[LiCh`uanaddsthecomment："Itisliketyingtogetherthelegsofathoroughbred，sothatitisunabletogallop."Onewouldnaturallythinkof"theruler"inthispassageasbeingathome，andtryingtodirectthemovementsofhisarmyfromadistance.Butthecommentatorsunderstandjustthereverse，andquotethesayingofT`aiKung："Akingdomshouldnotbegovernedfromwithout，andarmyshouldnotbedirectedfromwithin."Ofcourseitistruethat，duringanengagement，orwheninclosetouchwiththeenemy，thegeneralshouldnotbeinthethickofhisowntroops，butalittledistanceapart.
Otherwise，hewillbeliabletomisjudgethepositionasawhole，andgivewrongorders.]
14.（2）Byattemptingtogovernanarmyinthesamewayasheadministersakingdom，beingignorantoftheconditionswhichobtaininanarmy.Thiscausesrestlessnessinthesoldier’sminds.
[Ts`aoKung’snoteis，freelytranslated："Themilitarysphereandthecivilspherearewhollydistinct;youcan’thandleanarmyinkidgloves."AndChangYusays："Humanityandjusticearetheprinciplesonwhichtogovernastate，butnotanarmy;opportunismandflexibility，ontheotherhand，aremilitaryratherthancivilvirtuestoassimilatethegoverningofanarmy"——tothatofaState，understood.]
15.（3）Byemployingtheofficersofhisarmywithoutdiscrimination，[Thatis，heisnotcarefultousetherightmanintherightplace.]
throughignoranceofthemilitaryprincipleofadaptationtocircumstances.Thisshakestheconfidenceofthesoldiers.
[IfollowMeiYao—ch`enhere.Theothercommentatorsrefernottotheruler，asinSS.13，14，buttotheofficersheemploys.ThusTuYusays："Ifageneralisignorantoftheprincipleofadaptability，hemustnotbeentrustedwithapositionofauthority."TuMuquotes："Theskillfulemployerofmenwillemploythewiseman，thebraveman，thecovetousman，andthestupidman.Forthewisemandelightsinestablishinghismerit，thebravemanlikestoshowhiscourageinaction，thecovetousmanisquickatseizingadvantages，andthestupidmanhasnofearofdeath."]
16.Butwhenthearmyisrestlessanddistrustful，troubleissuretocomefromtheotherfeudalprinces.Thisissimplybringinganarchyintothearmy，andflingingvictoryaway.
17.Thuswemayknowthattherearefiveessentialsforvictory：（1）Hewillwinwhoknowswhentofightandwhennottofight.
[ChangYusays：Ifhecanfight，headvancesandtakestheoffensive;ifhecannotfight，heretreatsandremainsonthedefensive.Hewillinvariablyconquerwhoknowswhetheritisrighttotaketheoffensiveorthedefensive.]
（2）Hewillwinwhoknowshowtohandlebothsuperiorandinferiorforces.
[Thisisnotmerelythegeneral’sabilitytoestimatenumberscorrectly，asLiCh`uanandothersmakeout.ChangYuexpoundsthesayingmoresatisfactorily："Byapplyingtheartofwar，itispossiblewithalesserforcetodefeatagreater，andviceversa.Thesecretliesinaneyeforlocality，andinnotlettingtherightmomentslip.ThusWuTzusays：’Withasuperiorforce，makeforeasyground;withaninferiorone，makefordifficultground.’"]
（3）Hewillwinwhosearmyisanimatedbythesamespiritthroughoutallitsranks.
（4）Hewillwinwho，preparedhimself，waitstotaketheenemyunprepared.
（5）Hewillwinwhohasmilitarycapacityandisnotinterferedwithbythesovereign.
[TuYuquotesWangTzuassaying："Itisthesovereign’sfunctiontogivebroadinstructions，buttodecideonbattleitisthefunctionofthegeneral."Itisneedlesstodilateonthemilitarydisasterswhichhavebeencausedbyundueinterferencewithoperationsinthefieldonthepartofthehomegovernment.
Napoleonundoubtedlyowedmuchofhisextraordinarysuccesstothefactthathewasnothamperedbycentralauthority.]
18.Hencethesaying：Ifyouknowtheenemyandknowyourself，youneednotfeartheresultofahundredbattles.Ifyouknowyourselfbutnottheenemy，foreveryvictorygainedyouwillalsosufferadefeat.
[LiCh`uancitesthecaseofFuChien，princeofCh`in，whoin383A.D.marchedwithavastarmyagainsttheChinEmperor.
WhenwarnednottodespiseanenemywhocouldcommandtheservicesofsuchmenasHsiehAnandHuanCh`ung，heboastfullyreplied："Ihavethepopulationofeightprovincesatmyback，infantryandhorsementothenumberofonemillion;why，theycoulddamuptheYangtszeRiveritselfbymerelythrowingtheirwhipsintothestream.WhatdangerhaveItofear？"
Nevertheless，hisforcesweresoonafterdisastrouslyroutedattheFeiRiver，andhewasobligedtobeatahastyretreat.]
Ifyouknowneithertheenemynoryourself，youwillsuccumbineverybattle.
[ChangYusaid："Knowingtheenemyenablesyoutotaketheoffensive，knowingyourselfenablesyoutostandonthedefensive."Headds："Attackisthesecretofdefense;defenseistheplanningofanattack."Itwouldbehardtofindabetterepitomeoftheroot—principleofwar.]
IV.TACTICALDISPOSITIONS
[Ts`aoKungexplainstheChinesemeaningofthewordsforthetitleofthischapter："marchingandcountermarchingonthepartofthetwoarmieswithaviewtodiscoveringeachother’scondition."TuMusays："Itisthroughthedispositionsofanarmythatitsconditionmaybediscovered.Concealyourdispositions，andyourconditionwillremainsecret，whichleadstovictory，;showyourdispositions，andyourconditionwillbecomepatent，whichleadstodefeat."WangHsiremarksthatthegoodgeneralcan"securesuccessbymodifyinghistacticstomeetthoseoftheenemy."]
1.SunTzusaid：Thegoodfightersofoldfirstputthemselvesbeyondthepossibilityofdefeat，andthenwaitedforanopportunityofdefeatingtheenemy.
2.Tosecureourselvesagainstdefeatliesinourownhands，buttheopportunityofdefeatingtheenemyisprovidedbytheenemyhimself.
[Thatis，ofcourse，byamistakeontheenemy’spart.]
3.Thusthegoodfighterisabletosecurehimselfagainstdefeat，[ChangYusaysthisisdone，"Byconcealingthedispositionofhistroops，coveringuphistracks，andtakingunremittingprecautions."]
butcannotmakecertainofdefeatingtheenemy.
