|
VOLUME TWO
The Army on the March
Top. Part 55. Part 56. Part 57. Part 58. Part 59. Part 60. Part 61. Part 62. Part 63. Part 64. Part 65
Part 55
Sun Tzu said: A general must observe the following
when he deploys troops for battle and investigate the opponent's situation.
Be sure to stay near the valleys when going through
mountains; select a place on high ground facing the sunlight for the military camps and do not ascend to fight a
battle on high ground. This is the law for taking military
position in mountains.
After crossing a river you must stay far away from it.
If the enemy attacks from across the river, do not meet
him in the water. Instead, it is advantageous to allow half
of the enemy's troops to get across and then strike them.
If you wish to fight with the enemy, do not go to meet him
near a river. Instead, select a place on high ground facing
the sunlight for the camps and never encamp in the lower
reaches of a river. This is the law for taking up military
position in the region of rivers.
Be sure to cross salt marshes quickly with no delay.
On encountering the enemy's troops in a salt marsh, keep
to those places with plenty of grass with trees to the rear.
This is the law for taking up military position in the region
of salt marshes.
Be sure to select an easily accessible place on level
ground to pitch camps, with heights to the right and rear,
so that the low ground is in front and the high ground be-
hind. This is the law for taking up military position on
level ground.
These are the very four laws for encamping and
disposing troops which enabled the Yellow Emperor* to
conquer the four other emperors* in ancient times.
*Yellow Emperor: It was said that the Yellow Emperor was the first
father of Han nation.
*four other emperors: leaders of four tribes in
the time of the Yellow Emperor.
Part 56
All commanders prefer to station their troops on high
ground rather than on low land, in the sunlight rather than
in the shade and where food crops can grow and the
ground is protected. The troops can be free from diseases
and this guarantees victory. If you find hills or dikes, you
should station your troops on the sunnyside, with the hills
or dikes at your back. Such military advantages are
afforded by the suitable ground on which you station your
troops.
Part 57
If heavy rain falls in the upper reaches of a river and
forms torrents rushing down to the lower course, never
cross the river but wait until the flood subsides.
When you encounter these dangerous situations,
never approach them but avert them quickly: a deep ravine with a violent torrent; a deep gully with dangerous
cliffs around; a hemmed-in position as perilous as a prison
where it is easy to enter it but difficult to get out, a position which is overgrown with grass and thickets; a
low-lying marshy land and a narrow pass between two precipitous mountains.
Keep away from these positions and let the enemy
approach them; face them and cause the enemy to put his
back against them.
If you find near your camp dangerous defiles, lowlying land overgrown with reeds, or forested mountains
with dense tangled undergrowth, you must have a
thorough search to see if there are ambushes laid or spies
hiding.
Part 58
If the enemy's troops are near your camps and yet
they remain composed, it is because their position is advantageous to them. If they are far away from you and yet
dare to come and challenge you to battle, it is because
they want to seduce you to make an advance. If the enemy
stations his troops in a convenient place, it is because
there are practical advantages in doing so.
Part 59
When you find the trees moving, the enemy is advancing towards you. When you find a lot of obstacles hidden among the undergrowth, you know that is the enemy's
deception. Birds rising in flight shows there are troops in
ambush. Frightened animals scurrying about is a sign of
the enemy's imminent attack. Clouds of dust gushing out
in high straight columns tells you that the enemy's chariots
are approaching. When the dust stays low and is widespread, it is a sign that the enemy's infantry is drawing
near. But if the dust is scattered around, it shows that the
enemy is cutting firewood. When the dust is low and small
and rise intermittently, it indicates that the enemy is going
to pitch camps.
Part 60
When the enemy's messenger speaks humbly while
his war preparations continue, the enemy is going to advance. When the enemy speaks uncompromisingly and
threatens to advance, he is going to retreat. When the enemy's light chariots set out first and take position on both
wings, it signifies that the enemy is arranging his battle
formation. When the enemy asks for a truce without advance appointment, it means that he must have been plotting. When the generals of the enemy busily move about
to arrange the positions of foot-soldiers and armed
vehicles, that shows the enemy is expecting to launch a decisive attack. When half of the enemy's troops advances
and half retreats, that means that the enemy is trying to
decoy you.
Part 61
When you find the enemy's soldiers leaning on their
weapons, you can reason that they have been famished.
When you find the enemy's soldiers drink the water they
draw before carrying it to the camp, it means that they
have been suffering from thirst. And when the enemy sees
some profit but does not try to obtain it, it is because he
has been completely exhausted. When birds wheel above
the enemy's campsite, it suggests that the camp must be
unoccupied and the enemy has fled. Clamour from the enemy's camp at night shows that the enemy's troops are terrified and insecure. Disturbance in the enemy's camp
means his generals have lost their prestige and authority.
When banners and flags are shifted about, confusion must
have appeared in the enemy's camp. When lower officers
become irritable, they have been weary of war. If the enemy feeds his horses with grain, kills beasts of draught as
food for the soldiers, destroys his cooking utensils, and
shows no intention to return to the camp, that is to say, he
has already determined to fight to death.
Part 62
When soldiers gather together in small groups and
complain in a murmur, it betokens that the general has
lost their support. A commander who rewards his soldiers
too often is in a predicament. He who punishes his
soldiers too frequently is in serious distress. If he treats his
soldiers violently at first and then fears that they will betray him, he is extremely unintelligent. If the enemy sends
a messenger to express his`thanks in a mild tone, it
indicates that the enemy wishes for a truce.
Part 63
If the enemy's troops come angrily to meet you and
confront yours for a long time, neither fighting nor
retreating, you must watch cautiously what they are going
to do.
Part 64
Having more soldiers in war does not give absolute
superiority. Never advance recklessly by sheer force, but
concentrate your troops through a correct assessment of
the enemy's disposition and you will defeat the enemy. He
who lacks careful thought and strategy and underestimates
the enemy will surely be captured by the opponent.
Part 65
When soldiers are rashly punished before they have
grown attached to you, they will not obey you. Such troops
are naturally very difficult for you to command if the
soldiers have become attached to you, but you exercise no
strict and impartial discipline, you still cannot command
them to fight.
You should command your troops with civility and
humanity, unify and control them with martial discipline,
and you will be invincible. If orders are strictly observed to
discipline and instruct the troops,the soldiers will be
obedient. Otherwise they will be disobedient. If orders are
observed constantly and conscientiously, both the commander and the soldiers will benefit and trust each other.
|
