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Sun Tzu's Art of War——Vernacular version
Sun Tzu's Art of War: The First Plan
[Summary ] This article is the first chapter of "Sun Tzu" and the full text of the program. Its core is two points: one is "temple calculation", which is military strategic planning and a basic estimate of the conditions for future victory or defeat. The first is the "Twelve Laws of Deception", the command principles in actual battlefield situations. The twelve methods of "deceit" can be divided into two categories. One is "showing" to win by deception; the other is "contingency", which is different combat principles in various situations.
Sun Tzu said: War is a major national event. It is related to the life and death of soldiers and the survival of the country, and must be carefully investigated and studied. Therefore, we must analyze and study from the following five aspects and compare the seven conditions between the enemy and ourselves to explore the outcome of the war. The first is Tao, the second is Heaven, the third is Earth, the fourth is General, and the fifth is Dharma. The so-called "Tao" is to make the people and the monarch's wishes consistent, so that in the war, the people can live and die for the monarch without fear of danger. The so-called "heaven" refers to the movement of the sun, moon and stars. Changes in cold and hot weather must be adjusted to the conditions of the day and the weather. The so-called "land" refers to the distance of the journey, the difficulty or flatness of the terrain, the width or narrowness of the combat area, and whether the terrain is conducive to offensive and defensive advance and retreat. The so-called "general" refers to the general's intelligence and ability, trust in rewards and punishments, caring for the soldiers, bravery and decisiveness, and strict military discipline. The so-called "law" refers to the institutional regulations on military organization, the management and division of responsibilities of generals, and the supply and management of military supplies. There is nothing a general does not know about the above five aspects; only by having a deep understanding and firm grasp can he win the battle, otherwise, he cannot win. Therefore, we need to evaluate and compare from the following seven aspects to explore the outcome of the war, that is: Which king is wiser? Which side's generals are more talented? Which side occupies a more favorable time and place? Which party's laws can be effectively implemented? Which side has the strongest army? Which side's soldiers are better trained? Which side has strict rewards and punishments? By checking and comparing based on the above seven aspects, I can determine who wins and who loses. If you can follow my strategy and command the battle, you will definitely win, so I will stay; if you can't follow my strategy, and the command of the battle will definitely fail, I will leave. Favorable strategies have been adopted, and we still need to find ways to create "momentum" to assist the progress of the operation. The so-called "potential" means taking corresponding actions according to whether the situation is favorable or not. Using troops to fight a war is a deceitful act. Therefore, if you can attack but pretend that you cannot attack, if you want to use someone but pretend not to use him, if you want to act near but pretend to act far away, if you want to act far away but pretend to act close, for greed For enemies who are powerful, use small profits to seduce them. For enemies who are in a state of confusion, take advantage of the opportunity to attack them. For enemies who are strong, be on guard against them. For powerful enemies, avoid them temporarily. For enemies who are easily angered, be on guard against them. , use teasing methods to provoke him, make enemies who despise us more proud, and try to tire enemies who are well rested. For enemies of internal harmony, try to alienate them. You must seize the opportunity to attack when the enemy is unprepared, and attack suddenly when the enemy is unexpected. These are the secrets of military strategists' success and cannot be specified in advance. Before the war begins, "temple calculations" can defeat the enemy because after careful study according to the five things and seven strategies, they are correct nine times out of ten and provide more victory conditions; before the war begins, "temple calculations" cannot defeat the enemy. , because of poor research, only four to five times out of ten are correct, and the victory conditions obtained are few. If you study carefully and have many victory conditions, you should be able to defeat the enemy; if you study poorly and have few victory conditions, you cannot defeat the enemy, not to mention that the research is completely wrong! There are no victory conditions! When we examine the situation between ourselves and the enemy based on the five things and seven strategies, we can see who will win and who will lose.
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Sun Tzu's Art of War·Combat Second
[Abstract] Based on the analysis of various objective conditions of the war, this article puts forward the offensive strategic principle of quick victory and quick decision: "Soldiers are more valuable to win than more expensive to last."
