>> I. LAYING PLANS
1.
Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance
to the State.
2.
It is a matter of life and death, a road either
to safety or to ruin.
Hence it is a subject of inquiry
which can on no account be neglected.
3.
The art of war, then, is governed by five
constant
factors, to be taken into account in one's
deliberations,
when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining
in the field.
4.
These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven;
(3) Earth;
(4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
5,6.
The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete
accord with their ruler, so that they will
follow him
regardless of their lives, undismayed by any
danger.
7.
Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat,
times and seasons.
8.
Earth comprises distances, great and small;
danger and security; open ground and narrow
passes;
the chances of life and death.
9.
The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom,
sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.
10.
By method and discipline are to be understood
the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions,
the graduations of rank among the officers,
the maintenance
of roads by which supplies may reach the army,
and the
control of military expenditure.
11.
These five heads should be familiar to every
general:
he who knows them will be victorious; he who
knows them
not will fail.
12.
Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking
to determine the military conditions, let
them be made
the basis of a comparison, in this wise:--
13.
(1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued
with the Moral law?
(2) Which of the two generals has most ability?
(3) With whom lie the advantages derived from
Heaven
and Earth?
(4) On which side is discipline most rigorously
enforced?
(5) Which army is stronger?
(6) On which side are officers and men more
highly trained?
(7) In which army is there the greater constancy
both in reward and punishment?
14.
By means of these seven considerations I can
forecast victory or defeat.
15.
The general that hearkens to my counsel and
acts
upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained
in command!
The general that hearkens not to my counsel
nor acts upon it,
will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!
16.
While heading the profit of my counsel,
avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances
over and beyond the ordinary rules.
17.
According as circumstances are favorable,
one should modify one's plans.
18.
All warfare is based on deception.
19.
Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable;
when using our forces, we must seem inactive;
when we
are near, we must make the enemy believe we
are far away;
when far away, we must make him believe we
are near.
20.
Hold out baits to entice the enemy.
Feign disorder,
and crush him.
21.
If he is secure at all points, be prepared
for him.
If he is in superior strength, evade him.
22.
If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek
to
irritate him.
Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
23.
If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.
If his forces are united, separate them.
24.
Attack him where he is unprepared, appear
where
you are not expected.
25.
These military devices, leading to victory,
must not be divulged beforehand.
26.
Now the general who wins a battle makes many
calculations in his temple ere the battle
is fought.
The general who loses a battle makes but few
calculations beforehand.
Thus do many calculations
lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat:
how much more no calculation at all!
It is by attention
to this point that I can foresee who is likely
to win or lose.
II.
WAGING WAR
1.
Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war,
where there are in the field a thousand swift
chariots,
as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand
mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough
to carry them
a thousand li, the expenditure at home and
at the front,
including entertainment of guests, small items
such as
glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots
and armor,
will reach the total of a thousand ounces
of silver per day.
Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000
men.
2.
When you engage in actual fighting, if victory
is long in coming, then men's weapons will
grow dull and
their ardor will be damped.
If you lay siege to a town,
you will exhaust your strength.
3.
Again, if the campaign is protracted, the
resources
of the State will not be equal to the strain.
4.
Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor
damped,
your strength exhausted and your treasure
spent,
other chieftains will spring up to take advantage
of your extremity.
Then no man, however wise,
will be able to avert the consequences that
must ensue.
5.
Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste
in war,
cleverness has never been seen associated
with long delays.
6.
There is no instance of a country having benefited
from prolonged warfare.
7.
It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted
with the evils of war that can thoroughly
understand
the profitable way of carrying it on.
8.
The skillful soldier does not raise a second
levy,
neither are his supply-wagons loaded more
than twice.
9.
Bring war material with you from home, but
forage
on the enemy.
Thus the army will have food enough
for its needs.
10.
Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army
to be maintained by contributions from a distance.
Contributing to maintain an army at a distance
causes
the people to be impoverished.
11.
On the other hand, the proximity of an army
causes
prices to go up; and high prices cause the
people's
substance to be drained away.
12.
When their substance is drained away, the
peasantry
will be afflicted by heavy exactions.
13,14.
With this loss of substance and exhaustion
of strength, the homes of the people will
be stripped bare,
and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated;
while government expenses for broken chariots,
worn-out horses,
breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows,
spears and shields,
protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy
wagons,
will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.
15.
Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging
on the enemy.
One cartload of the enemy's provisions
is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and
likewise
a single picul of his provender is equivalent
to twenty
from one's own store.
16.
Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must
be roused to anger; that there may be advantage
from
defeating the enemy, they must have their
rewards.
17.
Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or
more chariots
have been taken, those should be rewarded
who took the first.
Our own flags should be substituted for those
of the enemy,
and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction
with ours.
The captured soldiers should be kindly treated
and kept.
18.
This is called, using the conquered foe to
augment
one's own strength.
19.
In war, then, let your great object be victory,
not lengthy campaigns.
20.
Thus it may be known that the leader of armies
is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man
on whom it
depends whether the nation shall be in peace
or 
in peril.
III.
ATTACK BY STRATAGEM
1.
Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war,
the best
thing of all is to take the enemy's country
whole and intact;
to shatter and destroy it is not so good.
So, too, it is
better to recapture an army entire than to
destroy it,
to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company
entire
than to destroy them.
2.
Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles
is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence
consists
in breaking the enemy's resistance without
fighting.
3.
Thus the highest form of generalship is to
balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to
prevent
the junction of the enemy's forces; the next
in
order is to attack the enemy's army in the
field;
and the worst policy of all is to besiege
walled cities.
4.
The rule is, not to besiege walled cities
if it
can possibly be avoided.
The preparation of mantlets,
movable shelters, and various implements of
war, will take
up three whole months; and the piling up of
mounds over
against the walls will take three months more.
5.
The general, unable to control his irritation,
will launch his men to the assault like swarming
ants,
with the result that one-third of his men
are slain,
while the town still remains untaken.
Such are the disastrous
effects of a siege.
