[LiCh`uanaddsthecomment：\"Itisliketyingtogetherthelegsofathoroughbred，sothatitisunabletogallop.\"Onewouldnaturallythinkof\"theruler\"inthispassageasbeingathome，andtryingtodirectthemovementsofhisarmyfromadistance.Butthecommentatorsunderstandjustthereverse，andquotethesayingofT`aiKung：\"Akingdomshouldnotbegovernedfromwithout，andarmyshouldnotbedirectedfromwithin.\"Ofcourseitistruethat，duringanengagement，orwheninclosetouchwiththeenemy，thegeneralshouldnotbeinthethickofhisowntroops，butalittledistanceapart.
Otherwise，hewillbeliabletomisjudgethepositionasawhole，andgivewrongorders.]
14.（2）Byattemptingtogovernanarmyinthesamewayasheadministersakingdom，beingignorantoftheconditionswhichobtaininanarmy.Thiscausesrestlessnessinthesoldier’sminds.
[Ts`aoKung’snoteis，freelytranslated：\"Themilitarysphereandthecivilspherearewhollydistinct;youcan’thandleanarmyinkidgloves.\"AndChangYusays：\"Humanityandjusticearetheprinciplesonwhichtogovernastate，butnotanarmy;opportunismandflexibility，ontheotherhand，aremilitaryratherthancivilvirtuestoassimilatethegoverningofanarmy\"——tothatofaState，understood.]
15.（3）Byemployingtheofficersofhisarmywithoutdiscrimination，[Thatis，heisnotcarefultousetherightmanintherightplace.]
throughignoranceofthemilitaryprincipleofadaptationtocircumstances.Thisshakestheconfidenceofthesoldiers.
[IfollowMeiYao—ch`enhere.Theothercommentatorsrefernottotheruler，asinSS.13，14，buttotheofficersheemploys.ThusTuYusays：\"Ifageneralisignorantoftheprincipleofadaptability，hemustnotbeentrustedwithapositionofauthority.\"TuMuquotes：\"Theskillfulemployerofmenwillemploythewiseman，thebraveman，thecovetousman，andthestupidman.Forthewisemandelightsinestablishinghismerit，thebravemanlikestoshowhiscourageinaction，thecovetousmanisquickatseizingadvantages，andthestupidmanhasnofearofdeath.\"]
16.Butwhenthearmyisrestlessanddistrustful，troubleissuretocomefromtheotherfeudalprinces.Thisissimplybringinganarchyintothearmy，andflingingvictoryaway.
17.Thuswemayknowthattherearefiveessentialsforvictory：（1）Hewillwinwhoknowswhentofightandwhennottofight.
[ChangYusays：Ifhecanfight，headvancesandtakestheoffensive;ifhecannotfight，heretreatsandremainsonthedefensive.Hewillinvariablyconquerwhoknowswhetheritisrighttotaketheoffensiveorthedefensive.]
（2）Hewillwinwhoknowshowtohandlebothsuperiorandinferiorforces.
[Thisisnotmerelythegeneral’sabilitytoestimatenumberscorrectly，asLiCh`uanandothersmakeout.ChangYuexpoundsthesayingmoresatisfactorily：\"Byapplyingtheartofwar，itispossiblewithalesserforcetodefeatagreater，andviceversa.Thesecretliesinaneyeforlocality，andinnotlettingtherightmomentslip.ThusWuTzusays：’Withasuperiorforce，makeforeasyground;withaninferiorone，makefordifficultground.’\"]
（3）Hewillwinwhosearmyisanimatedbythesamespiritthroughoutallitsranks.
（4）Hewillwinwho，preparedhimself，waitstotaketheenemyunprepared.
（5）Hewillwinwhohasmilitarycapacityandisnotinterferedwithbythesovereign.
[TuYuquotesWangTzuassaying：\"Itisthesovereign’sfunctiontogivebroadinstructions，buttodecideonbattleitisthefunctionofthegeneral.\"Itisneedlesstodilateonthemilitarydisasterswhichhavebeencausedbyundueinterferencewithoperationsinthefieldonthepartofthehomegovernment.
Napoleonundoubtedlyowedmuchofhisextraordinarysuccesstothefactthathewasnothamperedbycentralauthority.]
18.Hencethesaying：Ifyouknowtheenemyandknowyourself，youneednotfeartheresultofahundredbattles.Ifyouknowyourselfbutnottheenemy，foreveryvictorygainedyouwillalsosufferadefeat.
[LiCh`uancitesthecaseofFuChien，princeofCh`in，whoin383A.D.marchedwithavastarmyagainsttheChinEmperor.
WhenwarnednottodespiseanenemywhocouldcommandtheservicesofsuchmenasHsiehAnandHuanCh`ung，heboastfullyreplied：\"Ihavethepopulationofeightprovincesatmyback，infantryandhorsementothenumberofonemillion;why，theycoulddamuptheYangtszeRiveritselfbymerelythrowingtheirwhipsintothestream.WhatdangerhaveItofear？\"
Nevertheless，hisforcesweresoonafterdisastrouslyroutedattheFeiRiver，andhewasobligedtobeatahastyretreat.]
Ifyouknowneithertheenemynoryourself，youwillsuccumbineverybattle.
[ChangYusaid：\"Knowingtheenemyenablesyoutotaketheoffensive，knowingyourselfenablesyoutostandonthedefensive.\"Headds：\"Attackisthesecretofdefense;defenseistheplanningofanattack.\"Itwouldbehardtofindabetterepitomeoftheroot—principleofwar.]
IV.TACTICALDISPOSITIONS
[Ts`aoKungexplainstheChinesemeaningofthewordsforthetitleofthischapter：\"marchingandcountermarchingonthepartofthetwoarmieswithaviewtodiscoveringeachother’scondition.\"TuMusays：\"Itisthroughthedispositionsofanarmythatitsconditionmaybediscovered.Concealyourdispositions，andyourconditionwillremainsecret，whichleadstovictory，;showyourdispositions，andyourconditionwillbecomepatent，whichleadstodefeat.\"WangHsiremarksthatthegoodgeneralcan\"securesuccessbymodifyinghistacticstomeetthoseoftheenemy.\"]
1.SunTzusaid：Thegoodfightersofoldfirstputthemselvesbeyondthepossibilityofdefeat，andthenwaitedforanopportunityofdefeatingtheenemy.
2.Tosecureourselvesagainstdefeatliesinourownhands，buttheopportunityofdefeatingtheenemyisprovidedbytheenemyhimself.
[Thatis，ofcourse，byamistakeontheenemy’spart.]
3.Thusthegoodfighterisabletosecurehimselfagainstdefeat，[ChangYusaysthisisdone，\"Byconcealingthedispositionofhistroops，coveringuphistracks，andtakingunremittingprecautions.\"]
butcannotmakecertainofdefeatingtheenemy.
