The Art of War

Chapter 1: Laying Plans

Sun Tzu argues that as a General, you must evaluate both your strengths, advantages and your enemy. Who is better organized and better trained? If your enemy appears to have a substantial superiority of force, your best move would be to avoid the conflict altogether.

War is about survival. War is not a pleasant excursion. A wise General can ascertain the strengths of the opposing armies and predict who will win and who will lose. If you can predict your loss, then you can avoid the loss.

Sun Tzu says that the Art of War is about five factors that a General needs to keep in mind.

– Moral Law

– Heaven

– Earth

– The Commander

– Method and Discipline

Therefore, the General, who makes a large number of calculations about every aspect of war, is better prepared for victory versus the General, who does just a few calculations in his plan for war.

The righteous General will have better command over his men.

All successful warfare is based on deception. A good General will ensure that his intentions are never apparent to the enemy. His forces must appear incapable of attack when they are about to attack. When his forces are near, the enemy must believe that they are far away. He should pretend to be weak so that the enemy grows arrogant.

 

Chapter 2: Waging War

In this chapter, Sun Tzu highlights that no country can benefit from extended warfare. The winning army needs to strike quickly. At the same time, it needs to ensure that it does not strain the country’s treasury and the army’s supply chain.

Winning battles are essential in the process of winning the war.

In Sun Tzu’s words, a cartload of captured goods from the enemy has a more significant impact than 20 cartloads of your own goods. The winning General does not destroy goods and foods they capture from the enemy. Capturing soldiers and the goods of the enemy are extremely important in the process of winning a war.

Sun Tzu advises not to kill captured soldiers. Treat them with kindness instead. When treated well, the captured soldiers can help enhance the strength of the winning side.

 

Chapter 3: Attack by Strategy

Sun Tzu makes the case that it is better to capture than to destroy. Randomly destroying everything in war is a waste of future resources.

Why destroy a city, when by leaving the city and its people intact, you can destroy the enemy politically?

His strategy for war relies on calculations that seem sublimely simple.

 

Sun Tzu’s rules of enemy engagement:

– If you vastly outnumber the enemy – Surround them

– If you outnumber them 5:1 – Attack them

– If you outnumber them 2:1 – Divide the enemy

– If your forces match the enemy 1:1 – Fight them one on one

– If the enemy outnumbers you by a small margin – Hide and look for an opportunity

– If the enemy outnumbers you massively – Escape

 

Fighting a losing battle would be a foolish endeavor.

Sun Tzu lists five essential elements of strategy here. The overarching principle is that you must know when to fight, and equally when not to.

You must have an understanding of the area of battle, and you must understand how and where to deploy your army. Your army must be motivated, and the officers and men must be animated by the same spirit. You must have the virtue of patience and must prepare yourself well in advance of the battle. You should be able to take the enemy by surprise and must yourself be ready for any surprise.

Finally, the army where the General has complete authority and is not interfered with by the sovereign will be the one that emerges victorious.

As evident, the thrust of Sun Tzu’s argument is that strategy, and advance preparation is more critical to winning than the size of the army or its weaponry.

To quote Sun Tzu: “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, you will also suffer a defeat for every victory you gain. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

 

Chapter 4: Tactical Dispositions

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.”

The core premise of this chapter is that the enemy himself usually presents the best opportunity to destroy the enemy.

To create security against defeat, you will need to use defensive tactics. However, an enemy cannot be defeated with defensive tactics. To defeat the enemy, you need to take the offensive.

Therefore, when your strength is insufficient, go defensive—attack, when you have a superabundance of strength.

To quote Sun Tzu: “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 the ability to protect ourselves; on the other, a complete victory.”

A skillful and victorious General does not see reputation for possessing wisdom, nor does he seek credit for courage. The victorious General obtains victory by not making any mistakes!

 

Chapter 5: Energy

Sun Tzu says that the principle of controlling a large force is precisely the same principle needed to control a few men. The difference is just the dividing of their numbers.

The key to dividing the number of troops is to know the purpose of each of the smaller groups created from the large force.

Sun Tzu explains that in battle, there are only two methods of attack. The direct and the indirect. However, like the notes of music or the colors in a spectrum, the direct and the indirect method can be combined in an endless variety of maneuvers.

The emphasis here is that the wise General can pick the right men for the right job and utilize their energy in a way that multiplies their impact multifold.

This is how Sun Tzu defines his concept of energy: “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.”

 

Chapter 6: Weak Points and Strong

The wise General will know the strengths and weaknesses of both his army and that of the enemy. Through this knowledge, he will be able to impose his will on the enemy. He will not permit the enemy to impose its will.

