Sun Tzu's Art of War for Women. Catherine Huang

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СКАЧАТЬ array and on the point of marching to the attack, I would say: “Begin by seizing something your opponent values, for he will then listen to you.”

      Speed is the essence of war, for it enables you to take advantage of the enemy’s absence, travel unexpected routes, and attack unguarded positions.

       General Principles

      These are the principles to be observed by an invading force:

      The further you penetrate into foreign territory, the greater the solidarity of your troops, and thus the defenders will not be able to stand against you.

      Make forays in fertile terrain to feed your army. Attend to the well-being of your men and do not over-exert them. Concentrate your energy and maintain your strength. Keep your army continually on the move, and devise unfathomable plans.

      Put your soldiers into positions from which there is no escape, and they will fight to the death without retreating. Facing death, officers and men will give all their strength. Soldiers in desperate straits will lose their sense of fear and will stand firm. When they have no alternative they will fight hard.

      Thus, even without instruction they will be ready; without waiting to be asked they will cooperate; without restrictions they will be loyal; without orders they can be trusted. Prohibit superstition, and eliminate rumors and doubt, so that nothing but death itself be feared.

      If our soldiers have little material wealth, it is not because they disdain riches; if their lives are not very long, it is not because they dislike longevity.

      On the day they are ordered out to battle, your soldiers tears will soak their sleeves and roll down their cheeks. But once they face a hopeless fight they will display the courage of the immortals Zhuan Zhu and Cao Kuei.

      The skillful tactician may be compared to the shuai-jan, a snake that is found on Mount Ch’ang. Strike at its head and the tail will respond; strike at the tail and the head will respond; strike at its middle and both head and tail will attack.

      Asked if an army can be made to imitate the shuai-jan, I would answer that it can. Consider that the men of Wu and those of Yueh are enemies; but if they were crossing a river in the same boat and were caught in a storm, they support each other’s just as the left hand helps the right.

      Thus tethering the horses and burying the chariot wheels are not enough to keep the soldiers from fleeing. The principle of army management is to set up a standard of courage that applies to all. This is done through the appropriate use of hard and soft patterns of terrain. Thus the skillful general leads his army in the same way as leading a single man by the hand.

      A general needs to be calm and quiet to ensure secrecy, upright and disciplined to maintain order while keeping officers and soldiers ignorant of his plans. He varies his direction and changes his strategies to avoid their being perceived. He modifies his position and takes indirect routes to prevent the enemy from anticipating his plans.

      At the critical moment, it will seem to the troops as if they had climbed up a height and then kicked away the ladder. The general accompanies his men deep into hostile territory before he shows his hand. He burns his boats and breaks his cooking-pots; like a shepherd driving a flock of sheep, he pushes his men this way and that without any of them knowing their destination.

      Assembling his forces and putting them in danger. This is the general’s responsibility.

       Invasion Principles

      The different measures suited to the nine varieties of ground; the expediency of aggressive or defensive tactics; and the fundamental laws of human nature: these are things that must certainly be studied.

      In hostile territory, the general principle is that penetrating deeply brings cohesion among your troops, but shallow penetration inclines them to disperse.

      1. When you leave your country behind and take your army into enemy territory, you are on critical terrain.

      2. When all four sides are open, this is focal terrain.

      3. When you penetrate deeply into a country, it is serious terrain.

      4. When you penetrate only a little way, it is light terrain.

      5. When you have enemy strongholds behind you and narrow ways in front, it is encircled terrain.

      6. When there is nowhere else to go, it is desperate terrain.

      Therefore:

      1. On dispersive terrain I inspire my men with unity of purpose.

      2. On light terrain I keep them close together.

      3. On contentious terrain I speed up the rear.

      4. On open terrain I see to my defense.

      5. On focal terrain I consolidate alliances.

      6. On serious terrain I ensure a continuous stream of supplies.

      7. On difficult terrain I advance quickly.

      8. On encircled terrain I block any openings.

      9. On desperate terrain I let them know that our lives cannot be saved.

      For it is the nature of a soldier to defend when surrounded, to fight with passion when there is no alternative, and to follow orders when the situation dictates.

      One cannot enter into alliances with neighboring princes until he knows their plans. One who is unfamiliar with the lay of the land: the mountains and forests, pitfalls and precipices, wetlands and marshes. One cannot profit from natural advantages without the use of local guides. One who is unaware of any one of these principles cannot command the army of a true ruler.

      

      When a true leader attacks a powerful state, the enemy’s forces are unable to assemble. His generalship shows itself in preventing the concentration of the enemy’s forces. He overawes his opponents, keeping their allies from joining against him.

      For this reason he does not seek just any and all available alliances or support the power of other states. He carries out his own designs, leaving his antagonists in awe. Thus he is able to capture their cities and overthrow their rulers.

      Bestow rewards without regard to rules of law, and impose orders beyond previous arrangements. Command your forces as if commanding but a single man. Issue orders without explaining their purpose, and offer the possibility of profit without telling them of the dangers.

      Put your army into deadly situations and it will survive; lead them into desperate terrain and they will endure. For it is only after they have been exposed to danger that they will be capable of snatching victory from defeat.

      The key to successful military operations is in learning and accommodating oneself to their intentions. If you concentrate your efforts toward the enemy, you can strike from a distance of a thousand li and kill their general. This is called “being skillful in a clever and creative manner.”

      This is why, on the very first day of your command, you block the frontier passes, destroy official tallies, and stop the passage of all emissaries. Address the members of the council firmly to control the situation and gain their support.

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