Latest / Logic Library / 10 Terrain - The Art of War - Lao Tzu

Transcript

10 Terrain - The Art of War - Lao Tzu · Logic Library

• 0:00
  Chapter ten, Terrain, Sun Sou said, we may distinguish six kinds of
• 0:07
  terrain to wit. One accessible ground, two entangling ground, three temporizing ground,
• 0:15
  four narrow passes, five precipitous heights. Six positions at a great distance
• 0:23
  from the enemy. Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is called
• 0:28
  accessible. With regard to ground of this nature, be before the enemy in
• 0:34
  occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your lines of supplies.
• 0:40
  Then you will be able to fight with advantage. Ground which can be abandoned
• 0:45
  but is hard to reoccupy is called entangling. From a position of this sort,
• 0:51
  if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him.
• 0:56
  But if the enemy is prepared for your coming and you fail to defeat him,
• 0:59
  then return being impossible. Disaster will ensue. When the position is such
• 1:06
  that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporizing
• 1:11
  ground. In a position of this sort, even though the enemy should offer
• 1:15
  us an attractive bait, it will be advisable not to stir forth, but
• 1:22
  rather to retreat, thus enticing the enemy in his turn. Then, when
• 1:26
  part of his army is come out we may deliver our attack with advantage.
• 1:32
  With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy them first, let them
• 1:37
  be strongly garrisoned, and await the advent of the enemy. Should the army
• 1:42
  forestall you in occupying a pass, do not go after him if the pass
• 1:46
  is fully garrisoned, but only if it is weakly garrisoned. With regard to
• 1:52
  precipitous heights, if you are beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the
• 1:57
  raised and sunny spots and their wait for him to come up. If the
• 2:02
  enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat and
• 2:07
  try to entice him away. If you are situated at a great distance from
• 2:13
  the enemy, and the strength of the two armies is equal, it is
• 2:15
  not easy to provoke a battle, and fighting will be to your disadvantage.
• 2:22
  These six are the principles connected with earth. The general who has attained a
• 2:28
  responsible post must be careful to study them. Now an army is exposed to
• 2:34
  six several calamities, not arising from natural causes, but from faults for which
• 2:39
  the general is responsible. These are one flight, two in subordination, three
• 2:46
  collapse, four ruin, five disorganization, six route, other conditions being equal.
• 2:57
  If one force is hurled against another ten times its size, the results
• 3:01
  will be the flight of the farmer. When the common soldiers are too strong
• 3:07
  in their officers too weak, the result is in subordination. When the officers
• 3:13
  are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is collapse.
• 3:17
  When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy,
• 3:23
  give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander
• 3:28
  in chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight.
• 3:30
  The result is ruin. When the general is weak and without authority, when
• 3:37
  his orders are not clear and distinct. When there are no fixed duties assigned
• 3:42
  to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner,
• 3:47
  the result is utter disorganization. When a general, unable to estimate the
• 3:53
  enemy strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one or her,
• 4:00
  rolls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects to place picked soldiers
• 4:04
  in the front rank, the result must be route. There are six ways
• 4:10
  of courting defeat, which must be carefully noted by the general who has attained
• 4:15
  a responsible post. The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally,
• 4:20
  But a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the force of victory,
• 4:25
  and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers, and distances constitutes the test of
• 4:31
  a great general. He who knows these things, and in fighting puts his
• 4:36
  knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not nor
• 4:42
  practices them, will surely be defeated. If fighting is sure to result in
• 4:48
  victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it. If
• 4:54
  fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight, even at
• 4:58
  the ruler's bidding. The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing
• 5:03
  disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for
• 5:09
  his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom. Regard your soldiers as your
• 5:15
  children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look upon them
• 5:20
  as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you, even unto
• 5:25
  death. If, however, you are indulgent but unable to make your authority
• 5:30
  felt kind hearted, but unable to enforce your commands, and incapable moreover,
• 5:36
  of quelling disorder, then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children. They
• 5:43
  are useless for any practical purpose. If we know that our own men are
• 5:47
  in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open
• 5:51
  to attack, we have gone only half way towards victory. If we know
• 5:58
  that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men
• 6:00
  are not in condition to attack, we have gone only half way towards victory.
• 6:08
  If we know that the enemy is open to attack, and also know
• 6:12
  that our men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the
• 6:16
  nature of the ground makes fighting impracticable, we have still gone only half way
• 6:23
  towards victory. Hence, the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never
• 6:29
  bewildered. Once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.
• 6:34
  Hence the saying, if you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory
• 6:39
  will not stand in doubt. If you know heaven and no earth, you
• 6:44
  may make your victory complete. End of Chapter ten