Sun Tzu said: When fighting a war, a thousand chariots, a thousand baggage vehicles, an army of one hundred thousand, and grain must be transported thousands of miles. In this way, the expenses for the front and rear, and the expenses for diplomatic envoys, The supply of equipment and supplies, and the maintenance and replenishment of weapons and equipment cost thousands of gold every day before an army of 100,000 could be dispatched. Fighting with such a huge army requires a quick victory. If it lasts for a long time, the army will be exhausted and their morale will be dampened, and the siege of the city will exhaust its strength. The army will fight abroad for a long time, which will make the country's supply expenses difficult. When the army is exhausted, its spirit is dampened, its military strength is exhausted, and its economy is depleted, the princes will take advantage of this crisis to launch an attack. At that time, even the most intelligent people will not be able to save the situation. Therefore, when it comes to fighting with troops, I have only heard of those who prefer clumsiness and seek quick victory, but I have never seen those who seek skill and delay for a long time. It has never been beneficial to the country to keep the army outside for a long time. Therefore, if one cannot fully understand the benefits of using troops to surrender goods, one cannot fully understand the benefits of using troops to win quickly. A person who is good at using troops will not recruit soldiers again and again, and will not transport food and supplies many times; weapons and equipment will be obtained from the country, and food and supplies will be disposed of on the spot in the enemy's country. In this way, the food of the army can be fully supplied. If a country suffers from poverty due to its military use, long-distance transportation of grain is an important reason; long-distance transportation will make the people poor. If prices skyrocket in areas close to the army, soaring prices will deplete the people's property; if their property dries up, they will be eager to impose additional taxes and levies. The people's strength is exhausted, their financial resources are exhausted, and every household in the country is empty. Seven-tenths of the people's property was consumed. Six-tenths of the public property was wasted due to damage to the chariots, fatigue of the horses, wear and tear of war implements and weapons, and damage to the baggage vehicles. Therefore, a wise general strives to provide food and crops in the enemy's country. One kilogram of grain collected locally is equivalent to twenty kilograms of transportation from the home country; one kilogram of fodder collected on the spot is equivalent to twenty kilograms of grain transported from the home country. To make soldiers bravely kill the enemy, they must arouse their hatred for the enemy; if they want to seize the enemy's property, they must reward the soldiers with property. Therefore, in chariot battles, whoever captures more than ten chariots must reward the most. The soldiers who capture the chariot first, change the flags on the chariot, and mix them into one's own fleet. The captured soldiers must be given preferential treatment and raised for use. This is what is called defeating the enemy and making oneself stronger. Therefore, using troops to fight is the most expensive and quick victory is the most expensive, and should not be prolonged. A general who knows how to use military force is the master of the fate of the people and the master of the country's security.
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Sun Tzu's Art of War·Plan to Attack Chapter 1 3
[Abstract] This article runs through the strategic ideological principle of "complete victory". The war strives for complete victory. Starting from this goal, we must surrender the enemy politically and defeat the opponent militarily. Conquering the enemy without fighting is the best strategy. To achieve total victory on the battlefield, this article proposes six methods of using troops, that is, different combat methods under different circumstances based on the comparison of the enemy's and our own forces.
Sun Tzu said: In general, when it comes to using military force, it is best to make the enemy country surrender without waiting to be killed or to kill it with little effort. After fighting and killing too much to defeat that country, it is second best; without waiting to be killed, it is better to defeat it. It is the best policy to make the enemy's entire army surrender, but to use force to defeat him is the next best policy; to make the enemy's entire army surrender without waiting to be killed is the best policy, but to defeat him is the second best policy; to make the enemy's entire army surrender without waiting to be killed is the best policy, to defeat him He is the second best; to make the enemy surrender without waiting to be killed is the best policy; to defeat him is the second best; therefore, to win every battle and to have too many casualties is not considered the best of the best; to make the enemy surrender without fighting , is considered the best of the best. Therefore, the best strategy for using troops is to destroy the enemy's strategy, the second is to disintegrate the enemy's allies, the third is to use force to attack the enemy, and the last strategy is to attack the enemy's city. Siege was a last resort. It would take three months to build the shield, the four-wheeled vehicle, and prepare the equipment; it would take another three months to build the earthen hill for siege. The general was very anxious and angry because he could not win for a long time. He drove his soldiers to climb the ladder like ants to attack the city. One-third of the soldiers were killed or wounded, but the city still could not be captured. This was the disaster of siege. Therefore, those who are good at using military force can make the enemy surrender without engaging in battle, seize the enemy's city without resorting to forceful attack, destroy the enemy's country without protracted battle, and strive to win over the world with the strategy of total victory. In this way, the army will not be exhausted and frustrated, and victory can be achieved completely. This is the law of attack.
