Read Ebook: Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the World by Sunzi Active Th Century B C Giles Lionel Translator

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 935 lines and 32515 words, and 19 pages

Bestow rewards without regard to rule,

Wu Tz? less wisely says: ???????? "Let advance be richly rewarded and retreat be heavily punished."

issue orders

?, literally, "hang" or "post up."

without regard to previous arrangements;

and you will be able to handle a whole army

?, according to Ts'ao Kung, is here equal to ?. The exact meaning is brought out more clearly in the next paragraph.

as though you had to do with but a single man.

Cf. supra, ? 34.

Confront your soldiers with the deed itself; never let them know your design.

When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy.

Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.

For it is precisely when a force has fallen into harm's way that it is capable of striking a blow for victory.

Danger has a bracing effect.

Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.

Ts'ao Kung says: ??? "Feign stupidity"--by an appearance of yielding and falling in with the enemy's wishes. Chang Y?'s note makes the meaning clear: "If the enemy shows an inclination to advance, lure him on to do so; if he is anxious to retreat, delay on purpose that he may carry out his intention." The object is to make him remiss and contemptuous before we deliver our attack.

we shall succeed in the long run

in killing the commander-in-chief.

Always a great point with the Chinese.

This is called ability to accomplish a thing by sheer cunning.

On the day that you take up your command,

block the frontier passes,

? is explained by Mei Yao-ch'?n as ??.

destroy the official tallies,

and stop the passage of all emissaries.

Either to or from the enemy's country.

Be stern in the council-chamber,

so that you may control the situation.

Ts'ao Kung explains ? by ?, and Ho Shih by ??. Another reading is ?, and Mei Yao-ch'?n, adopting this, understands the whole sentence to mean: Take the strictest precautions to ensure secrecy in your deliberations. Capt. Calthrop glides rather too smoothly over the rough places. His translation is: "conduct the business of the government with vigilance."

If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.

This looks a very simple sentence, yet Ts'ao Kung is the only commentator who takes it as I have done. M?ng Shih, followed by Mei Yao-ch'?n and Chang Y?, defines ?? as ?? "spies," and makes ? an active verb: "If spies come from the enemy, we must quickly let them in." But I cannot find that the words ?? have this meaning anywhere else. On the other hand, they may be taken as two verbs, ????, expressing the enemy's indecision whether to advance or retreat, that being the best moment to attack him. It is not easy to choose between this and Ts'ao Kung's explanation; the fact that ???? occurs shortly afterwards, in ? 68, might be adduced in support of either. ? must be understood in the sense of ? or ?. The only way to avoid this is to put ?? between commas and translate: "If we leave a door open, the enemy is sure to rush in."

Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear,

and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the ground.

Capt. Calthrop hardly attempts to translate this difficult paragraph, but invents the following instead: "Discover what he most values, and plan to seize it." Ch'?n Hao's explanation, however, is clear enough: ?????????????????????? ?????????????????? "If I manage to seize a favourable position, but the enemy does not appear on the scene, the advantage thus obtained cannot be turned to any practical account. He who intends, therefore, to occupy a position of importance to the enemy, must begin by making an artful appointment, so to speak, with his antagonist, and cajole him into going there as well." Mei Yao-ch'?n explains that this "artful appointment" is to be made through the medium of the enemy's own spies, who will carry back just the amount of information that we choose to give them. Then, having cunningly disclosed our intentions, ??????? "we must manage, though starting after the enemy, to arrive before him" . We must start after him in order to ensure his marching thither; we must arrive before him in order to capture the place without trouble. Taken thus, the present passage lends some support to Mei Yao-ch'?n's interpretation of ? 47.

Walk in the path defined by rule,

and accommodate yourself to the enemy until you can fight a decisive battle.

The last four words of the Chinese are omitted by Capt. Calthrop. Tu Mu says: ???????????????? "Conform to the enemy's tactics until a favourable opportunity offers; then come forth and engage in a battle that shall prove decisive."

