The Art of War by Sun Tzu — The Attack by Fire

Sun Tzǔ said: There are five ways of attacking with fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp; the second is to burn stores; the third is to burn baggage trains;^† the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines; the fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy.^†

²In order to carry out an attack, we must have means available; the material for raising fire should always be kept in readiness.

³There is a proper season for making attacks with fire, and special days for starting a conflagration.

⁴The proper season is when the weather is very dry; the special days are those when the moon is in the constellations of the Sieve, the Wall, the Wing or the Crossbar;^† for these four are all days of rising wind.

⁵In attacking with fire, one should be prepared to meet five possible developments:

⁶When fire breaks out inside the enemy’s camp, respond at once with an attack from without.

⁷If there is an outbreak of fire, but the enemy’s soldiers remain quiet, bide your time and do not attack.

⁸When the force of the flames has reached its height, follow it up with an attack, if that is practicable; if not, stay where you are.

⁹If it is possible to make an assault with fire from without, do not wait for it to break out within, but deliver your attack at a favourable moment.

¹⁰When you start a fire, be to windward of it. Do not attack from the leeward.^†

¹¹A wind that rises in the daytime lasts long, but a night breeze soon falls.

¹²In every army, the five developments connected with fire must be known, the movements of the stars calculated, and a watch kept for the proper days.

¹³Hence those who use fire as an aid to the attack show intelligence; those who use water as an aid to the attack gain an accession of strength.

¹⁴By means of water, an enemy may be intercepted, but not robbed of all his belongings.

¹⁵Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise; for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.

¹⁶Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.

¹⁷Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.

¹⁸No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.^†

¹⁹If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.

²⁰Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.

²¹But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.^†

²²Hence 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.