6.
Therefore the skillful leader subdues the
enemy's
troops without any fighting; he captures their
cities
without laying siege to them; he overthrows
their kingdom
without lengthy operations in the field.
7.
With his forces intact he will dispute the
mastery
of the Empire, and thus, without losing a
man, his triumph
will be complete.
This is the method of attacking by stratagem.
8.
It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten
to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five
to one,
to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide
our army
into two.
9.
If equally matched, we can offer battle;
if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid
the enemy;
if quite unequal in every way, we can flee
from him.
10.
Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made
by a small force, in the end it must be captured
by the larger force.
11.
Now the general is the bulwark of the State;
if the bulwark is complete at all points;
the State will
be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the
State will
be weak.
12.
There are three ways in which a ruler can
bring
misfortune upon his army:--
13.
(1) By commanding the army to advance or to
retreat,
being ignorant of the fact that it cannot
obey.
This is called hobbling the army.
14.
(2) By attempting to govern an army in the
same way as he administers a kingdom, being
ignorant
of the conditions which obtain in an army.
This causes
restlessness in the soldier's minds.
15.
(3) By employing the officers of his army
without discrimination, through ignorance
of the
military principle of adaptation to circumstances.
This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.
16.
But when the army is restless and distrustful,
trouble is sure to come from the other feudal
princes.
This is simply bringing anarchy into the army,
and flinging
victory away.
17.
Thus we may know that there are five essentials
for victory:
(1) He will win who knows when to fight and
when
not to fight.
(2) He will win who knows how to handle both
superior
and inferior forces.
(3) He will win whose army is animated by
the same
spirit throughout all its ranks.
(4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits
to take
the enemy unprepared.
(5) He will win who has military capacity
and is
not interfered with by the sovereign.
18.
Hence the saying: If you know the enemy
and know yourself, you need not fear the result
of a
hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy,
for every victory gained you will also suffer
a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself,
you will
succumb in every battle.
IV.
TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS
1.
Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first
put
themselves beyond the possibility of defeat,
and then
waited for an opportunity of defeating the
enemy.
2.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in
our
own hands, but the opportunity of defeating
the enemy
is provided by the enemy himself.
3.
Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself
against defeat,
but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.
4.
Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer
without being able to do it.
5.
Security against defeat implies defensive
tactics;
ability to defeat the enemy means taking the
offensive.
6.
Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient
strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.
7.
The general who is skilled in defense hides
in the
most secret recesses of the earth; he who
is skilled in
attack flashes forth from the topmost heights
of heaven.
Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect
ourselves;
on the other, a victory that is complete.
8.
To see victory only when it is within the
ken
of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.
9.
Neither is it the acme of excellence if you
fight
and conquer and the whole Empire says, "Well
done!"
10.
To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great
strength;
to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp
sight;
to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of
a quick ear.
11.
What the ancients called a clever fighter
is
one who not only wins, but excels in winning
with ease.
12.
Hence his victories bring him neither reputation
for wisdom nor credit for courage.
13.
He wins his battles by making no mistakes.
Making no mistakes is what establishes the
certainty
of victory, for it means conquering an enemy
that is
already defeated.
14.
Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into
a position which makes defeat impossible,
and does
not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
15.
Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist
only seeks battle after the victory has been
won,
whereas he who is destined to defeat first
fights
and afterwards looks for victory.
16.
The consummate leader cultivates the moral
law,
and strictly adheres to method and discipline;
thus it is
in his power to control success.
17.
In respect of military method, we have,
firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation
of quantity;
thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing
of chances;
fifthly, Victory.
18.
Measurement owes its existence to Earth;
Estimation of quantity to Measurement; Calculation
to
Estimation of quantity; Balancing of chances
to Calculation;
and Victory to Balancing of chances.
19.
A victorious army opposed to a routed one,
is as
a pound's weight placed in the scale against
a single grain.
20.
The onrush of a conquering force is like the
bursting
of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand
fathoms deep.
V. ENERGY
1.
Sun Tzu said: The control of a large force
is the same principle as the control of a
few men:
it is merely a question of dividing up their
numbers.
2.
Fighting with a large army under your command
is nowise different from fighting with a small
one:
it is merely a question of instituting signs
and signals.
3.
To ensure that your whole host may withstand
the brunt of the enemy's attack and remain
unshaken--
this is effected by maneuvers direct and indirect.
4.
That the impact of your army may be like a
grindstone
dashed against an egg--this is effected by
the science
of weak points and strong.
5.
In all fighting, the direct method may be
used
for joining battle, but indirect methods will
be needed
in order to secure victory.
6.
Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are
inexhaustible
as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow
of rivers and streams;
like the sun and moon, they end but to begin
anew;
like the four seasons, they pass away to return
once more.
7.
There are not more than five musical notes,
yet the combinations of these five give rise
to more
melodies than can ever be heard.
8.
There are not more than five primary colors
(blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet
in combination
they produce more hues than can ever been
seen.
9.
There are not more than five cardinal tastes
(sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations
of them yield more flavors than can ever be
tasted.
10.
In battle, there are not more than two methods
of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet
these two
in combination give rise to an endless series
of maneuvers.
11.
The direct and the indirect lead on to each
other in turn.
It is like moving in a circle--you never come
to an end.
Who can exhaust the possibilities of their
combination?
12.
The onset of troops is like the rush of a
torrent
which will even roll stones along in its course.
13.
The quality of decision is like the well-timed
swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike
and destroy
its victim.
14.
Therefore the good fighter will be terrible
in his onset, and prompt in his decision.
15.
Energy may be likened to the bending of a
crossbow;
decision, to the releasing of a trigger.
16.
Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there
may
be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder
at all;
amid confusion and chaos, your array may be
without head
or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat.
17.
Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline,
simulated fear postulates courage; simulated
weakness
postulates strength.
18.
Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder
is
simply a question of subdivision; concealing
courage under
a show of timidity presupposes a fund of latent
energy;
masking strength with weakness is to be effected
by tactical dispositions.
