The art of war is of utmost importance.
In order to succeed, one must account for:
The Way
The environment
The terrain
Leadership
Method
Discipline
Organization
Communication
Use of paths
Finances
A leader should know these factors.
Knowledge of them leads to victory; ignorance of them leads to failure.
When you are deliberating, ask yourself:
Which side is embodying the Way?
Which side will have advantages due to the environment?
Which side will have advantages due to the terrain?
Which general is more skilled?
Which side employs a superior method?
Which side has more rigorously enforced discipline?
Which side has the stronger army?
Which side has better trained army?
Which side is better organized?
Which side has the superior system of rewards and punishments?
Which side spends more and manages finances more effectively?
I can determine who will win or lose based on these factors.
Though all people can see my victories, few can see their root.
Though putting my wisdom into practice will lead to victory, one must base plans on circumstances, and consider whatever goes beyond the ordinary rules.
Rather than repeating the same tactics just because they have gained you one victory, regulate your methods by our world's infinite variety of ever-changing circumstances.
In order to attain victory, Divine Captains modify their tactics according to all conditions.
Just as water naturally shapes its course according to the nature of the ground, and leaves the high in order to flow to the low; so also is the Way of war to base decisions on changing conditions, and to avoid the strong and strike at the weak.
Winning leaders generally make many calculations; losing generals generally make few calculations.
Calculations can be made by measuring existing conditions and estimating quantities.
Calculations can be used to balance chances and complete victory.
Time is precious.
Preparations are of utmost importance.
Utilize time in order to gain advantages over the opponent.
In order to enable you to take full advantage of opportunities as they arise, one must have adequate supplies. **
And later, when the time comes to do so, forage on the enemy's supplies in order to reap great time and energy savings.
Long, exhaustive, draining battles ought to be avoided.
Even if they are won, they often turn out to be unprofitable in the long run—for their extreme conditions open the possibility for future vulnerabilities.
Though everyone has heard of stupid haste in war, it is also not optimal to engage in excessively long wars.
Knowing the evils of such wars can give us understanding on the Way to wage war.
In war, the great goal should be victory-not lengthy campaigns.
In war, taking an enemy's country, army, regiment, detachment, or unit whole and intact is better than shattering and destroying them, and fighting in and winning every battle is not as excellent as breaking the enemy without even fighting.
Thus, it is best to pull up the roots of the enemy's plans, next best is to prevent the synergy of his forces, next best is to attack his army in the field, and worst of all is to surround and attack walled cities.
If possible, utilize low-risk long-term tactical positioning, and wait for the enemy to step into baits.
By employing the Way of stratagem, the skilful leader can stop the enemy and conquer without even fighting, and win without lengthy field operations.
He maintains and gains with his forces intact, and completes his wins without any loss.
Warfare is based on deception.
When nearby, appear distant; when distant, appear nearby.
Aim to be invisible.
Do not allow the enemy anticipate or see what is coming.
Alter arrangements and plans and shift camps.
This will make him unable to know what to attack or defend, become confused, and have his plans and tactics destroyed. *
, in order to prevent the enemy from having definite knowledge and anticipating your purpose.
Take advantage of the enemy's inclinations.
Make him become careless.
Attack where he is unprepared.
Appear where you are not expected.
Make conditions dependent on your will rather than your enemy's.
Make everything according to your advantage, beginning with what is most important.
Do whatever you can to make your opponent weak and vulnerable.
Maintain deceitful appearances based on how the enemy will act. Bait him into vulnerable positions, and have soldiers in hiding who will make their move when it is time to do so.
Be prepared for the enemy's strengths.
Evade match ups that are not to your advantage.
The onset of troops is like the rush of a powerful torrent, while the quality of decision is like a falcon's well-timed swoop that enables it to strike and destroy his victim.
Thus, the good fighter is effective in his onset, and precise in his timing and decisions.
Energy is like the bending of a crossbow, while decisions and timing are like the releasing of a trigger.
Timing is always of utmost importance in warfare.