4.Hencethesaying：OnemayKNOWhowtoconquerwithoutbeingabletoDOit.
5.Securityagainstdefeatimpliesdefensivetactics;
abilitytodefeattheenemymeanstakingtheoffensive.
[Iretainthesensefoundinasimilarpassageinss.1—3，inspiteofthefactthatthecommentatorsareallagainstme.
Themeaningtheygive，"Hewhocannotconquertakesthedefensive，"isplausibleenough.]
6.Standingonthedefensiveindicatesinsufficientstrength;attacking，asuperabundanceofstrength.
7.Thegeneralwhoisskilledindefensehidesinthemostsecretrecessesoftheearth;
[Literally，"hidesundertheninthearth，"whichisametaphorindicatingtheutmostsecrecyandconcealment，sothattheenemymaynotknowhiswhereabouts."]
hewhoisskilledinattackflashesforthfromthetopmostheightsofheaven.
[Anothermetaphor，implyingthathefallsonhisadversarylikeathunderbolt，againstwhichthereisnotimetoprepare.
Thisistheopinionofmostofthecommentators.]
Thusontheonehandwehaveabilitytoprotectourselves;ontheother，avictorythatiscomplete.
8.Toseevictoryonlywhenitiswithinthekenofthecommonherdisnottheacmeofexcellence.
[AsTs`aoKungremarks，"thethingistoseetheplantbeforeithasgerminated，"toforeseetheeventbeforetheactionhasbegun.LiCh`uanalludestothestoryofHanHsinwho，whenabouttoattackthevastlysuperiorarmyofChao，whichwasstronglyentrenchedinthecityofCh`eng—an，saidtohisofficers："Gentlemen，wearegoingtoannihilatetheenemy，andshallmeetagainatdinner."Theofficershardlytookhiswordsseriously，andgaveaverydubiousassent.ButHanHsinhadalreadyworkedoutinhismindthedetailsofacleverstratagem，whereby，asheforesaw，hewasabletocapturethecityandinflictacrushingdefeatonhisadversary."]
9.NeitherisittheacmeofexcellenceifyoufightandconquerandthewholeEmpiresays，"Welldone！"
[Trueexcellencebeing，asTuMusays："Toplansecretly，tomovesurreptitiously，tofoiltheenemy’sintentionsandbalkhisschemes，sothatatlastthedaymaybewonwithoutsheddingadropofblood."SunTzureserveshisapprobationforthingsthat"theworld’scoarsethumbAndfingerfailtoplumb."]
10.Toliftanautumnhairisnosignofgreatstrength;
["Autumn"hair"isexplainedasthefurofahare，whichisfinestinautumn，whenitbeginstogrowafresh.ThephraseisaverycommononeinChinesewriters.]
toseethesunandmoonisnosignofsharpsight;tohearthenoiseofthunderisnosignofaquickear.
[HoShihgivesasrealinstancesofstrength，sharpsightandquickhearing：WuHuo，whocouldliftatripodweighing250
stone;LiChu，whoatadistanceofahundredpacescouldseeobjectsnobiggerthanamustardseed;andShihK`uang，ablindmusicianwhocouldhearthefootstepsofamosquito.]
11.Whattheancientscalledacleverfighterisonewhonotonlywins，butexcelsinwinningwithease.
[Thelasthalfisliterally"onewho，conquering，excelsineasyconquering."MeiYao—ch`ensays："Hewhoonlyseestheobvious，winshisbattleswithdifficulty;hewholooksbelowthesurfaceofthings，winswithease."]
12.Hencehisvictoriesbringhimneitherreputationforwisdomnorcreditforcourage.
[TuMuexplainsthisverywell："Inasmuchashisvictoriesaregainedovercircumstancesthathavenotcometolight，theworldaslargeknowsnothingofthem，andhewinsnoreputationforwisdom;inasmuchasthehostilestatesubmitsbeforetherehasbeenanybloodshed，hereceivesnocreditforcourage."]
13.Hewinshisbattlesbymakingnomistakes.
[Ch`enHaosays："Heplansnosuperfluousmarches，hedevisesnofutileattacks."TheconnectionofideasisthusexplainedbyChangYu："Onewhoseekstoconquerbysheerstrength，cleverthoughhemaybeatwinningpitchedbattles，isalsoliableonoccasiontobevanquished;whereashewhocanlookintothefutureanddiscernconditionsthatarenotyetmanifest，willnevermakeablunderandthereforeinvariablywin."]
Makingnomistakesiswhatestablishesthecertaintyofvictory，foritmeansconqueringanenemythatisalreadydefeated.
14.Hencetheskillfulfighterputshimselfintoapositionwhichmakesdefeatimpossible，anddoesnotmissthemomentfordefeatingtheenemy.
[A"counselofperfection"asTuMutrulyobserves.
"Position"neednotbeconfinedtotheactualgroundoccupiedbythetroops.Itincludesallthearrangementsandpreparationswhichawisegeneralwillmaketoincreasethesafetyofhisarmy.]
15.Thusitisthatinwarthevictoriousstrategistonlyseeksbattleafterthevictoryhasbeenwon，whereashewhoisdestinedtodefeatfirstfightsandafterwardslooksforvictory.
[HoShihthusexpoundstheparadox："Inwarfare，firstlayplanswhichwillensurevictory，andthenleadyourarmytobattle;ifyouwillnotbeginwithstratagembutrelyonbrutestrengthalone，victorywillnolongerbeassured."]
16.Theconsummateleadercultivatesthemorallaw，andstrictlyadherestomethodanddiscipline;thusitisinhispowertocontrolsuccess.
17.Inrespectofmilitarymethod，wehave，firstly，Measurement;secondly，Estimationofquantity;thirdly，Calculation;fourthly，Balancingofchances;fifthly，Victory.
18.MeasurementowesitsexistencetoEarth;EstimationofquantitytoMeasurement;CalculationtoEstimationofquantity;
BalancingofchancestoCalculation;andVictorytoBalancingofchances.
[ItisnoteasytodistinguishthefourtermsveryclearlyintheChinese.Thefirstseemstobesurveyingandmeasurementoftheground，whichenableustoformanestimateoftheenemy’sstrength，andtomakecalculationsbasedonthedatathusobtained;wearethusledtoageneralweighing—up，orcomparisonoftheenemy’schanceswithourown;ifthelatterturnthescale，thenvictoryensues.Thechiefdifficultyliesinthirdterm，whichintheChinesesomecommentatorstakeasacalculationofNUMBERS，therebymakingitnearlysynonymouswiththesecondterm.Perhapsthesecondtermshouldbethoughtofasaconsiderationoftheenemy’sgeneralpositionorcondition，whilethethirdtermistheestimateofhisnumericalstrength.
