© Смирнова А. И., адаптация, упражнения, словарь, 2023

© ООО «Издательство АСТ», 2023

The Art of War

I. Laying plans

1. Sun Tzŭ said: The art of war is of vital importance^[1] to the State.

2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. It means it is a subject of research that cannot be ignored in any case.

3. Learn five constant factors that one should always take into account when trying to determine the conditions in a war field.

4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.

5, 6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him and die for him no matter what.

7. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.

8. Earth includes distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

9. The Commander stands for wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.

10. Method and discipline are for proper marshaling of the army, the gradations of rank among the officers, the wellness of roads, by which supplies may reach the army, and the control pf military money.

11. Every general should know these five heads. If a general knows them, he will be victorious and not fail.

12. When trying to understand the military conditions, always ask yourself:

13. (1) Which of the two rulers is in chord with the Moral law?

(2) Which of the two generals is the most powerful?

(3) Which of the two generals has more nature resources?

(4) On which side is discipline most strictly followed?

(5) Which army is the stronger?

(6) On which side the discipline is the strongest?

(7) In which army is there the fairest punishment and reward?

14. By these seven questions I can predict who will win.

15. The general that follows my advice will conquer: let such a one be in command! The general who does not follow my advice will suffer defeat: let such a one be fired!

16. While following my advice, keep in mind any other helpful information beyond the ordinary rules.

17. One should change one’s plan according to circumstances if needed.

18. All warfare is based on trickery.

19. Hence^[2], 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.

20. Use baits to attract the enemy. Pretend disorder, and crush him.

21. If he is weak at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, avoid him.

22. If your enemy is of choleric temper, derange him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.

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.

25. Do not reveal these leading to victory military devices beforehand.

26. The general who calculates beforehand, wins. The one who loses the battle makes but few calculations. By looking at these points, I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.

II. Waging war

1. Sun Tzŭ said: The cost of raising an army of 100,000 men is very high. Two thousand chariots, hundred thousand soldiers and their equipment, food and many other expenses require at least a thousand ounces of silver per day.

2. If an actual fighting is long and victory is long in coming, the soldiers’ weapons will grow dull and their passion will grow weak. If you lay siege to a town^[3], you will exhaust your strength.

3. Again, it the war is too long, the resources of the State will run out eventually.

4. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your passion is weak, your strength exhausted and your money spent, other leaders will take advantage of your state. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avoid the consequences that must ensue.

5. Thus, hastening in war is not smart, but so is long delaying.

6. There is no example of a country having benefits from prolonged warfare.

7. It is only one who thoroughly knows the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the best way of carrying it on.

8. The skillful soldier does not require a second payment, neither are his supply-cars loaded more than twice.

9. Bring war material with you from home, but also take it from your enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.

10. Poverty of the State fund causes an army to be maintained by donations from a distance. Donations from a distance causes the people to become poor.

11. On the other hand, the nearness of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause the people’s resources to be drained away.

12. When their resources is drained away, the peasants will suffer from heavy fees.

13, 14. With this loss of resources and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will looted. The Government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, new equipment for soldiers and heavy carts, will amount to four-tenths of its total income.

15. A wise general makes a point of taking provisions from his enemy. One cart of the enemy’s provisions is equivalent to twenty of one’s own.

16. Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be angered; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.

17. Those who took first chariot in fighting must be rewarded when ten or more chariots are taken. Our own flags should be replaced for those of the enemy, and the chariots used with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.

18. This is called, using the enemy to raise one’s own strength.

19. In war, then, let your great goal be victory, not long campaigns.

20. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the master of the people’s fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in fear.

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 undamaged; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is always better to capture an army and leaders entire than to destroy it.

2. To fight and win in all your battles is not the highest excellence; the highest excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.

3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to ruin the enemy’s plans; the next best is to prevent the reunion 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 lay siege to walled cities.

4. The rule is, not to lay siege to walled cities if you can possibly avoid it. It will take up at least six months, which is too long.

5. The general will become frustrated and unable to control himself. He will send his men to the assault and one-third of his men will be killed, while the town will still remain untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege.

6. Therefore the skillful leader master the enemy’s army without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without long operations in the field.

7. With his forces untouched he will take down the mastery of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by strategy.

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.

9. If we are equal, we can offer battle; if slightly different in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can run away from him.

10. Through a small force may fight hard but in the end it must be captured by the larger force.

11. Now the general is the bulwark^[4] 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:-

13. (1)By commanding the army to go forward or to go back, not knowing the fact that it cannot obey. This is called limiting abilities of the army.

14. (2) By attempting to control an army in the same way as he controls a state, not knowing the conditions of an army. This causes chaos among the soldiers.

15. (3) By employing people who cannot adapt to the military circumstances as the officers of his army. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.

16. The chaos and distrust among the soldiers brings anarchy into the army, and pushes victory away.

17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:

(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 ability and is not interfered with by the higher ruler.

Victory lies in the knowledge of these five points.

18. People say: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you will win in every 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 lose in every battle.

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 opportunity of defeating the enemy.

2. To save ourselves from defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

3. Thus the good fighter is able to save himself from defeat, but cannot make sure of defeating the enemy.

4. People say: One may know how to win without being able to do it.

5. The fighter saves himself from defeat by defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.

6. Standing on the defensive indicates the lack of strength; attacking, an extra of strength.

7. The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret places of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven. Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves; on the other, a victory that is complete.

8. To see victory only when it is already obvious is not the height of excellence.

9. Neither is it the height of excellence if you fight and win and the whole Empire says, “Well done!”