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+<H3 ALIGN''CENTER>SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR <BR>THE OLDEST MILITARY
+TREATISE IN THE WORLD<BR><IMG SRC''"http://www.chinapage.com/logo14.gif" NAME''"graphics1" ALIGN''BOTTOM WIDTH''80 HEIGHT''20 BORDER''0>
+<BR>Translated from the Chinese<BR>By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)</H3>
+<PRE STYLE''"text-align: center">
+<A NAME''"01"></A>I. LAYING PLANS
+. Sun Tzu said:  The art of war is of vital importance
+    to the State.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. These are:  (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth;
+    (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
+,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.
+. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat,
+    times and seasons.
+. Earth comprises distances, great and small;
+    danger and security; open ground and narrow passes;
+    the chances of life and death.
+. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom,
+    sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.
+. 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.
+. These five heads should be familiar to every general:
+    he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them
+    not will fail.
+. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking
+    to determine the military conditions, let them be made
+    the basis of a comparison, in this wise:--
+. (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?
+. By means of these seven considerations I can
+    forecast victory or defeat.
+. 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!
+. While heading the profit of my counsel,
+    avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances
+    over and beyond the ordinary rules.
+. According as circumstances are favorable,
+    one should modify one's plans.
+. All warfare is based on deception.
+. 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.
+. Hold out baits to entice the enemy.  Feign disorder,
+    and crush him.
+. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him.
+    If he is in superior strength, evade him.
+. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to
+    irritate him.  Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
+. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.
+    If his forces are united, separate them.
+. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where
+    you are not expected.
+. These military devices, leading to victory,
+    must not be divulged beforehand.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text |To Top]
+<A NAME''"02"></A>
+II. WAGING WAR
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources
+    of the State will not be equal to the strain.
+. 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.
+. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war,
+    cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
+. There is no instance of a country having benefited
+    from prolonged warfare.
+. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted
+    with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand
+    the profitable way of carrying it on.
+. The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy,
+    neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice.
+. Bring war material with you from home, but forage
+    on the enemy.  Thus the army will have food enough
+    for its needs.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry
+    will be afflicted by heavy exactions.
+,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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment
+    one's own strength.
+. In war, then, let your great object be victory,
+    not lengthy campaigns.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text |To Top]
+<A NAME''"03"></A>
+III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM
+. 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.
+. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles
+    is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists
+    in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made
+    by a small force, in the end it must be captured
+    by the larger force.
+. 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.
+. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring
+    misfortune upon his army:--
+. (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.
+. (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.
+. (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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text |To Top]
+<A NAME''"04"></A>
+IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS
+. 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.
+. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our
+    own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy
+    is provided by the enemy himself.
+. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat,
+    but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.
+. Hence the saying:  One may know how to conquer
+    without being able to do it.
+. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics;
+    ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.
+. Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient
+    strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.
+. 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.
+. To see victory only when it is within the ken
+    of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.
+. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight
+    and conquer and the whole Empire says, &quot;Well done!&quot;
+. 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.
+. What the ancients called a clever fighter is
+    one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
+. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation
+    for wisdom nor credit for courage.
+. 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.
+. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into
+    a position which makes defeat impossible, and does
+    not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
+. 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.
+. The consummate leader cultivates the moral law,
+    and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is
+    in his power to control success.
+. In respect of military method, we have,
+    firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity;
+    thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances;
+    fifthly, Victory.
+. 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.
+. A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as
+    a pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain.
+. The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting
+    of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.
+[To Chinese text |To Top]
+<A NAME''"05"></A>
+V. ENERGY
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. In all fighting, the direct method may be used
+    for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed
+    in order to secure victory.
+. 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.
+. There are not more than five musical notes,
+    yet the combinations of these five give rise to more
+    melodies than can ever be heard.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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?
+. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent
+    which will even roll stones along in its course.
+. The quality of decision is like the well-timed
+    swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy
+    its victim.
+. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible
+    in his onset, and prompt in his decision.
+. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow;
+    decision, to the releasing of a trigger.
+. 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.
+. Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline,
+    simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness
+    postulates strength.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march;
+    then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text |To Top]
+<A NAME''"06"></A>
+VI. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG
+. 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.
+. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on
+    the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend;
+    march swiftly to places where you are not expected.
+. An army may march great distances without distress,
+    if it marches through country where the enemy is not.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. By discovering the enemy's dispositions and remaining
+    invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated,
+    while the enemy's must be divided.
+. 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.
+. And if we are able thus to attack an inferior force
+    with a superior one, our opponents will be in dire straits.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare
+    against possible attacks; numerical strength, from compelling
+    our adversary to make these preparations against us.
+. Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle,
+    we may concentrate from the greatest distances in order
+    to fight.
+. 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!
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Rouse him, and learn the principle of his
+    activity or inactivity.  Force him to reveal himself,
+    so as to find out his vulnerable spots.
+. Carefully compare the opposing army with your own,
+    so that you may know where strength is superabundant
+    and where it is deficient.
+. 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.
+. How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy's
+    own tactics--that is what the multitude cannot comprehend.
+. All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer,
+    but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory
+    is evolved.
+. Do not repeat the tactics which have gained
+    you one victory, but let your methods be regulated
+    by the infinite variety of circumstances.
+. Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its
+    natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards.
+. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong
+    and to strike at what is weak.
+. 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.
+. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape,
+    so in warfare there are no constant conditions.
+. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his
+    opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called
+    a heaven-born captain.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text  |To Top]
+<A NAME''"07"></A>
+VII. MANEUVERING
+. Sun Tzu said:  In war, the general receives his
+    commands from the sovereign.
+. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces,
+    he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof
+    before pitching his camp.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Maneuvering with an army is advantageous;
+    with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. If you march thirty LI with the same object,
+    two-thirds of your army will arrive.
+. 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.
+. We cannot enter into alliances until we are
+    acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.
+. 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 advantage
+    to account unless we make use of local guides.
+. In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed.
+. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops,
+    must be decided by circumstances.
+. Let your rapidity be that of the wind,
+    your compactness that of the forest.
+. In raiding and plundering be like fire,
+    is immovability like a mountain.
+. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night,
+    and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
+. 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.
+. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
+. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice
+    of deviation.  Such is the art of maneuvering.
+. 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.
+. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means
+    whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused
+    on one particular point.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. A whole army may be robbed of its spirit;
+    a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance
+    of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:--this is the art
+    of retaining self-possession.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. It is a military axiom not to advance uphill
+    against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.
+. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight;
+    do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.
+. Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy.
+    Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.
+. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free.
+    Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
+. Such is the art of warfare.
+[To Chinese text|To Top]
+<A NAME''"08"></A>
+VIII. VARIATION IN TACTICS
+. Sun Tzu said:  In war, the general receives
+    his commands from the sovereign, collects his army
+    and concentrates his forces
+. 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.
+. There are roads which must not be followed,
+    armies which must be not attacked, towns which must
+    be besieged, positions which must not be contested,
+    commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.
+. The general who thoroughly understands the advantages
+    that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle
+    his troops.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations of
+    advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.
+. If our expectation of advantage be tempered in
+    this way, we may succeed in accomplishing the essential
+    part of our schemes.
+. If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties
+    we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate
+    ourselves from misfortune.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. These are the five besetting sins of a general,
+    ruinous to the conduct of war.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text|To Top]
+<A NAME''"09"></A>
+IX.  THE ARMY ON THE MARCH
+. 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.
+. Camp in high places, facing the sun.  Do not climb
+    heights in order to fight.  So much for mountain warfare.
+. After crossing a river, you should get far away
+    from it.
+. 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.
+. If you are anxious to fight, you should not go
+    to meet the invader near a river which he has to cross.
+. 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.
+. In crossing salt-marshes, your sole concern
+    should be to get over them quickly, without any delay.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. These are the four useful branches of military
+    knowledge which enabled the Yellow Emperor to vanquish
+    four several sovereigns.
+. All armies prefer high ground to low and sunny
+    places to dark.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet,
+    he is relying on the natural strength of his position.
+. When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle,
+    he is anxious for the other side to advance.
+. If his place of encampment is easy of access,
+    he is tendering a bait.
+. 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.