At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you.

As the hare is noted for its extreme timidity, the comparison hardly appears felicitous. But of course Sun Tz? was thinking only of its speed. The words have been taken to mean: You must flee from the enemy as quickly as an escaping hare; but this is rightly rejected by Tu Mu. Capt. Calthrop is wrong in translating ? "rabbit." Rabbits are not indigenous to China, and were certainly not known there in the 6th century B.C. The last sixteen characters evidently form a sort of four-line jingle. Chap. X, it may be remembered, closed in similar fashion.

THE ATTACK BY FIRE.

Rather more than half the chapter is devoted to the subject of fire, after which the author branches off into other topics.

Sun Tz? said: There are five ways of attacking with fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp;

So Tu Mu. Li Ch'?an says: ???????? "Set fire to the camp, and kill the soldiers" . Pan Ch'ao, sent on a diplomatic mission to the King of Shan-shan , found himself placed in extreme peril by the unexpected arrival of an envoy from the Hsiung-nu . In consultation with his officers, he exclaimed: "'Never venture, never win! The only course open to us now is to make an assault by fire on the barbarians under cover of night, when they will not be able to discern our numbers. Profiting by their panic, we shall exterminate them completely; this will cool the King's courage and cover us with glory, besides ensuring the success of our mission.' The officers all replied that it would be necessary to discuss the matter first with the Intendant . Pan Ch'ao then fell into a passion: 'It is to-day,' he cried, 'that our fortunes must be decided! The Intendant is only a humdrum civilian, who on hearing of our project will certainly be afraid, and everything will be brought to light. An inglorious death is no worthy fate for valiant warriors.' All then agreed to do as he wished. Accordingly, as soon as night came on, he and his little band quickly made their way to the barbarian camp. A strong gale was blowing at the time. Pan Ch'ao ordered ten of the party to take drums and hide behind the enemy's barracks, it being arranged that when they saw flames shoot up, they should begin drumming and yelling with all their might. The rest of his men, armed with bows and crossbows, he posted in ambuscade at the gate of the camp. He then set fire to the place from the windward side, whereupon a deafening noise of drums and shouting arose on the front and rear of the Hsiung-nu, who rushed out pell-mell in frantic disorder. Pan Ch'ao slew three of them with his own hand, while his companions cut off the heads of the envoy and thirty of his suite. The remainder, more than a hundred in all, perished in the flames. On the following day, Pan Ch'ao went back and informed ?? Kuo Hs?n of what he had done. The latter was greatly alarmed and turned pale. But Pan Ch'ao, divining his thoughts, said with uplifted hand: 'Although you did not go with us last night, I should not think, Sir, of taking sole credit for our exploit.' This satisfied Kuo Hs?n, and Pan Ch'ao, having sent for Kuang, King of Shan-shan, showed him the head of the barbarian envoy. The whole kingdom was seized with fear and trembling, which Pan Ch'ao took steps to allay by issuing a public proclamation. Then, taking the king's son as hostage, he returned to make his report to ?? Tou Ku."

the second is to burn stores;

Tu Mu says: ???? "Provisions, fuel and fodder." In order to subdue the rebellious population of Kiangnan, ?? Kao K?ng recommended W?n Ti of the Sui dynasty to make periodical raids and burn their stores of grain, a policy which in the long run proved entirely successful.

the third is to burn baggage-trains;

An example given is the destruction of ?? Y?an Shao's waggons and impedimenta by Ts'ao Ts'ao in 200 A.D.

the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines;

the fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy.

In order to carry out an attack with fire, we must have means available.

Ts'ao Kung thinks that ?? "traitors in the enemy's camp" are referred to. He thus takes ? as the efficient cause only. But Ch'?n Hao is more likely to be right in saying: ???????? "We must have favourable circumstances in general, not merely traitors to help us." Chia Lin says: ??? "We must avail ourselves of wind and dry weather."

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet