[Thisend，accordingtoTuMu，isbestattainedbyremainingonthedefensive，andavoidingbattle.Cf.supra，ss.11.]
Onfacileground，Iwouldseethatthereiscloseconnectionbetweenallpartsofmyarmy.
[AsTuMusays，theobjectistoguardagainsttwopossiblecontingencies："（1）thedesertionofourowntroops;（2）asuddenattackonthepartoftheenemy."Cf.VII.ss.17.MeiYao—ch`ensays："Onthemarch，theregimentsshouldbeinclosetouch;inanencampment，thereshouldbecontinuitybetweenthefortifications."]
47.Oncontentiousground，Iwouldhurryupmyrear.
[ThisisTs`aoKung’sinterpretation.ChangYuadoptsit，saying："Wemustquicklybringupourrear，sothatheadandtailmaybothreachthegoal."Thatis，theymustnotbeallowedtostraggleupalongwayapart.MeiYao—ch`enoffersanotherequallyplausibleexplanation："Supposingtheenemyhasnotyetreachedthecovetedposition，andwearebehindhim，weshouldadvancewithallspeedinordertodisputeitspossession."
Ch`enHao，ontheotherhand，assumingthattheenemyhashadtimetoselecthisownground，quotesVI.ss.1，whereSunTzuwarnsusagainstcomingexhaustedtotheattack.Hisownideaofthesituationisrathervaguelyexpressed："Ifthereisafavorablepositionlyinginfrontofyou，detachapickedbodyoftroopstooccupyit，theniftheenemy，relyingontheirnumbers，comeuptomakeafightforit，youmayfallquicklyontheirrearwithyourmainbody，andvictorywillbeassured."Itwasthus，headds，thatChaoShebeatthearmyofCh`in.（Seep.
57.）]
48.Onopenground，Iwouldkeepavigilanteyeonmydefenses.Ongroundofintersectinghighways，Iwouldconsolidatemyalliances.
49.Onseriousground，Iwouldtrytoensureacontinuousstreamofsupplies.
[Thecommentatorstakethisasreferringtoforageandplunder，not，asonemightexpect，toanunbrokencommunicationwithahomebase.]
Ondifficultground，Iwouldkeeppushingonalongtheroad.
50.Onhemmed—inground，Iwouldblockanywayofretreat.
[MengShihsays："TomakeitseemthatImeanttodefendtheposition，whereasmyrealintentionistoburstsuddenlythroughtheenemy’slines."MeiYao—ch`ensays："inordertomakemysoldiersfightwithdesperation."WangHsisays，"fearinglestmymenbetemptedtorunaway."TuMupointsoutthatthisistheconverseofVII.ss.36，whereitistheenemywhoissurrounded.In532A.D.，KaoHuan，afterwardsEmperorandcanonizedasShen—wu，wassurroundedbyagreatarmyunderErh—
chuChaoandothers.Hisownforcewascomparativelysmall，consistingonlyof2000horseandsomethingunder30，000foot.
Thelinesofinvestmenthadnotbeendrawnverycloselytogether，gapsbeingleftatcertainpoints.ButKaoHuan，insteadoftryingtoescape，actuallymadeashifttoblockalltheremainingoutletshimselfbydrivingintothemanumberofoxenanddonkeysropedtogether.Assoonashisofficersandmensawthattherewasnothingforitbuttoconquerordie，theirspiritsrosetoanextraordinarypitchofexaltation，andtheychargedwithsuchdesperateferocitythattheopposingranksbrokeandcrumbledundertheironslaught.]
Ondesperateground，Iwouldproclaimtomysoldiersthehopelessnessofsavingtheirlives.
TuYusays："Burnyourbaggageandimpedimenta，throwawayyourstoresandprovisions，chokeupthewells，destroyyourcooking—stoves，andmakeitplaintoyourmenthattheycannotsurvive，butmustfighttothedeath."MeiYao—ch`ensays："Theonlychanceoflifeliesingivingupallhopeofit."ThisconcludeswhatSunTzuhastosayabout"grounds"andthe"variations"correspondingtothem.Reviewingthepassageswhichbearonthisimportantsubject，wecannotfailtobestruckbythedesultoryandunmethodicalfashioninwhichitistreated.
SunTzubeginsabruptlyinVIII.ss.2toenumerate"variations"
beforetouchingon"grounds"atall，butonlymentionsfive，namelynos.7，5，8and9ofthesubsequentlist，andonethatisnotincludedinit.Afewvarietiesofgroundaredealtwithintheearlierportionofchap.IX，andthenchap.Xsetsforthsixnewgrounds，withsixvariationsofplantomatch.Noneoftheseismentionedagain，thoughthefirstishardlytobedistinguishedfromgroundno.4inthenextchapter.Atlast，inchap.XI，wecometotheNineGroundsparexcellence，immediatelyfollowedbythevariations.Thistakesusdowntoss.14.InSS.43—45，freshdefinitionsareprovidedfornos.5，6，2，8and9（intheordergiven），aswellasforthetenthgroundnoticedinchap.VIII;andfinally，theninevariationsareenumeratedoncemorefrombeginningtoend，all，withtheexceptionof5，6
and7，beingdifferentfromthosepreviouslygiven.ThoughitisimpossibletoaccountforthepresentstateofSunTzu’stext，afewsuggestivefactsmaybebroughtintoprominence：（1）Chap.
VIII，accordingtothetitle，shoulddealwithninevariations，whereasonlyfiveappear.（2）Itisanabnormallyshortchapter.
（3）Chap.XIisentitledTheNineGrounds.Severalofthesearedefinedtwiceover，besideswhichtherearetwodistinctlistsofthecorrespondingvariations.（4）Thelengthofthechapterisdisproportionate，beingdoublethatofanyotherexceptIX.Idonotproposetodrawanyinferencesfromthesefacts，beyondthegeneralconclusionthatSunTzu’sworkcannothavecomedowntousintheshapeinwhichitlefthishands：chap.VIIIisobviouslydefectiveandprobablyoutofplace，whileXIseemstocontainmatterthathaseitherbeenaddedbyalaterhandoroughttoappearelsewhere.]
51.Foritisthesoldier’sdispositiontoofferanobstinateresistancewhensurrounded，tofighthardwhenhecannothelphimself，andtoobeypromptlywhenhehasfallenintodanger.
[ChangYualludestotheconductofPanCh`ao’sdevotedfollowersin73A.D.ThestoryrunsthusintheHOUHANSHU，ch.
47："WhenPanCh`aoarrivedatShan—shan，Kuang，theKingofthecountry，receivedhimatfirstwithgreatpolitenessandrespect;
butshortlyafterwardshisbehaviorunderwentasuddenchange，andhebecameremissandnegligent.PanCh`aospokeaboutthistotheofficersofhissuite：’Haveyounoticed，’hesaid，’thatKuang’spoliteintentionsareonthewane？ThismustsignifythatenvoyshavecomefromtheNorthernbarbarians，andthatconsequentlyheisinastateofindecision，notknowingwithwhichsidetothrowinhislot.Thatsurelyisthereason.Thetrulywiseman，wearetold，canperceivethingsbeforetheyhavecometopass;howmuchmore，then，thosethatarealreadymanifest！’Thereuponhecalledoneofthenativeswhohadbeenassignedtohisservice，andsetatrapforhim，saying：’WherearethoseenvoysfromtheHsiung—nuwhoarrivedsomedayago？’
Themanwassotakenabackthatbetweensurpriseandfearhepresentlyblurtedoutthewholetruth.PanCh`ao，keepinghisinformantcarefullyunderlockandkey，thensummonedageneralgatheringofhisofficers，thirty—sixinall，andbegandrinkingwiththem.Whenthewinehadmountedintotheirheadsalittle，hetriedtorousetheirspiritstillfurtherbyaddressingthemthus：’Gentlemen，hereweareintheheartofanisolatedregion，anxioustoachieverichesandhonorbysomegreatexploit.NowithappensthatanambassadorfromtheHsiung—noarrivedinthiskingdomonlyafewdaysago，andtheresultisthattherespectfulcourtesyextendedtowardsusbyourroyalhosthasdisappeared.ShouldthisenvoyprevailuponhimtoseizeourpartyandhandusovertotheHsiung—no，ourboneswillbecomefoodforthewolvesofthedesert.Whatarewetodo？’
Withoneaccord，theofficersreplied：’Standingaswedoinperilofourlives，wewillfollowourcommanderthroughlifeanddeath.’Forthesequelofthisadventure，seechap.XII.ss.1，note.]
