The Art of War | Page 5

starve him out; if quietly encamped, he can force him
to move.
5. Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march
swiftly to places where you are not expected.
6. An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches
through country where the enemy is not.
7. You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack
places which are undefended.You can ensure the safety of your defense
if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.
8. Hence 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.
9. O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be
invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's
fate in our hands.
10. You may advance and be absolutely irresistible, if you make for the
enemy's weak points; you may retire and be safe from pursuit if your
movements are more rapid than those of the enemy.

11. If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even
though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we
need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.
12. If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging
us even though the lines of our encampment be merely traced out on
the ground. All we need do is to throw something odd and
unaccountable in his way.
13. By discovering the enemy's dispositions and remaining invisible
ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy's must
be divided.
14. We can form a single united body, while the enemy must split up
into fractions. Hence there will be a whole pitted against separate parts
of a whole, which means that we shall be many to the enemy's few.
15. And if we are able thus to attack an inferior force with a superior
one, our opponents will be in dire straits.
16. The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for
then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several
different points; and his forces being thus distributed in many
directions, the numbers we shall have to face at any given point will be
proportionately few.
17. For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear;
should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van; should he
strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should he strengthen his
right, he will weaken his left. If he sends reinforcements everywhere,
he will everywhere be weak.
18. Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare against possible
attacks; numerical strength, from compelling our adversary to make
these preparations against us.
19. Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle, we may
concentrate from the greatest distances in order to fight.

20. But if neither time nor place be known, then the left wing will be
impotent to succor the right, the right equally impotent to succor the
left, the van unable to relieve the rear, or the rear to support the van.
How much more so if the furthest portions of the army are anything
under a hundred LI apart, and even the nearest are separated by several
LI!
21. Though according to my estimate the soldiers of Yueh exceed our
own in number, that shall advantage them nothing in the matter of
victory. I say then that victory can be achieved.
22. Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may prevent him
from fighting. Scheme so as to discover his plans and the likelihood of
their success.
23. Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity.
Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.
24. Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you
may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.
25. In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to
conceal them; conceal your dispositions, and you will be safe from the
prying of the subtlest spies, from the machinations of the wisest brains.
26. How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy's own
tactics--that is what the multitude cannot comprehend.
27. All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can
see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.
28. Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let
your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.
29. Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course
runs away from high places