Art of War

Know that the art of war is of vital importance to the State, a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Therefore, it is imperative that it be studied thoroughly. Consider five fundamental factors in your deliberations: the Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, the Commander, and Method and Discipline. The Moral Law ensures that the people are in complete accord with their ruler, willing to follow him to any fate, undismayed by any danger. Heaven encompasses the forces of nature - darkness and light, cold and heat, the changing seasons. Earth comprises distances, dangers and security, open ground and narrow passes, the chances of life and death. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness. Finally, Method and Discipline are the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads, and the control of military expenditure.

All warfare is based on deception. When able to attack, you must seem unable. When using your forces, you must seem inactive. When you are near the enemy, make him believe you are far away; when far away, make him believe you are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

Supreme excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in subduing the enemy's resistance without fighting. For a prolonged war drains the state of its resources, and a country has never benefited from protracted campaigns. Thus, the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field. Your aim must be to take All-under-Heaven intact, thus your troops are not worn out and your gains are complete. This is the art of strategic offense.

The victorious warrior wins first and then goes to war, while the defeated warrior goes to war first and then seeks to win. Therefore, the astute commander plans deeply and calculates before making a move, ensuring victory is already secured before battle is joined. Know yourself and know your enemy, and in a hundred battles, you will never be in peril. 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.

The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon, which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. Therefore, in battle, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. These indirect tactics, skillfully applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers. Attack where the enemy is unprepared, sally forth when he least expects you.

Your army should be like water, which avoids the high and hastens to the low. So in war, avoid what is strong and strike at what is weak. Water shapes its course according to the ground over which it flows; a soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. Therefore, just as water has no constant form, there are no constant conditions in warfare. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed, may be called a heaven-born captain.

The general who understands these principles is the arbiter of the people's fate, the guardian of the nation's security. He must possess not only wisdom and foresight but also the ability to inspire unity and coordination throughout his ranks. Rewards and punishments must be clear, fair, and consistent to forge a strong, loyal force. Recklessness leads to ruin, cowardice to capture, and an unrestrained temper is easily provoked. These are the five dangerous faults that may affect a general.

Thus, the highest form of generalship is to thwart the enemy's plans, the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces, the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field, and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities. A wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy, for a single cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of your own. When you plunder a district, divide the spoils amongst your men. This is how to nourish your army while conserving your own resources.