4.Hencethesaying：OnemayKNOWhowtoconquerwithoutbeingabletoDOit.
5.Securityagainstdefeatimpliesdefensivetactics;
abilitytodefeattheenemymeanstakingtheoffensive.
[Iretainthesensefoundinasimilarpassageinss.1—3，inspiteofthefactthatthecommentatorsareallagainstme.
Themeaningtheygive，\"Hewhocannotconquertakesthedefensive，\"isplausibleenough.]
6.Standingonthedefensiveindicatesinsufficientstrength;attacking，asuperabundanceofstrength.
7.Thegeneralwhoisskilledindefensehidesinthemostsecretrecessesoftheearth;
[Literally，\"hidesundertheninthearth，\"whichisametaphorindicatingtheutmostsecrecyandconcealment，sothattheenemymaynotknowhiswhereabouts.\"]
hewhoisskilledinattackflashesforthfromthetopmostheightsofheaven.
[Anothermetaphor，implyingthathefallsonhisadversarylikeathunderbolt，againstwhichthereisnotimetoprepare.
Thisistheopinionofmostofthecommentators.]
Thusontheonehandwehaveabilitytoprotectourselves;ontheother，avictorythatiscomplete.
8.Toseevictoryonlywhenitiswithinthekenofthecommonherdisnottheacmeofexcellence.
[AsTs`aoKungremarks，\"thethingistoseetheplantbeforeithasgerminated，\"toforeseetheeventbeforetheactionhasbegun.LiCh`uanalludestothestoryofHanHsinwho，whenabouttoattackthevastlysuperiorarmyofChao，whichwasstronglyentrenchedinthecityofCh`eng—an，saidtohisofficers：\"Gentlemen，wearegoingtoannihilatetheenemy，andshallmeetagainatdinner.\"Theofficershardlytookhiswordsseriously，andgaveaverydubiousassent.ButHanHsinhadalreadyworkedoutinhismindthedetailsofacleverstratagem，whereby，asheforesaw，hewasabletocapturethecityandinflictacrushingdefeatonhisadversary.\"]
9.NeitherisittheacmeofexcellenceifyoufightandconquerandthewholeEmpiresays，\"Welldone！\"
[Trueexcellencebeing，asTuMusays：\"Toplansecretly，tomovesurreptitiously，tofoiltheenemy’sintentionsandbalkhisschemes，sothatatlastthedaymaybewonwithoutsheddingadropofblood.\"SunTzureserveshisapprobationforthingsthat\"theworld’scoarsethumbAndfingerfailtoplumb.\"]
10.Toliftanautumnhairisnosignofgreatstrength;
[\"Autumn\"hair\"isexplainedasthefurofahare，whichisfinestinautumn，whenitbeginstogrowafresh.ThephraseisaverycommononeinChinesewriters.]
toseethesunandmoonisnosignofsharpsight;tohearthenoiseofthunderisnosignofaquickear.
[HoShihgivesasrealinstancesofstrength，sharpsightandquickhearing：WuHuo，whocouldliftatripodweighing250
stone;LiChu，whoatadistanceofahundredpacescouldseeobjectsnobiggerthanamustardseed;andShihK`uang，ablindmusicianwhocouldhearthefootstepsofamosquito.]
11.Whattheancientscalledacleverfighterisonewhonotonlywins，butexcelsinwinningwithease.
[Thelasthalfisliterally\"onewho，conquering，excelsineasyconquering.\"MeiYao—ch`ensays：\"Hewhoonlyseestheobvious，winshisbattleswithdifficulty;hewholooksbelowthesurfaceofthings，winswithease.\"]
12.Hencehisvictoriesbringhimneitherreputationforwisdomnorcreditforcourage.
[TuMuexplainsthisverywell：\"Inasmuchashisvictoriesaregainedovercircumstancesthathavenotcometolight，theworldaslargeknowsnothingofthem，andhewinsnoreputationforwisdom;inasmuchasthehostilestatesubmitsbeforetherehasbeenanybloodshed，hereceivesnocreditforcourage.\"]
13.Hewinshisbattlesbymakingnomistakes.
[Ch`enHaosays：\"Heplansnosuperfluousmarches，hedevisesnofutileattacks.\"TheconnectionofideasisthusexplainedbyChangYu：\"Onewhoseekstoconquerbysheerstrength，cleverthoughhemaybeatwinningpitchedbattles，isalsoliableonoccasiontobevanquished;whereashewhocanlookintothefutureanddiscernconditionsthatarenotyetmanifest，willnevermakeablunderandthereforeinvariablywin.\"]
Makingnomistakesiswhatestablishesthecertaintyofvictory，foritmeansconqueringanenemythatisalreadydefeated.
14.Hencetheskillfulfighterputshimselfintoapositionwhichmakesdefeatimpossible，anddoesnotmissthemomentfordefeatingtheenemy.
[A\"counselofperfection\"asTuMutrulyobserves.
\"Position\"neednotbeconfinedtotheactualgroundoccupiedbythetroops.Itincludesallthearrangementsandpreparationswhichawisegeneralwillmaketoincreasethesafetyofhisarmy.]
15.Thusitisthatinwarthevictoriousstrategistonlyseeksbattleafterthevictoryhasbeenwon，whereashewhoisdestinedtodefeatfirstfightsandafterwardslooksforvictory.
[HoShihthusexpoundstheparadox：\"Inwarfare，firstlayplanswhichwillensurevictory，andthenleadyourarmytobattle;ifyouwillnotbeginwithstratagembutrelyonbrutestrengthalone，victorywillnolongerbeassured.\"]
16.Theconsummateleadercultivatesthemorallaw，andstrictlyadherestomethodanddiscipline;thusitisinhispowertocontrolsuccess.
17.Inrespectofmilitarymethod，wehave，firstly，Measurement;secondly，Estimationofquantity;thirdly，Calculation;fourthly，Balancingofchances;fifthly，Victory.
18.MeasurementowesitsexistencetoEarth;EstimationofquantitytoMeasurement;CalculationtoEstimationofquantity;
BalancingofchancestoCalculation;andVictorytoBalancingofchances.
[ItisnoteasytodistinguishthefourtermsveryclearlyintheChinese.Thefirstseemstobesurveyingandmeasurementoftheground，whichenableustoformanestimateoftheenemy’sstrength，andtomakecalculationsbasedonthedatathusobtained;wearethusledtoageneralweighing—up，orcomparisonoftheenemy’schanceswithourown;ifthelatterturnthescale，thenvictoryensues.Thechiefdifficultyliesinthirdterm，whichintheChinesesomecommentatorstakeasacalculationofNUMBERS，therebymakingitnearlysynonymouswiththesecondterm.Perhapsthesecondtermshouldbethoughtofasaconsiderationoftheenemy’sgeneralpositionorcondition，whilethethirdtermistheestimateofhisnumericalstrength.
