VII. MANEUVERING

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR

THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD

孫子兵法

Translated from the Chinese

By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)

VII. MANEUVERING

 1. Sun Tzu said:  In war, the general receives his

    commands from the sovereign.

 2. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces,

    he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof

    before pitching his camp.

 3. After that, comes tactical maneuvering,

    than which there is nothing more difficult. 

    The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists

    in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.

 4. Thus, to take a long and circuitous route,

    after enticing the enemy out of the way, and though starting

    after him, to contrive to reach the goal before him,

    shows knowledge of the artifice of DEVIATION.

 5. Maneuvering with an army is advantageous;

    with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.

 6. If you set a fully equipped army in march in order

    to snatch an advantage, the chances are that you will be

    too late.  On the other hand, to detach a flying column

    for the purpose involves the sacrifice of its baggage

    and stores.

 7. Thus, if you order your men to roll up their

    buff-coats, and make forced marches without halting day

    or night, covering double the usual distance at a stretch,

    doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an advantage,

    the leaders of all your three divisions will fall into

    the hands of the enemy.

 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.

 9. If you march fifty LI in order to outmaneuver

    the enemy, you will lose the leader of your first division,

    and only half your force will reach the goal.

10. If you march thirty LI with the same object,

    two-thirds of your army will arrive.

11. We may take it then that an army without its

    baggage-train is lost; without provisions it is lost;

    without bases of supply it is lost.

12. We cannot enter into alliances until we are

    acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.

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.

14. We shall be unable to turn natural advantage

    to account unless we make use of local guides.

15. In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed.

16. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops,

    must be decided by circumstances.

17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind,

    your compactness that of the forest.

18. In raiding and plundering be like fire,

    is immovability like a mountain.

19. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night,

    and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

20. When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil be

    divided amongst your men; when you capture new territory,

    cut it up into allotments for the benefit of the soldiery.

21. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.

22. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice

    of deviation.  Such is the art of maneuvering.

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.

25. The host thus forming a single united body,

    is it impossible either for the brave to advance alone,

    or for the cowardly to retreat alone.  This is the art

    of handling large masses of men.

26. In night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-fires

    and drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners,

    as a means of influencing the ears and eyes of your army.

27. A whole army may be robbed of its spirit;

    a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind.

28. Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning;

    by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening,

    his mind is bent only on returning to camp.

29. A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when

    its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish

    and inclined to return.  This is the art of studying moods.

30. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance

    of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:--this is the art

    of retaining self-possession.

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 while the enemy

    is famished:--this is the art of husbanding one's strength.

32. To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose

    banners are in perfect order, to refrain from attacking

    an army drawn up in calm and confident array:--this

    is the art of studying circumstances.

33. It is a military axiom not to advance uphill

    against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.

34. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight;

    do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.

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.

37. Such is the art of warfare.