52.Wecannotenterintoalliancewithneighboringprincesuntilweareacquaintedwiththeirdesigns.Wearenotfittoleadanarmyonthemarchunlesswearefamiliarwiththefaceofthecountry——itsmountainsandforests，itspitfallsandprecipices，itsmarshesandswamps.Weshallbeunabletoturnnaturaladvantagestoaccountunlesswemakeuseoflocalguides.
[ThesethreesentencesarerepeatedfromVII.SS.12—14——
inordertoemphasizetheirimportance，thecommentatorsseemtothink.Iprefertoregardthemasinterpolatedhereinordertoformanantecedenttothefollowingwords.Withregardtolocalguides，SunTzumighthaveaddedthatthereisalwaystheriskofgoingwrong，eitherthroughtheirtreacheryorsomemisunderstandingsuchasLivyrecords（XXII.13）：Hannibal，wearetold，orderedaguidetoleadhimintotheneighborhoodofCasinum，wheretherewasanimportantpasstobeoccupied;buthisCarthaginianaccent，unsuitedtothepronunciationofLatinnames，causedtheguidetounderstandCasilinuminsteadofCasinum，andturningfromhisproperroute，hetookthearmyinthatdirection，themistakenotbeingdiscovereduntiltheyhadalmostarrived.]
53.Tobeignoredofanyoneofthefollowingfourorfiveprinciplesdoesnotbefitawarlikeprince.
54.Whenawarlikeprinceattacksapowerfulstate，hisgeneralshipshowsitselfinpreventingtheconcentrationoftheenemy’sforces.Heoveraweshisopponents，andtheiralliesarepreventedfromjoiningagainsthim.
[MeiTao—ch`enconstructsoneofthechainsofreasoningthataresomuchaffectedbytheChinese："Inattackingapowerfulstate，ifyoucandivideherforces，youwillhaveasuperiorityinstrength;ifyouhaveasuperiorityinstrength，youwilloverawetheenemy;ifyouoverawetheenemy，theneighboringstateswillbefrightened;andiftheneighboringstatesarefrightened，theenemy’sallieswillbepreventedfromjoiningher."Thefollowinggivesastrongermeaning："Ifthegreatstatehasoncebeendefeated（beforeshehashadtimetosummonherallies），thenthelesserstateswillholdaloofandrefrainfrommassingtheirforces."Ch`enHaoandChangYutakethesentenceinquiteanotherway.Theformersays："Powerfulthoughaprincemaybe，ifheattacksalargestate，hewillbeunabletoraiseenoughtroops，andmustrelytosomeextentonexternalaid;ifhedispenseswiththis，andwithoverweeningconfidenceinhisownstrength，simplytriestointimidatetheenemy，hewillsurelybedefeated."ChangYuputshisviewthus：
"Ifwerecklesslyattackalargestate，ourownpeoplewillbediscontentedandhangback.Butif（aswillthenbethecase）
ourdisplayofmilitaryforceisinferiorbyhalftothatoftheenemy，theotherchieftainswilltakefrightandrefusetojoinus."]
55.Hencehedoesnotstrivetoallyhimselfwithallandsundry，nordoeshefosterthepowerofotherstates.Hecarriesouthisownsecretdesigns，keepinghisantagonistsinawe.
[Thetrainofthought，assaidbyLiCh`uan，appearstobethis：Secureagainstacombinationofhisenemies，"hecanaffordtorejectentanglingalliancesandsimplypursuehisownsecretdesigns，hisprestigeenablehimtodispensewithexternalfriendships."]
Thusheisabletocapturetheircitiesandoverthrowtheirkingdoms.
[Thisparagraph，thoughwrittenmanyyearsbeforetheCh`inStatebecameaseriousmenace，isnotabadsummaryofthepolicybywhichthefamousSixChancellorsgraduallypavedthewayforherfinaltriumphunderShihHuangTi.ChangYu，followinguphispreviousnote，thinksthatSunTzuiscondemningthisattitudeofcold—bloodedselfishnessandhaughtyisolation.]
56.Bestowrewardswithoutregardtorule，[WuTzu（ch.3）lesswiselysays："Letadvanceberichlyrewardedandretreatbeheavilypunished."]
issueorders[Literally，"hang"orpostup."]
withoutregardtopreviousarrangements;
["Inordertopreventtreachery，"saysWangHsi.ThegeneralmeaningismadeclearbyTs`aoKung’squotationfromtheSSU—MAFA："Giveinstructionsonlyonsightingtheenemy;giverewardswhenyouseedeservingdeeds."Ts`aoKung’sparaphrase：
"Thefinalinstructionsyougivetoyourarmyshouldnotcorrespondwiththosethathavebeenpreviouslypostedup."
ChangYusimplifiesthisinto"yourarrangementsshouldnotbedivulgedbeforehand."AndChiaLinsays："thereshouldbenofixityinyourrulesandarrangements."Notonlyistheredangerinlettingyourplansbeknown，butwaroftennecessitatestheentirereversalofthematthelastmoment.]
andyouwillbeabletohandleawholearmyasthoughyouhadtodowithbutasingleman.
[Cf.supra，ss.34.]
57.Confrontyoursoldierswiththedeeditself;neverletthemknowyourdesign.
[Literally，"donottellthemwords;"i.e.donotgiveyourreasonsforanyorder.LordMansfieldoncetoldajuniorcolleagueto"givenoreasons"forhisdecisions，andthemaximisevenmoreapplicabletoageneralthantoajudge.]
Whentheoutlookisbright，bringitbeforetheireyes;buttellthemnothingwhenthesituationisgloomy.
58.Placeyourarmyindeadlyperil，anditwillsurvive;
plungeitintodesperatestraits，anditwillcomeoffinsafety.