Ontheotherhand，TuMusays：\"Thequestionofrelativestrengthhavingbeensettled，wecanbringthevariedresourcesofcunningintoplay.\"HoShihsecondsthisinterpretation，butweakensit.However，itpointstothethirdtermasbeingacalculationofnumbers.]
19.Avictoriousarmyopposedtoaroutedone，isasapound’sweightplacedinthescaleagainstasinglegrain.
[Literally，\"avictoriousarmyislikeanI（20oz.）weighedagainstaSHU（1/24oz.）;aroutedarmyisaSHUweighedagainstanI.\"Thepointissimplytheenormousadvantagewhichadisciplinedforce，flushedwithvictory，hasoveronedemoralizedbydefeat.\"Legge，inhisnoteonMencius，I.2.ix.2，makestheItobe24Chineseounces，andcorrectsChuHsi’sstatementthatitequaled20oz.only.ButLiCh`uanoftheT`angdynastyheregivesthesamefigureasChuHsi.]
20.Theonrushofaconqueringforceisliketheburstingofpent—upwatersintoachasmathousandfathomsdeep.
V.ENERGY
1.SunTzusaid：Thecontrolofalargeforceisthesameprincipleasthecontrolofafewmen：itismerelyaquestionofdividinguptheirnumbers.
[Thatis，cuttingupthearmyintoregiments，companies，etc.，withsubordinateofficersincommandofeach.TuMuremindsusofHanHsin’sfamousreplytothefirstHanEmperor，whooncesaidtohim：\"HowlargeanarmydoyouthinkIcouldlead？\"\"Notmorethan100，000men，yourMajesty.\"\"Andyou？\"
askedtheEmperor.\"Oh！\"heanswered，\"themorethebetter.\"]
2.Fightingwithalargearmyunderyourcommandisnowisedifferentfromfightingwithasmallone：itismerelyaquestionofinstitutingsignsandsignals.
3.Toensurethatyourwholehostmaywithstandthebruntoftheenemy’sattackandremainunshaken—thisiseffectedbymaneuversdirectandindirect.
[WenowcometooneofthemostinterestingpartsofSunTzu’streatise，thediscussionoftheCHENGandtheCH`I.\"Asitisbynomeanseasytograspthefullsignificanceofthesetwoterms，ortorenderthemconsistentlybygoodEnglishequivalents;itmaybeaswelltotabulatesomeofthecommentators’remarksonthesubjectbeforeproceedingfurther.
LiCh`uan：\"FacingtheenemyisCHENG，makinglateraldiversionisCH`I.ChiaLin：\"Inpresenceoftheenemy，yourtroopsshouldbearrayedinnormalfashion，butinordertosecurevictoryabnormalmaneuversmustbeemployed.\"MeiYao—ch`en：
\"CH`Iisactive，CHENGispassive;passivitymeanswaitingforanopportunity，activitybeingsthevictoryitself.\"HoShih：\"Wemustcausetheenemytoregardourstraightforwardattackasonethatissecretlydesigned，andviceversa;thusCHENGmayalsobeCH`I，andCH`ImayalsobeCHENG.\"HeinstancesthefamousexploitofHanHsin，whowhenmarchingostensiblyagainstLin—
chin（nowChao—iinShensi），suddenlythrewalargeforceacrosstheYellowRiverinwoodentubs，utterlydisconcertinghisopponent.[Ch`ienHanShu，ch.3.]Here，wearetold，themarchonLin—chinwasCHENG，andthesurprisemaneuverwasCH`I.\"
ChangYugivesthefollowingsummaryofopinionsonthewords：
\"MilitarywritersdonotagreewithregardtothemeaningofCH`I
andCHENG.WeiLiaoTzu[4thcent.B.C.]says：’Directwarfarefavorsfrontalattacks，indirectwarfareattacksfromtherear.’
Ts`aoKungsays：’Goingstraightouttojoinbattleisadirectoperation;appearingontheenemy’srearisanindirectmaneuver.’LiWei—kung[6thand7thcent.A.D.]says：’Inwar，tomarchstraightaheadisCHENG;turningmovements，ontheotherhand，areCH`I.’ThesewriterssimplyregardCHENGasCHENG，andCH`IasCH`I;theydonotnotethatthetwoaremutuallyinterchangeableandrunintoeachotherlikethetwosidesofacircle[seeinfra，ss.11].AcommentontheT`angEmperorT`aiTsunggoestotherootofthematter：’ACH`ImaneuvermaybeCHENG，ifwemaketheenemylookuponitasCHENG;thenourrealattackwillbeCH`I，andviceversa.Thewholesecretliesinconfusingtheenemy，sothathecannotfathomourrealintent.’\"
Toputitperhapsalittlemoreclearly：anyattackorotheroperationisCHENG，onwhichtheenemyhashadhisattentionfixed;whereasthatisCH`I，\"whichtakeshimbysurpriseorcomesfromanunexpectedquarter.IftheenemyperceivesamovementwhichismeanttobeCH`I，\"itimmediatelybecomesCHENG.\"]
4.Thattheimpactofyourarmymaybelikeagrindstonedashedagainstanegg—thisiseffectedbythescienceofweakpointsandstrong.
5.Inallfighting，thedirectmethodmaybeusedforjoiningbattle，butindirectmethodswillbeneededinordertosecurevictory.
[ChangYusays：\"Steadilydevelopindirecttactics，eitherbypoundingtheenemy’sflanksorfallingonhisrear.\"A
brilliantexampleof\"indirecttactics\"whichdecidedthefortunesofacampaignwasLordRoberts’nightmarchroundthePeiwarKotalinthesecondAfghanwar.[1]
6.Indirecttactics，efficientlyapplied，areinexhausibleasHeavenandEarth，unendingastheflowofriversandstreams;
likethesunandmoon，theyendbuttobeginanew;likethefourseasons，theypassawaytoreturnoncemore.
[TuYuandChangYuunderstandthisofthepermutationsofCH`IandCHENG.\"ButatpresentSunTzuisnotspeakingofCHENG
atall，unless，indeed，wesupposewithChengYu—hsienthataclauserelatingtoithasfallenoutofthetext.Ofcourse，ashasalreadybeenpointedout，thetwoaresoinextricablyinterwoveninallmilitaryoperations，thattheycannotreallybeconsideredapart.Herewesimplyhaveanexpression，infigurativelanguage，ofthealmostinfiniteresourceofagreatleader.]
7.Therearenotmorethanfivemusicalnotes，yetthecombinationsofthesefivegiverisetomoremelodiesthancaneverbeheard.
8.Therearenotmorethanfiveprimarycolors（blue，yellow，red，white，andblack），yetincombinationtheyproducemorehuesthancaneverbeenseen.