+. The rising of birds in their flight is the sign
+    of an ambuscade.  Startled beasts indicate that a sudden
+    attack is coming.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant
+    indicate a plot.
+. When there is much running about and the soldiers
+    fall into rank, it means that the critical moment has come.
+. When some are seen advancing and some retreating,
+    it is a lure.
+. When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears,
+    they are faint from want of food.
+. If those who are sent to draw water begin
+    by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.
+. If the enemy sees an advantage to be gained and
+    makes no effort to secure it, the soldiers are exhausted.
+. If birds gather on any spot, it is unoccupied.
+    Clamor by night betokens nervousness.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. The sight of men whispering together in small
+    knots or speaking in subdued tones points to disaffection
+    amongst the rank and file.
+. Too frequent rewards signify that the enemy is
+    at the end of his resources; too many punishments betray
+    a condition of dire distress.
+. To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright
+    at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.
+. When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths,
+    it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. He who exercises no forethought but makes light
+    of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.
+. 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 unless.
+. 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.
+. If in training soldiers commands are habitually
+    enforced, the army will be well-disciplined; if not,
+    its discipline will be bad.
+. If a general shows confidence in his men but always
+    insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.
+[To Chinese text|To Top]
+<A NAME''"10"></A>
+X. TERRAIN
+. 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.
+. Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides
+    is called accessible.
+. 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.
+. Ground which can be abandoned but is hard
+    to re-occupy is called entangling.
+. 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.
+. When the position is such that neither side will gain
+    by making the first move, it is called temporizing ground.
+. 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.
+. With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy
+    them first, let them be strongly garrisoned and await
+    the advent of the enemy.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. If the enemy has occupied them before you,
+    do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.
+. 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.
+. These six are the principles connected with Earth.
+    The general who has attained a responsible post must be
+    careful to study them.
+. 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.
+. Other conditions being equal, if one force is
+    hurled against another ten times its size, the result
+    will be the flight of the former.
+. 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.
+. When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate,
+    and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account
+    from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief
+    can tell whether or no he is in a position to fight,
+    the result is ruin.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. These are six ways of courting defeat, which must
+    be carefully noted by the general who has attained
+    a responsible post.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion,
+    is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never
+    at a loss.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text|To Top]
+<A NAME''"11"></A>
+XI. THE NINE SITUATIONS
+. 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.
+. When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory,
+    it is dispersive ground.
+. When he has penetrated into hostile territory,
+    but to no great distance, it is facile ground.
+. Ground the possession of which imports great
+    advantage to either side, is contentious ground.
+. Ground on which each side has liberty of movement
+    is open ground.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Mountain forests, rugged steeps, marshes and fens--all
+    country that is hard to traverse:  this is difficult ground.
+. 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.
+. Ground on which we can only be saved from
+    destruction by fighting without delay, is desperate ground.
+. On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not.
+    On facile ground, halt not.  On contentious ground,
+    attack not.
+. On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's way.
+    On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands
+    with your allies.
+. On serious ground, gather in plunder.
+    In difficult ground, keep steadily on the march.
+. On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem.
+    On desperate ground, fight.
+. 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.
+. When the enemy's men were united, they managed
+    to keep them in disorder.
+. When it was to their advantage, they made
+    a forward move; when otherwise, they stopped still.
+. 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:  &quot;Begin by seizing something which your
+    opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.&quot;
+. Rapidity is the essence of war:  take advantage of
+    the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes,
+    and attack unguarded spots.
+. 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.
+. Make forays in fertile country in order to supply
+    your army with food.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with
+    superstitious doubts.  Then, until death itself comes,
+    no calamity need be feared.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Hence it is not enough to put one's trust
+    in the tethering of horses, and the burying of chariot
+    wheels in the ground
+. The principle on which to manage an army is to set
+    up one standard of courage which all must reach.
+. How to make the best of both strong and weak--that
+    is a question involving the proper use of ground.
+. Thus the skillful general conducts his army just
+    as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by
+    the hand.
+. It is the business of a general to be quiet and thus
+    ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus maintain order.
+. He must be able to mystify his officers and men
+    by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them
+    in total ignorance.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. To muster his host and bring it into danger:--this
+    may be termed the business of the general.
+. 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.