It is essential to be strong in the fight. Therefore, whichever army arrives first in the field of battle and waits for the arrival of the enemy will be fresh for the contest. Whichever army comes second to the battlefield will have to hurry to the battle and will, therefore, arrive exhausted.

You must know your weak and strong points. You can only be confident about your attacks if you know with certainty where the enemy’s unguarded places are. Similarly, when defending, you can be assured of success in defense if you hold only those positions that the enemy cannot attack.

Sun Tzu advises that you must carefully compare the opposing army with your own. This way, you will know where their strength is superabundant and equally where their strength is deficient.

Do not fall in love with tactics that have gained you one victory in the past. Make sure that your tactics have infinite variety and are determined by circumstances.

Just as water doesn’t have its own shape and takes on a shape based on the contours of the ground over which it flows. Similarly, to achieve victory, the soldier should plan his tactics to reflect the enemy that he is facing.

A victorious General has to be skilled to attack in such a way that the enemy does not know what to defend. Equally, his skill in defense should be such that the enemy does know where to attack.

Sun Tzu speaks of the divine Art of subtlety and secrecy. In his words: “By discovering the enemy’s dispositions and remaining invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy’s must be divided.”

 

Chapter 7: Maneuvering

Sun Tzu says that a General’s task begins from when the General receives his command from the sovereign. The General then collects his army while analyzing how to blend and harmonize his forces.

Sun Tzu explains how the successful General should select his lead troops. These would be the men who are sharpest self-starters and who need very little help.

The General needs to watch out for the troops who are slow and homesick. The General needs to avoid taking on the weak soldiers, finding them other jobs. Alternatively, he must ensure that they are strengthened before the troops need to arrive into battle.

The good General ensures that he affects and improves the morale of his troops.

The advantage of smart tactical maneuvering is that it can help turn the devious into the direct and turn misfortune to gain.

Tactical maneuvering involves understanding first of all the limits of the physical army. According to Sun Tzu Thus, if you send your army on forced marches day and night, without any halts, asking them to cover double the standard distance at a stretch, then you run the risk of exhausting your men. You may not only not achieve your objective of wresting an advantage from the enemy, but you may also tire out your men to such an extent, that the officers of your divisions could fall into the hands of the enemy.

There is a balance that needs to be struck by a General between pushing his men to gain an advantage and pushing them so much that failure becomes inevitable.

Sun Tzu highlights the importance of discipline in the army. He says that you can command a force that listens and obeys. However, trying to command a disobedient force can bring ruin to the army.

Therefore, a victorious army listens to and obeys its General. You only get chaos if the army doesn’t listen to its General.

Sun Tzu also highlights the need for a variety of communication techniques – Torches at night-time or drums to send signals long distances where the voice won’t carry.

In Sun Tzu’s words: “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.”

 

Chapter 8: Variation in Tactics

The successful General is one who thoroughly understands how to use a variety of tactics. He is the one who will best know how to handle his troops.

The General who does not understand how to use a variety of tactics may know the country’s configuration well. Still, this knowledge will not help him succeed in a campaign against the enemy.

The successful General, even when amid difficulties, can recognize and seize an advantage. This alertness to new tactics is how he can extricate his army from misfortune.

According to Sun Tzu, the wise General keeps his options open about every aspect of his preparation of war or engagement with the enemy. This includes not following a direct order of the sovereign if that is not in the army’s best interest.

In Sun Tzu’s words: “There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must be not attacked, towns which must be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.”

 

Five dangerous faults in a General:

– Recklessness which leads to destruction.

– Cowardice, which leads to capture.

– A quick temper which can be easily provoked by insults.

– A delicate sense of honor which is sensitive to shame.

– Over-consideration for his men which exposes him to worry and trouble.

 

Chapter 9: The Army on the March

Sun Tzu sets the rules for an army on a march. His advice covers warfare in terrain as diverse as Mountains, Rivers, Salt marshes, and Flat country.

His recommendations are particular for each of these terrains. His suggested rules include that armies should ensure that they camp in high places, facing the sun. The knowledgeable army always chooses high grounds that are sunny and not low places that are dark.

He also emphasizes that an army should not climb heights to engage in battle.

When facing an enemy who is on the other side of a river, instead of rushing into the river, A wise general would wait for the enemy to advance by crossing the river. That would be the time to meet them in battle when they have spent their energy in crossing the river.