9Therearenotmorethanfivecardinaltastes（sour，acrid，salt，sweet，bitter），yetcombinationsofthemyieldmoreflavorsthancaneverbetasted.
10.Inbattle，therearenotmorethantwomethodsofattack—thedirectandtheindirect;yetthesetwoincombinationgiverisetoanendlessseriesofmaneuvers.
11.Thedirectandtheindirectleadontoeachotherinturn.Itislikemovinginacircle—younevercometoanend.
Whocanexhaustthepossibilitiesoftheircombination？
12.Theonsetoftroopsisliketherushofatorrentwhichwillevenrollstonesalonginitscourse.
13.Thequalityofdecisionislikethewell—timedswoopofafalconwhichenablesittostrikeanddestroyitsvictim.
[TheChinesehereistrickyandacertainkeywordinthecontextitisuseddefiesthebesteffortsofthetranslator.TuMudefinesthiswordas\"themeasurementorestimationofdistance.\"Butthismeaningdoesnotquitefittheillustrativesimileinss.15.Applyingthisdefinitiontothefalcon，itseemstometodenotethatinstinctofSELFRESTRAINTwhichkeepsthebirdfromswoopingonitsquarryuntiltherightmoment，togetherwiththepowerofjudgingwhentherightmomenthasarrived.Theanalogousqualityinsoldiersisthehighlyimportantoneofbeingabletoreservetheirfireuntiltheveryinstantatwhichitwillbemosteffective.Whenthe\"Victory\"
wentintoactionatTrafalgarathardlymorethandriftingpace，shewasforseveralminutesexposedtoastormofshotandshellbeforereplyingwithasinglegun.Nelsoncoollywaiteduntilhewaswithincloserange，whenthebroadsidehebroughttobearworkedfearfulhavocontheenemy’snearestships.]
14.Thereforethegoodfighterwillbeterribleinhisonset，andpromptinhisdecision.
[Theword\"decision\"wouldhavereferencetothemeasurementofdistancementionedabove，lettingtheenemygetnearbeforestriking.ButIcannothelpthinkingthatSunTzumeanttousethewordinafigurativesensecomparabletoourownidiom\"shortandsharp.\"Cf.WangHsi’snote，whichafterdescribingthefalcon’smodeofattack，proceeds：\"Thisisjusthowthe’psychologicalmoment’shouldbeseizedinwar.\"]
15.Energymaybelikenedtothebendingofacrossbow;
decision，tothereleasingofatrigger.
[Noneofthecommentatorsseemtograsptherealpointofthesimileofenergyandtheforcestoredupinthebentcross—
bowuntilreleasedbythefingeronthetrigger.]
16.Amidtheturmoilandtumultofbattle，theremaybeseemingdisorderandyetnorealdisorderatall;amidconfusionandchaos，yourarraymaybewithoutheadortail，yetitwillbeproofagainstdefeat.
[MeiYao—ch`ensays：\"Thesubdivisionsofthearmyhavingbeenpreviouslyfixed，andthevarioussignalsagreedupon，theseparatingandjoining，thedispersingandcollectingwhichwilltakeplaceinthecourseofabattle，maygivetheappearanceofdisorderwhennorealdisorderispossible.Yourformationmaybewithoutheadortail，yourdispositionsalltopsy—turvy，andyetaroutofyourforcesquiteoutofthequestion.\"]
17.Simulateddisorderpostulatesperfectdiscipline，simulatedfearpostulatescourage;simulatedweaknesspostulatesstrength.
[Inordertomakethetranslationintelligible，itisnecessarytotonedownthesharplyparadoxicalformoftheoriginal.Ts`aoKungthrowsoutahintofthemeaninginhisbriefnote：\"Thesethingsallservetodestroyformationandconcealone’scondition.\"ButTuMuisthefirsttoputitquiteplainly：\"Ifyouwishtofeignconfusioninordertoluretheenemyon，youmustfirsthaveperfectdiscipline;ifyouwishtodisplaytimidityinordertoentraptheenemy，youmusthaveextremecourage;ifyouwishtoparadeyourweaknessinordertomaketheenemyover—confident，youmusthaveexceedingstrength.\"]
18.Hidingorderbeneaththecloakofdisorderissimplyaquestionofsubdivision;
[Seesupra，ss.1.]
concealingcourageunderashowoftimiditypresupposesafundoflatentenergy;
[ThecommentatorsstronglyunderstandacertainChinesewordheredifferentlythananywhereelseinthischapter.ThusTuMusays：\"seeingthatwearefavorablycircumstancedandyetmakenomove，theenemywillbelievethatwearereallyafraid.\"]
maskingstrengthwithweaknessistobeeffectedbytacticaldispositions.
[ChangYurelatesthefollowinganecdoteofKaoTsu，thefirstHanEmperor：\"WishingtocrushtheHsiung—nu，hesentoutspiestoreportontheircondition.ButtheHsiung—nu，forewarned，carefullyconcealedalltheirable—bodiedmenandwell—fedhorses，andonlyallowedinfirmsoldiersandemaciatedcattletobeseen.TheresultwasthatspiesoneandallrecommendedtheEmperortodeliverhisattack.LouChingaloneopposedthem，saying：\"Whentwocountriesgotowar，theyarenaturallyinclinedtomakeanostentatiousdisplayoftheirstrength.Yetourspieshaveseennothingbutoldageandinfirmity.Thisissurelysomeruseonthepartoftheenemy，anditwouldbeunwiseforustoattack.\"TheEmperor，however，disregardingthisadvice，fellintothetrapandfoundhimselfsurroundedatPo—teng.\"]
19.Thusonewhoisskillfulatkeepingtheenemyonthemovemaintainsdeceitfulappearances，accordingtowhichtheenemywillact.
[Ts`aoKung’snoteis\"Makeadisplayofweaknessandwant.\"
TuMusays：\"Ifourforcehappenstobesuperiortotheenemy’s，weaknessmaybesimulatedinordertolurehimon;butifinferior，hemustbeledtobelievethatwearestrong，inorderthathemaykeepoff.Infact，alltheenemy’smovementsshouldbedeterminedbythesignsthatwechoosetogivehim.\"NotethefollowinganecdoteofSunPin，adescendentofSunWu：In341
B.C.，theCh`iStatebeingatwarwithWei，sentT`ienChiandSunPinagainstthegeneralP`angChuan，whohappenedtobeadeadlypersonalenemyofthelater.SunPinsaid：\"TheCh`iStatehasareputationforcowardice，andthereforeouradversarydespisesus.Letusturnthiscircumstancetoaccount.\"
Accordingly，whenthearmyhadcrossedtheborderintoWeiterritory，hegaveorderstoshow100，000firesonthefirstnight，50，000onthenext，andthenightafteronly20，000.
