The Art of War By Sun Tzu Translated by Lionel Giles
12. Therefore, in your deliberations, when eking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison, in this wi:--
13. (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?
14. By means of the ven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat.
15. The general that hearkens to my counl and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counl nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismisd!
16. While heading the profit of my counl, avail yourlf also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules.
17. According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans.
18. All warfare is bad on deception.
19. Hence, when able to attack, we must em unable; when using our forces, we must em 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.
20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.
21. If he is cure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.
22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, ek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
23. If he is taking his ea, give him no rest. If his forces are united, parate them.
24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
25. The military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
26. Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who los 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 foree who is likely to win or lo.
II. Waging War
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain.
4. 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 wi, will be able to avert the conquences that must ensue.
5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been en associated with long delays.
6. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.
7. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.
8. The skillful soldier does not rai a cond levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice.
9. Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.
10. Poverty of the State exchequer caus an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to maintain an
army at a distance caus the people to be impoverished.
11. On the other hand, the proximity of an army caus prices to go up; and high prices cau the people's substance to be drained away.
12. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry will be afflicted by heavy exactions.
13,14. 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 expens for broken chariots, worn-out hors, 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.
15. Hence a wi 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 likewi a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one's own store.
16. Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roud to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.
17. Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots have been taken, tho should be rewarded who took the first. Our own flags should be substituted for tho of the enemy, and the chariots mingled and ud in conjunction with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.
18. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one's own