[ThesewordsofSunTzuwereoncequotedbyHanHsininexplanationofthetacticsheemployedinoneofhismostbrilliantbattles，alreadyalludedtoonp.28.In204B.C.，hewassentagainstthearmyofChao，andhaltedtenmilesfromthemouthoftheChing—hsingpass，wheretheenemyhadmusteredinfullforce.Here，atmidnight，hedetachedabodyof2000lightcavalry，everymanofwhichwasfurnishedwitharedflag.Theirinstructionsweretomaketheirwaythroughnarrowdefilesandkeepasecretwatchontheenemy."WhenthemenofChaoseemeinfullflight，"HanHsinsaid，"theywillabandontheirfortificationsandgivechase.Thismustbethesignforyoutorushin，pluckdowntheChaostandardsandsetuptheredbannersofHanintheirstead."Turningthentohisotherofficers，heremarked："Ouradversaryholdsastrongposition，andisnotlikelytocomeoutandattackusuntilheseesthestandardanddrumsofthecommander—in—chief，forfearIshouldturnbackandescapethroughthemountains."Sosaying，hefirstofallsentoutadivisionconsistingof10，000men，andorderedthemtoforminlineofbattlewiththeirbackstotheRiverTi.Seeingthismaneuver，thewholearmyofChaobrokeintoloudlaughter.Bythistimeitwasbroaddaylight，andHanHsin，displayingthegeneralissimo’sflag，marchedoutofthepasswithdrumsbeating，andwasimmediatelyengagedbytheenemy.Agreatbattlefollowed，lastingforsometime;untilatlengthHanHsinandhiscolleagueChangNi，leavingdrumsandbanneronthefield，fledtothedivisionontheriverbank，whereanotherfiercebattlewasraging.Theenemyrushedouttopursuethemandtosecurethetrophies，thusdenudingtheirrampartsofmen;butthetwogeneralssucceededinjoiningtheotherarmy，whichwasfightingwiththeutmostdesperation.Thetimehadnowcomeforthe2000
horsementoplaytheirpart.AssoonastheysawthemenofChaofollowinguptheiradvantage，theygallopedbehindthedesertedwalls，toreuptheenemy’sflagsandreplacedthembythoseofHan.WhentheChaoarmylookedbackfromthepursuit，thesightoftheseredflagsstruckthemwithterror.ConvincedthattheHanshadgotinandoverpoweredtheirking，theybrokeupinwilddisorder，everyeffortoftheirleadertostaythepanicbeinginvain.ThentheHanarmyfellonthemfrombothsidesandcompletedtherout，killinganumberandcapturingtherest，amongstwhomwasKingYahimselfAfterthebattle，someofHanHsin’sofficerscametohimandsaid："IntheARTOFWARwearetoldtohaveahillortumulusontherightrear，andariverormarshontheleftfront.[ThisappearstobeablendofSunTzuandT`aiKung.SeeIXss.9，andnote.]You，onthecontrary，orderedustodrawupourtroopswiththeriveratourback.Undertheseconditions，howdidyoumanagetogainthevictory？"Thegeneralreplied："IfearyougentlemenhavenotstudiedtheArtofWarwithsufficientcare.Isitnotwrittenthere：’Plungeyourarmyintodesperatestraitsanditwillcomeoffinsafety;placeitindeadlyperilanditwillsurvive’？
HadItakentheusualcourse，Ishouldneverhavebeenabletobringmycolleagueround.WhatsaystheMilitaryClassic——’Swoopdownonthemarket—placeanddrivethemenofftofight.’[ThispassagedoesnotoccurinthepresenttextofSunTzu.]IfIhadnotplacedmytroopsinapositionwheretheywereobligedtofightfortheirlives，buthadallowedeachmantofollowhisowndiscretion，therewouldhavebeenageneraldebandade，anditwouldhavebeenimpossibletodoanythingwiththem."Theofficersadmittedtheforceofhisargument，andsaid："Thesearehighertacticsthanweshouldhavebeencapableof."[SeeCH`IENHANSHU，ch.34，ff.4，5.]]
59.Foritispreciselywhenaforcehasfallenintoharm’swaythatiscapableofstrikingablowforvictory.
[Dangerhasabracingeffect.]
60.Successinwarfareisgainedbycarefullyaccommodatingourselvestotheenemy’spurpose.
[Ts`aoKungsays："Feignstupidity"——byanappearanceofyieldingandfallinginwiththeenemy’swishes.ChangYu’snotemakesthemeaningclear："Iftheenemyshowsaninclinationtoadvance，lurehimontodoso;ifheisanxioustoretreat，delayonpurposethathemaycarryouthisintention."Theobjectistomakehimremissandcontemptuousbeforewedeliverourattack.]
61.Bypersistentlyhangingontheenemy’sflank，[Iunderstandthefirstfourwordstomean"accompanyingtheenemyinonedirection."Ts`aoKungsays："unitethesoldiersandmakefortheenemy."Butsuchaviolentdisplacementofcharactersisquiteindefensible.]
weshallsucceedinthelongrun[Literally，"afterathousandLI."]
inkillingthecommander—in—chief.
[AlwaysagreatpointwiththeChinese.]
62.Thisiscalledabilitytoaccomplishathingbysheercunning.
63.Onthedaythatyoutakeupyourcommand，blockthefrontierpasses，destroytheofficialtallies，[Theseweretabletsofbambooorwood，onehalfofwhichwasissuedasapermitorpassportbytheofficialinchargeofagate.Cf.the"border—warden"ofLUNYUIII.24，whomayhavehadsimilarduties.Whenthishalfwasreturnedtohim，withinafixedperiod，hewasauthorizedtoopenthegateandletthetravelerthrough.]
andstopthepassageofallemissaries.
[Eithertoorfromtheenemy’scountry.]
64.Besterninthecouncil—chamber，[Shownoweakness，andinsistonyourplansbeingratifiedbythesovereign.]
sothatyoumaycontrolthesituation.
[MeiYao—ch`enunderstandsthewholesentencetomean：Takethestrictestprecautionstoensuresecrecyinyourdeliberations.]
65.Iftheenemyleavesadooropen，youmustrushin.
66.Forestallyouropponentbyseizingwhatheholdsdear，[Cf.supra，ss.18.]
andsubtlycontrivetotimehisarrivalontheground.
[Ch`enHao`sexplanation："IfImanagetoseizeafavorableposition，buttheenemydoesnotappearonthescene，theadvantagethusobtainedcannotbeturnedtoanypracticalaccount.Hewhointendstherefore，tooccupyapositionofimportancetotheenemy，mustbeginbymakinganartfulappointment，sotospeak，withhisantagonist，andcajolehimintogoingthereaswell."MeiYao—ch`enexplainsthatthis"artfulappointment"istobemadethroughthemediumoftheenemy’sownspies，whowillcarrybackjusttheamountofinformationthatwechoosetogivethem.Then，havingcunninglydisclosedourintentions，"wemustmanage，thoughstartingaftertheenemy，toarrivebeforehim（VII.ss.4）.Wemuststartafterhiminordertoensurehismarchingthither;wemustarrivebeforehiminordertocapturetheplacewithouttrouble.Takenthus，thepresentpassagelendssomesupporttoMeiYao—ch`en’sinterpretationofss.47.]
67.Walkinthepathdefinedbyrule，[ChiaLinsays："Victoryistheonlythingthatmatters，andthiscannotbeachievedbyadheringtoconventionalcanons."
Itisunfortunatethatthisvariantrestsonveryslightauthority，forthesenseyieldediscertainlymuchmoresatisfactory.Napoleon，asweknow，accordingtotheveteransoftheoldschoolwhomhedefeated，wonhisbattlesbyviolatingeveryacceptedcanonofwarfare.]
andaccommodateyourselftotheenemyuntilyoucanfightadecisivebattle.
[TuMusays："Conformtotheenemy’stacticsuntilafavorableopportunityoffers;thencomeforthandengageinabattlethatshallprovedecisive."]
68.Atfirst，then，exhibitthecoynessofamaiden，untiltheenemygivesyouanopening;afterwardsemulatetherapidityofarunninghare，anditwillbetoolatefortheenemytoopposeyou.
[Asthehareisnotedforitsextremetimidity，thecomparisonhardlyappearsfelicitous.ButofcourseSunTzuwasthinkingonlyofitsspeed.Thewordshavebeentakentomean：
Youmustfleefromtheenemyasquicklyasanescapinghare;butthisisrightlyrejectedbyTuMu.]
