Sun Tzu - The Art of War (Trans. Giles) (Pax Librorum, 2009)
Sun Tzu - The Art of War (Trans. Giles) (Pax Librorum, 2009)
Sun Tzu - The Art of War (Trans. Giles) (Pax Librorum, 2009)
Pax Librorum
Publishing House
2009
The Art of War by Sun Tzŭ, as translated by Lionel Giles, M.A.
First published in 1910.
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II./1. 2009.
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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
I. Laying Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
V. Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
VII. Manœuvring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
X. Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
vii
Introduction
Sun Tzŭ Wu was a native of the Ch‘i State. His Art of War brought
him to the notice of Ho Lu, King of Wu. Ho Lu said to him: “I have
carefully perused your 13 chapters. May I submit your theory of
managing soldiers to a slight test?”
Sun Tzŭ replied: “You may.”
Ho Lu asked: “May the test be applied to women?”
The answer was again in the affirmative, so arrangements were
made to bring 180 ladies out of the Palace. Sun Tzŭ divided them into
two companies, and placed one of the King’s favourite concubines at
the head of each. He then bade them all take spears in their hands,
and addressed them thus: “I presume you know the difference
between front and back, right hand and left hand?”
The girls replied: “Yes.”
Sun Tzŭ went on: “When I say ‘Eyes front,’ you must look straight
ahead. When I say ‘Left turn,’ you must face towards your left hand.
When I say ‘Right turn,’ you must face towards your right hand.
When I say ‘About turn,’ you must face right round towards your
back.”
Again the girls assented. The words of command having been
thus explained, he set up the halberds and battle-axes in order to
begin the drill. Then, to the sound of drums, he gave the order “Right
turn.” But the girls only burst out laughing. Sun Tzŭ said: “If words
of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly
understood, then the general is to blame.”
So he started drilling them again, and this time gave the order
“Left turn,” whereupon the girls once more burst into fits of laughter.
Sun Tzŭ: “If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders
are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his
orders are clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the
1
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
2
I
Laying Plans
1. Sun Tzŭ said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
4. These are: (1) the Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) the
Commander; (5) method and discipline.
7. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and
seasons.
3
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
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?
15. 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!
19. 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.
4
I. Laying Plans
20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush
him.
23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united,
separate them.
24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not
expected.
26. 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.
5
II
Waging War
1. Sun Tzŭ 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 armour,
will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such
is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men.
4. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardour 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.
7
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
8. The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his
supply-waggons 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.
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 expenses
for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breast-plates and hel-
mets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantles,
draught-oxen and heavy waggons, will amount to four-tenths
of its total revenue.
16. 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.
8
II. Waging War
18. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one’s own
strength.
19. In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy
campaigns.
20. 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.
9
III
Attack by Stratagem
1. Sun Tzŭ 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 capture an army
entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment
or a company entire than to destroy them.
11
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
7. 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.
8. 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.
11. 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.
12. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune
upon his army: —
16. 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.
17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:
12
III. Attack by Stratagem
(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.
18. 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.
13
IV
Tactical Dispositions
1. Sun Tzŭ said: The good fighters of old first put themselves
beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an oppor-
tunity of defeating the enemy.
15
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only
wins, but excels in winning with ease.
12. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom
nor credit for courage.
14. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which
makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for
defeating the enemy.
15. 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.
16. The consummate leader cultivates the Moral Law, and strictly
adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to
control success.
16
V
Energy
1. Sun Tzŭ said: The control of a large force is the same in principle
as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing
up their numbers.
5. In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle,
but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.
7. There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combina-
tions of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be
heard.
17
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
8. There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combina-
tion they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
9. There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations
of them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.
10. 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 manœuvres.
11. 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?
12. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even
roll stones along in its course.
14. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and
prompt in his decision.
16. 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.
19. 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.
18
V. Energy
20. By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march; then with a
body of picked men he lies in wait for him.
19
VI
Weak Points and Strong
1. Sun Tzŭ 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.
21
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
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.
22
VI. Weak Points and Strong
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!
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.
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.
23
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
29. Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural
course runs away from high places and hastens downwards.
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.
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.
24
VII
Manœuvring
1. Sun Tzŭ said: In war, the general receives his commands from
the sovereign.
25
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
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.
10. If you march thirty Li with the same object, two-thirds of your
army will arrive.
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.
17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of
the forest.
19. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when
you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
26
VII. Manœuvring
22. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviation. 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.