Therefore, the method of using troops is to surround the enemy on all sides if you have ten times the enemy's absolute superior force and force the enemy to surrender; if you have five times the enemy's superior force, you must attack the enemy; if you have twice the enemy's force, you must find a way to Disperse the enemy; if you are equal in strength to the enemy, you must be good at defeating the enemy; if you have fewer troops than the enemy, you must be good at getting rid of the enemy; if you are not as good as the enemy in all aspects, you must try to avoid fighting with the enemy. If a weak army cannot escape and can only hold on and fight hard, it will become a prisoner of a powerful enemy. The general is the assistant of the country. If the assistant's plan is thorough, the country will be strong. If the assistant's plan is defective, the country will be weak. There are three situations in which a monarch harms his army: if he does not understand that the army cannot advance and orders the army to advance; if he does not understand that the army cannot retreat but orders it to retreat, this is called restraining the army; if he does not know the internal affairs of the army and interferes with the administration of the army, the sergeants will be confused. Puzzled; not knowing the strategy of using troops, and interfering with the command of the army, the soldiers will have doubts. The army is confused and doubtful, and the vassal states take advantage of the opportunity to attack, and disaster is imminent. This is what is called disrupting one's own army and leading to the enemy's victory. Therefore, victory can be predicted from the following five situations: Those who know under what circumstances can and cannot fight the enemy will win; those who know how to adopt different tactics according to the number of troops will win; those who work together from top to bottom will win. Those who are prepared in advance will win; those who are prepared in advance will win against those who are unprepared; those whose generals are strong in command and whose rulers do not check them will win. These five are the ways to predict victory. Therefore, it is said that if you understand the reality of the enemy and your own strength and weakness, you will never lose in a hundred battles; if you do not understand the enemy but understand yourself, the probability of victory or defeat is half; if you neither understand the enemy nor yourself, then you will be defeated in every battle. .
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Sun Tzu's Art of War·Military Form No. 4
[Abstract] "Shape" refers to the objective material strength of the army, including the number of troops, the strength of the combat effectiveness, and the quality of the army. This article is based on the idea of ??"total victory" in the previous article, focusing on the issue of military strength in strategic defense, that is, how to "protect oneself and achieve complete victory."
Sun Tzu said: In the past, those who were good at using troops to fight always first created conditions so that they would not be defeated by the enemy, and then waited and sought opportunities for the enemy to be defeated by me. To make it impossible to be defeated by the enemy, the initiative lies with oneself; to defeat the enemy is possible because the enemy has an opportunity to take advantage of it. Therefore, those who are good at using troops to fight can prevent themselves from being defeated by the enemy, but cannot ensure that the enemy will be defeated by me. Therefore, in this sense: the defensive preparations for victory can be predicted, but it cannot be determined by me whether the enemy has an opportunity to exploit it and is defeated by me. When it is impossible for me to defeat the enemy, I will take defense. When I can defeat the enemy, I will attack unexpectedly. Defense is due to insufficient conditions for victory, and offense is due to sufficient conditions for victory. A person who is good at defense is like hiding in the unfathomable depths of the earth, making the enemy invisible; a person who is good at offense is like moving in the unfathomable sky, making the enemy unable to defend himself. Therefore, it is possible to protect oneself and achieve complete victory. Predicting victory, which is no more than what the average person knows, is not the best of the best, nor is winning after a vigorous battle, which everyone in the world says is good, nor is it the best of the best. This is just like being able to lift an autumn hair does not count as strong, being able to see the sun and moon does not count as having eyesight, and being able to hear the thunder does not count as having good ears. In ancient times, those who were good at fighting always won against enemies that seemed easy to defeat. Therefore, if a person is good at fighting, his victory will show neither the reputation of wisdom nor the merit of bravery. Because his victory is subtle and error-free, because his winning method is based on certainty, the enemy he defeats is an enemy who is already in a defeated position. Therefore, those who are good at fighting always make themselves invincible while never missing any opportunity to defeat the enemy. Therefore, an army that wins a battle always creates the conditions for victory first, and then fights the enemy; an army that loses a battle always fights the enemy first, and then seeks a lucky victory later. A person who knows how to use soldiers is good at cultivating the "invincible" way from all aspects and ensuring the laws of victory, so he can control the decision-making power of victory or defeat. The method of using troops: the first is "degree", the second is "quantity", the third is "number", the fourth is "weighing", and the fifth is "victory".