Ontheotherhand，TuMusays："Thequestionofrelativestrengthhavingbeensettled，wecanbringthevariedresourcesofcunningintoplay."HoShihsecondsthisinterpretation，butweakensit.However，itpointstothethirdtermasbeingacalculationofnumbers.]
19.Avictoriousarmyopposedtoaroutedone，isasapound’sweightplacedinthescaleagainstasinglegrain.
[Literally，"avictoriousarmyislikeanI（20oz.）weighedagainstaSHU（1/24oz.）;aroutedarmyisaSHUweighedagainstanI."Thepointissimplytheenormousadvantagewhichadisciplinedforce，flushedwithvictory，hasoveronedemoralizedbydefeat."Legge，inhisnoteonMencius，I.2.ix.2，makestheItobe24Chineseounces，andcorrectsChuHsi’sstatementthatitequaled20oz.only.ButLiCh`uanoftheT`angdynastyheregivesthesamefigureasChuHsi.]
20.Theonrushofaconqueringforceisliketheburstingofpent—upwatersintoachasmathousandfathomsdeep.
V.ENERGY
1.SunTzusaid：Thecontrolofalargeforceisthesameprincipleasthecontrolofafewmen：itismerelyaquestionofdividinguptheirnumbers.
[Thatis，cuttingupthearmyintoregiments，companies，etc.，withsubordinateofficersincommandofeach.TuMuremindsusofHanHsin’sfamousreplytothefirstHanEmperor，whooncesaidtohim："HowlargeanarmydoyouthinkIcouldlead？""Notmorethan100，000men，yourMajesty.""Andyou？"
askedtheEmperor."Oh！"heanswered，"themorethebetter."]
2.Fightingwithalargearmyunderyourcommandisnowisedifferentfromfightingwithasmallone：itismerelyaquestionofinstitutingsignsandsignals.
3.Toensurethatyourwholehostmaywithstandthebruntoftheenemy’sattackandremainunshaken—thisiseffectedbymaneuversdirectandindirect.
[WenowcometooneofthemostinterestingpartsofSunTzu’streatise，thediscussionoftheCHENGandtheCH`I."Asitisbynomeanseasytograspthefullsignificanceofthesetwoterms，ortorenderthemconsistentlybygoodEnglishequivalents;itmaybeaswelltotabulatesomeofthecommentators’remarksonthesubjectbeforeproceedingfurther.
LiCh`uan："FacingtheenemyisCHENG，makinglateraldiversionisCH`I.ChiaLin："Inpresenceoftheenemy，yourtroopsshouldbearrayedinnormalfashion，butinordertosecurevictoryabnormalmaneuversmustbeemployed."MeiYao—ch`en：
"CH`Iisactive，CHENGispassive;passivitymeanswaitingforanopportunity，activitybeingsthevictoryitself."HoShih："Wemustcausetheenemytoregardourstraightforwardattackasonethatissecretlydesigned，andviceversa;thusCHENGmayalsobeCH`I，andCH`ImayalsobeCHENG."HeinstancesthefamousexploitofHanHsin，whowhenmarchingostensiblyagainstLin—
chin（nowChao—iinShensi），suddenlythrewalargeforceacrosstheYellowRiverinwoodentubs，utterlydisconcertinghisopponent.[Ch`ienHanShu，ch.3.]Here，wearetold，themarchonLin—chinwasCHENG，andthesurprisemaneuverwasCH`I."
ChangYugivesthefollowingsummaryofopinionsonthewords：
"MilitarywritersdonotagreewithregardtothemeaningofCH`I
andCHENG.WeiLiaoTzu[4thcent.B.C.]says：’Directwarfarefavorsfrontalattacks，indirectwarfareattacksfromtherear.’
Ts`aoKungsays：’Goingstraightouttojoinbattleisadirectoperation;appearingontheenemy’srearisanindirectmaneuver.’LiWei—kung[6thand7thcent.A.D.]says：’Inwar，tomarchstraightaheadisCHENG;turningmovements，ontheotherhand，areCH`I.’ThesewriterssimplyregardCHENGasCHENG，andCH`IasCH`I;theydonotnotethatthetwoaremutuallyinterchangeableandrunintoeachotherlikethetwosidesofacircle[seeinfra，ss.11].AcommentontheT`angEmperorT`aiTsunggoestotherootofthematter：’ACH`ImaneuvermaybeCHENG，ifwemaketheenemylookuponitasCHENG;thenourrealattackwillbeCH`I，andviceversa.Thewholesecretliesinconfusingtheenemy，sothathecannotfathomourrealintent.’"
Toputitperhapsalittlemoreclearly：anyattackorotheroperationisCHENG，onwhichtheenemyhashadhisattentionfixed;whereasthatisCH`I，"whichtakeshimbysurpriseorcomesfromanunexpectedquarter.IftheenemyperceivesamovementwhichismeanttobeCH`I，"itimmediatelybecomesCHENG."]
4.Thattheimpactofyourarmymaybelikeagrindstonedashedagainstanegg—thisiseffectedbythescienceofweakpointsandstrong.
5.Inallfighting，thedirectmethodmaybeusedforjoiningbattle，butindirectmethodswillbeneededinordertosecurevictory.
[ChangYusays："Steadilydevelopindirecttactics，eitherbypoundingtheenemy’sflanksorfallingonhisrear."A
brilliantexampleof"indirecttactics"whichdecidedthefortunesofacampaignwasLordRoberts’nightmarchroundthePeiwarKotalinthesecondAfghanwar.[1]
6.Indirecttactics，efficientlyapplied，areinexhausibleasHeavenandEarth，unendingastheflowofriversandstreams;
likethesunandmoon，theyendbuttobeginanew;likethefourseasons，theypassawaytoreturnoncemore.
[TuYuandChangYuunderstandthisofthepermutationsofCH`IandCHENG."ButatpresentSunTzuisnotspeakingofCHENG
atall，unless，indeed，wesupposewithChengYu—hsienthataclauserelatingtoithasfallenoutofthetext.Ofcourse，ashasalreadybeenpointedout，thetwoaresoinextricablyinterwoveninallmilitaryoperations，thattheycannotreallybeconsideredapart.Herewesimplyhaveanexpression，infigurativelanguage，ofthealmostinfiniteresourceofagreatleader.]
7.Therearenotmorethanfivemusicalnotes，yetthecombinationsofthesefivegiverisetomoremelodiesthancaneverbeheard.
8.Therearenotmorethanfiveprimarycolors（blue，yellow，red，white，andblack），yetincombinationtheyproducemorehuesthancaneverbeenseen.
