第 7 章 军争篇

Sun Tzu said, the hardest thing for a general to lead troops in battle is to arrive at the battlefield before the enemy.

Sometimes, taking a longer route can actually lead to a faster arrival.

Therefore, I take the longer route and use small benefits to deceive the enemy.

The enemy does not know where I am going, so I can arrive at the battlefield first.

Those who understand this principle can achieve victory.

However, arriving at the battlefield first also has dangers.

If carrying all the baggage, the army will move slowly.

If abandoning the baggage, the equipment will be lost.

If running too fast, the soldiers will become tired, and many will not be able to arrive.

Running one hundred li, only one-tenth of the people can arrive.

Running fifty li, only half of the people can arrive.

Running thirty li, two-thirds of the people can arrive.

If the army has no luggage, food, and supplies, it cannot fight a battle.

Therefore, if you do not know what other countries think, do not make friends with them.

If you do not know the terrain of mountains and swamps, you cannot march.

Without a guide, you cannot make good use of the terrain.

Fighting a battle requires using strategy, deciding how to act based on the situation.

When fast, be as fast as the wind.

When slow, be as steady as a tree.

When attacking a city, be as fierce as fire.

When defending, be as solid as a mountain.

When hiding, be as invisible as clouds.

When moving out, be as loud as thunder.

To seize the enemy's possessions, divide the troops to do it.

To occupy the enemy's territory, divide the troops to hold it.

All these depend on how to do it advantageously.

Whoever first understands the principle of taking long and short routes can win.

This is the method of arriving at the battlefield first.

Ancient books say that during battle, soldiers cannot hear speech, so gongs and drums are used.

Soldiers cannot see movements, so flags are used.

Gongs, drums, and flags allow soldiers to hear the same commands and see the same signals.

In this way, brave people will not rush out on their own, and timid people will not retreat on their own.

This is the method for commanding a large army.

When fighting at night, light more torches and beat more drums.

When fighting during the day, plant more flags.

This can make the enemy unable to see clearly or hear clearly.

The enemy's army can be made to lose their courage.

The enemy's general can be made to lose his confidence.

When the enemy comes in the morning, their morale is high.

At noon, people are tired, and morale is low.

In the evening, people want to go home, and morale becomes even lower.

Those who know how to fight avoid enemies with high morale and wait until their morale is low before attacking.

This is the method of using morale.

Use an army with good discipline to fight an enemy with chaotic discipline.

Use a stable army to fight a panicked enemy.

Use a well-rested army to fight an enemy tired from traveling.

Use a well-fed army to fight a hungry enemy.

This is using one's own strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses.

Do not attack an enemy with neat flags.

Do not attack an enemy with a neat formation.

This is to see the situation change.

Therefore, the principle of using troops is:

If the enemy is in a high place, do not attack from below upward.

If the enemy pretends to flee, do not pursue.

If it is the enemy's elite troops, do not fight hard.

If it is a small unit used by the enemy to deceive, do not greedily pursue.

If the enemy is returning home, do not block them.

When surrounding the enemy, leave an exit.

If the enemy has no way to go, do not press too hard.

These are the basic principles of warfare.