[1]Giles’BiographicalDictionary，no.399.
[2]"TheScienceofWar，"p.333.
[3]"StonewallJackson，"vol.I，p.421.
XII.THEATTACKBYFIRE
[Rathermorethanhalfthechapter（SS.1—13）isdevotedtothesubjectoffire，afterwhichtheauthorbranchesoffintoothertopics.]
1.SunTzusaid：Therearefivewaysofattackingwithfire.Thefirstistoburnsoldiersintheircamp;
[SoTuMu.LiCh`uansays："Setfiretothecamp，andkillthesoldiers"（whentheytrytoescapefromtheflames）.PanCh`ao，sentonadiplomaticmissiontotheKingofShan—shan[seeXI.ss.51，note]，foundhimselfplacedinextremeperilbytheunexpectedarrivalofanenvoyfromtheHsiung—nu[themortalenemiesoftheChinese].Inconsultationwithhisofficers，heexclaimed："Neverventure，neverwin！[1]Theonlycourseopentousnowistomakeanassaultbyfireonthebarbariansundercoverofnight，whentheywillnotbeabletodiscernournumbers.Profitingbytheirpanic，weshallexterminatethemcompletely;thiswillcooltheKing’scourageandcoveruswithglory，besidesensuringthesuccessofourmission.’theofficersallrepliedthatitwouldbenecessarytodiscussthematterfirstwiththeIntendant.PanCh`aothenfellintoapassion：’Itistoday，’hecried，’thatourfortunesmustbedecided！TheIntendantisonlyahumdrumcivilian，whoonhearingofourprojectwillcertainlybeafraid，andeverythingwillbebroughttolight.Aningloriousdeathisnoworthyfateforvaliantwarriors.’Allthenagreedtodoashewished.
Accordingly，assoonasnightcameon，heandhislittlebandquicklymadetheirwaytothebarbariancamp.Astronggalewasblowingatthetime.PanCh`aoorderedtenofthepartytotakedrumsandhidebehindtheenemy’sbarracks，itbeingarrangedthatwhentheysawflamesshootup，theyshouldbegindrummingandyellingwithalltheirmight.Therestofhismen，armedwithbowsandcrossbows，hepostedinambuscadeatthegateofthecamp.Hethensetfiretotheplacefromthewindwardside，whereuponadeafeningnoiseofdrumsandshoutingaroseonthefrontandrearoftheHsiung—nu，whorushedoutpell—mellinfranticdisorder.PanCh`aoslewthreeofthemwithhisownhand，whilehiscompanionscutofftheheadsoftheenvoyandthirtyofhissuite.Theremainder，morethanahundredinall，perishedintheflames.Onthefollowingday，PanCh`ao，divininghisthoughts，saidwithupliftedhand：’Althoughyoudidnotgowithuslastnight，Ishouldnotthink，Sir，oftakingsolecreditforourexploit.’ThissatisfiedKuoHsun，andPanCh`ao，havingsentforKuang，KingofShan—shan，showedhimtheheadofthebarbarianenvoy.Thewholekingdomwasseizedwithfearandtrembling，whichPanCh`aotookstepstoallaybyissuingapublicproclamation.Then，takingtheking’ssonsashostage，hereturnedtomakehisreporttoTouKu."HOUHANSHU，ch.47，ff.1，2.]]
thesecondistoburnstores;
[TuMusays："Provisions，fuelandfodder."InordertosubduetherebelliouspopulationofKiangnan，KaoKengrecommendedWenTioftheSuidynastytomakeperiodicalraidsandburntheirstoresofgrain，apolicywhichinthelongrunprovedentirelysuccessful.]
thethirdistoburnbaggagetrains;
[AnexamplegivenisthedestructionofYuanShao`swagonsandimpedimentabyTs`aoTs`aoin200A.D.]
thefourthistoburnarsenalsandmagazines;
[TuMusaysthatthethingscontainedin"arsenals"and"magazines"arethesame.Hespecifiesweaponsandotherimplements，bullionandclothing.Cf.VII.ss.11.]
thefifthistohurldroppingfireamongsttheenemy.
[TuYusaysintheT`UNGTIEN："Todropfireintotheenemy’scamp.Themethodbywhichthismaybedoneistosetthetipsofarrowsalightbydippingthemintoabrazier，andthenshootthemfrompowerfulcrossbowsintotheenemy’slines."]
2.Inordertocarryoutanattack，wemusthavemeansavailable.
[T`saoKungthinksthat"traitorsintheenemy’scamp"arereferredto.ButCh`enHaoismorelikelytoberightinsaying：
"Wemusthavefavorablecircumstancesingeneral，notmerelytraitorstohelpus."ChiaLinsays："Wemustavailourselvesofwindanddryweather."]
thematerialforraisingfireshouldalwaysbekeptinreadiness.
[TuMusuggestsasmaterialformakingfire："dryvegetablematter，reeds，brushwood，straw，grease，oil，etc."Herewehavethematerialcause.ChangYusays："vesselsforhoardingfire，stuffforlightingfires."]
3.Thereisaproperseasonformakingattackswithfire，andspecialdaysforstartingaconflagration.
4.Theproperseasoniswhentheweatherisverydry;thespecialdaysarethosewhenthemoonisintheconstellationsoftheSieve，theWall，theWingortheCross—bar;
[Theseare，respectively，the7th，14th，27th，and28thoftheTwenty—eightStellarMansions，correspondingroughlytoSagittarius，Pegasus，CraterandCorvus.]
forthesefourarealldaysofrisingwind.
5.Inattackingwithfire，oneshouldbepreparedtomeetfivepossibledevelopments：
6.（1）Whenfirebreaksoutinsidetoenemy’scamp，respondatoncewithanattackfromwithout.
7.（2）Ifthereisanoutbreakoffire，buttheenemy’ssoldiersremainquiet，bideyourtimeanddonotattack.
[Theprimeobjectofattackingwithfireistothrowtheenemyintoconfusion.Ifthiseffectisnotproduced，itmeansthattheenemyisreadytoreceiveus.Hencethenecessityforcaution.]
8.（3）Whentheforceoftheflameshasreacheditsheight，followitupwithanattack，ifthatispracticable;ifnot，staywhereyouare.
[Ts`aoKungsays："Ifyouseeapossibleway，advance;butifyoufindthedifficultiestoogreat，retire."]
9.（4）Ifitispossibletomakeanassaultwithfirefromwithout，donotwaitforittobreakoutwithin，butdeliveryourattackatafavorablemoment.
[TuMusaysthatthepreviousparagraphshadreferencetothefirebreakingout（eitheraccidentally，wemaysuppose，orbytheagencyofincendiaries）insidetheenemy’scamp."But，"hecontinues，"iftheenemyissettledinawasteplacelitteredwithquantitiesofgrass，orifhehaspitchedhiscampinapositionwhichcanbeburntout，wemustcarryourfireagainsthimatanyseasonableopportunity，andnotawaitoninhopesofanoutbreakoccurringwithin，forfearouropponentsshouldthemselvesburnupthesurroundingvegetation，andthusrenderourownattemptsfruitless."ThefamousLiLingoncebaffledtheleaderoftheHsiung—nuinthisway.Thelatter，takingadvantageofafavorablewind，triedtosetfiretotheChinesegeneral’scamp，butfoundthateveryscrapofcombustiblevegetationintheneighborhoodhadalreadybeenburntdown.Ontheotherhand，Po—ts`ai，ageneraloftheYellowTurbanrebels，wasbadlydefeatedin184A.D.throughhisneglectofthissimpleprecaution."AttheheadofalargearmyhewasbesiegingCh`ang—she，whichwasheldbyHuang—fuSung.Thegarrisonwasverysmall，andageneralfeelingofnervousnesspervadedtheranks;soHuang—fuSungcalledhisofficerstogetherandsaid：
"Inwar，therearevariousindirectmethodsofattack，andnumbersdonotcountforeverything.[ThecommentatorherequotesSunTzu，V.SS.5，6and10.]Nowtherebelshavepitchedtheircampinthemidstofthickgrasswhichwilleasilyburnwhenthewindblows.Ifwesetfiretoitatnight，theywillbethrownintoapanic，andwecanmakeasortieandattackthemonallsidesatonce，thusemulatingtheachievementofT`ienTan.’