+. When invading hostile territory, the general
+    principle is, that penetrating deeply brings cohesion;
+    penetrating but a short way means dispersion.
+. 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.
+. When you penetrate deeply into a country, it is
+    serious ground.  When you penetrate but a little way,
+    it is facile ground.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. On contentious ground, I would hurry up my rear.
+. On open ground, I would keep a vigilant eye
+    on my defenses.  On ground of intersecting highways,
+    I would consolidate my alliances.
+. On serious ground, I would try to ensure
+    a continuous stream of supplies.  On difficult ground,
+    I would keep pushing on along the road.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. To be ignored of any one of the following four
+    or five principles does not befit a warlike prince.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive;
+    plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off
+    in safety.
+. For it is precisely when a force has fallen into
+    harm's way that is capable of striking a blow for victory.
+. Success in warfare is gained by carefully
+    accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.
+. By persistently hanging on the enemy's flank, we shall
+    succeed in the long run in killing the commander-in-chief.
+. This is called ability to accomplish a thing
+    by sheer cunning.
+. On the day that you take up your command,
+    block the frontier passes, destroy the official tallies,
+    and stop the passage of all emissaries.
+. Be stern in the council-chamber, so that you
+    may control the situation.
+. If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.
+. Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear,
+    and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the ground.
+. Walk in the path defined by rule, and accommodate
+    yourself to the enemy until you can fight a decisive battle.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text|To Top]
+<A NAME''"12"></A>
+XII. THE ATTACK BY FIRE
+. 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.
+. In order to carry out an attack, we must have
+    means available.  The material for raising fire should
+    always be kept in readiness.
+. There is a proper season for making attacks with fire,
+    and special days for starting a conflagration.
+. 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.
+. In attacking with fire, one should be prepared
+    to meet five possible developments:
+. (1) When fire breaks out inside to enemy's camp,
+    respond at once with an attack from without.
+. (2) If there is an outbreak of fire, but the enemy's
+    soldiers remain quiet, bide your time and do not attack.
+. (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.
+. (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.
+. (5) When you start a fire, be to windward of it.
+    Do not attack from the leeward.
+. A wind that rises in the daytime lasts long,
+    but a night breeze soon falls.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. By means of water, an enemy may be intercepted,
+    but not robbed of all his belongings.
+. 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.
+. Hence the saying:  The enlightened ruler lays his
+    plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.
+. 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.
+. No ruler should put troops into the field merely
+    to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight
+    a battle simply out of pique.
+. If it is to your advantage, make a forward move;
+    if not, stay where you are.
+. Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may
+    be succeeded by content.
+. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can
+    never come again into being; nor can the dead ever
+    be brought back to life.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text|To Top]
+<A NAME''"13"></A>
+XIII. THE USE OF SPIES
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. One who acts thus is no leader of men, no present
+    help to his sovereign, no master of victory.
+. 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.
+. Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits;
+    it cannot be obtained inductively from experience,
+    nor by any deductive calculation.
+. Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only
+    be obtained from other men.
+. 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.
+. When these five kinds of spy are all at work,
+    none can discover the secret system.  This is called &quot;divine
+    manipulation of the threads.&quot;  It is the sovereign's
+    most precious faculty.
+. Having local spies means employing the services
+    of the inhabitants of a district.
+. Having inward spies, making use of officials
+    of the enemy.
+. Having converted spies, getting hold of the enemy's
+    spies and using them for our own purposes.
+. 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.
+. Surviving spies, finally, are those who bring
+    back news from the enemy's camp.
+. 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.
+. Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain
+    intuitive sagacity.
+. They cannot be properly managed without benevolence
+    and straightforwardness.
+. Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make
+    certain of the truth of their reports.
+. Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every
+    kind of business.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. It is through the information brought by the
+    converted spy that we are able to acquire and employ
+    local and inward spies.
+. It is owing to his information, again, that we can
+    cause the doomed spy to carry false tidings to the enemy.
+. Lastly, it is by his information that the surviving
+    spy can be used on appointed occasions.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+. 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.
+[To Chinese text|To Top]
+[END - Sun Tzu on the Art of War, text-only]</code><P STYLE''"margin-bottom: 0in">
+<BR>
+</P>
+-- Main.FredPettis - 16 May 2008