19.
Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy
on the move maintains deceitful appearances,
according to
which the enemy will act.
He sacrifices something,
that the enemy may snatch at it.
20.
By holding out baits, he keeps him on the
march;
then with a body of picked men he lies in
wait for him.
21.
The clever combatant looks to the effect of
combined
energy, and does not require too much from
individuals.
Hence his ability to pick out the right men
and utilize
combined energy.
22.
When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting
men become as it were like unto rolling logs
or stones.
For it is the nature of a log or stone to
remain
motionless on level ground, and to move when
on a slope;
if four-cornered, to come to a standstill,
but if
round-shaped, to go rolling down.
23.
Thus the energy developed by good fighting
men
is as the momentum of a round stone rolled
down a mountain
thousands of feet in height.
So much on the subject
of energy.
VI.
WEAK POINTS AND STRONG
1.
Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field
and
awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh
for the fight;
whoever is second in the field and has to
hasten to battle
will arrive exhausted.
2.
Therefore the clever combatant imposes his
will on
the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's
will to be imposed on him.
3.
By holding out advantages to him, he can cause
the enemy
to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting
damage,
he can make it impossible for the enemy to
draw near.
4.
If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass
him;
if well supplied with food, he can starve
him out;
if quietly encamped, he can force him to move.
5.
Appear at points which the enemy must hasten
to defend;
march swiftly to places where you are not
expected.
6.
An army may march great distances without
distress,
if it marches through country where the enemy
is not.
7.
You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks
if you only attack places which are undefended.You
can
ensure the safety of your defense if you only
hold
positions that cannot be attacked.
8.
Hence that general is skillful in attack whose
opponent does not know what to defend; and
he is skillful
in defense whose opponent does not know what
to attack.
9.
O divine art of subtlety and secrecy!
Through you
we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible;
and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in
our hands.
10.
You may advance and be absolutely irresistible,
if you make for the enemy's weak points; you
may retire
and be safe from pursuit if your movements
are more rapid
than those of the enemy.
11.
If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced
to an engagement even though he be sheltered
behind a high
rampart and a deep ditch.
All we need do is attack
some other place that he will be obliged to
relieve.
12.
If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent
the enemy from engaging us even though the
lines
of our encampment be merely traced out on
the ground.
All we need do is to throw something odd and
unaccountable
in his way.
13.
By discovering the enemy's dispositions and
remaining
invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces
concentrated,
while the enemy's must be divided.
14.
We can form a single united body, while the
enemy must split up into fractions.
Hence there will
be a whole pitted against separate parts of
a whole,
which means that we shall be many to the enemy's
few.
15.
And if we are able thus to attack an inferior
force
with a superior one, our opponents will be
in dire straits.
16.
The spot where we intend to fight must not
be
made known; for then the enemy will have to
prepare
against a possible attack at several different
points;
and his forces being thus distributed in many
directions,
the numbers we shall have to face at any given
point will
be proportionately few.
17.
For should the enemy strengthen his van,
he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen
his rear,
he will weaken his van; should he strengthen
his left,
he will weaken his right; should he strengthen
his right,
he will weaken his left.
If he sends reinforcements everywhere,
he will everywhere be weak.
18.
Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare
against possible attacks; numerical strength,
from compelling
our adversary to make these preparations against
us.
19.
Knowing the place and the time of the coming
battle,
we may concentrate from the greatest distances
in order
to fight.
20.
But if neither time nor place be known,
then the left wing will be impotent to succor
the right,
the right equally impotent to succor the left,
the van
unable to relieve the rear, or the rear to
support the van.
How much more so if the furthest portions
of the army are
anything under a hundred LI apart, and even
the nearest
are separated by several LI!
21.
Though according to my estimate the soldiers
of Yueh exceed our own in number, that shall
advantage
them nothing in the matter of victory.
I say then
that victory can be achieved.
22.
Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we
may
prevent him from fighting.
Scheme so as to discover
his plans and the likelihood of their success.
23.
Rouse him, and learn the principle of his
activity or inactivity.
Force him to reveal himself,
so as to find out his vulnerable spots.
24.
Carefully compare the opposing army with your
own,
so that you may know where strength is superabundant
and where it is deficient.
25.
In making tactical dispositions, the highest
pitch
you can attain is to conceal them; conceal
your dispositions,
and you will be safe from the prying of the
subtlest spies,
from the machinations of the wisest brains.
26.
How victory may be produced for them out of
the enemy's
own tactics--that is what the multitude cannot
comprehend.
27.
All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer,
but what none can see is the strategy out
of which victory
is evolved.
28.
Do not repeat the tactics which have gained
you one victory, but let your methods be regulated
by the infinite variety of circumstances.
29.
Military tactics are like unto water; for
water in its
natural course runs away from high places
and hastens downwards.
30.
So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong
and to strike at what is weak.
31.
Water shapes its course according to the nature
of the ground over which it flows; the soldier
works
out his victory in relation to the foe whom
he is facing.
32.
Therefore, just as water retains no constant
shape,
so in warfare there are no constant conditions.
33.
He who can modify his tactics in relation
to his
opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may
be called
a heaven-born captain.
34.
The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal,
earth)
are not always equally predominant; the four
seasons make
way for each other in turn.
There are short days and long;
the moon has its periods of waning and waxing.
VII.
MANEUVERING
1.
Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives
his
commands from the sovereign.
2.
Having collected an army and concentrated
his forces,
he must blend and harmonize the different
elements thereof
before pitching his camp.
3.
After that, comes tactical maneuvering,
than which there is nothing more difficult.
The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists
in turning the devious into the direct, and
misfortune into gain.
4.
Thus, to take a long and circuitous route,
after enticing the enemy out of the way, and
though starting
after him, to contrive to reach the goal before
him,
shows knowledge of the artifice of DEVIATION.
5.
Maneuvering with an army is advantageous;
with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.
6.
If you set a fully equipped army in march
in order
to snatch an advantage, the chances are that
you will be
too late.