Based on the terrain's danger, width, life and death, etc., make a judgment on the use of the terrain; based on the judgment on the terrain, determine the size of the battlefield capacity; based on the size of the battlefield capacity, estimate the number of troops that both sides may invest; based on The amount of troops that the opposing sides may invest is measured and compared; the outcome of the battle is judged based on the comparison of the troops between the two sides. Therefore, compared to the defeated army, the victorious army is in a position of absolute superiority, weighing yi baht against each other; the defeated army is like being in an absolutely disadvantaged position, weighing yi baht against yi, against the victorious army. When a victor directs an army to fight, it is like pulling water from a stream from a height of several thousand feet, with unstoppable force. This is a manifestation of strong military strength.
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Sun Tzu's Art of War·Military Strength 5
[Abstract] This article focuses on how to give full play to subjective initiative and strengthen actual combat capabilities on the basis of possessing certain military strength. In the actual process of war, it is specifically reflected in how military command correctly changes tactics and uses troops flexibly.
Sun Tzu said: To govern an army with a large number of people is to govern an army with a small number of people. This is a matter of hierarchical control and strict organization; Like a small army, this is a matter of commanding with flags, gold and drums; if the army in the country is large, it will not fail if it is attacked by the enemy, this is a matter of using "qizheng"; when the army attacks the enemy, it must be able to act like Like hitting an egg with a stone, you are invincible. This is a question of "virtuality and reality". In all battles, we usually fight the enemy with regular soldiers and win with surprise troops. Therefore, a general who is good at winning by surprise will have his tactics as endlessly changing as heaven and earth, and as endlessly flowing as rivers. The end and the beginning are like the movement of the sun and the moon; the death and resurrection are like the change of the four seasons. There are only five kinds of sounds, but the changes of the five sounds will produce tones that are unbearable to hear. There are only five colors, but the changes of the five colors will produce incredible colors. There are only five flavors, but the changes of the five flavors will produce a taste that is unforgettable. The power of the battle formation can only be divided into two types: odd and right, but the changes of odd and right are inexhaustible. The changes of the strange and the positive are like rotating along a circle, without beginning or end. Who can exhaust it? The rushing water rushes at such a fast speed that it can drift stones, which is because of the strength of the water; the ferocious flying birds fight at such a fast speed that they can kill birds, because of the appropriate rhythm. Therefore, when a wise general directs a battle, the situation he creates is dangerous (condescending and unstoppable), and the rhythm of action he masters is short and violent. This posture is like a fully-opened crossbow; this rhythm is like triggering a crossbow machine. When fighting in a chaotic state, you must prevent your troops from being confused; when fighting in a chaotic situation, you must deploy your troops so that they can cope with them in all directions, so that the enemy has no gaps to take advantage of and cannot defeat us. Under certain conditions, "chaos" can be produced by "governing", "cowardice" can be produced by "brave", and "weakness" can be produced by "strength". "Covering chaos" is a matter of organization and command; "courage" is a matter of breaking the enemy's power; "strength" is a matter of military strength. Therefore, if a general is good at mobilizing the enemy and confuses the enemy with illusions, the enemy will be deceived; if you give the enemy things (such as materials and supplies), the enemy will definitely come to take them. Use small profits to lure and mobilize the enemy, and use your pre-arranged troops to cover the enemy. Therefore, a general who is good at directing battles will focus on "taking advantage of the situation" rather than assigning orders to his subordinates, so he can select the right talents and use his troops to defeat the enemy. A person who is good at "letting go" directs soldiers in battle, just like turning logs and stones. The characteristic of wood and stone is that it is relatively stable when placed on a flat place, and it is easy to rotate when placed on a steep slope. Square wood and stone are relatively stable, and round ones are easy to roll.
