Latest / The Philosophy Insights Collection / 03 Attack By Stratagem - The Art of War - Lao Tzu
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- Chapter three, Attack by Stratagem sun Zou said, in the Practical Art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact to shatter and destroy it. Is not so good. So too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment, or a company entire than to destroy them. Hence, to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. Thus, the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans. The next best is to prevent the injunction 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. The rule is not to besiege walls cities if it can possibly be avoided. The preparation of mantelets, movable shelters, and various implements of war will take up three whole months, and the piling up of mounds over against the wall will take three months more. The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one third of his men are slain while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege. Therefore, 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. With his forces intact, he will dispute the mastery of the empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem. It is the rule in war. If our forces are ten to the enemies one two, surround him. If five to one, to attack him. If twice as numerous, to divide our army into two. If equally matched, we can offer battle. If slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy. If quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force. Now, the general is the bulwark 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. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army. One by commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot open bay. This is called hobbling the army. Two by attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier's minds. Three by employing the officers of his army without discrimination through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers. But when the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army and flinging victory away. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory. One he will win who knows when to fight and win not to fight. Two he will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. Three he will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. Four, he will win who prepared himself waits to take the enemy unprepared. Five he will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign. Hence the saying, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result 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 succumb in every battle. End of Chapter three