The Art of War by Sun Tzu — Maneuvering

Sun Tzǔ said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign.

²Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof before pitching his camp.

³After that, comes tactical manoeuvring, than which there is nothing more difficult. The difficulty of tactical manoeuvring consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.

⁴Thus, 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.

⁵Manoeuvring with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.

⁶If you set a fully equipped army in march in order to snatch 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.

⁷Thus, 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.^††

⁸The 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.

⁹If you march fifty li in order to outmanoeuvre the enemy, you will lose the leader of your first division, and only half your force will reach the goal.

¹⁰If you march thirty li with the same object, two-thirds of your army will arrive.

¹¹We 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.

¹²We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.

¹³We 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.

¹⁴We shall be unable to turn natural advantage to account unless we make use of local guides.

¹⁵In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed. Move only if there is a real advantage to be gained.

¹⁶Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops, must be decided by circumstances.

¹⁷Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest.

¹⁸In raiding and plundering be like fire, in immovability like a mountain.

¹⁹Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

²⁰When 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.

²¹Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.

²²He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of manoeuvring.

²³The 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.

²⁴Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point.

²⁵The 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.

²⁶In 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.

²⁷A whole army may be robbed of its spirit;^† a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind.

²⁸Now 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.

²⁹A 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.

³⁰Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:⁠—this is the art of retaining self-possession.

³¹To 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.

³²To 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.

³³It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.

³⁴Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight; do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.

³⁵Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.

³⁶When you surround an army, leave an outlet free.^† Do not press a desperate foe too hard.

³⁷Such is the art of warfare.