For an army on the move, the wise General must keep the health of the troops in mind. Soldiers leaning on their spears is a sure sign of fatigue and hunger. If soldiers sent to fetch water, begin drinking the water themselves as soon as they reach the stream, this is a sure sign of an army suffering from thirst.

A vital sign of fatigue in the army is when the officers are angry.

Sun Tzu emphasizes discipline throughout this treatise. He highlights that one should lookout for signs of disturbance in the camp. If you see disorder, then you should know that the authority of the General is weak. Similarly, if the army’s banners and flags begin to get shifted, this could suggest that sedition is afoot.

How your opponent rushes to face you tells you of their situation. If they wait for you to approach, they have strong defenses, and they might have placed some obstacles for you to overcome. If they approach you, then they probably think or know that your defenses are not impregnable.

When an army is on the move, it raises dust. High dust in the distance would mean that a force of horse riders is on the move. Low dust in the distance would mean foot soldiers.

The army needs to beware that its own movement would be raising dust similarly for the enemy to observe.

The sudden rising of a flock of birds is a likely sign of an ambush. Similarly, startled animals indicate that a surprise attack is about to happen.

On the need for iron discipline in an army, Sun Tzu says that for soldiers to be prepared to follow orders, they must be submissive to their offices. They will, however, not become submissive until they have grown attached to their officer. Soldiers will accept punishment as a part of discipline only after they have become submissive. If punishments, when needed, are not enforced, the soldiers will become useless.

He says treat soldiers with humanity at the same time keep them in control through iron discipline. This is the way of the successful army.

 

Chapter 10: Terrain

The six kinds of terrain: According to Sun Tzu, there are six kinds of terrain for battle:

1. Accessible ground: This kind of space can be freely traversed by both armies.
2. Entangling ground: This is ground that can be abandoned, but it is hard to win back. The entangling ground is the kind of ground where you can go in and defeat an enemy that is not prepared. However, if the enemy is prepared and waiting for you, there will be a disaster as a return from this kind of ground will be virtually impossible.
3. Temporizing ground: This is the kind of ground where the armies’ position is matched in such a way that neither side will gain by making the first move. In this situation, you have to entice the enemy army out of its position for you to be able to attack them.
4. Narrow passes: If you can occupy a narrow pass, make sure to garrison it strongly and then wait for the enemy.
5. Precipitous heights: If you can get to a high ground position ahead of your enemy, then occupy a sunny spot and wait for them to show up. If the enemy has occupied this high ground, don’t make the mistake of going after them. Instead, try and entice them to come down.
6. Great distance from the enemy: If the positions of the rival armies are at a considerable distance from each other and if the strength of the two armies appears to be equal, then it will be difficult to provoke a battle, and it may be difficult to win.

 

The Six Calamities: These are not calamities from natural causes. These are instead calamities that the General is responsible for.

1. Flight – This is the likely result when a tiny force goes to fight against a force that is ten times its size.
2. Insubordination – This occurs when common soldiers are too strong, and the officers are too weak.
3. Collapse – Collapse occurs when the officers are too strong, and the soldiers are too weak.
4. Ruin – When the senior officers of the army are angry, resentful, and insubordinate, the General should know that a fight is no longer possible. The outcome will be a ruin.
5. Disorganization – When a general is weak, his orders are not clear and distinct, and when there are no specific fixed duties assigned to officers and men, confusion will ensue.
6. Rout – When a general send a small force to battle a much larger better-prepared enemy, he should be prepared for the result to be a rout.

Sun Tzu’s focus on discipline is unwavering. His advice to a General on how to treat his troops is that if the General treats his soldiers as his own beloved children, they will follow the General into the deepest valleys, and they will stand by him even unto death.

However, if the General is indulgent and unable to enforce his commands with authority, the troops will be like spoilt children, ill-disciplined, and useless for any practical purpose.

To quote Sun Tzu: “The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.”

 

Chapter 11: The Nine Situations

According to Sun Tzu, there could nine varieties of grounds that a well-trained army might be required to fight on:

1. Dispersive ground – When an army is fighting in its own territory, they are on a dispersive ground. This is not a ground that an army should prefer to fight on.
2. Facile ground – When an army has penetrated into enemy territory but has not gone in a great distance, the army is on facile ground. The facile ground is not a ground for the army to halt on.
3. Contentious ground – This is a ground, the possession of which creates a great advantage for the side possessing this ground. It is not a good idea to launch an attack on the enemy holding a contentious ground.
4. Open ground – On open ground, both armies have the liberty of movement. On this ground, do not try and block the enemy’s way.
5. Ground of intersecting highways – When an army reaches a point that has access to three contiguous states, this ground is the ground of intersecting highways. Whosoever holds this ground has most of the empire at its command. The ground of intersecting highways is where you must try and join hands with your allies.
6. Serious ground – when an army is deep inside the enemy territory with several fortified cities in the rear, then it is on the serious ground. This is the ground to gather and plunder.
7. Difficult ground – Difficult grounds are, for example, mountain forests, rugged steppes, etc. Essentially land that is very hard to traverse. The difficult ground is a ground that the army should not stop in. It should steadily keep marching.
8. Hemmed-in ground – This is a ground reachable through narrow gorges with tortuous paths. The hemmed-in ground is a ground where a small force of the enemy can crush a numerically superior force hemmed in a ravine, canyon, or narrow valley. This is a ground where only the use of stratagem can lead to victory.
9. Desperate ground – This is a ground on which an army can be saved only by fighting their way out in sheer desperation.

To quote Sun Tzu: “Walk in the path defined by rule, and accommodate yourself to the enemy until you can fight a decisive battle. At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening; afterward, emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you.”

 

Chapter 12: The Attack by Fire

Sun Tzu says that the use of fire should be a vital component of a wise General’s strategy. The army must always be prepared, and the material for making fire must always be kept in readiness, to use in its battle engagements. Here are his options of attacking with fire:

 

Five ways of attacking with fire:

1. Burn soldiers in their camp
2. Burn stores
3. Burn baggage trains
4. Burn arsenals and magazines
5. Hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy

 

Five possibilities when attacking with fire: 

1. When a fire breaks out inside to enemy’s camp, respond at once with an attack from the outside.
2. If even when there is a fire, but the enemy’s soldiers remain quiet, bide your time, and do not attack.
3. When flames of the fire have reached their maximum height, follow that up with an attack. If an attack doesn’t seem practical at that time, hold your position. Stay where you are.
4. If you can make an assault with fire from the outside, then do not wait for the fire to break out within, instead, deliver your attack at a favorable moment.
5. When you start a fire, make sure to be windward of it. Do not attack from the leeward side.

He further advises that the General must follow the movements of stars and know weather patterns so that he knows where there will be wind and when it will be still.

To quote Sun Tzu: “But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life. Hence the enlightened ruler is heedful and the good General full of caution. This is the way to keep a country at peace and an army intact.”

 

Chapter 13: The Use of Spies

Sun Tzu says that getting an army to march on an expedition of war is a very costly affair in terms of money and human costs.

Once face to face with the enemy army, the standoff could last years, incurring massive costs of wealth and lives all around just on account of a Sovereign or General holding a grudge. To adopt this path, according to Sun Tzu, is the height of inhumanity.

Further, what enables a wise Sovereign or a wise General to strike, conquer, and achieve extraordinary success is foreknowledge. This is knowledge of the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses that can only be obtained through other men. This is where the role of spies becomes pivotal in war and in maintaining peace.

 

Five classes of spies:

1. Local spies: These are spies selected from the inhabitants of a district.
2. Inward spies: These are spies selected from the officials of the enemy.
3. Converted spies: In modern language, this would be counter-espionage. The objective here would be to find the enemy’s spies and use them for our own purposes.
4. Doomed spies: This is a class of spies who use deception by doing their job openly. The way to use these spies is to get your spies to know them, and then report them to the enemy.
5. Surviving spies: This is a class of spies who infiltrate the enemy and then come back with news and facts from the enemy’s camps.

Sun Tzu suggests that the wise General would use all these classes of spies, for when you are using all types of spies, no enemy will be able to judge your method. In Sun Tzu’s words, this would be called “a divine manipulation of threads.”

Sun Tzu recommends that a Sovereign should not be stingy in how to reward spies. This reward would always be a much smaller expense than the expense in an all-out war.

If war is to follow regardless, spies are even then pivotal to an army’s strategy. It is on their information that the army’s ability to move depends.

To quote Sun Tzu: “Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.”

The Art of war continues to be as valid today as it was 2500 years ago when Sun Tzu wrote this treatise.

Weaponry may have changed, but the strategy of war, the need to understand your enemy, equally the need to understand your own resources, and how to marshal your troops have, in essence, changed very little over time.

Sun Tzu’s strategy of finding an enemy’s weakness, using acquired intelligence about the enemy, continually preparing your resources and capabilities, and in developing an assault against seemingly insurmountable odds is also very relevant today, in the world of modern business.

This is an easy book to recommend extremely highly to anyone interested in learning about strategy applicable in any sphere of life.