[Cf. TAO TE CHING, ch. 30: "Where troops have beenquartered, brambles and thorns spring up. Chang Yu has the note:"We may be reminded of the saying: 'On serious ground, gather inplunder.' Why then should carriage and transportation causeexhaustion on the highways?--The answer is, that not victualsalone, but all sorts of munitions of war have to be conveyed tothe army. Besides, the injunction to 'forage on the enemy' onlymeans that when an army is deeply engaged in hostile territory,scarcity of food must be provided against. Hence, without beingsolely dependent on the enemy for corn, we must forage in orderthat there may be an uninterrupted flow of supplies. Then,again, there are places like salt deserts where provisions beingunobtainable, supplies from home cannot be dispensed with."]
As many as seven hundred thousand families will be impeded intheir labor.
[Mei Yao-ch`en says: "Men will be lacking at the plough-tail." The allusion is to the system of dividing land into nineparts, each consisting of about 15 acres, the plot in the centerbeing cultivated on behalf of the State by the tenants of theother eight. It was here also, so Tu Mu tells us, that theircottages were built and a well sunk, to be used by all in common.[See II. ss. 12, note.] In time of war, one of the families hadto serve in the army, while the other seven contributed to itssupport. Thus, by a levy of 100,000 men (reckoning one able-bodied soldier to each family) the husbandry of 700,000 familieswould be affected.]
2. Hostile armies may face each other for years, strivingfor the victory which is decided in a single day. This being so,to remain in ignorance of the enemy's condition simply becauseone grudges the outlay of a hundred ounces of silver in honorsand emoluments,
["For spies" is of course the meaning, though it would spoilthe effect of this curiously elaborate exordium if spies wereactually mentioned at this point.]
is the height of inhumanity.
[Sun Tzu's agreement is certainly ingenious. He begins byadverting to the frightful misery and vast expenditure of bloodand treasure which war always brings in its train. Now, unlessyou are kept informed of the enemy's condition, and are ready tostrike at the right moment, a war may drag on for years. Theonly way to get this information is to employ spies, and it isimpossible to obtain trustworthy spies unless they are properlypaid for their services. But it is surely false economy togrudge a comparatively trifling amount for this purpose, whenevery day that the war lasts eats up an incalculably greater sum.This grievous burden falls on the shoulders of the poor, andhence Sun Tzu concludes that to neglect the use of spies isnothing less than a crime against humanity.]
3. One who acts thus is no leader of men, no present helpto his sovereign, no master of victory.
[This idea, that the true object of war is peace, has itsroot in the national temperament of the Chinese. Even so farback as 597 B.C., these memorable words were uttered by PrinceChuang of the Ch`u State: "The [Chinese] character for 'prowess'is made up of [the characters for] 'to stay' and 'a spear'(cessation of hostilities). Military prowess is seen in therepression of cruelty, the calling in of weapons, thepreservation of the appointment of Heaven, the firm establishmentof merit, the bestowal of happiness on the people, puttingharmony between the princes, the diffusion of wealth."]
4. Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the goodgeneral to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond thereach of ordinary men, is FOREKNOWLEDGE.
[That is, knowledge of the enemy's dispositions, and what hemeans to do.]
5. Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits;it cannot be obtained inductively from experience,
[Tu Mu's note is: "[knowledge of the enemy] cannot begained by reasoning from other analogous cases."]
nor by any deductive calculation.
[Li Ch`uan says: "Quantities like length, breadth,distance and magnitude, are susceptible of exact mathematicaldetermination; human actions cannot be so calculated."]
6. Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only beobtained from other men.
[Mei Yao-ch`en has rather an interesting note: "Knowledgeof the spirit-world is to be obtained by divination; informationin natural science may be sought by inductive reasoning; the lawsof the universe can be verified by mathematical calculation: butthe dispositions of an enemy are ascertainable through spies andspies alone."]
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 candiscover the secret system. This is called "divine manipulationof the threads." It is the sovereign's most precious faculty.
[Cromwell, one of the greatest and most practical of allcavalry leaders, had officers styled 'scout masters,' whosebusiness it was to collect all possible information regarding theenemy, through scouts and spies, etc., and much of his success inwar was traceable to the previous knowledge of the enemy's movesthus gained." [1] ]
9. Having LOCAL SPIES means employing the services of theinhabitants of a district.
[Tu Mu says: "In the enemy's country, win people over bykind treatment, and use them as spies."]
