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10 Terrain - The Art of War - Lao Tzu · The Philosophy Insights Collection

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  Chapter ten, Terrain, Sun Sou said, we may distinguish six kinds of
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  terrain to wit. One accessible ground, two entangling ground, three temporizing ground,
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  four narrow passes, five precipitous heights. Six positions at a great distance
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  from the enemy. Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is called
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  accessible. With regard to ground of this nature, be before the enemy in
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  occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your lines of supplies.
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  Then you will be able to fight with advantage. Ground which can be abandoned
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  but is hard to reoccupy is called entangling. From a position of this sort,
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  if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him.
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  But if the enemy is prepared for your coming and you fail to defeat him,
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  then return being impossible. Disaster will ensue. When the position is such
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  that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporizing
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  ground. In a position of this sort, even though the enemy should offer
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  us an attractive bait, it will be advisable not to stir forth, but
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  rather to retreat, thus enticing the enemy in his turn. Then, when
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  part of his army is come out we may deliver our attack with advantage.
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  With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy them first, let them
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  be strongly garrisoned, and await the advent of the enemy. Should the army
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  forestall you in occupying a pass, do not go after him if the pass
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  is fully garrisoned, but only if it is weakly garrisoned. With regard to
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  precipitous heights, if you are beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the
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  raised and sunny spots and their wait for him to come up. If the
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  enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat and
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  try to entice him away. If you are situated at a great distance from
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  the enemy, and the strength of the two armies is equal, it is
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  not easy to provoke a battle, and fighting will be to your disadvantage.
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  These six are the principles connected with earth. The general who has attained a
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  responsible post must be careful to study them. Now an army is exposed to
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  six several calamities, not arising from natural causes, but from faults for which
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  the general is responsible. These are one flight, two in subordination, three
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  collapse, four ruin, five disorganization, six route, other conditions being equal.
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  If one force is hurled against another ten times its size, the results
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  will be the flight of the farmer. When the common soldiers are too strong
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  in their officers too weak, the result is in subordination. When the officers
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  are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is collapse.
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  When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy,
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  give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander
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  in chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight.
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  The result is ruin. When the general is weak and without authority, when
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  his orders are not clear and distinct. When there are no fixed duties assigned
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  to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner,
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  the result is utter disorganization. When a general, unable to estimate the
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  enemy strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one or her,
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  rolls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects to place picked soldiers
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  in the front rank, the result must be route. There are six ways
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  of courting defeat, which must be carefully noted by the general who has attained
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  a responsible post. The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally,
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  But a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the force of victory,
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  and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers, and distances constitutes the test of
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  a great general. He who knows these things, and in fighting puts his
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  knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not nor
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  practices them, will surely be defeated. If fighting is sure to result in
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  victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it. If
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  fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight, even at
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  the ruler's bidding. The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing
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  disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for
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  his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom. Regard your soldiers as your
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  children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look upon them
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  as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you, even unto
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  death. If, however, you are indulgent but unable to make your authority
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  felt kind hearted, but unable to enforce your commands, and incapable moreover,
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  of quelling disorder, then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children. They
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  are useless for any practical purpose. If we know that our own men are
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  in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open
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  to attack, we have gone only half way towards victory. If we know
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  that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men
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  are not in condition to attack, we have gone only half way towards victory.
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  If we know that the enemy is open to attack, and also know
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  that our men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the
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  nature of the ground makes fighting impracticable, we have still gone only half way
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  towards victory. Hence, the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never
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  bewildered. Once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.
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  Hence the saying, if you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory
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  will not stand in doubt. If you know heaven and no earth, you
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  may make your victory complete. End of Chapter ten