[Seep.90.]Thatsameevening，astrongbreezesprangup;soHuang—fuSunginstructedhissoldierstobindreedstogetherintotorchesandmountguardonthecitywalls，afterwhichhesentoutabandofdaringmen，whostealthilymadetheirwaythroughthelinesandstartedthefirewithloudshoutsandyells.
Simultaneously，aglareoflightshotupfromthecitywalls，andHuang—fuSung，soundinghisdrums，ledarapidcharge，whichthrewtherebelsintoconfusionandputthemtoheadlongflight."
[HOUHANSHU，ch.71.]]
10.（5）Whenyoustartafire，betowindwardofit.Donotattackfromtheleeward.
[ChangYu，followingTuYu，says："Whenyoumakeafire，theenemywillretreatawayfromit;ifyouopposehisretreatandattackhimthen，hewillfightdesperately，whichwillnotconducetoyoursuccess."ArathermoreobviousexplanationisgivenbyTuMu："Ifthewindisintheeast，beginburningtotheeastoftheenemy，andfollowuptheattackyourselffromthatside.Ifyoustartthefireontheeastside，andthenattackfromthewest，youwillsufferinthesamewayasyourenemy."]
11.Awindthatrisesinthedaytimelastslong，butanightbreezesoonfalls.
[Cf.LaoTzu’ssaying："Aviolentwinddoesnotlastthespaceofamorning."（TAOTECHING，chap.23.）MeiYao—ch`enandWangHsisay："Adaybreezediesdownatnightfall，andanightbreezeatdaybreak.Thisiswhathappensasageneralrule."Thephenomenonobservedmaybecorrectenough，buthowthissenseistobeobtainedisnotapparent.]
12.Ineveryarmy，thefivedevelopmentsconnectedwithfiremustbeknown，themovementsofthestarscalculated，andawatchkeptfortheproperdays.
[TuMusays："Wemustmakecalculationsastothepathsofthestars，andwatchforthedaysonwhichwindwillrise，beforemakingourattackwithfire."ChangYuseemstointerpretthetextdifferently："Wemustnotonlyknowhowtoassailouropponentswithfire，butalsobeonourguardagainstsimilarattacksfromthem."]
13.Hencethosewhousefireasanaidtotheattackshowintelligence;thosewhousewaterasanaidtotheattackgainanaccessionofstrength.
14.Bymeansofwater，anenemymaybeintercepted，butnotrobbedofallhisbelongings.
[Ts`aoKung’snoteis："Wecanmerelyobstructtheenemy’sroadordividehisarmy，butnotsweepawayallhisaccumulatedstores."Watercandousefulservice，butitlackstheterribledestructivepoweroffire.Thisisthereason，ChangYuconcludes，whytheformerisdismissedinacoupleofsentences，whereastheattackbyfireisdiscussedindetail.WuTzu（ch.
4）speaksthusofthetwoelements："Ifanarmyisencampedonlow—lyingmarshyground，fromwhichthewatercannotrunoff，andwheretherainfallisheavy，itmaybesubmergedbyaflood.Ifanarmyisencampedinwildmarshlandsthicklyovergrownwithweedsandbrambles，andvisitedbyfrequentgales，itmaybeexterminatedbyfire."]
15.Unhappyisthefateofonewhotriestowinhisbattlesandsucceedinhisattackswithoutcultivatingthespiritofenterprise;fortheresultiswasteoftimeandgeneralstagnation.
[ThisisoneofthemostperplexingpassagesinSunTzu.
Ts`aoKungsays："Rewardsforgoodserviceshouldnotbedeferredasingleday."AndTuMu："Ifyoudonottakeopportunitytoadvanceandrewardthedeserving，yoursubordinateswillnotcarryoutyourcommands，anddisasterwillensue."Forseveralreasons，however，andinspiteoftheformidablearrayofscholarsontheotherside，IprefertheinterpretationsuggestedbyMeiYao—ch`enalone，whosewordsI
willquote："Thosewhowanttomakesureofsucceedingintheirbattlesandassaultsmustseizethefavorablemomentswhentheycomeandnotshrinkonoccasionfromheroicmeasures：thatistosay，theymustresorttosuchmeansofattackoffire，waterandthelike.Whattheymustnotdo，andwhatwillprovefatal，istositstillandsimplyholdtotheadvantagestheyhavegot."]
16.Hencethesaying：Theenlightenedrulerlayshisplanswellahead;thegoodgeneralcultivateshisresources.
[TuMuquotesthefollowingfromtheSANLUEH，ch.2："Thewarlikeprincecontrolshissoldiersbyhisauthority，kitsthemtogetherbygoodfaith，andbyrewardsmakesthemserviceable.
Iffaithdecays，therewillbedisruption;ifrewardsaredeficient，commandswillnotberespected."]
17.Movenotunlessyouseeanadvantage;usenotyourtroopsunlessthereissomethingtobegained;fightnotunlessthepositioniscritical.
[SunTzumayattimesappeartobeover—cautious，buthenevergoessofarinthatdirectionastheremarkablepassageintheTAOTECHING，ch.69."Idarenottaketheinitiative，butprefertoactonthedefensive;Idarenotadvanceaninch，butprefertoretreatafoot."]
18.Norulershouldputtroopsintothefieldmerelytogratifyhisownspleen;nogeneralshouldfightabattlesimplyoutofpique.
19.Ifitistoyouradvantage，makeaforwardmove;ifnot，staywhereyouare.
[ThisisrepeatedfromXI.ss.17.HereIfeelconvincedthatitisaninterpolation，foritisevidentthatss.20oughttofollowimmediatelyonss.18.]
20.Angermayintimechangetogladness;vexationmaybesucceededbycontent.
21.Butakingdomthathasoncebeendestroyedcannevercomeagainintobeing;
[TheWuStatewasdestinedtobeamelancholyexampleofthissaying.]
norcanthedeadeverbebroughtbacktolife.
22.Hencetheenlightenedrulerisheedful，andthegoodgeneralfullofcaution.Thisisthewaytokeepacountryatpeaceandanarmyintact.
[1]"Unlessyouenterthetiger’slair，youcannotgetholdofthetiger’scubs."
XIII.THEUSEOFSPIES
1.SunTzusaid：RaisingahostofahundredthousandmenandmarchingthemgreatdistancesentailsheavylossonthepeopleandadrainontheresourcesoftheState.Thedailyexpenditurewillamounttoathousandouncesofsilver.
[Cf.II.ss.ss.1，13，14.]
Therewillbecommotionathomeandabroad，andmenwilldropdownexhaustedonthehighways.