P`angChuanpursuedthemhotly，sayingtohimself：\"IknewthesemenofCh`iwerecowards：theirnumbershavealreadyfallenawaybymorethanhalf.\"Inhisretreat，SunPincametoanarrowdefile，withhecalculatedthathispursuerswouldreachafterdark.Herehehadatreestrippedofitsbark，andinscribeduponitthewords：\"UnderthistreeshallP`angChuandie.\"
Then，asnightbegantofall，heplacedastrongbodyofarchersinambushnearby，withorderstoshootdirectlytheysawalight.Lateron，P`angChuanarrivedatthespot，andnoticingthetree，struckalightinordertoreadwhatwaswrittenonit.
Hisbodywasimmediatelyriddledbyavolleyofarrows，andhiswholearmythrownintoconfusion.[TheaboveisTuMu’sversionofthestory;theSHIHCHI，lessdramaticallybutprobablywithmorehistoricaltruth，makesP`angChuancuthisownthroatwithanexclamationofdespair，aftertheroutofhisarmy.]]
Hesacrificessomething，thattheenemymaysnatchatit.
20.Byholdingoutbaits，hekeepshimonthemarch;thenwithabodyofpickedmenheliesinwaitforhim.
[WithanemendationsuggestedbyLiChing，thisthenreads，\"Heliesinwaitwiththemainbodyofhistroops.\"]
21.Theclevercombatantlookstotheeffectofcombinedenergy，anddoesnotrequiretoomuchfromindividuals.
[TuMusays：\"Hefirstofallconsidersthepowerofhisarmyinthebulk;afterwardshetakesindividualtalentintoaccount，anduseseachmenaccordingtohiscapabilities.Hedoesnotdemandperfectionfromtheuntalented.\"]
Hencehisabilitytopickouttherightmenandutilizecombinedenergy.
22.Whenheutilizescombinedenergy，hisfightingmenbecomeasitwerelikeuntorollinglogsorstones.Foritisthenatureofalogorstonetoremainmotionlessonlevelground，andtomovewhenonaslope;iffour—cornered，tocometoastandstill，butifround—shaped，togorollingdown.
[Ts`auKungcallsthis\"theuseofnaturalorinherentpower.\"]
23.Thustheenergydevelopedbygoodfightingmenisasthemomentumofaroundstonerolleddownamountainthousandsoffeetinheight.Somuchonthesubjectofenergy.
[Thechieflessonofthischapter，inTuMu’sopinion，istheparamountimportanceinwarofrapidevolutionsandsuddenrushes.\"Greatresults，\"headds，\"canthusbeachievedwithsmallforces.\"]
[1]\"Forty—oneYearsinIndia，\"chapter46.
VI.WEAKPOINTSANDSTRONG
[ChangYuattemptstoexplainthesequenceofchaptersasfollows：\"ChapterIV，onTacticalDispositions，treatedoftheoffensiveandthedefensive;chapterV，onEnergy，dealtwithdirectandindirectmethods.Thegoodgeneralacquaintshimselffirstwiththetheoryofattackanddefense，andthenturnshisattentiontodirectandindirectmethods.Hestudiestheartofvaryingandcombiningthesetwomethodsbeforeproceedingtothesubjectofweakandstrongpoints.Fortheuseofdirectorindirectmethodsarisesoutofattackanddefense，andtheperceptionofweakandstrongpointsdependsagainontheabovemethods.HencethepresentchaptercomesimmediatelyafterthechapteronEnergy.\"]
1.SunTzusaid：Whoeverisfirstinthefieldandawaitsthecomingoftheenemy，willbefreshforthefight;whoeverissecondinthefieldandhastohastentobattlewillarriveexhausted.
2.Thereforetheclevercombatantimposeshiswillontheenemy，butdoesnotallowtheenemy’swilltobeimposedonhim.
[Onemarkofagreatsoldieristhathefightonhisowntermsorfightsnotatall.[1]]
3.Byholdingoutadvantagestohim，hecancausetheenemytoapproachofhisownaccord;or，byinflictingdamage，hecanmakeitimpossiblefortheenemytodrawnear.
[Inthefirstcase，hewillenticehimwithabait;inthesecond，hewillstrikeatsomeimportantpointwhichtheenemywillhavetodefend.]
4.Iftheenemyistakinghisease，hecanharasshim;
[ThispassagemaybecitedasevidenceagainstMeiYao—
Ch`en’sinterpretationofI.ss.23.]
ifwellsuppliedwithfood，hecanstarvehimout;ifquietlyencamped，hecanforcehimtomove.
5.Appearatpointswhichtheenemymusthastentodefend;
marchswiftlytoplaceswhereyouarenotexpected.
6.Anarmymaymarchgreatdistanceswithoutdistress，ifitmarchesthroughcountrywheretheenemyisnot.
[Ts`aoKungsumsupverywell：\"Emergefromthevoid[q.d.
like\"aboltfromtheblue\"]，strikeatvulnerablepoints，shunplacesthataredefended，attackinunexpectedquarters.\"]
7.Youcanbesureofsucceedinginyourattacksifyouonlyattackplaceswhichareundefended.
[WangHsiexplains\"undefendedplaces\"as\"weakpoints;thatistosay，wherethegeneralislackingincapacity，orthesoldiersinspirit;wherethewallsarenotstrongenough，ortheprecautionsnotstrictenough;wherereliefcomestoolate，orprovisionsaretooscanty，orthedefendersarevarianceamongstthemselves.\"]
Youcanensurethesafetyofyourdefenseifyouonlyholdpositionsthatcannotbeattacked.
[I.e.，wheretherearenoneoftheweakpointsmentionedabove.Thereisratheranicepointinvolvedintheinterpretationofthislaterclause.TuMu，Ch`enHao，andMeiYao—ch`enassumethemeaningtobe：\"Inordertomakeyourdefensequitesafe，youmustdefendEVENthoseplacesthatarenotlikelytobeattacked;\"andTuMuadds：\"Howmuchmore，then，thosethatwillbeattacked.\"Takenthus，however，theclausebalanceslesswellwiththepreceding——alwaysaconsiderationinthehighlyantitheticalstylewhichisnaturaltotheChinese.ChangYu，therefore，seemstocomenearerthemarkinsaying：\"Hewhoisskilledinattackflashesforthfromthetopmostheightsofheaven[seeIV.ss.7]，makingitimpossiblefortheenemytoguardagainsthim.Thisbeingso，theplacesthatIshallattackarepreciselythosethattheenemycannotdefendHewhoisskilledindefensehidesinthemostsecretrecessesoftheearth，makingitimpossiblefortheenemytoestimatehiswhereabouts.Thisbeingso，theplacesthatI
shallholdarepreciselythosethattheenemycannotattack.\"]
8.Hencethatgeneralisskillfulinattackwhoseopponentdoesnotknowwhattodefend;andheisskillfulindefensewhoseopponentdoesnotknowwhattoattack.