10. Having INWARD SPIES, making use of officials of theenemy.
[Tu Mu enumerates the following classes as likely to do goodservice in this respect: "Worthy men who have been degraded fromoffice, criminals who have undergone punishment; also, favoriteconcubines who are greedy for gold, men who are aggrieved atbeing in subordinate positions, or who have been passed over inthe distribution of posts, others who are anxious that their sideshould be defeated in order that they may have a chance ofdisplaying their ability and talents, fickle turncoats who alwayswant to have a foot in each boat. Officials of these severalkinds," he continues, "should be secretly approached and bound toone's interests by means of rich presents. In this way you willbe able to find out the state of affairs in the enemy's country,ascertain the plans that are being formed against you, andmoreover disturb the harmony and create a breach between thesovereign and his ministers." The necessity for extreme caution,however, in dealing with "inward spies," appears from anhistorical incident related by Ho Shih: "Lo Shang, Governor ofI-Chou, sent his general Wei Po to attack the rebel Li Hsiung ofShu in his stronghold at P`i. After each side had experienced anumber of victories and defeats, Li Hsiung had recourse to theservices of a certain P`o-t`ai, a native of Wu-tu. He began tohave him whipped until the blood came, and then sent him off toLo Shang, whom he was to delude by offering to cooperate with himfrom inside the city, and to give a fire signal at the rightmoment for making a general assault. Lo Shang, confiding inthese promises, march out all his best troops, and placed Wei Poand others at their head with orders to attack at P`o-t`ai'sbidding. Meanwhile, Li Hsiung's general, Li Hsiang, had preparedan ambuscade on their line of march; and P`o-t`ai, having rearedlong scaling-ladders against the city walls, now lighted thebeacon-fire. Wei Po's men raced up on seeing the signal andbegan climbing the ladders as fast as they could, while otherswere drawn up by ropes lowered from above. More than a hundredof Lo Shang's soldiers entered the city in this way, every one ofwhom was forthwith beheaded. Li Hsiung then charged with all hisforces, both inside and outside the city, and routed the enemycompletely." [This happened in 303 A.D. I do not know where HoShih got the story from. It is not given in the biography of LiHsiung or that of his father Li T`e, CHIN SHU, ch. 120, 121.]
11. Having CONVERTED SPIES, getting hold of the enemy'sspies and using them for our own purposes.
[By means of heavy bribes and liberal promises detachingthem from the enemy's service, and inducing them to carry backfalse information as well as to spy in turn on their owncountrymen. On the other hand, Hsiao Shih-hsien says that wepretend not to have detected him, but contrive to let him carryaway a false impression of what is going on. Several of thecommentators accept this as an alternative definition; but thatit is not what Sun Tzu meant is conclusively proved by hissubsequent remarks about treating the converted spy generously(ss. 21 sqq.). Ho Shih notes three occasions on which convertedspies were used with conspicuous success: (1) by T`ien Tan inhis defense of Chi-mo (see supra, p. 90); (2) by Chao She on hismarch to O-yu (see p. 57); and by the wily Fan Chu in 260 B.C.,when Lien P`o was conducting a defensive campaign against Ch`in.The King of Chao strongly disapproved of Lien P`o's cautious anddilatory methods, which had been unable to avert a series ofminor disasters, and therefore lent a ready ear to the reports ofhis spies, who had secretly gone over to the enemy and werealready in Fan Chu's pay. They said: "The only thing whichcauses Ch`in anxiety is lest Chao Kua should be made general.Lien P`o they consider an easy opponent, who is sure to bevanquished in the long run." Now this Chao Kua was a sun of thefamous Chao She. From his boyhood, he had been wholly engrossedin the study of war and military matters, until at last he cameto believe that there was no commander in the whole Empire whocould stand against him. His father was much disquieted by thisoverweening conceit, and the flippancy with which he spoke ofsuch a serious thing as war, and solemnly declared that if everKua was appointed general, he would bring ruin on the armies ofChao. This was the man who, in spite of earnest protests fromhis own mother and the veteran statesman Lin Hsiang-ju, was nowsent to succeed Lien P`o. Needless to say, he proved no matchfor the redoubtable Po Ch`i and the great military power ofCh`in. He fell into a trap by which his army was divided intotwo and his communications cut; and after a desperate resistancelasting 46 days, during which the famished soldiers devoured oneanother, he was himself killed by an arrow, and his whole force,amounting, it is said, to 400,000 men, ruthlessly put to thesword.]
12. Having DOOMED SPIES, doing certain things openly forpurposes of deception, and allowing our spies to know of them andreport them to the enemy.
