4Arts

Tactical Dispositions

1. The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

2. To secure ourselves against defeat lies our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

3. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but can not make certain of defeating the enemy.

4. Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.

5. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.

6. Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strenght.

7. The general who is skilled in defence hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven. Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves; on the other, a victory that is complete.

8. To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.

9. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole empire says: "well done!"

10. To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.

11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.

12. Victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage.

13. He wins his battles by making no mistakes.
Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.

3Arts

Thus we may know that there are 5 essentials for victory: 1. He will win who knows to fight and when not to fight. 2. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. 3. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. 4. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. 5. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign. Victory lies in the knowledge of these five points. "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 defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle" General is the bulwark, he plays the most important roles of the states; if he is complete at all points, the state will be strong; if he is defective, the state will be weak. Just note that there are three ways in which a rules can bring misfortune upon your army: One By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This 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 a soldiers' minds. Three By employing the officers his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaption to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers. To avoid flinging victory away, general must known 5 essentials for victory.