[Anaphorismwhichputsthewholeartofwarinanutshell.]
9.Odivineartofsubtletyandsecrecy！Throughyouwelearntobeinvisible，throughyouinaudible;
[Literally，\"withoutformorsound，\"butitissaidofcoursewithreferencetotheenemy.]
andhencewecanholdtheenemy’sfateinourhands.
10.Youmayadvanceandbeabsolutelyirresistible，ifyoumakefortheenemy’sweakpoints;youmayretireandbesafefrompursuitifyourmovementsaremorerapidthanthoseoftheenemy.
11.Ifwewishtofight，theenemycanbeforcedtoanengagementeventhoughhebeshelteredbehindahighrampartandadeepditch.Allweneeddoisattacksomeotherplacethathewillbeobligedtorelieve.
[TuMusays：\"Iftheenemyistheinvadingparty，wecancuthislineofcommunicationsandoccupytheroadsbywhichhewillhavetoreturn;ifwearetheinvaders，wemaydirectourattackagainstthesovereignhimself.\"ItisclearthatSunTzu，unlikecertaingeneralsinthelateBoerwar，wasnobelieverinfrontalattacks.]
12.Ifwedonotwishtofight，wecanpreventtheenemyfromengaginguseventhoughthelinesofourencampmentbemerelytracedoutontheground.Allweneeddoistothrowsomethingoddandunaccountableinhisway.
[ThisextremelyconciseexpressionisintelligiblyparaphrasedbyChiaLin：\"eventhoughwehaveconstructedneitherwallnorditch.\"LiCh`uansays：\"wepuzzlehimbystrangeandunusualdispositions;\"andTuMufinallyclinchesthemeaningbythreeillustrativeanecdotes——oneofChu—koLiang，whowhenoccupyingYang—p`ingandabouttobeattackedbySsu—maI，suddenlystruckhiscolors，stoppedthebeatingofthedrums，andflungopenthecitygates，showingonlyafewmenengagedinsweepingandsprinklingtheground.Thisunexpectedproceedinghadtheintendedeffect;forSsu—maI，suspectinganambush，actuallydrewoffhisarmyandretreated.WhatSunTzuisadvocatinghere，therefore，isnothingmorenorlessthanthetimelyuseof\"bluff.\"]
13.Bydiscoveringtheenemy’sdispositionsandremaininginvisibleourselves，wecankeepourforcesconcentrated，whiletheenemy’smustbedivided.
[Theconclusionisperhapsnotveryobvious，butChangYu（afterMeiYao—ch`en）rightlyexplainsitthus：\"Iftheenemy’sdispositionsarevisible，wecanmakeforhiminonebody;
whereas，ourowndispositionsbeingkeptsecret，theenemywillbeobligedtodividehisforcesinordertoguardagainstattackfromeveryquarter.\"]
14.Wecanformasingleunitedbody，whiletheenemymustsplitupintofractions.Hencetherewillbeawholepittedagainstseparatepartsofawhole，whichmeansthatweshallbemanytotheenemy’sfew.
15.Andifweareablethustoattackaninferiorforcewithasuperiorone，ouropponentswillbeindirestraits.
16.Thespotwhereweintendtofightmustnotbemadeknown;forthentheenemywillhavetoprepareagainstapossibleattackatseveraldifferentpoints;
[SheridanonceexplainedthereasonofGeneralGrant’svictoriesbysayingthat\"whilehisopponentswerekeptfullyemployedwonderingwhathewasgoingtodo，HEwasthinkingmostofwhathewasgoingtodohimself.\"]
andhisforcesbeingthusdistributedinmanydirections，thenumbersweshallhavetofaceatanygivenpointwillbeproportionatelyfew.
17.Forshouldtheenemystrengthenhisvan，hewillweakenhisrear;shouldhestrengthenhisrear，hewillweakenhisvan;
shouldhestrengthenhisleft，hewillweakenhisright;shouldhestrengthenhisright，hewillweakenhisleft.Ifhesendsreinforcementseverywhere，hewilleverywherebeweak.
[InFredericktheGreat’sINSTRUCTIONSTOHISGENERALSweread：\"Adefensivewarisapttobetrayusintotoofrequentdetachment.Thosegeneralswhohavehadbutlittleexperienceattempttoprotecteverypoint，whilethosewhoarebetteracquaintedwiththeirprofession，havingonlythecapitalobjectinview，guardagainstadecisiveblow，andacquiesceinsmallmisfortunestoavoidgreater.\"]
18.Numericalweaknesscomesfromhavingtoprepareagainstpossibleattacks;numericalstrength，fromcompellingouradversarytomakethesepreparationsagainstus.
[Thehighestgeneralship，inCol.Henderson’swords，is\"tocompeltheenemytodispersehisarmy，andthentoconcentratesuperiorforceagainsteachfractioninturn.\"]
19.Knowingtheplaceandthetimeofthecomingbattle，wemayconcentratefromthegreatestdistancesinordertofight.
[WhatSunTzuevidentlyhasinmindisthatnicecalculationofdistancesandthatmasterlyemploymentofstrategywhichenableageneraltodividehisarmyforthepurposeofalongandrapidmarch，andafterwardstoeffectajunctionatpreciselytherightspotandtherighthourinordertoconfronttheenemyinoverwhelmingstrength.Amongmanysuchsuccessfuljunctionswhichmilitaryhistoryrecords，oneofthemostdramaticanddecisivewastheappearanceofBlucherjustatthecriticalmomentonthefieldofWaterloo.]
20.Butifneithertimenorplacebeknown，thentheleftwingwillbeimpotenttosuccortheright，therightequallyimpotenttosuccortheleft，thevanunabletorelievetherear，orthereartosupportthevan.HowmuchmoresoifthefurthestportionsofthearmyareanythingunderahundredLIapart，andeventhenearestareseparatedbyseveralLI！
[TheChineseofthislastsentenceisalittlelackinginprecision，butthementalpicturewearerequiredtodrawisprobablythatofanarmyadvancingtowardsagivenrendezvousinseparatecolumns，eachofwhichhasorderstobethereonafixeddate.Ifthegeneralallowsthevariousdetachmentstoproceedathaphazard，withoutpreciseinstructionsastothetimeandplaceofmeeting，theenemywillbeabletoannihilatethearmyindetail.ChangYu’snotemaybeworthquotinghere：\"Ifwedonotknowtheplacewhereouropponentsmeantoconcentrateorthedayonwhichtheywilljoinbattle，ourunitywillbeforfeitedthroughourpreparationsfordefense，andthepositionsweholdwillbeinsecure.Suddenlyhappeninguponapowerfulfoe，weshallbebroughttobattleinaflurriedcondition，andnomutualsupportwillbepossiblebetweenwings，vanguardorrear，especiallyifthereisanygreatdistancebetweentheforemostandhindmostdivisionsofthearmy.\"]
21.ThoughaccordingtomyestimatethesoldiersofYuehexceedourowninnumber，thatshalladvantagethemnothinginthematterofvictory.Isaythenthatvictorycanbeachieved.