[Tu Yu gives the best exposition of the meaning: "Weostentatiously do thing calculated to deceive our own spies, whomust be led to believe that they have been unwittingly disclosed.Then, when these spies are captured in the enemy's lines, theywill make an entirely false report, and the enemy will takemeasures accordingly, only to find that we do something quitedifferent. The spies will thereupon be put to death." As anexample of doomed spies, Ho Shih mentions the prisoners releasedby Pan Ch`ao in his campaign against Yarkand. (See p. 132.) Healso refers to T`ang Chien, who in 630 A.D. was sent by T`aiTsung to lull the Turkish Kahn Chieh-li into fancied security,until Li Ching was able to deliver a crushing blow against him.Chang Yu says that the Turks revenged themselves by killing T`angChien, but this is a mistake, for we read in both the old and theNew T`ang History (ch. 58, fol. 2 and ch. 89, fol. 8respectively) that he escaped and lived on until 656. Li I-chiplayed a somewhat similar part in 203 B.C., when sent by the Kingof Han to open peaceful negotiations with Ch`i. He has certainlymore claim to be described a "doomed spy", for the king of Ch`i,being subsequently attacked without warning by Han Hsin, andinfuriated by what he considered the treachery of Li I-chi,ordered the unfortunate envoy to be boiled alive.]
13. SURVIVING SPIES, finally, are those who bring back newsfrom the enemy's camp.
[This is the ordinary class of spies, properly so called,forming a regular part of the army. Tu Mu says: "Your survivingspy must be a man of keen intellect, though in outward appearancea fool; of shabby exterior, but with a will of iron. He must beactive, robust, endowed with physical strength and courage;thoroughly accustomed to all sorts of dirty work, able to endurehunger and cold, and to put up with shame and ignominy." Ho Shihtells the following story of Ta`hsi Wu of the Sui dynasty: "Whenhe was governor of Eastern Ch`in, Shen-wu of Ch`i made a hostilemovement upon Sha-yuan. The Emperor T`ai Tsu [? Kao Tsu] sentTa-hsi Wu to spy upon the enemy. He was accompanied by two othermen. All three were on horseback and wore the enemy's uniform.When it was dark, they dismounted a few hundred feet away fromthe enemy's camp and stealthily crept up to listen, until theysucceeded in catching the passwords used in the army. Then theygot on their horses again and boldly passed through the campunder the guise of night-watchmen; and more than once, happeningto come across a soldier who was committing some breach ofdiscipline, they actually stopped to give the culprit a soundcudgeling! Thus they managed to return with the fullest possibleinformation about the enemy's dispositions, and received warmcommendation from the Emperor, who in consequence of their reportwas able to inflict a severe defeat on his adversary."]
14. Hence it is that which none in the whole army are moreintimate relations to be maintained than with spies.
[Tu Mu and Mei Yao-ch`en point out that the spy isprivileged to enter even the general's private sleeping-tent.]
None should be more liberally rewarded. In no other businessshould greater secrecy be preserved.
[Tu Mu gives a graphic touch: all communication with spiesshould be carried "mouth-to-ear." The following remarks on spiesmay be quoted from Turenne, who made perhaps larger use of themthan any previous commander: "Spies are attached to those whogive them most, he who pays them ill is never served. Theyshould never be known to anybody; nor should they know oneanother. When they propose anything very material, secure theirpersons, or have in your possession their wives and children ashostages for their fidelity. Never communicate anything to thembut what is absolutely necessary that they should know. [2] ]
15. Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certainintuitive sagacity.
[Mei Yao-ch`en says: "In order to use them, one must knowfact from falsehood, and be able to discriminate between honestyand double-dealing." Wang Hsi in a different interpretationthinks more along the lines of "intuitive perception" and"practical intelligence." Tu Mu strangely refers theseattributes to the spies themselves: "Before using spies we mustassure ourselves as to their integrity of character and theextent of their experience and skill." But he continues: "Abrazen face and a crafty disposition are more dangerous thanmountains or rivers; it takes a man of genius to penetrate such."So that we are left in some doubt as to his real opinion on thepassage."]
16. They cannot be properly managed without benevolence andstraightforwardness.
[Chang Yu says: "When you have attracted them bysubstantial offers, you must treat them with absolute sincerity;then they will work for you with all their might."]
17. Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot makecertain of the truth of their reports.
[Mei Yao-ch`en says: "Be on your guard against thepossibility of spies going over to the service of the enemy."]
18. Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kindof business.
[Cf. VI. ss. 9.]
