Chapter 7: Maneuvering
Sun Tzu said:
In warfare, a general receives orders from the ruler, assembles the army, and faces the enemy. Nothing is harder than maneuvering for advantage.
The difficulty lies in turning the circuitous into the direct and adversity into advantage.
Take a roundabout path, lure with bait, and arrive before the enemy despite starting later—this is mastering maneuver.
Maneuvering brings both advantage and danger. Moving the entire army for gain risks falling behind; abandoning baggage to advance risks losing supplies.
Marching swiftly, day and night, doubling the pace, risks collapse:
- At a hundred miles, all three generals may be captured, with only the strongest arriving, the weak trailing; one in ten reaches the goal.
- At fifty miles, the vanguard general falters, half arrive.
- At thirty miles, two-thirds arrive.
Without baggage, provisions, or reserves, the army perishes.
Those ignorant of neighboring states’ intentions cannot form alliances. Those unaware of terrain—mountains, forests, defiles, or marshes—cannot march. Without local guides, terrain advantages are lost.
Warfare thrives on deception, moves for advantage, and adapts through division or unity.
Be swift as wind, steady as a forest, aggressive as fire, immovable as a mountain, elusive as shadow, and strike like thunder.
Plunder villages to divide forces, secure territory to hold it, and act decisively when advantageous. Those who master circuitous routes win—this is the law of maneuvering.
Military texts say: When voices cannot be heard, use gongs and drums; when sights are obscured, use banners and flags.
Gongs, drums, banners, and flags unify the army’s senses. When united, the brave cannot advance alone, nor the timid retreat alone—this is commanding masses.
In night battles, use many fires and drums; in daylight, use banners and flags to adapt the army’s senses.
The enemy’s morale can be sapped, their general’s resolve shaken. Morning brings high spirits, noon brings lethargy, and evening brings exhaustion.
Skilled generals avoid the enemy’s high spirits, striking when they are weary or retreating—this is mastering morale.
Use order against chaos, calm against clamor—this is mastering the mind.
Use proximity against distance, rest against fatigue, satiety against hunger—this is mastering strength.
Avoid orderly banners and formidable formations—this is mastering adaptability.
In warfare: Do not attack uphill, oppose troops backed by hills, pursue feigned retreats, attack elite troops, take bait, block retreating armies, leave gaps for surrounded enemies, and do not press desperate foes.
This is the method of maneuvering.
發佈留言