第 4 章 军形篇

Sunzi said, ancient people who were good at warfare always first made themselves strong, would not be defeated by the enemy, then waited for the enemy to show weaknesses, and then went to defeat them.

To make oneself not be defeated by the enemy, this relies on one's own efforts; being able to defeat the enemy is because the enemy themselves made mistakes.

Therefore, people who are good at warfare can ensure they are not defeated by the enemy, but cannot guarantee they can definitely defeat the enemy.

Thus, victory can be anticipated in advance, but cannot be forced.

When one is very strong and will not be defeated by the enemy, one can defend; when the enemy shows weaknesses, one can attack.

Defense relies on one's own powerful strength; attack targets the enemy's weaknesses, so that one strike can win.

People who are skilled at defense are like hiding underground, making the enemy unable to see them; people who are skilled at attack are like suddenly descending from the sky, making the enemy unprepared.

In this way, one can both protect oneself well and achieve complete victory.

If a victory that one foresees can also be thought of by others, that is not the wisest.

Winning only after intense battles, with everyone praising it, that is also not the best.

Just as lifting a very light feather does not count as great strength, seeing the sun and moon does not count as good eyesight, and hearing thunder does not count as good hearing.

In ancient times, those who were good at warfare always went to defeat enemies who were easy to defeat.

Therefore, their victories had neither the reputation of wisdom nor the merit of bravery.

They did not make mistakes in warfare because their actions were certain to win, going to defeat enemies who were already in a defeated position.

Those who are good at warfare always first put themselves in an invincible position, while not missing any opportunity to defeat the enemy.

Therefore, a victorious army first has the conditions for certain victory, and then goes to war; a defeated army first engages the enemy in battle, and then hopes to win by luck in the fight.

Those who are good at warfare always pay attention to good governance, ensuring the army has strict discipline, so they can control the outcome of war.

In military warfare, five things must be noted: first, the size of the land; second, the amount of supplies; third, the number and combat effectiveness of soldiers; fourth, the comparison of strengths between both sides; fifth, the possibility of victory or defeat.

The size of the land determines the amount of supplies, the amount of supplies determines the number and quality of soldiers, the number and quality of soldiers determine the combat effectiveness of the troops, and the combat effectiveness of the troops determines the possibility of victory or defeat.

Therefore, a victorious army is like using a very heavy thing to strike a very light thing, using strong power to defeat a weak enemy; a defeated army is like using a very light thing to strike a very heavy thing, using weak power to confront a strong enemy.

A wise person commands an army in battle, just like opening the accumulated water on a very high mountain; the water rushes down all at once, with immense force, and this is powerful military strength.