On the other hand, to detach a flying column
for the purpose involves the sacrifice of
its baggage
and stores.
7.
Thus, if you order your men to roll up their
buff-coats, and make forced marches without
halting day
or night, covering double the usual distance
at a stretch,
doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an advantage,
the leaders of all your three divisions will
fall into
the hands of the enemy.
8.
The stronger men will be in front, the jaded
ones will fall behind, and on this plan only
one-tenth
of your army will reach its destination.
9.
If you march fifty LI in order to outmaneuver
the enemy, you will lose the leader of your
first division,
and only half your force will reach the goal.
10.
If you march thirty LI with the same object,
two-thirds of your army will arrive.
11.
We may take it then that an army without its
baggage-train is lost; without provisions
it is lost;
without bases of supply it is lost.
12.
We cannot enter into alliances until we are
acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.
13.
We are not fit to lead an army on the march
unless we are familiar with the face of the
country--its
mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices,
its marshes and swamps.
14.
We shall be unable to turn natural advantage
to account unless we make use of local guides.
15.
In war, practice dissimulation, and you will
succeed.
16.
Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops,
must be decided by circumstances.
17.
Let your rapidity be that of the wind,
your compactness that of the forest.
18.
In raiding and plundering be like fire,
in immovability like a mountain.
19.
Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as
night,
and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
20.
When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil
be
divided amongst your men; when you capture
new territory,
cut it up into allotments for the benefit
of the soldiery.
21.
Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
22.
He will conquer who has learnt the artifice
of deviation.
Such is the art of maneuvering.
23.
The Book of Army Management says: On the field
of battle, the spoken word does not carry
far enough:
hence the institution of gongs and drums.
Nor can ordinary
objects be seen clearly enough: hence the
institution
of banners and flags.
24.
Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means
whereby the ears and eyes of the host may
be focused
on one particular point.
25.
The host thus forming a single united body,
is it impossible either for the brave to advance
alone,
or for the cowardly to retreat alone.
This is the art
of handling large masses of men.
26.
In night-fighting, then, make much use of
signal-fires
and drums, and in fighting by day, of flags
and banners,
as a means of influencing the ears and eyes
of your army.
27.
A whole army may be robbed of its spirit;
a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his
presence of mind.
28.
Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning;
by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the
evening,
his mind is bent only on returning to camp.
29.
A clever general, therefore, avoids an army
when
its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it
is sluggish
and inclined to return.
This is the art of studying moods.
30.
Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance
of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:--this
is the art
of retaining self-possession.
31.
To be near the goal while the enemy is still
far from it, to wait at ease while the enemy
is
toiling and struggling, to be well-fed while
the enemy
is famished:--this is the art of husbanding
one's strength.
32.
To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose
banners are in perfect order, to refrain from
attacking
an army drawn up in calm and confident array:--this
is the art of studying circumstances.
33.
It is a military axiom not to advance uphill
against the enemy, nor to oppose him when
he comes downhill.
34.
Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight;
do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.
35.
Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy.
Do not interfere with an army that is returning
home.
36.
When you surround an army, leave an outlet
free.
Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
37.
Such is the art of warfare.
VIII.
VARIATION IN TACTICS
1.
Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives
his commands from the sovereign, collects
his army
and concentrates his forces
2.
When in difficult country, do not encamp.
In country
where high roads intersect, join hands with
your allies.
Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions.
In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to
stratagem.
In desperate position, you must fight.
3.
There are roads which must not be followed,
armies which must be not attacked, towns which
must
not be besieged, positions which must not
be contested,
commands of the sovereign which must not be
obeyed.
4.
The general who thoroughly understands the
advantages
that accompany variation of tactics knows
how to handle
his troops.
5.
The general who does not understand these,
may be well
acquainted with the configuration of the country,
yet he
will not be able to turn his knowledge to
practical account.
6.
So, the student of war who is unversed in
the art
of war of varying his plans, even though he
be acquainted
with the Five Advantages, will fail to make
the best use
of his men.
7.
Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations
of
advantage and of disadvantage will be blended
together.
8.
If our expectation of advantage be tempered
in
this way, we may succeed in accomplishing
the essential
part of our schemes.
9.
If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties
we are always ready to seize an advantage,
we may extricate
ourselves from misfortune.
10.
Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage
on them; and make trouble for them, and keep
them
constantly engaged; hold out specious allurements,
and make them rush to any given point.
11.
The art of war teaches us to rely not on the
likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but
on our own readiness
to receive him; not on the chance of his not
attacking,
but rather on the fact that we have made our
position unassailable.
12.
There are five dangerous faults which may
affect
a general:
(1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;
(2) cowardice, which leads to capture;
(3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked
by insults;
(4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive
to shame;
(5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes
him
to worry and trouble.
13.
These are the five besetting sins of a general,
ruinous to the conduct of war.
14.
When an army is overthrown and its leader
slain,
the cause will surely be found among these
five
dangerous faults.
Let them be a subject 
of meditation.
IX.
THE ARMY ON THE MARCH
1.
Sun Tzu said: We come now to the question
of
encamping the army, and observing signs of
the enemy.
Pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the
neighborhood
of valleys.
2.
Camp in high places, facing the sun.
Do not climb
heights in order to fight.
So much for mountain warfare.
3.
After crossing a river, you should get far
away
from it.
4.
When an invading force crosses a river in
its
onward march, do not advance to meet it in
mid-stream.
It will be best to let half the army get across,
and then deliver your attack.
5.
If you are anxious to fight, you should not
go
to meet the invader near a river which he
has to cross.
6.
Moor your craft higher up than the enemy,
and facing
the sun.
Do not move up-stream to meet the enemy.
So much for river warfare.
7.
In crossing salt-marshes, your sole concern
should be to get over them quickly, without
any delay.
8.
If forced to fight in a salt-marsh, you should
have water and grass near you, and get your
back
to a clump of trees.
So much for operations in salt-marches.
9.
In dry, level country, take up an easily accessible
position with rising ground to your right
and on your rear,
so that the danger may be in front, and safety
lie behind.
