Knowing where and when fighting will take place before the enemy does ensures victory, even after travelling for 1,000 ri (250 miles).
Lack of this knowledge makes it impossible for soldiers to cooperate. Such information is crucial especially when you are on a military expedition.
Being Able to Change Flexibly
There are four requirements for victory. That is to say, there are four ways to gather information about the enemy.
1. Examine the war situation to assess who is stronger.
2. Entice the enemy into making a move.
3. Provoke the enemy into action to identify the geographically vital spots that can decide their fate.
4. Cause a skirmish to determine the strong and weak points of the enemy.
In times of war, it is of utmost importance to never allow the opposition to know your war plans. With this policy in place, even if enemy spies infiltrated into your troops on the battlefield, they would not find anything valuable. Even if commanders of enemy forces were ingenuous, they would not be able to attack and prevail.
Ordinary people may have difficulty understanding the fact that adjusting war plans to the condition of the enemy will bring victory. Ordinary people may eventually find out that success is attributed to the military strategy adopted by troops. However, it may be hard for them to understand that rejection of inflexible plans and adoption of flexible attitudes have resulted in success. It is important to remember that plans can be modified in countless ways depending on whom you are fighting with.
It is wrong to repeat the same strategy that was successful before. You should maintain your mobility.
Like Water
War plans should be like the flow of water. Water flows from a high place to a low place. Water lacks definite shape; likewise, war lacks definite plans. Avoid attacking the enemy’s strong points and strike them at their weak points.
Good military tactics is to win by adapting to the enemy’s war plans. It is comparable to the changing laws of nature. The five classical elements of wood, fire, earth, gold, and water interact with each other to change everything in nature. Seasonal transitions, change in daylight hours, waxing and waning of the moon. These are all fluid. Water changes its shape to fit any container. War plans must be the same. They should be fluid.
Gunso (Preparations for War)
Gunso refers to preparations for war. In order to succeed in a battle, you need to deceive the adversary nation and disturb their judgment. For this to work, you must act, respond, and change under favorable circumstances.
One of the requirements for victory is to maintain morale. Combine sei (conventional) and ki (unconventional), and movement and stillness to win effectively. When you are on the defensive under favorable circumstances, assume an imposing posture and do not let your opponents get the upper hand. When on the offensive, attack swiftly and decisively.
More Haste, Less Speed
A war begins when a military commander organizes armed forces under the order of the sovereign. He then positions his troops to confront the enemy. The difficult part is how to fight the subsequent battle and create conditions that will bring victory. Give a false sense of security to the other side by intentionally taking a detour, so that you can arrive at the destination before the enemy and turn disadvantages into advantages. However, it may be difficult to pull this off.
Depart for the destination later than enemy troops to trick them into thinking they are safe. Lack of interruption by the other side should enable your troops to arrive early. Like this, do something unconventional to throw your opponents off guard and attack. The psychological impact of such an unexpected move is even bigger.
Creating the conditions needed for victory entails danger. Having to transport heavy equipment and deploy the entire armed forces for combat at the same time may make it difficult to keep up with enemy troops. On the other hand, rushing to the destination without proper equipment will leave behind the transportation units. If soldiers are forced to march to the battlefield day and night without sufficient sleep, there may be disastrous consequences. Only the strongest soldiers will make it to the combat zone, leaving behind weak ones. Only one-tenth of the soldiers will arrive on the battleground to fight the enemy.
When you are on a 50- ri (125 mile) expedition, only half of troops will make it to the battlefield, and the leader of the first unit to arrive on the scene will be slain. Likewise, when you are on a 30- ri (75 mile) expedition, you will be forced to fight with only two-thirds of your troops.
Your troops will lose without the support of logistics units. Your troops will lose without food and other supplies.
To strategize is to deceive. Techniques of deception will emerge from careful observation of the laws of nature. If you want to shrink something, stretch it first. If you want to weaken something, strengthen it first. If you want to take something, give first.
It is difficult to succeed in diplomatic negotiations if you are not current on the latest developments in other nations. It is impossible to advance your troops if you are not familiar with the terrain of the adversary nation. It is impossible to take advantage of favorable geographical conditions without a local guide.
The objective of strategic operations is to deceive. To deceive your opponents, proceed under favorable circumstances. Troop strength should be adapted to changing situations.
A strategic operation must be carried out like a gale; be quiet like a forest; attack like a raging fire; remain absolutely still like a mountain; roar like thunder after disappearing into the dark night. This is how a strategic operation should be undertaken.
To fight is to attack the enemy’s villages, seize manpower, and capture physical resources controlled by the enemy. To achieve these goals, any action you take should be based on accurate judgment. Give your opponents a false sense of security by doing something unconventional. Be the first to implement offensive strategy. By meeting the requirements for victory, you will win.
Managing Large Numbers of People
According to ancient books on the art of war, when trying to control a large number of soldiers, commanders used drums to signal because it was difficult for troops to hear oral instructions. They are said to have used banners as signs to make it easier for soldiers who were too far out to see well. The purpose of using these objects was to unite the ears and eyes of soldiers. To unify massive troops, do not allow self-serving behavior. Make sure that cowards do not run away. This is the secret to managing a large number of people. An organization can function properly only when people obey orders and act in an orderly fashion. When confronted with troops organized in such a way, the morale of enemy forces will be undermined, effectively disturbing the minds of enemy commanders.
Mind, ki (Energy), Power, Change
A capable commander prevails by understanding morale, psychology, military power, and change.
1. Morale – People are usually filled with energy in the morning. By noon, people become somewhat lethargic, and try to get some rest in the afternoon. The same is true for the morale of soldiers. Good combatants avoid fighting when the morale of their adversaries is high, waiting for a chance to strike when the morale is low. This is called taking control of ki.
2. Mind – Prepare your troops for a battle while waiting for the enemy to fall into disorder. During that period, keep a low profile and wait for the other side to make a move. This is called understanding the “mind” of the enemy.
3.