Be rapid when necessary; wait when necessary.
A general is of utmost importance to an army.
In war, general's five main keys to victory are:
1. Knowing when and when not to fight.
2. Knowing how to adapt.
3. Establishing harmony and synergy throughout his forces.
4. Preparing himself while waiting to take the enemy unprepared.
5. Having military capacity and not being interfered with by the sovereign.
Victory lies in knowing and applying these five points.
In warfare, superlative strategists know the strengths, weaknesses, and dispositions of themselves and their opponent, as well as when they are in a condition to attack, when their opponent is open to attack, and when the nature of the ground makes fighting practicable.
Thus it is said: "By knowing the enemy and oneself, and by knowing Heaven and Earth, one can make victory complete."
The best fighters make themselves impenetrable to being defeated by the enemy, and wait for an opportunity to defeat the enemy.
Securing ourselves against defeat is in one's own power, whereas the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy.
Thus, though superlative fighters are able to do the former, even they cannot be certain of completing victory.
Avoid becoming excessively defensive or offensive.
Skill in defense is like being hidden in the Earth's most secret recesses. Skill in offense is like flashing forth from Heaven's highest heights.
The skillful fighter puts himself into a position that protects himself from defeat, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy and completing victory.
Thus, in warfare, the victorious strategist wins and then seeks to do battle, whereas the defeated fights and then seeks victory.
Rather than relying on the likelihood that the enemy will not come or will not attack, rely on making yourself ready to receive, and making your position unassailable to his attack.
Carefully adapt to the enemy's purpose, and wait for opportunities to methodically defeat him.
Aim to destroy his leader, communication methods, and record-keeping system.
If he errs and makes himself vulnerable, capitalize on the opportunity.
Seize what he holds dear.
Subtly plan to time his arrival on the ground.
Walk in the path defined by rule, and adapt yourself to the enemy until you can determine to fight the decisive battle.
Begin by exhibiting a maiden's coyness, until the enemy gives you an opening; and then emulate a hare's rapidity, and it will be too late for him to oppose you.
An army can have its spirit robbed, and its commander can have his composure robbed.
Determine when to fight by studying and observing your enemy's fluctuations, moods, and circumstances, and by retaining self-possession and husbanding your strength.
Avoid an opposing army when its spirit and energy are keen, and attack it when they are sluggish.
Remain disciplined and calm, and wait for the enemy to become disordered and confused.
Close in on victory while your enemy is far from it.
Wait at ease while your enemy struggles and weakens.
Never advance uphill against the enemy. Never oppose an enemy when it is coming downhill.
Do not swallow baits the enemy offers.
Appear where the enemy must spend much energy to defend.
Search for and strike at the enemy's vulnerable spots.
Rapidly march to and strike in places where you are not expected.
Know the enemy's weaknesses, and attack them.
Know his strengths, and avoid them.
Above all, avoid allowing the weakness of your forces to take on the strengths of your enemy's forces.
Emerge from the void.
Your attacks will be successful if you attack places that are undefended. Your defense will be safe is you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.
Therefore, 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.
Control matters by being subtle and secretive, and thus invisible and inaudible.
Fight in a way that will prevent your enemy from being unified and organized.
By knowing the enemy and keeping yourself hidden, you can keep your forces concentrated and united while your enemy must prepare against possible attacks at different points, and divide and split up. By doing so, your enemy will have weak spots, and your combined whole can take on your enemy's separated parts.
Keep the enemy in disorder.
Drive a wedge between his front and rear, prevent cooperation between his divisions, hinder his good troops from rescuing his bad ones, and stop his officers from rallying his men.
Move forward only when it is in your advantage to do so.
Rapidity is the essence of war.
Take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness.
Make your way by unexpected routes.
Attack unguarded spots.
Make your enemy frustrated and doubtful, break his will and spirit, drain his energy, and obliterate his confidence.
Give him ways to submit and become self-defeating.
Make his mind your own weapon.
In fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods must be used to secure victory.