[Cf.TAOTECHING，ch.30："Wheretroopshavebeenquartered，bramblesandthornsspringup.ChangYuhasthenote：
"Wemayberemindedofthesaying：’Onseriousground，gatherinplunder.’Whythenshouldcarriageandtransportationcauseexhaustiononthehighways？——Theansweris，thatnotvictualsalone，butallsortsofmunitionsofwarhavetobeconveyedtothearmy.Besides，theinjunctionto’forageontheenemy’onlymeansthatwhenanarmyisdeeplyengagedinhostileterritory，scarcityoffoodmustbeprovidedagainst.Hence，withoutbeingsolelydependentontheenemyforcorn，wemustforageinorderthattheremaybeanuninterruptedflowofsupplies.Then，again，thereareplaceslikesaltdesertswhereprovisionsbeingunobtainable，suppliesfromhomecannotbedispensedwith."]
Asmanyassevenhundredthousandfamilieswillbeimpededintheirlabor.
[MeiYao—ch`ensays："Menwillbelackingattheplough—
tail."Theallusionistothesystemofdividinglandintonineparts，eachconsistingofabout15acres，theplotinthecenterbeingcultivatedonbehalfoftheStatebythetenantsoftheothereight.Itwasherealso，soTuMutellsus，thattheircottageswerebuiltandawellsunk，tobeusedbyallincommon.
[SeeII.ss.12，note.]Intimeofwar，oneofthefamilieshadtoserveinthearmy，whiletheothersevencontributedtoitssupport.Thus，byalevyof100，000men（reckoningoneable—
bodiedsoldiertoeachfamily）thehusbandryof700，000familieswouldbeaffected.]
2.Hostilearmiesmayfaceeachotherforyears，strivingforthevictorywhichisdecidedinasingleday.Thisbeingso，toremaininignoranceoftheenemy’sconditionsimplybecauseonegrudgestheoutlayofahundredouncesofsilverinhonorsandemoluments，["Forspies"isofcoursethemeaning，thoughitwouldspoiltheeffectofthiscuriouslyelaborateexordiumifspieswereactuallymentionedatthispoint.]
istheheightofinhumanity.
[SunTzu’sagreementiscertainlyingenious.Hebeginsbyadvertingtothefrightfulmiseryandvastexpenditureofbloodandtreasurewhichwaralwaysbringsinitstrain.Now，unlessyouarekeptinformedoftheenemy’scondition，andarereadytostrikeattherightmoment，awarmaydragonforyears.Theonlywaytogetthisinformationistoemployspies，anditisimpossibletoobtaintrustworthyspiesunlesstheyareproperlypaidfortheirservices.Butitissurelyfalseeconomytogrudgeacomparativelytriflingamountforthispurpose，wheneverydaythatthewarlastseatsupanincalculablygreatersum.
Thisgrievousburdenfallsontheshouldersofthepoor，andhenceSunTzuconcludesthattoneglecttheuseofspiesisnothinglessthanacrimeagainsthumanity.]
3.Onewhoactsthusisnoleaderofmen，nopresenthelptohissovereign，nomasterofvictory.
[Thisidea，thatthetrueobjectofwarispeace，hasitsrootinthenationaltemperamentoftheChinese.Evensofarbackas597B.C.，thesememorablewordswereutteredbyPrinceChuangoftheCh`uState："The[Chinese]characterfor’prowess’
ismadeupof[thecharactersfor]’tostay’and’aspear’
（cessationofhostilities）.Militaryprowessisseenintherepressionofcruelty，thecallinginofweapons，thepreservationoftheappointmentofHeaven，thefirmestablishmentofmerit，thebestowalofhappinessonthepeople，puttingharmonybetweentheprinces，thediffusionofwealth."]
4.Thus，whatenablesthewisesovereignandthegoodgeneraltostrikeandconquer，andachievethingsbeyondthereachofordinarymen，isFOREKNOWLEDGE.
[Thatis，knowledgeoftheenemy’sdispositions，andwhathemeanstodo.]
5.Nowthisforeknowledgecannotbeelicitedfromspirits;
itcannotbeobtainedinductivelyfromexperience，[TuMu’snoteis："[knowledgeoftheenemy]cannotbegainedbyreasoningfromotheranalogouscases."]
norbyanydeductivecalculation.
[LiCh`uansays："Quantitieslikelength，breadth，distanceandmagnitude，aresusceptibleofexactmathematicaldetermination;humanactionscannotbesocalculated."]
6.Knowledgeoftheenemy’sdispositionscanonlybeobtainedfromothermen.
[MeiYao—ch`enhasratheraninterestingnote："Knowledgeofthespirit—worldistobeobtainedbydivination;informationinnaturalsciencemaybesoughtbyinductivereasoning;thelawsoftheuniversecanbeverifiedbymathematicalcalculation：butthedispositionsofanenemyareascertainablethroughspiesandspiesalone."]
7.Hencetheuseofspies，ofwhomtherearefiveclasses：
（1）Localspies;（2）inwardspies;（3）convertedspies;（4）
doomedspies;（5）survivingspies.
8.Whenthesefivekindsofspyareallatwork，nonecandiscoverthesecretsystem.Thisiscalled"divinemanipulationofthethreads."Itisthesovereign’smostpreciousfaculty.
[Cromwell，oneofthegreatestandmostpracticalofallcavalryleaders，hadofficersstyled’scoutmasters，’whosebusinessitwastocollectallpossibleinformationregardingtheenemy，throughscoutsandspies，etc.，andmuchofhissuccessinwarwastraceabletothepreviousknowledgeoftheenemy’smovesthusgained."[1]]
9.HavingLOCALSPIESmeansemployingtheservicesoftheinhabitantsofadistrict.
[TuMusays："Intheenemy’scountry，winpeopleoverbykindtreatment，andusethemasspies."]
10.HavingINWARDSPIES，makinguseofofficialsoftheenemy.
[TuMuenumeratesthefollowingclassesaslikelytodogoodserviceinthisrespect："Worthymenwhohavebeendegradedfromoffice，criminalswhohaveundergonepunishment;also，favoriteconcubineswhoaregreedyforgold，menwhoareaggrievedatbeinginsubordinatepositions，orwhohavebeenpassedoverinthedistributionofposts，otherswhoareanxiousthattheirsideshouldbedefeatedinorderthattheymayhaveachanceofdisplayingtheirabilityandtalents，fickleturncoatswhoalwayswanttohaveafootineachboat.Officialsoftheseseveralkinds，"hecontinues，"shouldbesecretlyapproachedandboundtoone’sinterestsbymeansofrichpresents.Inthiswayyouwillbeabletofindoutthestateofaffairsintheenemy’scountry，ascertaintheplansthatarebeingformedagainstyou，andmoreoverdisturbtheharmonyandcreateabreachbetweenthesovereignandhisministers."Thenecessityforextremecaution，however，indealingwith"inwardspies，"appearsfromanhistoricalincidentrelatedbyHoShih："LoShang，GovernorofI—Chou，senthisgeneralWeiPotoattacktherebelLiHsiungofShuinhisstrongholdatP`i.Aftereachsidehadexperiencedanumberofvictoriesanddefeats，LiHsiunghadrecoursetotheservicesofacertainP`o—t`ai，anativeofWu—tu.Hebegantohavehimwhippeduntilthebloodcame，andthensenthimofftoLoShang，whomhewastodeludebyofferingtocooperatewithhimfrominsidethecity，andtogiveafiresignalattherightmomentformakingageneralassault.LoShang，confidinginthesepromises，marchoutallhisbesttroops，andplacedWeiPoandothersattheirheadwithorderstoattackatP`o—t`ai’sbidding.Meanwhile，LiHsiung’sgeneral，LiHsiang，hadpreparedanambuscadeontheirlineofmarch;andP`o—t`ai，havingrearedlongscaling—laddersagainstthecitywalls，nowlightedthebeacon—fire.WeiPo’smenraceduponseeingthesignalandbeganclimbingtheladdersasfastastheycould，whileothersweredrawnupbyropesloweredfromabove.MorethanahundredofLoShang’ssoldiersenteredthecityinthisway，everyoneofwhomwasforthwithbeheaded.LiHsiungthenchargedwithallhisforces，bothinsideandoutsidethecity，androutedtheenemycompletely."[Thishappenedin303A.D.IdonotknowwhereHoShihgotthestoryfrom.ItisnotgiveninthebiographyofLiHsiungorthatofhisfatherLiT`e，CHINSHU，ch.120，121.]