Therefore, the favorable situation created by a wise general commanding his army to fight the enemy is like rolling a boulder down a mountain thousands of feet, unstoppable; this is the so-called "situation" in military terms!
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The Art of War·The Sixth of Virtual and Reality
[Abstract] Discuss the offensive operational principles of "avoiding reality and attacking fictitiousness" and "victing because of the enemy".
Sun Tzu said: Those who occupy the battlefield first and wait for the enemy are calm and proactive; those who arrive at the battlefield later and rush to fight are fatigued and passive. Therefore, those who are good at directing operations always mobilize the enemy to come instead of being mobilized by the enemy. What can make the enemy take the bait is the result of luring with advantage; what can prevent the enemy from coming is the result of threatening harm. Therefore, if the enemy is well rested, we can try to make him tired; if the enemy is well-supplied, we can try to make him hungry; if the enemy is stationary, we can try to mobilize him. Troops should be sent to places where the enemy cannot provide first aid and march in directions that the enemy does not expect. The reason why you can march thousands of miles without getting stuck is because you are marching in an area where there are no enemy soldiers or the enemy is not well defended. An attack must capture what is gained because it attacks a place where the enemy does not pay attention to defense or is difficult to defend; a defense must be consolidated because it defends a place where the enemy dares not attack or is difficult to break through. Therefore, if you are good at attacking, the enemy will not know where you are defending; if you are good at defending, the enemy will not know where you are attacking. How subtle! It's so subtle that no trace can be seen; it's magical! It's so magical that I can't hear a sound. In this way, you can become the master of your enemy's destiny. When advancing, the enemy cannot resist because they rush towards weak defense areas; when retreating, the enemy cannot catch up because they are marching very fast and cannot catch up. Therefore, if I ask for a battle, the enemy will still have to come out to fight me even if they are defending deep ditches and high fortresses. This is because attacking the enemy must save key places. If I don't want to fight, even if I draw the ground and defend it, the enemy will not be able to fight me because I have managed to change the enemy's direction. Therefore, if you use the method of showing strange and righteous things to the enemy to deceive the enemy and induce him to reveal his intentions, without showing any trace yourself and making the enemy unpredictable, you can concentrate your own forces and disperse the enemy's forces; concentrate your own forces in one place. , the enemy's forces are dispersed in ten places. In this way, I can attack the enemy with ten times the enemy's force, creating a favorable situation in which we are outnumbered and the enemy is outnumbered. If we can attack the outnumbered with many, then I will use less force to fight the enemy. . The enemy doesn't know where we want to attack. If he doesn't know, he has to be on guard everywhere. The more places the enemy defends, the more dispersed his troops will be. In this way, there won't be many enemies for us to attack directly. Therefore, if you pay attention to guarding the front, the force behind will be weak; if you pay attention to the rear, the force in the front will be weak; if you pay attention to the left wing, the force of the right wing will be weak; if you pay attention to the right wing, the force of the left wing will be weak; if you guard everywhere, the force of the left wing will be weak. The reason why our troops are small is the result of being on guard everywhere; the reason why our troops are large is because we force the enemy to divide his forces to defend us. Therefore, if you can predict the location and time of fighting the enemy, you can travel thousands of miles to fight with the enemy. If neither the location nor the date of the battle can be predicted, the left will not be able to save the right, the right will not be able to save the left, the front will not be able to save the rear, and the rear will not be able to save the front. Not to mention that it is dozens of miles away and several miles away. ! Based on my own thinking and inference, although the Yue Kingdom has many soldiers, what benefit will they have in determining the victory or defeat of the war? Therefore, victory can be won; even though the enemy has many troops, it can still prevent him from using all his strength to fight me. Therefore, carefully analyze and judge in order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the enemy's combat plan; provoke the enemy in order to understand their movements and control chaos; show off and lure the enemy in order to find out the advantages and disadvantages of the terrain where they are located; conduct combat reconnaissance, In order to ascertain the actual strength and weakness of the enemy's troop deployment. Therefore, the method of showing strange, positive, virtual and real shapes to lure the enemy is used to an extremely wonderful extent, so that people can not see any traces. In this way, even if there are hidden spies, they will not be able to find out what is true on our side, and even very smart people will not be able to think of a way to deal with me. Even if the victory achieved by flexibly using tactics according to the changes in the enemy's situation is placed in front of everyone, people will not be able to see it. People all know my general tactics for winning, but they don't know how I use these tactics flexibly according to changes in the enemy's situation. To win by law. Therefore, the strategies and plans for each victory are not to repeat the same old tactics, but to adapt to the development of the enemy's situation and change endlessly.
