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Table of Contents
《孙子兵法·始计篇》 The Art of War - Laying Plans
Introduction
The Art of War or Sunzi Bingfa is generally attributed to Sun Wu, a strategist and military general in the Spring and Autumn period (~771 BC - 476 BC) of China. This book has been a vastly influential treatise on military strategy from the Sunwu's time onward. The text is composed of 13 chapters, namely Laying Plans, Waging War, Attack by Stratagem, Tactical Dispositions, Energy, Weak Points and Strong, Maneuvering, Variation in Tactics, The Army on the March, Terrain, The Nine Situations, The Attack by Fire, The Use of Spies, from the original Lionel Giles translation. The influence of the philosophies and strategies in this book have far exceeded the military realm, into business, law, and social life nowadays. The following are some quotes from this book:
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
“To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”
“There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. ”
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
In this reading, we only try to have a taste of the first chapter “Laying Plans”.
Laying Plans explores the five fundamental factors (the Way, seasons, terrain, leadership and management) and seven elements (wisdom of the ruler, talent of the commander, advantages of nature and the terrain, regulations and instructions of the army, power of the troops, training of officers and men in the army and the way of rewards and punishments in the army) that determine the outcomes of military engagements. By thinking, assessing and comparing these points, a commander can calculate his chances of victory. Habitual deviation from these calculations will ensure failure via improper action. The text stresses that war is a very grave matter for the state and must not be commenced without due consideration (source: wikipedia).