9Therearenotmorethanfivecardinaltastes（sour，acrid，salt，sweet，bitter），yetcombinationsofthemyieldmoreflavorsthancaneverbetasted.
10.Inbattle，therearenotmorethantwomethodsofattack—thedirectandtheindirect;yetthesetwoincombinationgiverisetoanendlessseriesofmaneuvers.
11.Thedirectandtheindirectleadontoeachotherinturn.Itislikemovinginacircle—younevercometoanend.
Whocanexhaustthepossibilitiesoftheircombination？
12.Theonsetoftroopsisliketherushofatorrentwhichwillevenrollstonesalonginitscourse.
13.Thequalityofdecisionislikethewell—timedswoopofafalconwhichenablesittostrikeanddestroyitsvictim.
[TheChinesehereistrickyandacertainkeywordinthecontextitisuseddefiesthebesteffortsofthetranslator.TuMudefinesthiswordas"themeasurementorestimationofdistance."Butthismeaningdoesnotquitefittheillustrativesimileinss.15.Applyingthisdefinitiontothefalcon，itseemstometodenotethatinstinctofSELFRESTRAINTwhichkeepsthebirdfromswoopingonitsquarryuntiltherightmoment，togetherwiththepowerofjudgingwhentherightmomenthasarrived.Theanalogousqualityinsoldiersisthehighlyimportantoneofbeingabletoreservetheirfireuntiltheveryinstantatwhichitwillbemosteffective.Whenthe"Victory"
wentintoactionatTrafalgarathardlymorethandriftingpace，shewasforseveralminutesexposedtoastormofshotandshellbeforereplyingwithasinglegun.Nelsoncoollywaiteduntilhewaswithincloserange，whenthebroadsidehebroughttobearworkedfearfulhavocontheenemy’snearestships.]
14.Thereforethegoodfighterwillbeterribleinhisonset，andpromptinhisdecision.
[Theword"decision"wouldhavereferencetothemeasurementofdistancementionedabove，lettingtheenemygetnearbeforestriking.ButIcannothelpthinkingthatSunTzumeanttousethewordinafigurativesensecomparabletoourownidiom"shortandsharp."Cf.WangHsi’snote，whichafterdescribingthefalcon’smodeofattack，proceeds："Thisisjusthowthe’psychologicalmoment’shouldbeseizedinwar."]
15.Energymaybelikenedtothebendingofacrossbow;
decision，tothereleasingofatrigger.
[Noneofthecommentatorsseemtograsptherealpointofthesimileofenergyandtheforcestoredupinthebentcross—
bowuntilreleasedbythefingeronthetrigger.]
16.Amidtheturmoilandtumultofbattle，theremaybeseemingdisorderandyetnorealdisorderatall;amidconfusionandchaos，yourarraymaybewithoutheadortail，yetitwillbeproofagainstdefeat.
[MeiYao—ch`ensays："Thesubdivisionsofthearmyhavingbeenpreviouslyfixed，andthevarioussignalsagreedupon，theseparatingandjoining，thedispersingandcollectingwhichwilltakeplaceinthecourseofabattle，maygivetheappearanceofdisorderwhennorealdisorderispossible.Yourformationmaybewithoutheadortail，yourdispositionsalltopsy—turvy，andyetaroutofyourforcesquiteoutofthequestion."]
17.Simulateddisorderpostulatesperfectdiscipline，simulatedfearpostulatescourage;simulatedweaknesspostulatesstrength.
[Inordertomakethetranslationintelligible，itisnecessarytotonedownthesharplyparadoxicalformoftheoriginal.Ts`aoKungthrowsoutahintofthemeaninginhisbriefnote："Thesethingsallservetodestroyformationandconcealone’scondition."ButTuMuisthefirsttoputitquiteplainly："Ifyouwishtofeignconfusioninordertoluretheenemyon，youmustfirsthaveperfectdiscipline;ifyouwishtodisplaytimidityinordertoentraptheenemy，youmusthaveextremecourage;ifyouwishtoparadeyourweaknessinordertomaketheenemyover—confident，youmusthaveexceedingstrength."]
18.Hidingorderbeneaththecloakofdisorderissimplyaquestionofsubdivision;
[Seesupra，ss.1.]
concealingcourageunderashowoftimiditypresupposesafundoflatentenergy;
[ThecommentatorsstronglyunderstandacertainChinesewordheredifferentlythananywhereelseinthischapter.ThusTuMusays："seeingthatwearefavorablycircumstancedandyetmakenomove，theenemywillbelievethatwearereallyafraid."]
maskingstrengthwithweaknessistobeeffectedbytacticaldispositions.
[ChangYurelatesthefollowinganecdoteofKaoTsu，thefirstHanEmperor："WishingtocrushtheHsiung—nu，hesentoutspiestoreportontheircondition.ButtheHsiung—nu，forewarned，carefullyconcealedalltheirable—bodiedmenandwell—fedhorses，andonlyallowedinfirmsoldiersandemaciatedcattletobeseen.TheresultwasthatspiesoneandallrecommendedtheEmperortodeliverhisattack.LouChingaloneopposedthem，saying："Whentwocountriesgotowar，theyarenaturallyinclinedtomakeanostentatiousdisplayoftheirstrength.Yetourspieshaveseennothingbutoldageandinfirmity.Thisissurelysomeruseonthepartoftheenemy，anditwouldbeunwiseforustoattack."TheEmperor，however，disregardingthisadvice，fellintothetrapandfoundhimselfsurroundedatPo—teng."]
19.Thusonewhoisskillfulatkeepingtheenemyonthemovemaintainsdeceitfulappearances，accordingtowhichtheenemywillact.
[Ts`aoKung’snoteis"Makeadisplayofweaknessandwant."
TuMusays："Ifourforcehappenstobesuperiortotheenemy’s，weaknessmaybesimulatedinordertolurehimon;butifinferior，hemustbeledtobelievethatwearestrong，inorderthathemaykeepoff.Infact，alltheenemy’smovementsshouldbedeterminedbythesignsthatwechoosetogivehim."NotethefollowinganecdoteofSunPin，adescendentofSunWu：In341
B.C.，theCh`iStatebeingatwarwithWei，sentT`ienChiandSunPinagainstthegeneralP`angChuan，whohappenedtobeadeadlypersonalenemyofthelater.SunPinsaid："TheCh`iStatehasareputationforcowardice，andthereforeouradversarydespisesus.Letusturnthiscircumstancetoaccount."
Accordingly，whenthearmyhadcrossedtheborderintoWeiterritory，hegaveorderstoshow100，000firesonthefirstnight，50，000onthenext，andthenightafteronly20，000.
