• A war must be won. A protracted conflict should be avoided and a battle should be finished swiftly. Only a commander who understands this reality is qualified to be entrusted with the nation’s security and people’s lives.
Boko (Strategic Off ense)
War is not an end in itself; the means is the end. The best victory is to win without fighting.
The best victory
• The best victory is to force your opponent to surrender without harming him.
• The best strategy is to force your opponent to surrender without fighting him.
• Forcing your adversary to surrender by defeating him is the second best strategy.
• Even if you win 100 out of 100 battles, it is not the best strategy.
• The best tactic is to contain your adversary by seeing through his intentions in advance.
• The second best tactic is to break up the enemy’s alliance to isolate them.
• The third best tactic is to engage in battle.
• The fourth best tactic is to attack the enemy’s castle. This should be the last resort, when everything else fails.
• Attacking the castle entails elaborate preparations and sacrifice of soldiers. Your efforts may prove futile. A capable military commander can make the enemy surrender without resorting to force. He can capture their castle without attacking it.
• Secondly, the commander can defeat the enemy by fighting a short battle.
• Thirdly, the commander can prevail by gaining the support of the enemy without harming them.
• Fourthly, the commander can pull off a perfect victory while preserving the strength of armed forces.
Military tactics
• When your military strength is ten times as powerful as the enemy’s, encircle the enemy.
• When your military strength is five times as powerful as the enemy’s, attack the enemy.
• When your military strength is twice as powerful as the enemy’s, split up the enemy.
• When your military strength is the same as the enemy’s, make an all-out effort.
• When your military strength is inferior to the enemy’s, withdraw your troops.
• Do not fight a losing battle.
Those who fight without any regard to the above principles will become easy prey for the enemy. Retreat should be a means to prepare for counter-attack.
The Meddlesome Sovereign
When the military commander and the sovereign are on good terms, the country will be powerful; when they are on bad terms, the country will weaken. Unnecessary interference in military affairs by the sovereign may lead to a military crisis.
The following are the examples of unnecessary interference by the monarch:
1. Ordering troops to advance or retreat when it is inappropriate to do so. The military will be shackled by such orders.
2. Interfering in military affairs without having intimate knowledge of the internal workings of the military. This will plant the seeds of distrust in the armed forces.
When the monarch creates confusion and distrust among military personnel, other nations may take advantage of the situation and attack. Unnecessary interference by the monarch is a suicidal act.
Know Yourself and your Adversary
Knowing your adversary and yourself will ensure victory in 100 battles.
Requirements for victory:
1. You must have the ability to determine whether or not to fight after assessing the enemy’s military power.
2. You must be able to fight according to your military strength.
3. The sovereign and his subjects should pursue the same goal.
4. You must have the ability to make thorough preparations and take advantage of the enemy’s vulnerability.
5. The military commander must be competent. For the commander to be competent, the monarch should not interfere with the commander’s control.
6. Victory is certain when you know your enemy and yourself.
7. The odds of winning are 50-50 when you know yourself but not your enemy.
8. Defeat is inevitable when you know neither yourself nor your enemy.
Gunkei (Military Format)
The top priority in battle is to launch an attack with minimal effort by finding the enemy’s weak points after building an unbeatable defense.
It is foolish to rely on soldiers’ valor on the battlefield. Gunkei (format) is useless if it is fixed. Defense is useless if it is fixed. A great feat can be accomplished only when you are able to adapt your tactics to the enemy like water.
In the past, skillful warriors prevailed without flaunting their military acumen, and no one praised their valor. Such victory was pursued by good fighters.
Waiting for the Enemy to Collapse
An expert warrior in the past strengthened his position first, and waited for his opponent to start revealing his flaws.
Whether or not you remain undefeated depends on the state of your troops. Whether or not you have a chance of winning depends on the state of enemy troops.
Skilled fighters can enhance their invincibility, but they cannot create invincible conditions.
Even when victory is expected, victory is not always certain. Fortifying defense and attacking the enemy’s weaknesses will not guarantee victory; however, at least it can help strengthen your position to remain unbeaten.
A skillful fighter’s strategy is to wait for his adversary to start revealing his failings. If your defense is flawless, the enemy will not be able to strike. If the enemy seems faultless, focus on reinforcing your troops and avoid carrying out unnecessary attacks. Make sure to strengthen defense before launching an attack.
Offense and Defense
When conditions required for victory do not exist, reinforce your defense. When the chance of winning is high, go on the offensive.
When you are on the defensive, you are losing. When you are on the offensive, you are winning. When on the defensive, good warriors preserve troop strength to guard against the enemy. When on the offensive, good warriors attack swiftly without giving their opponents a chance to defend themselves. By doing this, such warriors can secure complete victory without suffering any damage.
A competent commander does not make a mistake in determining whether to go on the offensive or defensive. Caution is important, but excessive caution may lead to overemphasis on defense. Conversely, excessive boldness may lead to inattentiveness.
The Best Victory
A victory that is obvious to everyone is not the best victory. A victory that draws public praise is not the best victory. A person who can lift a hair is not considered mighty. A person who can see the sun and moon is not considered to have keen eyesight. A person who can hear the sound of thunder is not considered to have acute hearing. Even an ordinary person can do such things naturally. This constitutes the publicly-praised best victory.
Skillful fighters in the past won a battle naturally. Even when they won, their ingenuity was inconspicuous, and their valor was not applauded. Such warriors always prevailed. Every move they made was successful, making