So much for campaigning in flat country.
10.
These are the four useful branches of military
knowledge which enabled the Yellow Emperor
to vanquish
four several sovereigns.
11.
All armies prefer high ground to low and sunny
places to dark.
12.
If you are careful of your men, and camp on
hard
ground, the army will be free from disease
of every kind,
and this will spell victory.
13.
When you come to a hill or a bank, occupy
the
sunny side, with the slope on your right rear.
Thus you will at once act for the benefit
of your soldiers
and utilize the natural advantages of the
ground.
14.
When, in consequence of heavy rains up-country,
a river which you wish to ford is swollen
and flecked
with foam, you must wait until it subsides.
15.
Country in which there are precipitous cliffs
with torrents running between, deep natural
hollows,
confined places, tangled thickets, quagmires
and crevasses,
should be left with all possible speed and
not approached.
16.
While we keep away from such places, we should
get the enemy to approach them; while we face
them,
we should let the enemy have them on his rear.
17.
If in the neighborhood of your camp there
should
be any hilly country, ponds surrounded by
aquatic grass,
hollow basins filled with reeds, or woods
with thick
undergrowth, they must be carefully routed
out and searched;
for these are places where men in ambush or
insidious
spies are likely to be lurking.
18.
When the enemy is close at hand and remains
quiet,
he is relying on the natural strength of his
position.
19.
When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a
battle,
he is anxious for the other side to advance.
20.
If his place of encampment is easy of access,
he is tendering a bait.
21.
Movement amongst the trees of a forest shows
that the
enemy is advancing.
The appearance of a number of screens
in the midst of thick grass means that the
enemy wants to
make us suspicious.
22.
The rising of birds in their flight is the
sign
of an ambuscade.
Startled beasts indicate that a sudden
attack is coming.
23.
When there is dust rising in a high column,
it is the sign of chariots advancing; when
the dust is low,
but spread over a wide area, it betokens the
approach
of infantry.
When it branches out in different directions,
it shows that parties have been sent to collect
firewood.
A few clouds of dust moving to and fro signify
that the army
is encamping.
24.
Humble words and increased preparations are
signs
that the enemy is about to advance.
Violent language
and driving forward as if to the attack are
signs that he
will retreat.
25.
When the light chariots come out first and
take
up a position on the wings, it is a sign that
the enemy
is forming for battle.
26.
Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant
indicate a plot.
27.
When there is much running about and the soldiers
fall into rank, it means that the critical
moment has come.
28.
When some are seen advancing and some retreating,
it is a lure.
29.
When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears,
they are faint from want of food.
30.
If those who are sent to draw water begin
by drinking themselves, the army is suffering
from thirst.
31.
If the enemy sees an advantage to be gained
and
makes no effort to secure it, the soldiers
are exhausted.
32.
If birds gather on any spot, it is unoccupied.
Clamor by night betokens nervousness.
33.
If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's
authority is weak.
If the banners and flags are shifted
about, sedition is afoot.
If the officers are angry,
it means that the men are weary.
34.
When an army feeds its horses with grain and
kills
its cattle for food, and when the men do not
hang their
cooking-pots over the camp-fires, showing
that they
will not return to their tents, you may know
that they
are determined to fight to the death.
35.
The sight of men whispering together in small
knots or speaking in subdued tones points
to disaffection
amongst the rank and file.
36.
Too frequent rewards signify that the enemy
is
at the end of his resources; too many punishments
betray
a condition of dire distress.
37.
To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take
fright
at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack
of intelligence.
38.
When envoys are sent with compliments in their
mouths,
it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.
39.
If the enemy's troops march up angrily and
remain
facing ours for a long time without either
joining
battle or taking themselves off again, the
situation
is one that demands great vigilance and circumspection.
40.
If our troops are no more in number than the
enemy,
that is amply sufficient; it only means that
no direct attack
can be made.
What we can do is simply to concentrate all
our available strength, keep a close watch
on the enemy,
and obtain reinforcements.
41.
He who exercises no forethought but makes
light
of his opponents is sure to be captured by
them.
42.
If soldiers are punished before they have
grown
attached to you, they will not prove submissive;
and,
unless submissive, then will be practically
useless.
If, when the soldiers have become attached
to you,
punishments are not enforced, they will still
be useless.
43.
Therefore soldiers must be treated in the
first
instance with humanity, but kept under control
by means
of iron discipline.
This is a certain road to victory.
44.
If in training soldiers commands are habitually
enforced, the army will be well-disciplined;
if not,
its discipline will be bad.
45.
If a general shows confidence in his men but
always
insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain
will be mutual.
X. TERRAIN
1.
Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds
of terrain,
to wit: (1) Accessible ground; (2) entangling
ground;
(3) temporizing ground; (4) narrow passes;
(5) precipitous
heights; (6) positions at a great distance
from the enemy.
2.
Ground which can be freely traversed by both
sides
is called accessible.
3.
With regard to ground of this nature, be before
the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny
spots,
and carefully guard your line of supplies.
Then you
will be able to fight with advantage.
4.
Ground which can be abandoned but is hard
to re-occupy is called entangling.
5.
From a position of this sort, if the enemy
is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat
him.
But if the enemy is prepared for your coming,
and you
fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible,
disaster will ensue.
6.
When the position is such that neither side
will gain
by making the first move, it is called temporizing
ground.
7.
In a position of this sort, even though the
enemy
should offer us an attractive bait, it will
be advisable
not to stir forth, but rather to retreat,
thus enticing
the enemy in his turn; then, when part of
his army has
come out, we may deliver our attack with advantage.
8.
With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy
them first, let them be strongly garrisoned
and await
the advent of the enemy.
9.
Should the army forestall you in occupying
a pass,
do not go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned,
but only if it is weakly garrisoned.
10.
With regard to precipitous heights, if you
are
beforehand with your adversary, you should
occupy the
raised and sunny spots, and there wait for
him to come up.
11.