P`angChuanpursuedthemhotly，sayingtohimself："IknewthesemenofCh`iwerecowards：theirnumbershavealreadyfallenawaybymorethanhalf."Inhisretreat，SunPincametoanarrowdefile，withhecalculatedthathispursuerswouldreachafterdark.Herehehadatreestrippedofitsbark，andinscribeduponitthewords："UnderthistreeshallP`angChuandie."
Then，asnightbegantofall，heplacedastrongbodyofarchersinambushnearby，withorderstoshootdirectlytheysawalight.Lateron，P`angChuanarrivedatthespot，andnoticingthetree，struckalightinordertoreadwhatwaswrittenonit.
Hisbodywasimmediatelyriddledbyavolleyofarrows，andhiswholearmythrownintoconfusion.[TheaboveisTuMu’sversionofthestory;theSHIHCHI，lessdramaticallybutprobablywithmorehistoricaltruth，makesP`angChuancuthisownthroatwithanexclamationofdespair，aftertheroutofhisarmy.]]
Hesacrificessomething，thattheenemymaysnatchatit.
20.Byholdingoutbaits，hekeepshimonthemarch;thenwithabodyofpickedmenheliesinwaitforhim.
[WithanemendationsuggestedbyLiChing，thisthenreads，"Heliesinwaitwiththemainbodyofhistroops."]
21.Theclevercombatantlookstotheeffectofcombinedenergy，anddoesnotrequiretoomuchfromindividuals.
[TuMusays："Hefirstofallconsidersthepowerofhisarmyinthebulk;afterwardshetakesindividualtalentintoaccount，anduseseachmenaccordingtohiscapabilities.Hedoesnotdemandperfectionfromtheuntalented."]
Hencehisabilitytopickouttherightmenandutilizecombinedenergy.
22.Whenheutilizescombinedenergy，hisfightingmenbecomeasitwerelikeuntorollinglogsorstones.Foritisthenatureofalogorstonetoremainmotionlessonlevelground，andtomovewhenonaslope;iffour—cornered，tocometoastandstill，butifround—shaped，togorollingdown.
[Ts`auKungcallsthis"theuseofnaturalorinherentpower."]
23.Thustheenergydevelopedbygoodfightingmenisasthemomentumofaroundstonerolleddownamountainthousandsoffeetinheight.Somuchonthesubjectofenergy.
[Thechieflessonofthischapter，inTuMu’sopinion，istheparamountimportanceinwarofrapidevolutionsandsuddenrushes."Greatresults，"headds，"canthusbeachievedwithsmallforces."]
[1]"Forty—oneYearsinIndia，"chapter46.
VI.WEAKPOINTSANDSTRONG
[ChangYuattemptstoexplainthesequenceofchaptersasfollows："ChapterIV，onTacticalDispositions，treatedoftheoffensiveandthedefensive;chapterV，onEnergy，dealtwithdirectandindirectmethods.Thegoodgeneralacquaintshimselffirstwiththetheoryofattackanddefense，andthenturnshisattentiontodirectandindirectmethods.Hestudiestheartofvaryingandcombiningthesetwomethodsbeforeproceedingtothesubjectofweakandstrongpoints.Fortheuseofdirectorindirectmethodsarisesoutofattackanddefense，andtheperceptionofweakandstrongpointsdependsagainontheabovemethods.HencethepresentchaptercomesimmediatelyafterthechapteronEnergy."]
1.SunTzusaid：Whoeverisfirstinthefieldandawaitsthecomingoftheenemy，willbefreshforthefight;whoeverissecondinthefieldandhastohastentobattlewillarriveexhausted.
2.Thereforetheclevercombatantimposeshiswillontheenemy，butdoesnotallowtheenemy’swilltobeimposedonhim.
[Onemarkofagreatsoldieristhathefightonhisowntermsorfightsnotatall.[1]]
3.Byholdingoutadvantagestohim，hecancausetheenemytoapproachofhisownaccord;or，byinflictingdamage，hecanmakeitimpossiblefortheenemytodrawnear.
[Inthefirstcase，hewillenticehimwithabait;inthesecond，hewillstrikeatsomeimportantpointwhichtheenemywillhavetodefend.]
4.Iftheenemyistakinghisease，hecanharasshim;
[ThispassagemaybecitedasevidenceagainstMeiYao—
Ch`en’sinterpretationofI.ss.23.]
ifwellsuppliedwithfood，hecanstarvehimout;ifquietlyencamped，hecanforcehimtomove.
5.Appearatpointswhichtheenemymusthastentodefend;
marchswiftlytoplaceswhereyouarenotexpected.
6.Anarmymaymarchgreatdistanceswithoutdistress，ifitmarchesthroughcountrywheretheenemyisnot.
[Ts`aoKungsumsupverywell："Emergefromthevoid[q.d.
like"aboltfromtheblue"]，strikeatvulnerablepoints，shunplacesthataredefended，attackinunexpectedquarters."]
7.Youcanbesureofsucceedinginyourattacksifyouonlyattackplaceswhichareundefended.
[WangHsiexplains"undefendedplaces"as"weakpoints;thatistosay，wherethegeneralislackingincapacity，orthesoldiersinspirit;wherethewallsarenotstrongenough，ortheprecautionsnotstrictenough;wherereliefcomestoolate，orprovisionsaretooscanty，orthedefendersarevarianceamongstthemselves."]
Youcanensurethesafetyofyourdefenseifyouonlyholdpositionsthatcannotbeattacked.
[I.e.，wheretherearenoneoftheweakpointsmentionedabove.Thereisratheranicepointinvolvedintheinterpretationofthislaterclause.TuMu，Ch`enHao，andMeiYao—ch`enassumethemeaningtobe："Inordertomakeyourdefensequitesafe，youmustdefendEVENthoseplacesthatarenotlikelytobeattacked;"andTuMuadds："Howmuchmore，then，thosethatwillbeattacked."Takenthus，however，theclausebalanceslesswellwiththepreceding——alwaysaconsiderationinthehighlyantitheticalstylewhichisnaturaltotheChinese.ChangYu，therefore，seemstocomenearerthemarkinsaying："Hewhoisskilledinattackflashesforthfromthetopmostheightsofheaven[seeIV.ss.7]，makingitimpossiblefortheenemytoguardagainsthim.Thisbeingso，theplacesthatIshallattackarepreciselythosethattheenemycannotdefendHewhoisskilledindefensehidesinthemostsecretrecessesoftheearth，makingitimpossiblefortheenemytoestimatehiswhereabouts.Thisbeingso，theplacesthatI
shallholdarepreciselythosethattheenemycannotattack."]
8.Hencethatgeneralisskillfulinattackwhoseopponentdoesnotknowwhattodefend;andheisskillfulindefensewhoseopponentdoesnotknowwhattoattack.
