The Art of War, Sun Tzu [best english books to read for beginners TXT] 📗

bother about the precise meaning of 盈, which to the foreign reader seems to present no difficulty whatever. ↩

Tsʽao Kung says: 地形險隘尤不可致於人 “The particular advantage of securing heights and defiles is that your actions cannot then be dictated by the enemy.” (For the enunciation of the grand principle alluded to, see chapter VI, “Therefore the clever combatant⁠ ⁠…”). Chang Yü tells the following anecdote of 裴行儉 Pʽei Hsing-chien (AD 619⁠–⁠682), who was sent on a punitive expedition against the Turkic tribes. “At nightfall he pitched his camp as usual, and it had already been completely fortified by wall and ditch, when suddenly he gave orders that the army should shift its quarters to a hill near by. This was highly displeasing to his officers, who protested loudly against the extra fatigue which it would entail on the men. Pʽei Hsing-chien, however, paid no heed to their remonstrances and had the camp moved as quickly as possible. The same night, a terrific storm came on, which flooded their former place of encampment to the depth of over twelve feet. The recalcitrant officers were amazed at the sight, and owned that they had been in the wrong. ‘How did you know what was going to happen?’ they asked. Pʽei Hsing-chien replied: ‘From this time forward be content to obey orders without asking unnecessary questions.’ [See Chiu Tʽang Shu, ch. 84, fol. 12 ro, and Hsin Tʽang Shu ch. 108, fol. 5 vo.] From this it may be seen,” Chang Yü continues, “that high and sunny places are advantageous not only for fighting, but also because they are immune from disastrous floods.” ↩

The turning-point of 李世民 Li Shih-min’s campaign in 621 AD against the two rebels, 竇建德 Tou Chien-tê, King of 夏 Hsia, and 王世充 Wang Shih-chʽung, Prince of 鄭 Chêng, was his seizure of the heights of 武牢 Wu-lao, in spite of which Tou Chien-tê persisted in his attempt to relieve his ally in Lo-yang, was defeated and taken prisoner. (See Chiu Tʽang Shu, ch. 2, fol. 5 vo, and also ch. 54.) ↩

The Tʽung Tien reads 夫通形均勢. ↩

Tsʽao Kung says that 挑戰 means 延敵 “challenging the enemy.” But the enemy being far away, that plainly involves, as Tu Yu says, 迎敵 “going to meet him.” The point of course is, that we must not think of undertaking a long and wearisome march, at the end of which 是我困敵銳 “we should be exhausted and our adversary fresh and keen.” ↩

Or perhaps, “the principles relating to ground.” See, however, chapter I, “Earth comprises distances⁠ ⁠…” ↩

Capt. Calthrop omits 至任. Out of the foregoing six 地形, it will be noticed that nos. 3 and 6 have really no reference to the configuration of the country, and that only 4 and 5 can be said to convey any definite geographical idea. ↩

The Tʽu Shu reads 天地之災. ↩

I take exception to Capt. Calthrop’s rendering of 陷 and 崩 as “distress” and “disorganisation,” respectively. ↩

Cf. chapter III, “Hence, though an obstinate fight⁠ ⁠…” The general’s fault here is that of 不料力 “not calculating the enemy’s strength.” It is obvious that 勢 cannot have the same force as above (“If you are situated at a great distance⁠ ⁠…”), where it was equivalent to 兵力. I should not be inclined, however, to limit, with Chang Yü, to 將之智勇兵之利銳 “the wisdom and valour of the general and the sharpness of the weapons.” As Li Chʽüan very justly remarks, 若得形便之地用奇伏之計則可矣 “Given a decided advantage in position, or the help of some stratagem such as a flank attack or an ambuscade, it would be quite possible [to fight in the ratio of one to ten].” ↩

弛 “laxity”⁠—the metaphor being taken from an unstrung bow. Capt. Calthrop’s “relaxation” is not good, on account of its ambiguity. Tu Mu cites the unhappy case of 田布 Tʽien Pu (Hsin Tʽang Shu, ch. 148), who was sent to 魏 Wei in 821 AD with orders to lead an army against 王廷湊 Wang Tʽing-tsʽou. But the whole time he was in command, his soldiers treated him with the utmost contempt, and openly flouted his authority by riding about the camp on donkeys, several thousands at a time. Tʽien Pu was powerless to put a stop to this conduct, and when, after some months had passed, he made an attempt to engage the enemy, his trooops turned tail and dispersed in every direction. After that, the unfortunate man committed suicide by cutting his throat. ↩

Tsʽao Kung says: 吏强欲進卒弱輒陷 “The officers are energetic and want to press on, the common soldiers are feeble and suddenly collapse.” Note that 弱 is to be taken literally of physical weakness, whereas in the former clause it is figurative. Li Chʽüan makes 陷 equivalent to 敗, and Tu Mu explains it as 陷沒於死地 “stumbling into a deathtrap.” ↩

大吏, according to Tsʽao Kung, and the 小將 “generals of inferior rank.” But Li Chʽüan, Chʽên Hao and