If the enemy has occupied them before you,
do not follow him, but retreat and try to
entice him away.
12.
If you are situated at a great distance from
the enemy, and the strength of the two armies
is equal,
it is not easy to provoke a battle, and fighting
will be
to your disadvantage.
13.
These six are the principles connected with
Earth.
The general who has attained a responsible
post must be
careful to study them.
14.
Now an army is exposed to six several calamities,
not arising from natural causes, but from
faults
for which the general is responsible.
These are:
(1) Flight; (2) insubordination; (3) collapse;
(4) ruin;
(5) disorganization; (6) rout.
15.
Other conditions being equal, if one force
is
hurled against another ten times its size,
the result
will be the flight of the former.
16.
When the common soldiers are too strong and
their officers too weak, the result is insubordination.
When the officers are too strong and the common
soldiers
too weak, the result is collapse.
17.
When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate,
and on meeting the enemy give battle on their
own account
from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief
can tell whether or not he is in a position
to fight,
the result is ruin.
18.
When the general is weak and without authority;
when his orders are not clear and distinct;
when there
are no fixes duties assigned to officers and
men,
and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard
manner,
the result is utter disorganization.
19.
When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's
strength, allows an inferior force to engage
a larger one,
or hurls a weak detachment against a powerful
one,
and neglects to place picked soldiers in the
front rank,
the result must be rout.
20.
These are six ways of courting defeat, which
must
be carefully noted by the general who has
attained
a responsible post.
21.
The natural formation of the country is the
soldier's
best ally; but a power of estimating the adversary,
of controlling the forces of victory, and
of shrewdly
calculating difficulties, dangers and distances,
constitutes the test of a great general.
22.
He who knows these things, and in fighting
puts
his knowledge into practice, will win his
battles.
He who knows them not, nor practices them,
will surely
be defeated.
23.
If fighting is sure to result in victory,
then you must fight, even though the ruler
forbid it;
if fighting will not result in victory, then
you must not
fight even at the ruler's bidding.
24.
The general who advances without coveting
fame
and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose
only
thought is to protect his country and do good
service
for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.
25.
Regard your soldiers as your children, and
they
will follow you into the deepest valleys;
look upon them
as your own beloved sons, and they will stand
by you
even unto death.
26.
If, however, you are indulgent, but unable
to make
your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable
to enforce
your commands; and incapable, moreover, of
quelling disorder:
then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt
children;
they are useless for any practical purpose.
27.
If we know that our own men are in a condition
to attack, but are unaware that the enemy
is not open
to attack, we have gone only halfway towards
victory.
28.
If we know that the enemy is open to attack,
but are unaware that our own men are not in
a condition
to attack, we have gone only halfway towards
victory.
29.
If we know that the enemy is open to attack,
and also know that our men are in a condition
to attack,
but are unaware that the nature of the ground
makes
fighting impracticable, we have still gone
only halfway
towards victory.
30.
Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion,
is never bewildered; once he has broken camp,
he is never
at a loss.
31.
Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and
know yourself, your victory will not stand
in doubt;
if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may
make your
victory complete.
XI.
THE NINE SITUATIONS
1.
Sun Tzu said: The art of war recognizes nine
varieties of ground:
(1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground;
(3) contentious ground;
(4) open ground; (5) ground of intersecting
highways;
(6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground;
(8) hemmed-in ground;
(9) desperate ground.
2.
When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory,
it is dispersive ground.
3.
When he has penetrated into hostile territory,
but to no great distance, it is facile ground.
4.
Ground the possession of which imports great
advantage to either side, is contentious ground.
5.
Ground on which each side has liberty of movement
is open ground.
6.
Ground which forms the key to three contiguous
states,
so that he who occupies it first has most
of the Empire
at his command, is a ground of intersecting
highways.
7.
When an army has penetrated into the heart
of a
hostile country, leaving a number of fortified
cities
in its rear, it is serious ground.
8.
Mountain forests, rugged steeps, marshes and
fens--all
country that is hard to traverse: this is
difficult ground.
9.
Ground which is reached through narrow gorges,
and from which we can only retire by tortuous
paths,
so that a small number of the enemy would
suffice to crush
a large body of our men: this is hemmed in
ground.
10.
Ground on which we can only be saved from
destruction by fighting without delay, is
desperate ground.
11.
On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not.
On facile ground, halt not.
On contentious ground,
attack not.
12.
On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's
way.
On the ground of intersecting highways, join
hands
with your allies.
13.
On serious ground, gather in plunder.
In difficult ground, keep steadily on the
march.
14.
On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem.
On desperate ground, fight.
15.
Those who were called skillful leaders of
old knew
how to drive a wedge between the enemy's front
and rear;
to prevent co-operation between his large
and small divisions;
to hinder the good troops from rescuing the
bad,
the officers from rallying their men.
16.
When the enemy's men were united, they managed
to keep them in disorder.
17.
When it was to their advantage, they made
a forward move; when otherwise, they stopped
still.
18.
If asked how to cope with a great host of
the enemy
in orderly array and on the point of marching
to the attack,
I should say: "Begin by seizing something
which your
opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable
to your will."
19.
Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage
of
the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by
unexpected routes,
and attack unguarded spots.
20.
The following are the principles to be observed
by an invading force: The further you penetrate
into
a country, the greater will be the solidarity
of your troops,
and thus the defenders will not prevail against
you.
21.
Make forays in fertile country in order to
supply
your army with food.
22.
Carefully study the well-being of your men,
and do not overtax them.
Concentrate your energy and hoard
your strength.
Keep your army continually on the move,
and devise unfathomable plans.
23.
Throw your soldiers into positions whence
there
is no escape, and they will prefer death to
flight.
If they will face death, there is nothing
they may
not achieve.
Officers and men alike will put forth
their uttermost strength.
24.
Soldiers when in desperate straits lose
the sense of fear.
If there is no place of refuge,
they will stand firm.
If they are in hostile country,
they will show a stubborn front.
If there is no help
for it, they will fight hard.
25.
Thus, without waiting to be marshaled, the
soldiers
will be constantly on the qui vive; without
waiting to
be asked, they will do your will; without
restrictions,
they will be faithful; without giving orders,
they can
be trusted.
26.
Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away
with
superstitious doubts.
Then, until death itself comes,
no calamity need be feared.
27.
If our soldiers are not overburdened with
money,
it is not because they have a distaste for
riches;
if their lives are not unduly long, it is
not because they
are disinclined to longevity.
28.
On the day they are ordered out to battle,
your soldiers may weep, those sitting up bedewing
their garments, and those lying down letting
the tears run
down their cheeks.
But let them once be brought to bay,
and they will display the courage of a Chu
or a Kuei.
29.
The skillful tactician may be likened to the
shuai-jan.
Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found
in the ChUng mountains.
Strike at its head, and you
will be attacked by its tail; strike at its
tail, and you
will be attacked by its head; strike at its
middle,
and you will be attacked by head and tail
both.
30.
Asked if an army can be made to imitate the
shuai-jan,
I should answer, Yes.
For the men of Wu and the men
of Yueh are enemies; yet if they are crossing
a river
in the same boat and are caught by a storm,
they will come
to each other's assistance just as the left
hand helps the right.
31.
Hence it is not enough to put one's trust
in the tethering of horses, and the burying
of chariot
wheels in the ground
32.
The principle on which to manage an army is
to set
up one standard of courage which all must
reach.
33.
How to make the best of both strong and weak--that
is a question involving the proper use of
ground.
34.
Thus the skillful general conducts his army
just
as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly,
by
the hand.
35.
It is the business of a general to be quiet
and thus
ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus
maintain order.
36.
He must be able to mystify his officers and
men
by false reports and appearances, and thus
keep them
in total ignorance.
37.
By altering his arrangements and changing
his plans, he keeps the enemy without definite
knowledge.
By shifting his camp and taking circuitous
routes,
he prevents the enemy from anticipating his
purpose.
38.
At the critical moment, the leader of an army
acts like one who has climbed up a height
and then kicks
away the ladder behind him.
He carries his men deep
into hostile territory before he shows his
hand.
39.
He burns his boats and breaks his cooking-pots;
like a shepherd driving a flock of sheep,
he drives
his men this way and that, and nothing knows
whither he
is going.
40.
To muster his host and bring it into danger:--this
may be termed the business of the general.
41.
The different measures suited to the nine
varieties of ground; the expediency of aggressive
or
defensive tactics; and the fundamental laws
of human nature:
these are things that must most certainly
be studied.
42.
When invading hostile territory, the general
principle is, that penetrating deeply brings
cohesion;
penetrating but a short way means dispersion.
43.
When you leave your own country behind, and
take
your army across neighborhood territory, you
find yourself
on critical ground.
When there are means of communication
on all four sides, the ground is one of intersecting
highways.
44.
When you penetrate deeply into a country,
it is
serious ground.
When you penetrate but a little way,
it is facile ground.
45.
When you have the enemy's strongholds on your
rear,
and narrow passes in front, it is hemmed-in
ground.
When there is no place of refuge at all, it
is desperate ground.
46.
Therefore, on dispersive ground, I would inspire
my men with unity of purpose.
On facile ground, I would
see that there is close connection between
all parts
of my army.
47.
On contentious ground, I would hurry up my
rear.
48.
On open ground, I would keep a vigilant eye
on my defenses.
On ground of intersecting highways,
I would consolidate my alliances.
49.
On serious ground, I would try to ensure
a continuous stream of supplies.
On difficult ground,
I would keep pushing on along the road.
50.
On hemmed-in ground, I would block any way
of retreat.
On desperate ground, I would proclaim
to my soldiers the hopelessness of saving
their lives.
51.
For it is the soldier's disposition to offer
an obstinate resistance when surrounded, to
fight hard
when he cannot help himself, and to obey promptly
when he
has fallen into danger.
52.
We cannot enter into alliance with neighboring
princes until we are acquainted with their
designs.
We are
not fit to lead an army on the march unless
we are familiar
with the face of the country--its mountains
and forests,
its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and
swamps.
We shall be unable to turn natural advantages
to account
unless we make use of local guides.
53.
To be ignored of any one of the following
four
or five principles does not befit a warlike
prince.
54.
When a warlike prince attacks a powerful state,
his generalship shows itself in preventing
the concentration
of the enemy's forces.
He overawes his opponents,
and their allies are prevented from joining
against him.
55.
Hence he does not strive to ally himself with
all
and sundry, nor does he foster the power of
other states.
He carries out his own secret designs, keeping
his
antagonists in awe.
Thus he is able to capture their
cities and overthrow their kingdoms.
56.
Bestow rewards without regard to rule,
issue orders without regard to previous arrangements;
and you will be able to handle a whole army
as though
you had to do with but a single man.
57.
Confront your soldiers with the deed itself;
never let them know your design.
When the outlook is bright,
bring it before their eyes; but tell them
nothing when
the situation is gloomy.
58.
Place your army in deadly peril, and it will
survive;
plunge it into desperate straits, and it will
come off
in safety.
59.
For it is precisely when a force has fallen
into
harm's way that is capable of striking a blow
for victory.
60.
Success in warfare is gained by carefully
accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.
61.
By persistently hanging on the enemy's flank,
we shall
succeed in the long run in killing the commander-in-chief.
62.
This is called ability to accomplish a thing
by sheer cunning.
63.
On the day that you take up your command,
block the frontier passes, destroy the official
tallies,
and stop the passage of all emissaries.
64.
Be stern in the council-chamber, so that you
may control the situation.
65.
If the enemy leaves a door open, you must
rush in.
66.
Forestall your opponent by seizing what he
holds dear,
and subtly contrive to time his arrival on
the ground.
67.
Walk in the path defined by rule, and accommodate
yourself to the enemy until you can fight
a decisive battle.
68.
At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden,
until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards
emulate
the rapidity of a running hare, and it will
be too late
for the enemy to oppose you.