[Anaphorismwhichputsthewholeartofwarinanutshell.]
9.Odivineartofsubtletyandsecrecy！Throughyouwelearntobeinvisible，throughyouinaudible;
[Literally，"withoutformorsound，"butitissaidofcoursewithreferencetotheenemy.]
andhencewecanholdtheenemy’sfateinourhands.
10.Youmayadvanceandbeabsolutelyirresistible，ifyoumakefortheenemy’sweakpoints;youmayretireandbesafefrompursuitifyourmovementsaremorerapidthanthoseoftheenemy.
11.Ifwewishtofight，theenemycanbeforcedtoanengagementeventhoughhebeshelteredbehindahighrampartandadeepditch.Allweneeddoisattacksomeotherplacethathewillbeobligedtorelieve.
[TuMusays："Iftheenemyistheinvadingparty，wecancuthislineofcommunicationsandoccupytheroadsbywhichhewillhavetoreturn;ifwearetheinvaders，wemaydirectourattackagainstthesovereignhimself."ItisclearthatSunTzu，unlikecertaingeneralsinthelateBoerwar，wasnobelieverinfrontalattacks.]
12.Ifwedonotwishtofight，wecanpreventtheenemyfromengaginguseventhoughthelinesofourencampmentbemerelytracedoutontheground.Allweneeddoistothrowsomethingoddandunaccountableinhisway.
[ThisextremelyconciseexpressionisintelligiblyparaphrasedbyChiaLin："eventhoughwehaveconstructedneitherwallnorditch."LiCh`uansays："wepuzzlehimbystrangeandunusualdispositions;"andTuMufinallyclinchesthemeaningbythreeillustrativeanecdotes——oneofChu—koLiang，whowhenoccupyingYang—p`ingandabouttobeattackedbySsu—maI，suddenlystruckhiscolors，stoppedthebeatingofthedrums，andflungopenthecitygates，showingonlyafewmenengagedinsweepingandsprinklingtheground.Thisunexpectedproceedinghadtheintendedeffect;forSsu—maI，suspectinganambush，actuallydrewoffhisarmyandretreated.WhatSunTzuisadvocatinghere，therefore，isnothingmorenorlessthanthetimelyuseof"bluff."]
13.Bydiscoveringtheenemy’sdispositionsandremaininginvisibleourselves，wecankeepourforcesconcentrated，whiletheenemy’smustbedivided.
[Theconclusionisperhapsnotveryobvious，butChangYu（afterMeiYao—ch`en）rightlyexplainsitthus："Iftheenemy’sdispositionsarevisible，wecanmakeforhiminonebody;
whereas，ourowndispositionsbeingkeptsecret，theenemywillbeobligedtodividehisforcesinordertoguardagainstattackfromeveryquarter."]
14.Wecanformasingleunitedbody，whiletheenemymustsplitupintofractions.Hencetherewillbeawholepittedagainstseparatepartsofawhole，whichmeansthatweshallbemanytotheenemy’sfew.
15.Andifweareablethustoattackaninferiorforcewithasuperiorone，ouropponentswillbeindirestraits.
16.Thespotwhereweintendtofightmustnotbemadeknown;forthentheenemywillhavetoprepareagainstapossibleattackatseveraldifferentpoints;
[SheridanonceexplainedthereasonofGeneralGrant’svictoriesbysayingthat"whilehisopponentswerekeptfullyemployedwonderingwhathewasgoingtodo，HEwasthinkingmostofwhathewasgoingtodohimself."]
andhisforcesbeingthusdistributedinmanydirections，thenumbersweshallhavetofaceatanygivenpointwillbeproportionatelyfew.
17.Forshouldtheenemystrengthenhisvan，hewillweakenhisrear;shouldhestrengthenhisrear，hewillweakenhisvan;
shouldhestrengthenhisleft，hewillweakenhisright;shouldhestrengthenhisright，hewillweakenhisleft.Ifhesendsreinforcementseverywhere，hewilleverywherebeweak.
[InFredericktheGreat’sINSTRUCTIONSTOHISGENERALSweread："Adefensivewarisapttobetrayusintotoofrequentdetachment.Thosegeneralswhohavehadbutlittleexperienceattempttoprotecteverypoint，whilethosewhoarebetteracquaintedwiththeirprofession，havingonlythecapitalobjectinview，guardagainstadecisiveblow，andacquiesceinsmallmisfortunestoavoidgreater."]
18.Numericalweaknesscomesfromhavingtoprepareagainstpossibleattacks;numericalstrength，fromcompellingouradversarytomakethesepreparationsagainstus.
[Thehighestgeneralship，inCol.Henderson’swords，is"tocompeltheenemytodispersehisarmy，andthentoconcentratesuperiorforceagainsteachfractioninturn."]
19.Knowingtheplaceandthetimeofthecomingbattle，wemayconcentratefromthegreatestdistancesinordertofight.
[WhatSunTzuevidentlyhasinmindisthatnicecalculationofdistancesandthatmasterlyemploymentofstrategywhichenableageneraltodividehisarmyforthepurposeofalongandrapidmarch，andafterwardstoeffectajunctionatpreciselytherightspotandtherighthourinordertoconfronttheenemyinoverwhelmingstrength.Amongmanysuchsuccessfuljunctionswhichmilitaryhistoryrecords，oneofthemostdramaticanddecisivewastheappearanceofBlucherjustatthecriticalmomentonthefieldofWaterloo.]
20.Butifneithertimenorplacebeknown，thentheleftwingwillbeimpotenttosuccortheright，therightequallyimpotenttosuccortheleft，thevanunabletorelievetherear，orthereartosupportthevan.HowmuchmoresoifthefurthestportionsofthearmyareanythingunderahundredLIapart，andeventhenearestareseparatedbyseveralLI！
[TheChineseofthislastsentenceisalittlelackinginprecision，butthementalpicturewearerequiredtodrawisprobablythatofanarmyadvancingtowardsagivenrendezvousinseparatecolumns，eachofwhichhasorderstobethereonafixeddate.Ifthegeneralallowsthevariousdetachmentstoproceedathaphazard，withoutpreciseinstructionsastothetimeandplaceofmeeting，theenemywillbeabletoannihilatethearmyindetail.ChangYu’snotemaybeworthquotinghere："Ifwedonotknowtheplacewhereouropponentsmeantoconcentrateorthedayonwhichtheywilljoinbattle，ourunitywillbeforfeitedthroughourpreparationsfordefense，andthepositionsweholdwillbeinsecure.Suddenlyhappeninguponapowerfulfoe，weshallbebroughttobattleinaflurriedcondition，andnomutualsupportwillbepossiblebetweenwings，vanguardorrear，especiallyifthereisanygreatdistancebetweentheforemostandhindmostdivisionsofthearmy."]
