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VOLUME ONE
Offensive Strategy
Top. Part 15. Part 16. Part 17. Part 18. Part 19. Part 20. Part 21
Part 15
Sun Tzu said: The general principle of war is that
making the whole state surrender is better than destroying
it* subjugating the entire enemy's army is better than
crushing it* making a battalion, a company or a five-man
squad surrender is better than destroying them.
Therefore, winning one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not real excellence, winning a victory and
subduing the enemy without fighting is the highest excellence.
Part 16
Thus, the best policy for the military operations is to
gain victory by means of strategy. Next best policy is to
disintegrate the enemy's alliances by means of diplomacy;
the inferior way is to launch an attack on the enemy; the
worst way is to storm cities and seize territory.
Besieging cities is only the last resort, because it takes
about three months to make mantelets and shielded
vehicles ready and to prepare the necessary arms and
equipment; and it takes another three months to pile up
earthen mounds against the city walls. If the commander
cannot control his impatience and orders his soldiers to
swarm up the city wall like ants, the result will be that
one-third of them will be killed while the city remains
untaken. This is, in fact, the calamity of attacking cities.
A commander, who is well versed in military operations makes the enemy surrender without fighting, captures the enemy's city without storming it, and destroys the enemy's state without protracted military operations. He must gain complete victory all-under-heaven. Therefore, the principle of winning victories by way of stratagem
is to triumph without wearing out the troops.
Part 17
Therefore, the law of using troops is to surround the
enemy when your strength is ten times his; to storm the
enemy when your strength is five times; to attack the enemy from two sides when you are twice as strong; to resist him if you equal your enemy; to know the way of retreat if you are less strong and to avoid the enemy if you are much weaker.
If the weaker battles on stubbornly without taking its
strength into account, it will surely be conquered by the
stronger.
Part 18
The general assists the ruler in governing a nation. If
he assists the ruler to govern the nation well, the nation
will surely be powerful; if he does not assist the ruler to govern the nation well, it will certainly be weak.
Part 19
A ruler may bring great misfortune upon his army in
three ways. Firstly, if he orders an advance not knowing
that his army cannot go forward, or orders a retreat while
being ignorant that his army cannot fall back, his orders
will, of course, tie down the army. Secondly, if he
interferes with the administration of the army without
understanding the internal affairs of it, his action will, of course, baffle his officers and soldiers. Thirdly, when he interferes with the direction of the army without knowing the principles of military stratagem, it will, of course, raise doubts and misgivings in the minds of the officers and soldiers. This necessarily leads to their confusion and suspicion. Then, the princes will take the advantage of it and rise in revolt. This is what is meant by the saying, throwing his own army into confusion and paving the way for the enemy's victory.
Part 20
There are five circumstances which can make the
commander win victory. He who knows when he may fight
and when he may not will win; he who knows how to
adopt the appropriate military art according to the number of his own troops and his enemy's will win; he whose
general and soldiers can fight with one heart and mind will win; he who is well prepared while his enemy is unprepared will win; he who is a wise and able general and
whom the sovereign does not interfere with will win. It is
in these five circumstances that the way to victory is
known.
Part 21
So it is said that if you know both the, enemy and
yourself, you will fight a hundred battles without danger of defeat; if you are ignorant of the enemy but only know
yourself, your chances of winning and losing are equal; if
you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will certainly be defeated in every battle.
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