第 12 章 火攻篇

Sunzi said, there are five targets for attacking the enemy with fire.

The first type is to burn the enemy's soldiers and horses.

The second type is to burn the enemy's stored grain and fodder.

The third type is to burn the enemy's weapons and vehicles.

The fourth type is to burn the enemy's warehouses.

The fifth type is to burn the enemy's transportation roads and tools.

To want to attack the enemy with fire, one must prepare the tools for setting fires.

Also, one must choose suitable times and dates.

Suitable time refers to when the weather is dry.

Suitable date refers to the days when the moon moves to the positions of the four constellations Ji, Bi, Yi, and Zhen.

When the moon moves to these four positions, it often becomes windy.

Whenever using fire attacks, it is necessary to deploy troops in coordination based on the changes in circumstances caused by these five types of fire attacks.

If setting fire from within the enemy's ranks, troops must be dispatched in advance to provide support from the outside.

If the fire has already started, but the enemy remains calm, observe and wait, and do not attack immediately.

Wait until the fire is at its peak, then assess the situation.

If an attack is possible, then attack; if not, then stop.

Fire can also be set from the outside.

When setting fire from the outside, there is no need to wait for internal support.

As long as the timing and conditions are suitable, fire can be set.

If the fire is burning in the upwind direction, do not attack from the downwind direction.

If the wind blows for a long time during the day, it will stop at night.

The army must understand the variations of these five methods of fire attack, wait for suitable conditions, and then carry out the fire attack.

Using fire to assist in the attack has obvious effects and makes it easy to achieve victory.

Using water to assist in the attack can make the offensive stronger.

Water can cut off the enemy"s connections, but it cannot burn the enemy"s stored supplies like fire can.

Whenever a victory is won and land and cities are occupied, but the victory cannot be consolidated, this is very dangerous.

This situation is called "fei liu" (wasteful retention).

Therefore, a wise ruler must carefully consider this issue.

Excellent generals must also seriously handle this issue.

If it is not beneficial to the country, do not take military action.

If there is no certainty of victory, do not use troops casually.

Do not easily start a war until it is extremely critical.

The ruler of a state cannot launch a war because of temporary anger.

The general cannot engage in battle with the enemy because of temporary resentment.

Act if it aligns with the national interest, and stop if it does not align with the national interest.

After anger, one can become happy again; after resentment, one can also become happy again.

However, once a state is destroyed, it cannot exist again; once a person dies, they cannot come back to life.

Therefore, a wise ruler must be extremely cautious in dealing with war.

An excellent general must be extremely vigilant in dealing with war.

This is the key to stabilizing the state and preserving the army.