The Art of War (The Classic Lionel Giles Translation). Sun Tzu

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

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      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

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      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