IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS

1.    Sun Tzu said: 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 in 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 cannot 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 strength.

7.    The general who is skilled in defense 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 the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the 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.                       Hence his 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.

14.                       Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.

15.                       Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.

16.                       The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.

17.                       In respect of military method, we have, firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity; thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances; fifthly, Victory.

18.                       Measurement owes its existence to Earth; Estimation of quantity to Measurement; Calculation to Estimation of quantity; Balancing of chances to Calculation; and Victory to Balancing of chances.

19.                       A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as a pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain.

20.                       The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.

V. ENERGY

1.    Sun Tzu said: The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.

2.    Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.

3.    To ensure that your whole host may withstand the brunt of the enemy's attack and remain unshaken-- this is effected by maneuvers direct and indirect.

4.    That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone dashed against an egg--this is effected by the science of weak points and strong.

5.    In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.

6.    Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.

7.    There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.

8.    There are not more than five primary colors (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.

9.    There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.

10.                       In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.

11.                       The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?

12.                       The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even roll stones along in its course.

13.                       The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.

14.                       Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.

15.                       Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.

16.                       Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all; amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat.

17.                       Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline, simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength.

18.                       Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is simply a question of subdivision; concealing courage under a show of timidity presupposes a fund of latent energy; masking strength with weakness is to be effected by tactical dispositions.

19.                       Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy on the move maintains deceitful appearances, according to which the enemy will act. He sacrifices something, that the enemy may snatch at it.

20.                       By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march; then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.

21.                       The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combined energy.

22.                       When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if round-shaped, to go rolling down.

23.                       Thus the energy developed by good fighting men is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain thousands of feet in height. So much on the subject of energy.