21.ThoughaccordingtomyestimatethesoldiersofYuehexceedourowninnumber，thatshalladvantagethemnothinginthematterofvictory.Isaythenthatvictorycanbeachieved.
[Alasforthesebravewords！Thelongfeudbetweenthetwostatesendedin473B.C.withthetotaldefeatofWubyKouChienanditsincorporationinYueh.ThiswasdoubtlesslongafterSunTzu’sdeath.WithhispresentassertioncompareIV.ss.4.
ChangYuistheonlyonetopointouttheseemingdiscrepancy，whichhethusgoesontoexplain："InthechapteronTacticalDispositionsitissaid，’OnemayKNOWhowtoconquerwithoutbeingabletoDOit，’whereasherewehavethestatementthat’victory’canbeachieved.’Theexplanationis，thatintheformerchapter，wheretheoffensiveanddefensiveareunderdiscussion，itissaidthatiftheenemyisfullyprepared，onecannotmakecertainofbeatinghim.ButthepresentpassagerefersparticularlytothesoldiersofYuehwho，accordingtoSunTzu’scalculations，willbekeptinignoranceofthetimeandplaceoftheimpendingstruggle.Thatiswhyhesaysherethatvictorycanbeachieved."]
22.Thoughtheenemybestrongerinnumbers，wemaypreventhimfromfighting.Schemesoastodiscoverhisplansandthelikelihoodoftheirsuccess.
[AnalternativereadingofferedbyChiaLinis："Knowbeforehandallplansconducivetooursuccessandtotheenemy’sfailure."
23.Rousehim，andlearntheprincipleofhisactivityorinactivity.
[ChangYutellsusthatbynotingthejoyorangershownbytheenemyonbeingthusdisturbed，weshallbeabletoconcludewhetherhispolicyistolieloworthereverse.HeinstancestheactionofCho—kuLiang，whosentthescornfulpresentofawoman’shead—dresstoSsu—maI，inordertogoadhimoutofhisFabiantactics.]
Forcehimtorevealhimself，soastofindouthisvulnerablespots.
24.Carefullycomparetheopposingarmywithyourown，sothatyoumayknowwherestrengthissuperabundantandwhereitisdeficient.
[Cf.IV.ss.6.]
25.Inmakingtacticaldispositions，thehighestpitchyoucanattainistoconcealthem;
[Thepiquancyoftheparadoxevaporatesintranslation.
Concealmentisperhapsnotsomuchactualinvisibility（seesuprass.9）as"showingnosign"ofwhatyoumeantodo，oftheplansthatareformedinyourbrain.]
concealyourdispositions，andyouwillbesafefromthepryingofthesubtlestspies，fromthemachinationsofthewisestbrains.
[TuMuexplains："Thoughtheenemymayhavecleverandcapableofficers，theywillnotbeabletolayanyplansagainstus."]
26.Howvictorymaybeproducedforthemoutoftheenemy’sowntactics——thatiswhatthemultitudecannotcomprehend.
27.AllmencanseethetacticswherebyIconquer，butwhatnonecanseeisthestrategyoutofwhichvictoryisevolved.
[I.e.，everybodycanseesuperficiallyhowabattleiswon;
whattheycannotseeisthelongseriesofplansandcombinationswhichhasprecededthebattle.]
28.Donotrepeatthetacticswhichhavegainedyouonevictory，butletyourmethodsberegulatedbytheinfinitevarietyofcircumstances.
[AsWangHsisagelyremarks："Thereisbutoneroot—
principleunderlyingvictory，butthetacticswhichleaduptoitareinfiniteinnumber."WiththiscompareCol.Henderson："Therulesofstrategyarefewandsimple.Theymaybelearnedinaweek.Theymaybetaughtbyfamiliarillustrationsoradozendiagrams.ButsuchknowledgewillnomoreteachamantoleadanarmylikeNapoleonthanaknowledgeofgrammarwillteachhimtowritelikeGibbon."]
29.Militarytacticsarelikeuntowater;forwaterinitsnaturalcourserunsawayfromhighplacesandhastensdownwards.
30.Soinwar，thewayistoavoidwhatisstrongandtostrikeatwhatisweak.
[Likewater，takingthelineofleastresistance.]
31.Watershapesitscourseaccordingtothenatureofthegroundoverwhichitflows;thesoldierworksouthisvictoryinrelationtothefoewhomheisfacing.
32.Therefore，justaswaterretainsnoconstantshape，soinwarfaretherearenoconstantconditions.
33.Hewhocanmodifyhistacticsinrelationtohisopponentandtherebysucceedinwinning，maybecalledaheaven—
borncaptain.
34.Thefiveelements（water，fire，wood，metal，earth）arenotalwaysequallypredominant;
[Thatis，asWangHsisays："theypredominatealternately."]
thefourseasonsmakewayforeachotherinturn.
[Literally，"havenoinvariableseat."]
Thereareshortdaysandlong;themoonhasitsperiodsofwaningandwaxing.
[Cf.V.ss.6.ThepurportofthepassageissimplytoillustratethewantoffixityinwarbythechangesconstantlytakingplaceinNature.Thecomparisonisnotveryhappy，however，becausetheregularityofthephenomenawhichSunTzumentionsisbynomeansparalleledinwar.]
[1]SeeCol.Henderson’sbiographyofStonewallJackson，1902
ed.，vol.II，p.490.
VII.MANEUVERING
1.SunTzusaid：Inwar，thegeneralreceiveshiscommandsfromthesovereign.
2.Havingcollectedanarmyandconcentratedhisforces，hemustblendandharmonizethedifferentelementsthereofbeforepitchinghiscamp.
["ChangYusays："theestablishmentofharmonyandconfidencebetweenthehigherandlowerranksbeforeventuringintothefield;"andhequotesasayingofWuTzu（chap.1adinit.）："WithoutharmonyintheState，nomilitaryexpeditioncanbeundertaken;withoutharmonyinthearmy，nobattlearraycanbeformed."InanhistoricalromanceSunTzuisrepresentedassayingtoWuYuan："Asageneralrule，thosewhoarewagingwarshouldgetridofallthedomestictroublesbeforeproceedingtoattacktheexternalfoe."]
3.Afterthat，comestacticalmaneuvering，thanwhichthereisnothingmoredifficult.
[IhavedepartedslightlyfromthetraditionalinterpretationofTs`aoKung，whosays："Fromthetimeofreceivingthesovereign’sinstructionsuntilourencampmentoveragainsttheenemy，thetacticstobepursuedaremostdifficult."
