第 10 章 地形篇

Sunzi said, there are six types of terrain, which are tong, gua, zhi, ai, xian, and yuan.

The first type is tong.

A place where we can go, and the enemy can also come, is called tong.

In such a place, one should first occupy high ground, facing the sun, and also ensure that the roads for transporting provisions are unobstructed.

In this way, fighting the enemy is advantageous for us.

The second type is gua.

A place where one can advance, but it is not easy to return, is called gua.

In such a place, if the enemy is unprepared, we should launch a sudden attack and defeat them.

If the enemy is prepared, and our attack cannot achieve victory, it will be difficult to return, which is disadvantageous for us.

The third type is zhi.

A place where it is unfavorable for us to attack and also unfavorable for the enemy to attack is called a "branch".

In such a place, even if the enemy uses benefits to lure us, we should not attack.

The best method is to lead the army to pretend to leave, and when half of the enemy has come out, we suddenly attack them.

This is advantageous for us.

The fourth type is the "narrow pass".

In a narrow mountain pass area, if we occupy it first, we must use many soldiers to guard the pass and wait for the enemy to attack.

If the enemy occupies the pass first and uses many soldiers to guard it, we should not attack.

If the enemy does not use many soldiers to guard the pass, we must quickly capture it.

The fifth type is the "dangerous terrain".

In dangerous mountainous terrain, if we occupy it first, we must occupy a high position facing the sun and wait for the enemy.

If the enemy occupies it first, we should actively retreat and not attack.

The sixth type is far.

In a place far away from us, if the strength of both sides is similar, we should not actively challenge.

If we force ourselves to fight, it is disadvantageous to us.

The above six points are the principles of utilizing terrain.

This is an important responsibility of the general, and must be studied carefully.

There are six situations in which the army fails, namely: fleeing, slackness, collapse, disintegration, disorder, and defeat.

These six situations are not caused by bad weather, but by the general's fault.

The first type is fleeing.

In a situation where the conditions of both sides are similar, if we attack an enemy ten times larger than ourselves and thus fail, it is called fleeing.

The second type is slackness.

The soldiers are strong, but the officers are weak, therefore they fail, and it is called slackness.

The third type is collapse.

The officers are highly skilled, but the soldiers are very timid, therefore they fail, and it is called collapse.

The fourth type is disintegration.

The subordinate general is very angry, does not obey orders, and goes out to fight the enemy on his own when encountered, and the commander-in-chief does not understand his abilities and cannot control him, therefore they fail, and it is called disintegration.

The fifth type is chaos.

The commander-in-chief is very weak, lacks authority, training and education are unclear, the soldiers do not know what to do, and the troops are in chaos, therefore they fail, and it is called chaos.

The sixth type is defeat.

The commander-in-chief cannot correctly judge the enemy's situation, uses a small army to fight a large army, uses a weak army to fight a strong army, and does not have elite troops as the main force, therefore they fail, and it is called defeat.

The above six situations will definitely cause the army to fail.

This is the general's major responsibility and must be studied seriously.

Terrain is an auxiliary condition for using troops in battle.

Correctly judging the enemy's situation, formulating a plan for victory, studying the dangers and flatness of the terrain, and calculating the distance of the roads are all the general's duties.

Understanding these principles to command the battle will definitely lead to victory.

Not understanding these principles to command the battle will definitely lead to failure.

Therefore, if based on the actual situation on the battlefield, there is indeed confidence in winning, even if the monarch orders not to fight, one can resolutely fight.

If based on the actual situation on the battlefield, one cannot win, even if the monarch orders to fight, one can choose not to fight.

As a general, one should do this: when advancing, do not greedily seek the credit and reputation of victory; when retreating, do not fear taking responsibility.

Only seek to preserve the country and the army, in line with the fundamental interests of the monarch.

Such a general is the most precious talent of the country.

If the general treats the soldiers as if caring for infants, the soldiers can follow the general to any dangerous place.

If the general treats the soldiers as if they were his own beloved sons, the soldiers can live and die together with the general.

However, if you are too good to the soldiers but cannot use them; love them too much but cannot command them; and they violate discipline but cannot be dealt with seriously.

Such an army, like a spoiled child, cannot be used for fighting.

If you only know that your own army can fight, but do not know that the enemy's army cannot fight, the possibility of victory is only half.

If you only know that the enemy's army can be fought, but do not know that your own army cannot fight, the possibility of victory is also only half.

If you know that the enemy's army can be fought, and also know that your own army can fight, but do not know that the terrain conditions are not suitable for fighting, the certainty of victory remains only half.

Therefore, a general who truly understands warfare, when he acts, his goals are clear and not confusing.

The methods he adopts are varied and not rigid.

Therefore, it is said: Understand the enemy, understand yourself, and you can achieve victory without failure.

Understand the timing of heaven, understand the advantages of terrain, and victory will be endless.