16. The chaos and distrust among the soldiers brings anarchy into the army, and pushes victory away.
17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:
(1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
(2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
(3) He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
(4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
(5) He will win who has military ability and is not interfered with by the higher ruler.
Victory lies in the knowledge of these five points.
18. People say: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you will win in every 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 lose in every battle.
IV. Tactical dispositions
1. Sun Tzŭ said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.
2. To save ourselves from defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
3. Thus the good fighter is able to save himself from defeat, but cannot make sure of defeating the enemy.
4. People say: One may know how to win without being able to do it.
5. The fighter saves himself from defeat by defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.
6. Standing on the defensive indicates the lack of strength; attacking, an extra of strength.
7. The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret places of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven. Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves; on the other, a victory that is complete.
8. To see victory only when it is already obvious is not the height of excellence.
9. Neither is it the height of excellence if you fight and win and the whole Empire says, “Well done!”
10. To lift an autumn leaf is no sign of great strength; to see sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.
11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but wins with ease.
12. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage.
13. He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what makes victory, for it means winning over an enemy that is already defeated.
14. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
15. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
16. The perfect leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly sticks to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.
17. In respect of military method, we have, firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity; thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances; fifthly, Victory.
18. Measurement owes its existence to Earth; Estimation of quantity to Measurement; Calculation to Estimation of quantity; Balancing of chances to Calculation; and Victory to Balancing of chances.
19. A victorious army opposed to a defeated one, is as a pound’s weight placed in the scale against a single grain.
20. The attack of a winning force must be as fast as a speeding bullet.
V. Energy
1. Sun Tzŭ said: The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.
2. Fighting with a large army under your command is no different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of setting up signs and signals.
3. Direct and indirect ways in defense is what provides the ability to resist the enemy’s attack and remain unshaken.
4. The impact of your army may be like a grindstone broken against an egg. That is effected by the science of weak points and strong.
5. In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to win.
6. Indirect tactics, when applied efficiently, are endless as Heaven and Earth; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew.
7. There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.
8. There are not more than five main colours (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more shades than one can ever see.
9. There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them makes more flavours than one can eve taste.
10. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack-the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination makes an endless series of ways to fight.
11. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle-you never come to an end. How can the possibilities of their combination end?
12. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even roll stones onwards.
13. Timing is critical for the quality of decision like it is critical for a falcon to strike and destroy its victim at the right time.
14. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and quick in his decision.
15. Energy is like the bending of a crossbow; decision is like the releasing of the trigger.
16. In the battlefield there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all. This seeming chaos will be proof against defeat.
17. Simulated disorder means perfect discipline; simulated fear means courage; simulated weakness means strength.
18. Making order look like disorder is simply a question of subdivision. Hiding courage under a show of hesitation means a fund of latent energy; masking strength with weakness is made by tactical dispositions.
19. Thus the skillful general keeps the enemy on move to maintain false appearances, according to which the enemy will act. He sacrifices something, that the enemy may snatch at it.
20. By using baits, he keeps him on the march; then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.
21. The clever fighter never requires too much from a single man but knows how combined energy is effective. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and use combined energy.
22. When he uses combined energy, his fighting men become as it were like rolling stones. For it is the nature of a stone to stay motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope. If it is four-cornered it stops, but if it is round-shaped it goes rolling down.
23. Thus the energy of good fighting men is as the energy of a round stone rolled down a mountain thousands of feet in height. So much on the subject of energy.
VI. Weak points and strong
1. Sun Tzŭ said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hurry to battle, will arrive exhausted.