XII.
THE 
ATTACK BY FIRE
1.
Sun Tzu said: There are five ways of attacking
with fire.
The first is to burn soldiers in their camp;
the second is to burn stores; the third is
to burn
baggage trains; the fourth is to burn arsenals
and magazines;
the fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst
the enemy.
2.
In order to carry out an attack, we must have
means available.
The material for raising fire should
always be kept in readiness.
3.
There is a proper season for making attacks
with fire,
and special days for starting a conflagration.
4.
The proper season is when the weather is very
dry;
the special days are those when the moon is
in the
constellations of the Sieve, the Wall, the
Wing
or the Cross-bar; for these four are all days
of rising wind.
5.
In attacking with fire, one should be prepared
to meet five possible developments:
6.
(1) When fire breaks out inside to enemy's
camp,
respond at once with an attack from without.
7.
(2) If there is an outbreak of fire, but the
enemy's
soldiers remain quiet, bide your time and
do not attack.
8.
(3) When the force of the flames has reached
its height,
follow it up with an attack, if that is practicable;
if not, stay where you are.
9.
(4) If it is possible to make an assault with
fire
from without, do not wait for it to break
out within,
but deliver your attack at a favorable moment.
10.
(5) When you start a fire, be to windward
of it.
Do not attack from the leeward.
11.
A wind that rises in the daytime lasts long,
but a night breeze soon falls.
12.
In every army, the five developments connected
with
fire must be known, the movements of the stars
calculated,
and a watch kept for the proper days.
13.
Hence those who use fire as an aid to the
attack show intelligence;
those who use water as an aid to the attack
gain an accession of strength.
14.
By means of water, an enemy may be intercepted,
but not robbed of all his belongings.
15.
Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win
his
battles and succeed in his attacks without
cultivating
the spirit of enterprise; for the result is
waste of time
and general stagnation.
16.
Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays
his
plans well ahead; the good general cultivates
his resources.
17.
Move not unless you see an advantage; use
not
your troops unless there is something to be
gained;
fight not unless the position is critical.
18.
No ruler should put troops into the field
merely
to gratify his own spleen; no general should
fight
a battle simply out of pique.
19.
If it is to your advantage, make a forward
move;
if not, stay where you are.
20.
Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation
may
be succeeded by content.
21.
But a kingdom that has once been destroyed
can
never come again into being; nor can the dead
ever
be brought back to life.
22.
Hence the enlightened ruler is heedful,
and the good general full of caution.
This is the way
to keep a country at peace and an army intact.
XIII.
THE USE OF SPIES
1.
Sun Tzu said: Raising a host of a hundred
thousand
men and marching them great distances entails
heavy loss
on the people and a drain on the resources
of the State.
The daily expenditure will amount to a thousand
ounces
of silver.
There will be commotion at home and abroad,
and men will drop down exhausted on the highways.
As many as seven hundred thousand families
will be impeded
in their labor.
2.
Hostile armies may face each other for years,
striving for the victory which is decided
in a single day.
This being so, to remain in ignorance of the
enemy's
condition simply because one grudges the outlay
of a hundred
ounces of silver in honors and emoluments,
is the height
of inhumanity.
3.
One who acts thus is no leader of men, no
present
help to his sovereign, no master of victory.
4.
Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and
the good
general to strike and conquer, and achieve
things beyond
the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.
5.
Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited
from spirits;
it cannot be obtained inductively from experience,
nor by any deductive calculation.
6.
Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can
only
be obtained from other men.
7.
Hence the use of spies, of whom there are
five classes:
(1) Local spies; (2) inward spies; (3) converted
spies;
(4) doomed spies; (5) surviving spies.
8.
When these five kinds of spy are all at work,
none can discover the secret system.
This is called "divine
manipulation of the threads."
It is the sovereign's
most precious faculty.
9.
Having local spies means employing the services
of the inhabitants of a district.
10.
Having inward spies, making use of officials
of the enemy.
11.
Having converted spies, getting hold of the
enemy's
spies and using them for our own purposes.
12.
Having doomed spies, doing certain things
openly
for purposes of deception, and allowing our
spies to know
of them and report them to the enemy.
13.
Surviving spies, finally, are those who bring
back news from the enemy's camp.
14.
Hence it is that which none in the whole army
are
more intimate relations to be maintained than
with spies.
None should be more liberally rewarded.
In no other
business should greater secrecy be preserved.
15.
Spies cannot be usefully employed without
a certain
intuitive sagacity.
16.
They cannot be properly managed without benevolence
and straightforwardness.
17.
Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot
make
certain of the truth of their reports.
18.
Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for
every
kind of business.
19.
If a secret piece of news is divulged by a
spy
before the time is ripe, he must be put to
death together
with the man to whom the secret was told.
20.
Whether the object be to crush an army, to
storm
a city, or to assassinate an individual, it
is always
necessary to begin by finding out the names
of the attendants,
the aides-de-camp, and door-keepers and sentries
of the general
in command.
Our spies must be commissioned to ascertain
these.
21.
The enemy's spies who have come to spy on
us
must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led
away and
comfortably housed.
Thus they will become converted
spies and available for our service.
22.
It is through the information brought by the
converted spy that we are able to acquire
and employ
local and inward spies.
23.
It is owing to his information, again, that
we can
cause the doomed spy to carry false tidings
to the enemy.
24.
Lastly, it is by his information that the
surviving
spy can be used on appointed occasions.
25.
The end and aim of spying in all its five
varieties
is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge
can only
be derived, in the first instance, from the
converted spy.
Hence it is essential that the converted spy
be treated
with the utmost liberality.
26.
Of old, the rise of the Yin dynasty was due
to I
Chih who had served under the Hsia.
Likewise, the rise
of the Chou dynasty was due to Lu Ya who had
served
under the Yin.
27.
Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and
the
wise general who will use the highest intelligence
of
the army for purposes of spying and thereby
they achieve
great results.
Spies are a most important element in water,
because on them depends an army's ability
to move.