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
27
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
35. Do not swallow 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.
28
VIII
Variation in Tactics
1. Sun Tzŭ said: In war, the general receives his commands from
the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forces
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.
5. The general who does not understand these, may be well ac-
quainted 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.
29
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
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:
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.
30
IX
The Army on the March
3. After crossing a river, you should get far away from it.
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.
31
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
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.
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.
32
IX. The Army on the March
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.
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.
27. When there is much running about and the soldiers fall into
rank, it means that the critical moment has come.
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 them-
selves, the army is suffering from thirst.
33
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
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.
36. Too frequent rewards signify that the enemy is at the end of his
resources; too many punishments betray a condition of dire
distress.
39. 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.
40. 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.
34
IX. The Army on the March
42. If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you,
they will not prove submissive; and, unless submissive, they
will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become
attached to you, punishments are not enforced, they will still
be useless.
35
X
Terrain
6. When the position is such that neither side will gain by making
the first move, it is called temporising ground.
37
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
11. If the enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him,
but retreat and try to entice him away.
12. 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.
13. These six are the principles connected with Earth. The general
who has attained a responsible post must be careful to study
them.
16. 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.
17. 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 not he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin.
38
X. Terrain
18. When the general is weak and without authority; when his
orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties
assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a
slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.
20. These are six ways of courting defeat, which must be carefully
noted by the general who has attained a responsible post.
21. 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.
22. He who knows these things, and in fighting puts his knowledge
into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor
practises them, will surely be defeated.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your author-
ity felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands;
and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your sol-
diers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for
any practical purpose.
39
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
31. 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.
40
XI
The Nine Situations
1. Sun Tzŭ said: The art of war recognises 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) desper-
ate ground.
41
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
12. On open ground, do not try to block the enemy’s way. On the
ground of intersecting highways, join hands with your allies.
15. 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.
16. When the enemy’s men were scattered, they prevented them
from concentrating; even when their forces were united, they
managed to keep them in disorder.
18. 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:
“Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear;
then he will be amenable to your will.”
42
XI. The Nine Situations
22. 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.
28. 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.
43
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
29. The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the
shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch’ang 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.
33. How to make the best of both strong and weak — that is a
question involving the proper use of ground.
34. Thus the skillful general conducts his army just as though he
were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand.
36. He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports
and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance.
38. 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.
39. 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.
44
XI. The Nine Situations
40. To muster his host and bring it into danger: — this may be
termed the business of the general.
42. When invading hostile territory, the general principle is, that
penetrating deeply brings cohesion; penetrating but a short
way means dispersion.
43. When you leave your own country behind, and take your army
across neighbourhood territory, you find yourself on critical
ground. When there are means of communication on all four
sides, the ground is one of intersecting highways.
45. 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.
45
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
55. 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.
57. 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.
58. Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it
into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.
59. For it is precisely when a force has fallen into harm’s way that
is capable of striking a blow for victory.
46
XI. The Nine Situations
63. On the day that you take up your command, block the frontier
passes, destroy the official tallies, and stop the passage of all
emissaries.
65. If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.
68. 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.
47
XII
The Attack by Fire
1. Sun Tzŭ 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.
4. 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.
6. (1) When fire breaks out inside the enemy’s camp, respond at
once with an attack from without.
49
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
8. (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.
10. (5) When you start a fire, be to windward of it. Do not attack
from the leeward.
11. A wind that rises in the daytime lasts long, but a night breeze
soon falls.
12. 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.
13. Hence those who use fire as an aid to the attack show intel-
ligence; those who use water as an aid to the attack gain an
accession of strength.
15. Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and suc-
ceed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise;
for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.
16. Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well
ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.
17. 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.
18. No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his
own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.
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XII. The Attack by Fire
21. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come
again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.
22. 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.
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XIII
The Use of Spies
2. 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 honours
and emoluments, is the height of inhumanity.
4. 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.
53
The Art of War, Sun Tzŭ
7. 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.
8. When these five kinds of spy are all at work, none can discover
the secret system. This is called “divine manipulation of the
threads”. It is the sovereign’s most precious faculty.
11. Having converted spies, getting hold of the enemy’s spies and
using them for our own purposes.
12. Having doomed spies, doing certain things openly for purposes
of deception, and allowing our own spies to know of them and
report them to the enemy.
13. Surviving spies, finally, are those who bring back news from
the enemy’s camp.
14. Hence it is that with 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.
18. Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of
business.
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XIII. The Use of Spies
21. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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 Lü Ya who had served under the Yin.
27. 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 war, because on them depends an
army’s ability to move.
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