Indirect tactics are infinite and inexhaustible, and when combined with direct tactics, they give rise to infinite possibilities.
Utilize combined energy by putting the right person in the right place, and by not requiring too much from one individual.
By doing so, the effectiveness of fighting men will increase like stones rolling down a mountain.
Prudently choose your army's officers.
Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength.
Carefully study your men's well being, and avoid overtaxing them.
Bring the proper emotion out of your soldiers
Distribute captured spoils among your soldiers, in order to keep them encouraged, make them experience firsthand that their excellent actions are being rewarded, and let them know they have much to gain by winning.
Make your soldiers know that winning is a must, and not an option.
In order to make soldiers obedient and useful, do not punish them before they have grown attached to you, but be sure to enforce punishments after they have become attached to you.
After treating them with humanity and affection, control them with iron discipline.
Without humanity and affection, you cannot have truly loyal and obedient soldiers-but if you are lenient but unable to make your authority felt, kind-hearted but unable to enforce your commands, and incapable of quelling disorder, your soldiers will be spoiled and useless.
If the general is weak and lacking authority, is his orders are not clear and distinct, if there are no fixed duties assigned to the people, and if ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result will be disorder.
Take advantage of available methods and opportunities to institute more effective organization and clearer communication among your forces.
Before making commands, know what commands your army is capable of obeying.
Do not govern an army the same way one would govern a kingdom.
Army conditions are different than state conditions.
A general should make sure he avoids these five faults:
(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.
The enlightened ruler is heedful; the effective ruler is cautious.
When you are in a position to fight and your enemy wants to avoid fighting, attack him in a place that forces him to respond.
When you are not in a position to fight and you want to prevent the enemy from engaging you in battle, throw something strange and unaccountable in his way.
After collecting an army and concentrating your force, you must blend and harmonize its different elements.
Then comes tactical maneuvering.
It is advantageous to maneuver with a true army, but dangerous to do so with a mere undisciplined multitude.
The difficulty of tactical maneuvering lies in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.
Only use your troops when there is something to be gained, only move when it is advantageous to do so, and only fight when the position is critical.
A ruler should not put troops in the field merely to gratify himself, and a general should not fight a battle merely out of pride.
Do not stop in dangerous and vulnerable positions.
Make effective use of allies whenever opportunities present themselves.
Be selective and timely.
There are roads that must not be followed, times when armies must not be attacked, towns that must not be surrounded, positions that must not be contested, and commands of the sovereign that must not be obeyed.
Actions and moves cause observable effects.
When an army makes a move, dust and birds will also move.
Observe signs and clues about the enemy, but do not be deceived.
If your enemy does not make an effort to secure obvious advantages to be gained, he is probably exhausted and vulnerable.
Utilize the soldiers you capture from your enemy.
Desperate and cornered foes should not be pressed too severely-otherwise, they will be willing to resort to almost anything.
Trying to win battles and succeed in attacks without cultivating the results of your initiative-this only ends up wasting time and efforts, causing much stagnation, and resulting in an unhappy outcome.
Rely on reality rather than common reports.
Before making alliances with neighboring princes, discover and become acquainted with their motives and designs.
The natural formation of the country can be your best ally if you use it rightly, and know how to assess difficulties and danger.
Do not lead an army on the march unless you are familiar with the face of the country-its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and cliffs, its marshes and swamps.
Make use of local guides.
Hostile armies may face each other for years, striving for a victory that is decided in a single day.
This being the case, it is sheer inhumanity to remain ignorant about the enemy merely in order to save money.
One must obtain foreknowledge in order to achieve the type of victory that is beyond the reach of ordinary men.
And there is only one way to obtain this foreknowledge: through other people.
Thus, it is necessary to use spies.
Spies can be used to gain information, or cause disorder among the enemy.
Spies can be locals of a region, or converted enemies.
The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away, and comfortably housed.
The utmost care and reward should be granted to spies. They must be used, but managed properly.
Be subtle!-Be subtle!-And use your spies for a variety of purposes.