The law of using troops is like water. The law of water flow is to avoid high places and flow to low places. The law of using troops is to avoid the enemy's strong places and attack his weak places. The flow of water is restricted by the height of the terrain, and the strategy of victory must be determined based on the enemy's situation. Therefore, there is no fixed way to use troops in battle, just like the flow of water has no fixed shape; those who can win according to the changes in the enemy's situation can be said to be like gods in using troops. The rules of using troops are like natural phenomena. The "Five Elements" are mutually reinforcing and interfering with each other. The four seasons change in sequence. The day is short and long, and the moon is dark and bright. They are always changing.
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Sun Tzu's Art of War·Army Struggles for the First Place 7
[Abstract] This article uses "deception", "movement" and "separation and combination" as the guidance to discuss the problem of fighter aircraft selection in the actual engagement of the army on the battlefield. It requires the commander to create fighter opportunities and seize them without losing the opportunity. fighter plane.
Sun Tzu said: In general, the law of military use is that the general receives the order from the king, from organizing the people into an army to setting up camp at the front line to confront the enemy. The most difficult thing in the process is to compete with the enemy for advantage. The winning conditions. The most difficult part in military warfare is how to achieve the immediate goal through long and tortuous ways and turn danger into advantage. Deliberately taking detours and using small profits to lure and delay the enemy, so that you can reach the must-win key points before the enemy moves out later, this is called knowing the strategy of "using detours to get straight". Therefore, the two armies fight to benefit themselves. If the masses fight, they will lose and become dangerous. If the whole army carries all the baggage to fight for profit, it will move slowly and cannot catch up; if the whole army is abandoned to fight for profit, the baggage will be lost. Therefore, if you march forward in a hurry, day and night, doubling your distance, and go hundreds of miles to compete with the enemy, the generals of the three armies may be captured. The able-bodied soldiers will arrive first, and the weak and tired ones will fall. If you use this method, only one-tenth of the troops may arrive; if you go fifty miles to compete with the enemy, the generals of the vanguard may suffer defeat, and if you use this method, only half of the troops will arrive; After traveling thirty miles to fight for profit, only two-thirds of the troops arrived. Therefore, if an army has no baggage and cannot prepare for war, it will perish; if it does not have food, it cannot survive; if it has no material reserves and cannot transfer supplies, it will perish. Therefore, those who do not understand the strategies of the princes of other countries cannot make friends with them; those who are not familiar with the terrain of mountains, forests, dangers, swamps, etc. cannot march; those who do not use guides cannot benefit from the terrain. Therefore, the basis of using troops to fight wars is deceit and variety. Actions should be taken according to whether it is advantageous or not, and the use of troops should be dispersed or concentrated, depending on the situation. When the army moves quickly, it is like a sudden blowing wind; when it moves slowly, it is like a dense forest; when it attacks the enemy, it is like a swift and fierce fire; when it is stationed, it is steady and stationary like a mountain; when it is in the shade, it is like clouds that cover the sky and cannot see the sun. Like the moon and stars; when they move, they are like the shock of ten thousand thunderbolts. To seize the enemy's "township" food and property, we must divide our troops into several routes to expand territory, and we must defend key areas separately, weigh the situation, and act accordingly. He who first knows how to use deception as straightness and straightness as deception will win. This is the principle of struggle between two armies. "Military Government" says: "If you use words to command, you can't hear it, so you use the sound of the golden drum to make it advance or stop. If you use movements to command it, it can't be seen clearly, so you use the shape of a flag to make it open or close." Jin Drums and flags are used to unify the army's combat operations; since the army's actions are unified, brave soldiers are not allowed to advance alone, and cowardly soldiers are not allowed to retreat alone. This is the method of commanding a large army. Therefore, night operations must Use more firelights and drums, and use more flags when fighting during the day. The reason why these signals are changed is to adapt to the changes in the soldiers' hearing and hearing. The three armies can dampen their spirit, and the generals can shake their resolve. When the army first fights in the morning, the morale is strong. By noon, the morale of the soldiers gradually becomes sluggish. At dusk, the soldiers will be exhausted and want to return home. Therefore, those who are good at using troops always avoid the enemy's vigor and wait until the enemy is relaxed and exhausted before attacking him. This is a way to control the morale of the army. Treat the enemy's chaos with your own strictness, and deal with the enemy's noise with your own calmness. This is the way to control the morale of the army. Treat the enemy's long journey with your own proximity to the battlefield, treat the enemy's fatigue with your own comfort and rest, and treat the enemy's depletion of food and hunger with your own well-fed food. This is the way to master military power.
