Chapter 7 — Armed Contest

Sunzi said: In general, the method of employing troops is this: the commander receives his charge from the ruler, assembles the army, and gathers the multitude. From the moment the opposing forces confront one another and encamp, nothing is more difficult than contending for advantage. The difficulty in contending for advantage lies in making the circuitous direct and turning adversity into gain. Therefore, take a circuitous route while luring the enemy with profit; set out after him yet arrive before him. This is to understand the calculation of the circuitous and the direct.

Thus, contending for advantage brings profit, and contending for advantage brings peril. If the entire army is moved to contend for advantage, it will not arrive in time; if the army is left behind to contend for advantage, the baggage and heavy equipment will be abandoned. Therefore, if men roll up their armor and hasten onward, neither resting by day nor halting by night, doubling their marches and joining stages together, and march a hundred miles to contend for advantage, the commanders of all three armies will be captured. The vigorous will arrive first, the weary will fall behind, and only one-tenth will arrive. If they march fifty miles to contend for advantage, the commander of the vanguard will be brought down, and only half will arrive. If they march thirty miles to contend for advantage, two-thirds will arrive. Thus, an army without baggage and heavy equipment perishes; without provisions it perishes; without stores it perishes. Therefore, one who does not know the plans of the feudal lords cannot enter alliances beforehand. One who does not know the configuration of mountains and forests, dangerous defiles and obstacles, marshes and swamps, cannot move an army. One who does not employ local guides cannot gain the advantages of the ground.

Therefore, warfare is founded upon deception, moves according to advantage, and transforms through division and concentration. Thus, let your swiftness be like the wind, your measured advance like a forest; in invasion and plunder be like fire, in stillness be like a mountain; be inscrutable as darkness, and when you move, strike like thunder. When plundering the countryside, divide your forces; when expanding your territory, divide the gains. Weigh the balance and then move. He who first understands the calculation of the circuitous and the direct will be victorious. This is the method of contending for advantage.

The Book of Military Administration says: “Because spoken words cannot be heard one by another, gongs and drums are made; because men cannot see one another, banners and flags are made.” Gongs, drums, banners, and flags are the means of unifying the people’s ears and eyes. Once the people are unified, the courageous cannot advance alone, nor can the cowardly retreat alone. This is the method of employing a multitude. Therefore, in night fighting use many gongs and drums; in day fighting use many banners and flags. These are the means of directing the people’s ears and eyes.

The spirit of the three armies can be taken away; the commanding general’s mind can be taken away. Thus, in the morning the enemy’s spirit is keen; by midday his spirit is indolent; by evening his spirit longs to return. Therefore, one skilled in employing troops avoids the enemy’s keen spirit and strikes when his spirit is indolent or bent on returning. This is mastery of spirit. Await disorder in good order; await clamor in tranquility. This is mastery of mind. Await those from afar while near; await the weary while rested; await the hungry while well fed. This is mastery of strength. Do not intercept banners in perfect order; do not attack formations in imposing array. This is mastery of adaptation.

Thus, the method of employing troops is this: do not advance uphill against an enemy on high ground; do not oppose an enemy with a hill at his back; do not pursue a feigned retreat; do not attack keen troops; do not swallow baited troops; do not obstruct an army returning home; when surrounding an army, leave an opening; do not press a desperate enemy. This is the method of employing troops.

Sunzi said: As a general rule for employing an army, the commander receives his orders from the ruler, assembles the army and gathers the troops, and establishes camp when the forces confront each other. Nothing is more difficult than the contest for advantage. The difficulty in the contest for advantage is turning the indirect into the direct and misfortune into advantage. Therefore, take an indirect route, lure the enemy with profit, set out after him, and arrive before him. This is understanding the calculation of indirect and direct routes.

Thus, the contest for advantage can bring profit, and the contest for advantage can bring danger. If the entire army competes for advantage, it will not arrive in time. If the army is abandoned to compete for advantage, the baggage and heavy equipment will be lost. Therefore, if troops roll up their armor and rush forward, stopping neither day nor night and doubling their normal marches, then in a contest for advantage a hundred miles away, the commanders of all three armies will be captured. The strong arrive first, the weary fall behind, and by this method only one-tenth arrive. In a contest for advantage fifty miles away, the commander of the vanguard will be defeated, and by this method only half arrive. In a contest for advantage thirty miles away, two-thirds arrive. Thus, an army without baggage and heavy equipment is lost; without provisions it is lost; without stored supplies it is lost. Therefore, one who does not know the plans of the other lords cannot form alliances in advance. One who does not know the terrain of mountains, forests, dangerous defiles, obstacles, and marshes cannot march an army. One who does not employ local guides cannot obtain the advantages of the ground.

Therefore, an army is established through deception, moves for advantage, and changes through division and concentration. Thus, let its speed be like the wind, its measured movement like a forest, its invasion and plundering like fire, and its immovability like a mountain. Let it be as difficult to know as darkness and move like a thunderclap. When plundering the countryside, divide your forces; when expanding your territory, divide the gains. Weigh the balance and then move. The one who first understands the calculation of indirect and direct routes will win. This is the method of the contest for advantage.

The Military Administration says: “Because spoken words cannot be heard from one unit to another, gongs and drums are used. Because soldiers cannot see one another, banners and flags are used.” Gongs, drums, banners, and flags unify the people’s ears and eyes. Once the people are unified, the brave cannot advance alone and the cowardly cannot retreat alone. This is the method of employing large forces. Therefore, in night battles use many gongs and drums, and in daytime battles use many banners and flags. These redirect the soldiers’ ears and eyes according to circumstances.

The spirit of an entire army can be taken away, and a commander’s resolve can be taken away. Thus, in the morning, spirit is keen; during the day, it becomes sluggish; by evening, it turns toward home. Therefore, one skilled in employing an army avoids the enemy when his spirit is keen and strikes him when his spirit is sluggish and turning homeward. This is controlling spirit. Waiting in good order for disorder and in calm for clamor is controlling the mind. Waiting near the battlefield for an enemy coming from far away, waiting rested for the weary, and waiting well fed for the hungry is controlling strength. Do not intercept banners in perfect order, and do not attack an imposing formation. This is controlling change.

Therefore, the method of employing an army is this: do not advance uphill against an enemy on high ground; do not oppose an enemy with hills behind him; do not pursue an enemy who feigns retreat; do not attack elite troops whose ardor is keen; do not swallow bait offered by enemy troops; do not block an army returning home; when surrounding an army, always leave an opening; do not press a desperate enemy. This is the method of employing an army.