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Chapter VII. MANEUVERING
1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general
receives his commands from the sovereign.
2. Having collected an army and
concentrated his forces, he must blend and
harmonize the different elements thereof
before pitching his camp.
3. After that, comes tactical maneuvering,
than which there is nothing more difficult.
The difficulty of tactical maneuvering
consists in turning the devious into the
direct, and misfortune into gain.
4. Thus, to take a long and circuitous
route, after enticing the enemy out of the
way, and though starting after him, to
contrive to reach the goal before him,
shows knowledge of the artifice of
DEVIATION.
5. Maneuvering with an army is
advantageous; with an undisciplined
multitude, most dangerous.
6. If you set a fully equipped army in
march in order to *** an advantage, the
chances are that you will be too late.
On the other hand, to detach a flying
column for the purpose involves the
sacrifice of its baggage and stores.
7. Thus, if you order your men to roll up
their buff-coats, and make forced marches
without halting day or night, covering
double the usual distance at a stretch,
doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an
advantage, the leaders of all your three
divisions will fall into the hands of the
enemy.
8. The stronger men will be in front, the
jaded ones will fall behind, and on this
plan only one-tenth of your army will reach
its destination.
9. If you march fifty LI in order to
outmaneuver the enemy, you will lose the
leader of your first division, and only
half your force will reach the goal.
10. If you march thirty LI with the same
object, two-thirds of your army will
arrive.
11. We may take it then that an army
without its baggage-train is lost; without
provisions it is lost; without bases of
supply it is lost.
12. We cannot enter into alliances until we
are acquainted with the designs of our
neighbors.
13. We are not fit to lead an army on the
march unless we are familiar with the face
of the country--its mountains and forests,
its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes
and swamps.
14. We shall be unable to turn natural
advantage to account unless we make use of
local guides.
15. In war, practice dissimulation, and you
will succeed.
16. Whether to concentrate or to divide
your troops, must be decided by
circumstances.
17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind,
your compactness that of the forest.
18. In raiding and plundering be like fire,
is immovability like a mountain.
19. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable
as night, and when you move, fall like a
thunderbolt.
20. When you plunder a countryside, let the
spoil be divided amongst your men; when you
capture new territory, cut it up into
allotments for the benefit of the soldiery.
21. Ponder and deliberate before you make a
move.
22. He will conquer who has learnt the
artifice of deviation.
Such is the art of maneuvering.
23. The Book of Army Management says: On
the field of battle, the spoken word does
not carry far enough: hence the
institution of gongs and drums.
Nor can ordinary objects be seen clearly
enough: hence the institution of banners
and flags.
24. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are
means whereby the ears and eyes of the host
may be focused on one particular point.
25. The host thus forming a single united
body, is it impossible either for the brave
to advance alone, or for the cowardly to
retreat alone.
This is the art of handling large masses of
men.
26. In night-fighting, then, make much use
of signal-fires and drums, and in fighting
by day, of flags and banners, as a means of
influencing the ears and eyes of your army.
27. A whole army may be robbed of its
spirit; a commander-in-chief may be robbed
of his presence of mind.
28. Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in
the morning; by noonday it has begun to
flag; and in the evening, his mind is bent
only on returning to camp.
29. A clever general, therefore, avoids an
army when its spirit is keen, but attacks
it when it is sluggish and inclined to
return.
This is the art of studying moods.
30. Disciplined and calm, to await the
appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst
the enemy:--this is the art of retaining
self-possession.
31. To be near the goal while the enemy is
still far from it, to wait at ease while
the enemy is toiling and struggling, to be
well-fed while the enemy is famished:--this
is the art of husbanding one's strength.
32. To refrain from intercepting an enemy
whose banners are in perfect order, to
refrain from attacking an army drawn up in
calm and confident array:--this is the art
of studying circumstances.
33. It is a military axiom not to advance
uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose him
when he comes downhill.
34. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates
flight; do not attack soldiers whose temper
is keen.
35. Do not swallow bait offered by the
enemy.
Do not interfere with an army that is
returning home.
36. When you surround an army, leave an
outlet free.
Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
37. Such is the art of warfare.