Not to meet the enemy with well-organized flags and well-deployed troops, and not to attack the enemy with well-organized lineup and strong strength. This is the way to master the changes caused by the enemy. Therefore, the method of using troops: when the enemy occupies high ground, do not attack from the rear; when the enemy has his back on the high ground, do not attack from the front; when the enemy pretends to be defeated, do not pursue him; when the enemy is strong, do not attack; when the enemy tempts us with benefits, do not be greedy for others. Bait; do not block the enemy who is retreating; surround the enemy, leaving a gap; do not force the enemy who is in desperate situation. These are all methods that should be mastered in using troops.
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The Art of War·Nine Transformations Part 2 8
[Abstract] This article discusses the principles of flexible and maneuverable combat under various special circumstances. Its core is that "the emperor is not subject to his orders", which requires the actual commander on the battlefield to have the power to make decisions.
Sun Tzu said: In general, the general method of using troops is to accept the order of the king and recruit soldiers to form an army. Do not station in the collapsed areas. In the four-way area, make an appointment with foreign aid from neighboring countries on the border. When encountering Be careful not to stay in dangerous places. When encountering strong enemies in front and dangerous places behind, you must make clever plans. If you fall into a "death place", you must fight to the death. Don't march on roads that are unfavorable to you. Don't attack some enemy troops. Don't capture some cities, don't fight for some places, and don't carry out some of the king's orders. Therefore, a general who knows the Nine Changes and gets the benefits knows how to use troops; a general who doesn't know the Nine Changes and gets the benefits, even though he knows that the terrain is dangerous, wide and narrow, can't really get the benefits. Those who manage the army without knowing the method of the Nine Changes, even though they know the "Five Benefits", will not be able to get wise people to use them concretely. A wise general always considers both interests and risks when considering a problem. If you take into account the harmful aspects in a favorable situation, things can go smoothly; if you take the favorable aspects into account in a harmful situation, the disaster can be eliminated. The one who can make the princes surrender is to use methods to harm them; the one who can enslave the princes is to use the country's rich and powerful foundation to force him; the one who can make the princes surrender is to lure them with benefits. Therefore, the rule of using troops is not to hope that the enemy will not come, but to rely on yourself to be prepared; not to hope that the enemy will not attack, but to rely on your own defensive strength to make the enemy unable to break through. There are five fatal dangers for generals: if they are brave and have no plans and only know how to fight to the death, they may be trapped and killed by the enemy; if they are timid in battle and greedy for life and fear of death, they may be captured by the enemy; if they are impatient and irritable and violent, they may be bullied and killed by the enemy. If you act rashly; if you are upright and unscrupulous, if you are too proud, you may be humiliated by the enemy and fall into frivolous actions; if you are kind and love the people, you are afraid of killing and wounding the people, you may be annoyed by the enemy unexpectedly and fall into passivity. The above five points are common mistakes made by generals and are disasters in the use of troops. The destruction of an army and the killing of soldiers must be caused by these five fatal dangers, which the general must carefully analyze.
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