11.HavingCONVERTEDSPIES，gettingholdoftheenemy’sspiesandusingthemforourownpurposes.
[Bymeansofheavybribesandliberalpromisesdetachingthemfromtheenemy’sservice，andinducingthemtocarrybackfalseinformationaswellastospyinturnontheirowncountrymen.Ontheotherhand，HsiaoShih—hsiensaysthatwepretendnottohavedetectedhim，butcontrivetolethimcarryawayafalseimpressionofwhatisgoingon.Severalofthecommentatorsacceptthisasanalternativedefinition;butthatitisnotwhatSunTzumeantisconclusivelyprovedbyhissubsequentremarksabouttreatingtheconvertedspygenerously（ss.21sqq.）.HoShihnotesthreeoccasionsonwhichconvertedspieswereusedwithconspicuoussuccess：（1）byT`ienTaninhisdefenseofChi—mo（seesupra，p.90）;（2）byChaoSheonhismarchtoO—yu（seep.57）;andbythewilyFanChuin260B.C.，whenLienP`owasconductingadefensivecampaignagainstCh`in.
TheKingofChaostronglydisapprovedofLienP`o’scautiousanddilatorymethods，whichhadbeenunabletoavertaseriesofminordisasters，andthereforelentareadyeartothereportsofhisspies，whohadsecretlygoneovertotheenemyandwerealreadyinFanChu’spay.Theysaid："TheonlythingwhichcausesCh`inanxietyislestChaoKuashouldbemadegeneral.
LienP`otheyconsideraneasyopponent，whoissuretobevanquishedinthelongrun."NowthisChaoKuawasasunofthefamousChaoShe.Fromhisboyhood，hehadbeenwhollyengrossedinthestudyofwarandmilitarymatters，untilatlasthecametobelievethattherewasnocommanderinthewholeEmpirewhocouldstandagainsthim.Hisfatherwasmuchdisquietedbythisoverweeningconceit，andtheflippancywithwhichhespokeofsuchaseriousthingaswar，andsolemnlydeclaredthatifeverKuawasappointedgeneral，hewouldbringruinonthearmiesofChao.Thiswasthemanwho，inspiteofearnestprotestsfromhisownmotherandtheveteranstatesmanLinHsiang—ju，wasnowsenttosucceedLienP`o.Needlesstosay，heprovednomatchfortheredoubtablePoCh`iandthegreatmilitarypowerofCh`in.Hefellintoatrapbywhichhisarmywasdividedintotwoandhiscommunicationscut;andafteradesperateresistancelasting46days，duringwhichthefamishedsoldiersdevouredoneanother，hewashimselfkilledbyanarrow，andhiswholeforce，amounting，itissaid，to400，000men，ruthlesslyputtothesword.]
12.HavingDOOMEDSPIES，doingcertainthingsopenlyforpurposesofdeception，andallowingourspiestoknowofthemandreportthemtotheenemy.
[TuYugivesthebestexpositionofthemeaning："Weostentatiouslydothingcalculatedtodeceiveourownspies，whomustbeledtobelievethattheyhavebeenunwittinglydisclosed.
Then，whenthesespiesarecapturedintheenemy’slines，theywillmakeanentirelyfalsereport，andtheenemywilltakemeasuresaccordingly，onlytofindthatwedosomethingquitedifferent.Thespieswillthereuponbeputtodeath."Asanexampleofdoomedspies，HoShihmentionstheprisonersreleasedbyPanCh`aoinhiscampaignagainstYarkand.（Seep.132.）HealsoreferstoT`angChien，whoin630A.D.wassentbyT`aiTsungtolulltheTurkishKahnChieh—liintofanciedsecurity，untilLiChingwasabletodeliveracrushingblowagainsthim.
ChangYusaysthattheTurksrevengedthemselvesbykillingT`angChien，butthisisamistake，forwereadinboththeoldandtheNewT`angHistory（ch.58，fol.2andch.89，fol.8
respectively）thatheescapedandlivedonuntil656.LiI—chiplayedasomewhatsimilarpartin203B.C.，whensentbytheKingofHantoopenpeacefulnegotiationswithCh`i.Hehascertainlymoreclaimtobedescribeda"doomedspy"，forthekingofCh`i，beingsubsequentlyattackedwithoutwarningbyHanHsin，andinfuriatedbywhatheconsideredthetreacheryofLiI—chi，orderedtheunfortunateenvoytobeboiledalive.]
13.SURVIVINGSPIES，finally，arethosewhobringbacknewsfromtheenemy’scamp.
[Thisistheordinaryclassofspies，properlysocalled，formingaregularpartofthearmy.TuMusays："Yoursurvivingspymustbeamanofkeenintellect，thoughinoutwardappearanceafool;ofshabbyexterior，butwithawillofiron.Hemustbeactive，robust，endowedwithphysicalstrengthandcourage;
thoroughlyaccustomedtoallsortsofdirtywork，abletoendurehungerandcold，andtoputupwithshameandignominy."HoShihtellsthefollowingstoryofTa`hsiWuoftheSuidynasty："WhenhewasgovernorofEasternCh`in，Shen—wuofCh`imadeahostilemovementuponSha—yuan.TheEmperorT`aiTsu[？KaoTsu]sentTa—hsiWutospyupontheenemy.Hewasaccompaniedbytwoothermen.Allthreewereonhorsebackandworetheenemy’suniform.
Whenitwasdark，theydismountedafewhundredfeetawayfromtheenemy’scampandstealthilycreptuptolisten，untiltheysucceededincatchingthepasswordsusedinthearmy.Thentheygotontheirhorsesagainandboldlypassedthroughthecampundertheguiseofnight—watchmen;andmorethanonce，happeningtocomeacrossasoldierwhowascommittingsomebreachofdiscipline，theyactuallystoppedtogivetheculpritasoundcudgeling！Thustheymanagedtoreturnwiththefullestpossibleinformationabouttheenemy’sdispositions，andreceivedwarmcommendationfromtheEmperor，whoinconsequenceoftheirreportwasabletoinflictaseveredefeatonhisadversary."]
14.Henceitisthatwhichnoneinthewholearmyaremoreintimaterelationstobemaintainedthanwithspies.
[TuMuandMeiYao—ch`enpointoutthatthespyisprivilegedtoentereventhegeneral’sprivatesleeping—tent.]
Noneshouldbemoreliberallyrewarded.Innootherbusinessshouldgreatersecrecybepreserved.