Itseemstomethatthetacticsormaneuverscanhardlybesaidtobeginuntilthearmyhassalliedforthandencamped，andCh`ienHao’snotegivescolortothisview："Forlevying，concentrating，harmonizingandentrenchinganarmy，thereareplentyofoldruleswhichwillserve.Therealdifficultycomeswhenweengageintacticaloperations."TuYualsoobservesthat"thegreatdifficultyistobebeforehandwiththeenemyinseizingfavorableposition."]
Thedifficultyoftacticalmaneuveringconsistsinturningthedeviousintothedirect，andmisfortuneintogain.
[ThissentencecontainsoneofthosehighlycondensedandsomewhatenigmaticalexpressionsofwhichSunTzuissofond.
ThisishowitisexplainedbyTs`aoKung："Makeitappearthatyouarealongwayoff，thencoverthedistancerapidlyandarriveonthescenebeforeyouropponent."TuMusays：
"Hoodwinktheenemy，sothathemayberemissandleisurelywhileyouaredashingalongwithutmostspeed."HoShihgivesaslightlydifferentturn："Althoughyoumayhavedifficultgroundtotraverseandnaturalobstaclestoencounterthisisadrawbackwhichcanbeturnedintoactualadvantagebycelerityofmovement."SignalexamplesofthissayingareaffordedbythetwofamouspassagesacrosstheAlps——thatofHannibal，whichlaidItalyathismercy，andthatofNapoleontwothousandyearslater，whichresultedinthegreatvictoryofMarengo.]
4.Thus，totakealongandcircuitousroute，afterenticingtheenemyoutoftheway，andthoughstartingafterhim，tocontrivetoreachthegoalbeforehim，showsknowledgeoftheartificeofDEVIATION.
[TuMucitesthefamousmarchofChaoShein270B.C.torelievethetownofO—yu，whichwascloselyinvestedbyaCh`inarmy.TheKingofChaofirstconsultedLienP`oontheadvisabilityofattemptingarelief，butthelatterthoughtthedistancetoogreat，andtheinterveningcountrytooruggedanddifficult.HisMajestythenturnedtoChaoShe，whofullyadmittedthehazardousnatureofthemarch，butfinallysaid：
"Weshallbeliketworatsfightinginawhole——andthepluckieronewillwin！"Soheleftthecapitalwithhisarmy，buthadonlygoneadistanceof30LIwhenhestoppedandbeganthrowingupentrenchments.For28dayshecontinuedstrengtheninghisfortifications，andtookcarethatspiesshouldcarrytheintelligencetotheenemy.TheCh`ingeneralwasoverjoyed，andattributedhisadversary’stardinesstothefactthatthebeleagueredcitywasintheHanState，andthusnotactuallypartofChaoterritory.ButthespieshadnosoonerdepartedthanChaoShebeganaforcedmarchlastingfortwodaysandonenight，andarriveonthesceneofactionwithsuchastonishingrapiditythathewasabletooccupyacommandingpositiononthe"Northhill"beforetheenemyhadgotwindofhismovements.AcrushingdefeatfollowedfortheCh`inforces，whowereobligedtoraisethesiegeofO—yuinallhasteandretreatacrosstheborder.]
5.Maneuveringwithanarmyisadvantageous;withanundisciplinedmultitude，mostdangerous.
[IadoptthereadingoftheT`UNGTIEN，ChengYu—hsienandtheT`USHU，sincetheyappeartoapplytheexactnuancerequiredinordertomakesense.Thecommentatorsusingthestandardtexttakethislinetomeanthatmaneuversmaybeprofitable，ortheymaybedangerous：italldependsontheabilityofthegeneral.]
6.Ifyousetafullyequippedarmyinmarchinordertosnatchanadvantage，thechancesarethatyouwillbetoolate.
Ontheotherhand，todetachaflyingcolumnforthepurposeinvolvesthesacrificeofitsbaggageandstores.
[SomeoftheChinesetextisunintelligibletotheChinesecommentators，whoparaphrasethesentence.Isubmitmyownrenderingwithoutmuchenthusiasm，beingconvincedthatthereissomedeep—seatedcorruptioninthetext.Onthewhole，itisclearthatSunTzudoesnotapproveofalengthymarchbeingundertakenwithoutsupplies.Cf.infra，ss.11.]
7.Thus，ifyouorderyourmentorolluptheirbuff—coats，andmakeforcedmarcheswithouthaltingdayornight，coveringdoubletheusualdistanceatastretch，[Theordinaryday’smarch，accordingtoTuMu，was30LI;
butononeoccasion，whenpursuingLiuPei，Ts`aoTs`aoissaidtohavecoveredtheincredibledistanceof300_li_withintwenty—fourhours.]
doingahundredLIinordertowrestanadvantage，theleadersofallyourthreedivisionswillfallintothehandsoftheenemy.
8.Thestrongermenwillbeinfront，thejadedoneswillfallbehind，andonthisplanonlyone—tenthofyourarmywillreachitsdestination.
[Themoralis，asTs`aoKungandotherspointout：Don’tmarchahundredLItogainatacticaladvantage，eitherwithorwithoutimpedimenta.Maneuversofthisdescriptionshouldbeconfinedtoshortdistances.StonewallJacksonsaid："Thehardshipsofforcedmarchesareoftenmorepainfulthanthedangersofbattle."Hedidnotoftencalluponhistroopsforextraordinaryexertions.Itwasonlywhenheintendedasurprise，orwhenarapidretreatwasimperative，thathesacrificedeverythingforspeed.[1]]
9.IfyoumarchfiftyLIinordertooutmaneuvertheenemy，youwilllosetheleaderofyourfirstdivision，andonlyhalfyourforcewillreachthegoal.
[Literally，"theleaderofthefirstdivisionwillbeTORNAWAY."]
10.IfyoumarchthirtyLIwiththesameobject，two—thirdsofyourarmywillarrive.
[IntheT`UNGTIENisadded："Fromthiswemayknowthedifficultyofmaneuvering."]
11.Wemaytakeitthenthatanarmywithoutitsbaggage—
trainislost;withoutprovisionsitislost;withoutbasesofsupplyitislost.
[IthinkSunTzumeant"storesaccumulatedindepots."ButTuYusays"fodderandthelike，"ChangYusays"Goodsingeneral，"andWangHsisays"fuel，salt，foodstuffs，etc."]
12.Wecannotenterintoalliancesuntilweareacquaintedwiththedesignsofourneighbors.
13.Wearenotfittoleadanarmyonthemarchunlesswearefamiliarwiththefaceofthecountry——itsmountainsandforests，itspitfallsandprecipices，itsmarshesandswamps.
14.Weshallbeunabletoturnnaturaladvantagetoaccountunlesswemakeuseoflocalguides.