19. If a secret piece of news is divulged by a spy beforethe time is ripe, he must be put to death together with the manto whom the secret was told.
[Word for word, the translation here is: "If spy mattersare heard before [our plans] are carried out," etc. Sun Tzu'smain point in this passage is: Whereas you kill the spy himself"as a punishment for letting out the secret," the object ofkilling the other man is only, as Ch`en Hao puts it, "to stop hismouth" and prevent news leaking any further. If it had alreadybeen repeated to others, this object would not be gained. Eitherway, Sun Tzu lays himself open to the charge of inhumanity,though Tu Mu tries to defend him by saying that the man deservesto be put to death, for the spy would certainly not have told thesecret unless the other had been at pains to worm it out ofhim."]
20. Whether the object be to crush an army, to storm acity, or to assassinate an individual, it is always necessary tobegin by finding out the names of the attendants, the aides-de-camp,
[Literally "visitors", is equivalent, as Tu Yu says, to"those whose duty it is to keep the general supplied withinformation," which naturally necessitates frequent interviewswith him.]
and door-keepers and sentries of the general in command. Ourspies must be commissioned to ascertain these.
[As the first step, no doubt towards finding out if any ofthese important functionaries can be won over by bribery.]
21. The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must besought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed.Thus they will become converted spies and available for ourservice. 22. It is through the information brought by the convertedspy that we are able to acquire and employ local and inwardspies.
[Tu Yu says: "through conversion of the enemy's spies welearn the enemy's condition." And Chang Yu says: "We must temptthe converted spy into our service, because it is he that knowswhich of the local inhabitants are greedy of gain, and which ofthe officials are open to corruption."]
23. It is owing to his information, again, that we cancause the doomed spy to carry false tidings to the enemy.
[Chang Yu says, "because the converted spy knows how theenemy can best be deceived."]
24. Lastly, it is by his information that the surviving spycan be used on appointed occasions. 25. The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties isknowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only be derived,in the first instance, from the converted spy.
[As explained in ss. 22-24. He not only brings informationhimself, but makes it possible to use the other kinds of spy toadvantage.]
Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated with theutmost liberality. 26. Of old, the rise of the Yin dynasty
[Sun Tzu means the Shang dynasty, founded in 1766 B.C. Itsname was changed to Yin by P`an Keng in 1401.
was due to I Chih
[Better known as I Yin, the famous general and statesmanwho took part in Ch`eng T`ang's campaign against Chieh Kuei.]
who had served under the Hsia. Likewise, the rise of the Choudynasty was due to Lu Ya
[Lu Shang rose to high office under the tyrant Chou Hsin,whom he afterwards helped to overthrow. Popularly known as T`aiKung, a title bestowed on him by Wen Wang, he is said to havecomposed a treatise on war, erroneously identified with theLIU T`AO.]
who had served under the Yin.
[There is less precision in the Chinese than I have thoughtit well to introduce into my translation, and the commentaries onthe passage are by no means explicit. But, having regard to thecontext, we can hardly doubt that Sun Tzu is holding up I Chihand Lu Ya as illustrious examples of the converted spy, orsomething closely analogous. His suggestion is, that the Hsiaand Yin dynasties were upset owing to the intimate knowledge oftheir weaknesses and shortcoming which these former ministerswere able to impart to the other side. Mei Yao-ch`en appears toresent any such aspersion on these historic names: "I Yin and LuYa," he says, "were not rebels against the Government. Hsiacould not employ the former, hence Yin employed him. Yin couldnot employ the latter, hence Hou employed him. Their greatachievements were all for the good of the people." Ho Shih isalso indignant: "How should two divinely inspired men such as Iand Lu have acted as common spies? Sun Tzu's mention of themsimply means that the proper use of the five classes of spies isa matter which requires men of the highest mental caliber like Iand Lu, whose wisdom and capacity qualified them for the task.The above words only emphasize this point." Ho Shih believesthen that the two heroes are mentioned on account of theirsupposed skill in the use of spies. But this is very weak.]
27. Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wisegeneral who will use the highest intelligence of the army forpurposes of spying and thereby they achieve great results.
[Tu Mu closes with a note of warning: "Just as water, whichcarries a boat from bank to bank, may also be the means ofsinking it, so reliance on spies, while production of greatresults, is oft-times the cause of utter destruction."]
Spies are a most important element in water, because on themdepends an army's ability to move.
[Chia Lin says that an army without spies is like a man withears or eyes.]
[1] "Aids to Scouting," p. 2.
[2] "Marshal Turenne," p. 311.