[TuMugivesagraphictouch：allcommunicationwithspiesshouldbecarried"mouth—to—ear."ThefollowingremarksonspiesmaybequotedfromTurenne，whomadeperhapslargeruseofthemthananypreviouscommander："Spiesareattachedtothosewhogivethemmost，hewhopaysthemillisneverserved.Theyshouldneverbeknowntoanybody;norshouldtheyknowoneanother.Whentheyproposeanythingverymaterial，securetheirpersons，orhaveinyourpossessiontheirwivesandchildrenashostagesfortheirfidelity.Nevercommunicateanythingtothembutwhatisabsolutelynecessarythattheyshouldknow.[2]]
15.Spiescannotbeusefullyemployedwithoutacertainintuitivesagacity.
[MeiYao—ch`ensays："Inordertousethem，onemustknowfactfromfalsehood，andbeabletodiscriminatebetweenhonestyanddouble—dealing."WangHsiinadifferentinterpretationthinksmorealongthelinesof"intuitiveperception"and"practicalintelligence."TuMustrangelyreferstheseattributestothespiesthemselves："Beforeusingspieswemustassureourselvesastotheirintegrityofcharacterandtheextentoftheirexperienceandskill."Buthecontinues："A
brazenfaceandacraftydispositionaremoredangerousthanmountainsorrivers;ittakesamanofgeniustopenetratesuch."
Sothatweareleftinsomedoubtastohisrealopiniononthepassage."]
16.Theycannotbeproperlymanagedwithoutbenevolenceandstraightforwardness.
[ChangYusays："Whenyouhaveattractedthembysubstantialoffers，youmusttreatthemwithabsolutesincerity;
thentheywillworkforyouwithalltheirmight."]
17.Withoutsubtleingenuityofmind，onecannotmakecertainofthetruthoftheirreports.
[MeiYao—ch`ensays："Beonyourguardagainstthepossibilityofspiesgoingovertotheserviceoftheenemy."]
18.Besubtle！besubtle！anduseyourspiesforeverykindofbusiness.
[Cf.VI.ss.9.]
19.Ifasecretpieceofnewsisdivulgedbyaspybeforethetimeisripe，hemustbeputtodeathtogetherwiththemantowhomthesecretwastold.
[Wordforword，thetranslationhereis："Ifspymattersareheardbefore[ourplans]arecarriedout，"etc.SunTzu’smainpointinthispassageis：Whereasyoukillthespyhimself"asapunishmentforlettingoutthesecret，"theobjectofkillingtheothermanisonly，asCh`enHaoputsit，"tostophismouth"andpreventnewsleakinganyfurther.Ifithadalreadybeenrepeatedtoothers，thisobjectwouldnotbegained.Eitherway，SunTzulayshimselfopentothechargeofinhumanity，thoughTuMutriestodefendhimbysayingthatthemandeservestobeputtodeath，forthespywouldcertainlynothavetoldthesecretunlesstheotherhadbeenatpainstowormitoutofhim."]
20.Whethertheobjectbetocrushanarmy，tostormacity，ortoassassinateanindividual，itisalwaysnecessarytobeginbyfindingoutthenamesoftheattendants，theaides—de—
camp，[Literally"visitors"，isequivalent，asTuYusays，to"thosewhosedutyitistokeepthegeneralsuppliedwithinformation，"whichnaturallynecessitatesfrequentinterviewswithhim.]
anddoor—keepersandsentriesofthegeneralincommand.Ourspiesmustbecommissionedtoascertainthese.
[Asthefirststep，nodoubttowardsfindingoutifanyoftheseimportantfunctionariescanbewonoverbybribery.]
21.Theenemy’sspieswhohavecometospyonusmustbesoughtout，temptedwithbribes，ledawayandcomfortablyhoused.
Thustheywillbecomeconvertedspiesandavailableforourservice.
22.Itisthroughtheinformationbroughtbytheconvertedspythatweareabletoacquireandemploylocalandinwardspies.
[TuYusays："throughconversionoftheenemy’sspieswelearntheenemy’scondition."AndChangYusays："Wemusttempttheconvertedspyintoourservice，becauseitishethatknowswhichofthelocalinhabitantsaregreedyofgain，andwhichoftheofficialsareopentocorruption."]
23.Itisowingtohisinformation，again，thatwecancausethedoomedspytocarryfalsetidingstotheenemy.
[ChangYusays，"becausetheconvertedspyknowshowtheenemycanbestbedeceived."]
24.Lastly，itisbyhisinformationthatthesurvivingspycanbeusedonappointedoccasions.
25.Theendandaimofspyinginallitsfivevarietiesisknowledgeoftheenemy;andthisknowledgecanonlybederived，inthefirstinstance，fromtheconvertedspy.
[Asexplainedinss.22—24.Henotonlybringsinformationhimself，butmakesitpossibletousetheotherkindsofspytoadvantage.]
Henceitisessentialthattheconvertedspybetreatedwiththeutmostliberality.
26.Ofold，theriseoftheYindynasty[SunTzumeanstheShangdynasty，foundedin1766B.C.ItsnamewaschangedtoYinbyP`anKengin1401.
wasduetoIChih[BetterknownasIYin，thefamousgeneralandstatesmanwhotookpartinCh`engT`ang’scampaignagainstChiehKuei.]
whohadservedundertheHsia.Likewise，theriseoftheChoudynastywasduetoLuYa[LuShangrosetohighofficeunderthetyrantChouHsin，whomheafterwardshelpedtooverthrow.PopularlyknownasT`aiKung，atitlebestowedonhimbyWenWang，heissaidtohavecomposedatreatiseonwar，erroneouslyidentifiedwiththeLIUT`AO.]
whohadservedundertheYin.
[ThereislessprecisionintheChinesethanIhavethoughtitwelltointroduceintomytranslation，andthecommentariesonthepassagearebynomeansexplicit.But，havingregardtothecontext，wecanhardlydoubtthatSunTzuisholdingupIChihandLuYaasillustriousexamplesoftheconvertedspy，orsomethingcloselyanalogous.Hissuggestionis，thattheHsiaandYindynastieswereupsetowingtotheintimateknowledgeoftheirweaknessesandshortcomingwhichtheseformerministerswereabletoimparttotheotherside.MeiYao—ch`enappearstoresentanysuchaspersiononthesehistoricnames："IYinandLuYa，"hesays，"werenotrebelsagainsttheGovernment.Hsiacouldnotemploytheformer，henceYinemployedhim.Yincouldnotemploythelatter，henceHouemployedhim.Theirgreatachievementswereallforthegoodofthepeople."HoShihisalsoindignant："HowshouldtwodivinelyinspiredmensuchasI
andLuhaveactedascommonspies？SunTzu’smentionofthemsimplymeansthattheproperuseofthefiveclassesofspiesisamatterwhichrequiresmenofthehighestmentalcaliberlikeI
andLu，whosewisdomandcapacityqualifiedthemforthetask.
Theabovewordsonlyemphasizethispoint."HoShihbelievesthenthatthetwoheroesarementionedonaccountoftheirsupposedskillintheuseofspies.Butthisisveryweak.]
27.Henceitisonlytheenlightenedrulerandthewisegeneralwhowillusethehighestintelligenceofthearmyforpurposesofspyingandtherebytheyachievegreatresults.
[TuMucloseswithanoteofwarning："Justaswater，whichcarriesaboatfrombanktobank，mayalsobethemeansofsinkingit，sorelianceonspies，whileproductionofgreatresults，isoft—timesthecauseofutterdestruction."]
Spiesareamostimportantelementinwater，becauseonthemdependsanarmy’sabilitytomove.
[ChiaLinsaysthatanarmywithoutspiesislikeamanwithearsoreyes.]
[1]"AidstoScouting，"p.2.
[2]"MarshalTurenne，"p.311.