[Alasforthesebravewords！Thelongfeudbetweenthetwostatesendedin473B.C.withthetotaldefeatofWubyKouChienanditsincorporationinYueh.ThiswasdoubtlesslongafterSunTzu’sdeath.WithhispresentassertioncompareIV.ss.4.
ChangYuistheonlyonetopointouttheseemingdiscrepancy，whichhethusgoesontoexplain：\"InthechapteronTacticalDispositionsitissaid，’OnemayKNOWhowtoconquerwithoutbeingabletoDOit，’whereasherewehavethestatementthat’victory’canbeachieved.’Theexplanationis，thatintheformerchapter，wheretheoffensiveanddefensiveareunderdiscussion，itissaidthatiftheenemyisfullyprepared，onecannotmakecertainofbeatinghim.ButthepresentpassagerefersparticularlytothesoldiersofYuehwho，accordingtoSunTzu’scalculations，willbekeptinignoranceofthetimeandplaceoftheimpendingstruggle.Thatiswhyhesaysherethatvictorycanbeachieved.\"]
22.Thoughtheenemybestrongerinnumbers，wemaypreventhimfromfighting.Schemesoastodiscoverhisplansandthelikelihoodoftheirsuccess.
[AnalternativereadingofferedbyChiaLinis：\"Knowbeforehandallplansconducivetooursuccessandtotheenemy’sfailure.\"
23.Rousehim，andlearntheprincipleofhisactivityorinactivity.
[ChangYutellsusthatbynotingthejoyorangershownbytheenemyonbeingthusdisturbed，weshallbeabletoconcludewhetherhispolicyistolieloworthereverse.HeinstancestheactionofCho—kuLiang，whosentthescornfulpresentofawoman’shead—dresstoSsu—maI，inordertogoadhimoutofhisFabiantactics.]
Forcehimtorevealhimself，soastofindouthisvulnerablespots.
24.Carefullycomparetheopposingarmywithyourown，sothatyoumayknowwherestrengthissuperabundantandwhereitisdeficient.
[Cf.IV.ss.6.]
25.Inmakingtacticaldispositions，thehighestpitchyoucanattainistoconcealthem;
[Thepiquancyoftheparadoxevaporatesintranslation.
Concealmentisperhapsnotsomuchactualinvisibility（seesuprass.9）as\"showingnosign\"ofwhatyoumeantodo，oftheplansthatareformedinyourbrain.]
concealyourdispositions，andyouwillbesafefromthepryingofthesubtlestspies，fromthemachinationsofthewisestbrains.
[TuMuexplains：\"Thoughtheenemymayhavecleverandcapableofficers，theywillnotbeabletolayanyplansagainstus.\"]
26.Howvictorymaybeproducedforthemoutoftheenemy’sowntactics——thatiswhatthemultitudecannotcomprehend.
27.AllmencanseethetacticswherebyIconquer，butwhatnonecanseeisthestrategyoutofwhichvictoryisevolved.
[I.e.，everybodycanseesuperficiallyhowabattleiswon;
whattheycannotseeisthelongseriesofplansandcombinationswhichhasprecededthebattle.]
28.Donotrepeatthetacticswhichhavegainedyouonevictory，butletyourmethodsberegulatedbytheinfinitevarietyofcircumstances.
[AsWangHsisagelyremarks：\"Thereisbutoneroot—
principleunderlyingvictory，butthetacticswhichleaduptoitareinfiniteinnumber.\"WiththiscompareCol.Henderson：\"Therulesofstrategyarefewandsimple.Theymaybelearnedinaweek.Theymaybetaughtbyfamiliarillustrationsoradozendiagrams.ButsuchknowledgewillnomoreteachamantoleadanarmylikeNapoleonthanaknowledgeofgrammarwillteachhimtowritelikeGibbon.\"]
29.Militarytacticsarelikeuntowater;forwaterinitsnaturalcourserunsawayfromhighplacesandhastensdownwards.
30.Soinwar，thewayistoavoidwhatisstrongandtostrikeatwhatisweak.
[Likewater，takingthelineofleastresistance.]
31.Watershapesitscourseaccordingtothenatureofthegroundoverwhichitflows;thesoldierworksouthisvictoryinrelationtothefoewhomheisfacing.
32.Therefore，justaswaterretainsnoconstantshape，soinwarfaretherearenoconstantconditions.
33.Hewhocanmodifyhistacticsinrelationtohisopponentandtherebysucceedinwinning，maybecalledaheaven—
borncaptain.
34.Thefiveelements（water，fire，wood，metal，earth）arenotalwaysequallypredominant;
[Thatis，asWangHsisays：\"theypredominatealternately.\"]
thefourseasonsmakewayforeachotherinturn.
[Literally，\"havenoinvariableseat.\"]
Thereareshortdaysandlong;themoonhasitsperiodsofwaningandwaxing.
[Cf.V.ss.6.ThepurportofthepassageissimplytoillustratethewantoffixityinwarbythechangesconstantlytakingplaceinNature.Thecomparisonisnotveryhappy，however，becausetheregularityofthephenomenawhichSunTzumentionsisbynomeansparalleledinwar.]
[1]SeeCol.Henderson’sbiographyofStonewallJackson，1902
ed.，vol.II，p.490.
VII.MANEUVERING
1.SunTzusaid：Inwar，thegeneralreceiveshiscommandsfromthesovereign.
2.Havingcollectedanarmyandconcentratedhisforces，hemustblendandharmonizethedifferentelementsthereofbeforepitchinghiscamp.
[\"ChangYusays：\"theestablishmentofharmonyandconfidencebetweenthehigherandlowerranksbeforeventuringintothefield;\"andhequotesasayingofWuTzu（chap.1adinit.）：\"WithoutharmonyintheState，nomilitaryexpeditioncanbeundertaken;withoutharmonyinthearmy，nobattlearraycanbeformed.\"InanhistoricalromanceSunTzuisrepresentedassayingtoWuYuan：\"Asageneralrule，thosewhoarewagingwarshouldgetridofallthedomestictroublesbeforeproceedingtoattacktheexternalfoe.\"]
3.Afterthat，comestacticalmaneuvering，thanwhichthereisnothingmoredifficult.
