Art of War (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) Read online

  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 defence if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.

  8. Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defence 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 to 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 succour the right, the right equally impotent to succour 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 Yüeh 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 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. MANOEUVRING

  1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign.

  2. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he must blend and harmonise the different elements thereof before pitching his camp.

  3. After that, comes tactical manœuvring, than which there is nothing more difficult. The difficulty of tactical manœuvring consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.

  4. Thus, to take a long and circuitous route, after enticing the enemy out of the way, and though starting after him, to contrive to reach the goal before him, shows knowledge of the artifice of deviation.

  5. Manœuvring with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.

  6. If you set a fully equipped army in march in order to snatch an advantage, the chances are that you will be too late. On the other hand, to detach a flying column for the purpose involves the sacrifice of its baggage and stores.

  7. Thus, if you order your men to roll up their buff-coats, and make forced marches without halting day or night, covering double the usual distance at a stretch, doing a hundred li in order to wrest an advantage, the leaders of all your three divisions will fall into the hands of the enemy.

  8. The stronger men will be in front, the jaded ones will fall behind, and on this plan only one-tenth of your army will reach its destination.

  9. If you march fifty li in order to outmanœuvre the enemy, you will lose the leader of your first division, and only half your force will reach the goal.

  10. If you march thirty li with the same object, two-thirds of your army will arrive.

  11. We may take it then that an army without its baggage-train is lost; without provisions it is lost; without bases of supply it is lost.

  12. We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbours.

  13. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country—its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.

  14. We shall be unable to turn natural advantages to account unless we make use of local guides.

  15. In war, practise dissimulation, and you will succeed. Move only if there is a real advantage to be gained.

  16. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops, must be decided by circumstances.

  17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest.

  18. In raiding and plundering be like fire, in immovability like a mountain.

  19. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

  20. When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil be divided amongst your men; when you capture new territory, cut it up into allotments for the benefit of the soldiery.

  21. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.

  22. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviat
ion. Such is the art of manœuvring.

  23. The Book of Army Management says: On the field of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough: hence the institution of gongs and drums. Nor can ordinary objects be seen clearly enough: hence the institution of banners and flags.

  24. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point.

  25. The host thus forming a single united body, it is impossible either for the brave to advance alone, or for the cowardly to retreat alone. This is the art of handling large masses of men.

  26. In night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-fires and drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners, as a means of influencing the ears and eyes of your army.

  27. A whole army may be robbed of its spirit; a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind.

  28. Now a soldier’s spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is bent only on returning to camp.

  29. A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods.

  30. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:—this is the art of retaining self-possession.

  31. To be near the goal while the enemy is still far from it, to wait at ease while the enemy is toiling and struggling, to be well-fed while the enemy is famished:—this is the art of husbanding one’s strength.

  32. To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose banners are in perfect order, to refrain from attacking an army drawn up in calm and confident array:—this is the art of studying circumstances.

  33. It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.

  34. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight; do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.

  35. Do not swallow a bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.

  36. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.

  37. Such is the art of warfare.

  VIII. VARIATION OF TACTICS

  1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forces.

  2. When in difficult country, do not encamp. In country where high roads intersect, join hands with your allies. Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions. In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to stratagem. In a desperate position, you must fight.

  3. There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.

  4. The general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle his troops.

  5. The general who does not understand these, may be well acquainted with the configuration of the country, yet he will not be able to turn his knowledge to practical account.

  6. So, the student of war who is unversed in the art of varying his plans, even though he be acquainted with the Five Advantages, will fail to make the best use of his men.

  7. Hence in the wise leader’s plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.

  8. If our expectation of advantage be tempered in this way, we may succeed in accomplishing the essential part of our schemes.

  9. If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune.

  10. Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage on them; make trouble for them, and keep them constantly engaged; hold out specious allurements, and make them rush to any given point.

  11. The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.

  12. There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: (1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction; (2) cowardice, which leads to capture; (3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults; (4) a delicacy of honour which is sensitive to shame; (5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.

  13. These are the five besetting sins of a general, ruinous to the conduct of war.

  14. When an army is overthrown and its leader slain, the cause will surely be found among these five dangerous faults. Let them be a subject of meditation.

  IX. THE ARMY ON THE MARCH

  1. Sun Tzu said: We come now to the question of encamping the army, and observing signs of the enemy. Pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the neighbourhood of valleys.

  2. Camp in high places, facing the sun. Do not climb heights in order to fight. So much for mountain warfare.

  3. After crossing a river, you should get far away from it.

  4. When an invading force crosses a river in its onward march, do not advance to meet it in mid-stream. It will be best to let half the army get across, and then deliver your attack.

  5. If you are anxious to fight, you should not go to meet the invader near a river which he has to cross.

  6. Moor your craft higher up than the enemy, and facing the sun. Do not move up-stream to meet the enemy. So much for river warfare.

  7. In crossing salt-marshes, your sole concern should be to get over them quickly, without any delay.

  8. If forced to fight in a salt-marsh, you should have water and grass near you, and get your back to a clump of trees. So much for operations in salt-marshes.

  9. In dry, level country, take up an easily accessible position with rising ground to your right and on your rear, so that the danger may be in front, and safety lie behind. So much for campaigning in flat country.

  10. These are the four useful branches of military knowledge which enabled the Yellow Emperor to vanquish four several sovereigns.

  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 utilise 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 neighbourhood 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 advan
cing; 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. Clamour 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.