[IhavedepartedslightlyfromthetraditionalinterpretationofTs`aoKung，whosays：\"Fromthetimeofreceivingthesovereign’sinstructionsuntilourencampmentoveragainsttheenemy，thetacticstobepursuedaremostdifficult.\"
Itseemstomethatthetacticsormaneuverscanhardlybesaidtobeginuntilthearmyhassalliedforthandencamped，andCh`ienHao’snotegivescolortothisview：\"Forlevying，concentrating，harmonizingandentrenchinganarmy，thereareplentyofoldruleswhichwillserve.Therealdifficultycomeswhenweengageintacticaloperations.\"TuYualsoobservesthat\"thegreatdifficultyistobebeforehandwiththeenemyinseizingfavorableposition.\"]
Thedifficultyoftacticalmaneuveringconsistsinturningthedeviousintothedirect，andmisfortuneintogain.
[ThissentencecontainsoneofthosehighlycondensedandsomewhatenigmaticalexpressionsofwhichSunTzuissofond.
ThisishowitisexplainedbyTs`aoKung：\"Makeitappearthatyouarealongwayoff，thencoverthedistancerapidlyandarriveonthescenebeforeyouropponent.\"TuMusays：
\"Hoodwinktheenemy，sothathemayberemissandleisurelywhileyouaredashingalongwithutmostspeed.\"HoShihgivesaslightlydifferentturn：\"Althoughyoumayhavedifficultgroundtotraverseandnaturalobstaclestoencounterthisisadrawbackwhichcanbeturnedintoactualadvantagebycelerityofmovement.\"SignalexamplesofthissayingareaffordedbythetwofamouspassagesacrosstheAlps——thatofHannibal，whichlaidItalyathismercy，andthatofNapoleontwothousandyearslater，whichresultedinthegreatvictoryofMarengo.]
4.Thus，totakealongandcircuitousroute，afterenticingtheenemyoutoftheway，andthoughstartingafterhim，tocontrivetoreachthegoalbeforehim，showsknowledgeoftheartificeofDEVIATION.
[TuMucitesthefamousmarchofChaoShein270B.C.torelievethetownofO—yu，whichwascloselyinvestedbyaCh`inarmy.TheKingofChaofirstconsultedLienP`oontheadvisabilityofattemptingarelief，butthelatterthoughtthedistancetoogreat，andtheinterveningcountrytooruggedanddifficult.HisMajestythenturnedtoChaoShe，whofullyadmittedthehazardousnatureofthemarch，butfinallysaid：
\"Weshallbeliketworatsfightinginawhole——andthepluckieronewillwin！\"Soheleftthecapitalwithhisarmy，buthadonlygoneadistanceof30LIwhenhestoppedandbeganthrowingupentrenchments.For28dayshecontinuedstrengtheninghisfortifications，andtookcarethatspiesshouldcarrytheintelligencetotheenemy.TheCh`ingeneralwasoverjoyed，andattributedhisadversary’stardinesstothefactthatthebeleagueredcitywasintheHanState，andthusnotactuallypartofChaoterritory.ButthespieshadnosoonerdepartedthanChaoShebeganaforcedmarchlastingfortwodaysandonenight，andarriveonthesceneofactionwithsuchastonishingrapiditythathewasabletooccupyacommandingpositiononthe\"Northhill\"beforetheenemyhadgotwindofhismovements.AcrushingdefeatfollowedfortheCh`inforces，whowereobligedtoraisethesiegeofO—yuinallhasteandretreatacrosstheborder.]
5.Maneuveringwithanarmyisadvantageous;withanundisciplinedmultitude，mostdangerous.
[IadoptthereadingoftheT`UNGTIEN，ChengYu—hsienandtheT`USHU，sincetheyappeartoapplytheexactnuancerequiredinordertomakesense.Thecommentatorsusingthestandardtexttakethislinetomeanthatmaneuversmaybeprofitable，ortheymaybedangerous：italldependsontheabilityofthegeneral.]
6.Ifyousetafullyequippedarmyinmarchinordertosnatchanadvantage，thechancesarethatyouwillbetoolate.
Ontheotherhand，todetachaflyingcolumnforthepurposeinvolvesthesacrificeofitsbaggageandstores.
[SomeoftheChinesetextisunintelligibletotheChinesecommentators，whoparaphrasethesentence.Isubmitmyownrenderingwithoutmuchenthusiasm，beingconvincedthatthereissomedeep—seatedcorruptioninthetext.Onthewhole，itisclearthatSunTzudoesnotapproveofalengthymarchbeingundertakenwithoutsupplies.Cf.infra，ss.11.]
7.Thus，ifyouorderyourmentorolluptheirbuff—coats，andmakeforcedmarcheswithouthaltingdayornight，coveringdoubletheusualdistanceatastretch，[Theordinaryday’smarch，accordingtoTuMu，was30LI;
butononeoccasion，whenpursuingLiuPei，Ts`aoTs`aoissaidtohavecoveredtheincredibledistanceof300_li_withintwenty—fourhours.]
doingahundredLIinordertowrestanadvantage，theleadersofallyourthreedivisionswillfallintothehandsoftheenemy.
8.Thestrongermenwillbeinfront，thejadedoneswillfallbehind，andonthisplanonlyone—tenthofyourarmywillreachitsdestination.
[Themoralis，asTs`aoKungandotherspointout：Don’tmarchahundredLItogainatacticaladvantage，eitherwithorwithoutimpedimenta.Maneuversofthisdescriptionshouldbeconfinedtoshortdistances.StonewallJacksonsaid：\"Thehardshipsofforcedmarchesareoftenmorepainfulthanthedangersofbattle.\"Hedidnotoftencalluponhistroopsforextraordinaryexertions.Itwasonlywhenheintendedasurprise，orwhenarapidretreatwasimperative，thathesacrificedeverythingforspeed.[1]]
9.IfyoumarchfiftyLIinordertooutmaneuvertheenemy，youwilllosetheleaderofyourfirstdivision，andonlyhalfyourforcewillreachthegoal.
[Literally，\"theleaderofthefirstdivisionwillbeTORNAWAY.\"]
10.IfyoumarchthirtyLIwiththesameobject，two—thirdsofyourarmywillarrive.
[IntheT`UNGTIENisadded：\"Fromthiswemayknowthedifficultyofmaneuvering.\"]
11.Wemaytakeitthenthatanarmywithoutitsbaggage—
trainislost;withoutprovisionsitislost;withoutbasesofsupplyitislost.
[IthinkSunTzumeant\"storesaccumulatedindepots.\"ButTuYusays\"fodderandthelike，\"ChangYusays\"Goodsingeneral，\"andWangHsisays\"fuel，salt，foodstuffs，etc.\"]
12.Wecannotenterintoalliancesuntilweareacquaintedwiththedesignsofourneighbors.
13.Wearenotfittoleadanarmyonthemarchunlesswearefamiliarwiththefaceofthecountry——itsmountainsandforests，itspitfallsandprecipices，itsmarshesandswamps.
14.Weshallbeunabletoturnnaturaladvantagetoaccountunlesswemakeuseoflocalguides.