9 The Army on the March - 10 Terrain (The Art of War)

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04Recording by Moira Fogarty.

05The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

06Translated by Lionel Giles.

07Part 9.

08The Army on the March.

09Sun Tzu said, Do not advance to meet it in midstream.

10It will be best to let half the army get across, and then deliver your attack.

11If you are anxious to fight, you should not go to meet the invader near a river which he has to cross.

12Moor your craft higher up than the enemy, and facing the sun.

13Do not move upstream to meet the enemy.

14So much for river warfare.

15In crossing salt marshes, your sole concern should be to get over them quickly, without any delay.

16If forced to fight in a salt marsh, you should have water and grass near you, and get your back to a clump of trees.

17So much for operations in salt marshes.

18In dry, level country, take up an easily accessible position with rising ground to your right and on your rear, so that the danger may be in front and safety lie behind.

19So much for campaigning in flat country.

20These are the four useful branches of military knowledge which enabled the Yellow Emperor to vanquish four several sovereigns.

21All armies prefer high ground to low, and sunny places to dark.

22If you are careful of your men, and camp on hard ground, the army will be free from disease of every kind, and this will spell victory.

23When you come to a hill or a bank, occupy the sunny side, with the slope on your right rear.

24Thus you will at once act for the benefit of your soldiers, and utilize the natural advantages of the ground.

25When, in consequence of heavy rains up country, a river which you wish to ford is swollen and flecked with foam, you must wait until it subsides.

26Country in which there are precipitous cliffs with torrents running between, deep natural hollows, confined places, tangled thickets, quagmires, and crevasses, should be left with all possible speed, and not approached.

27While we keep away from such places, we should get the enemy to approach them.

28While we face them, we should let the enemy have them on his rear.

29If in the neighborhood of your camp there should be any hilly country, ponds surrounded by aquatic grass, hollow basins filled with reeds, or woods with thick undergrowth, they must be carefully routed out and searched, for these are places where men in ambush or insidious spies are likely to be lurking.

30When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet, he is relying on the natural strength of his position.

31When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle, he is anxious for the other side to advance.

32If his place of encampment is easy of access, he is tendering a bait.

33Movement amongst the trees of a forest shows that the enemy is advancing.

34The appearance of a number of screens in the midst of thick grass means that the enemy wants to make us suspicious.

35The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade.

36Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming.

37When there is dust rising in a high column, it is the sign of chariots advancing.

38When the dust is low, but spread over a wide area, it betokens the approach of infantry.

39When it branches out in different directions, it shows that parties have been sent to collect firewood.

40A few clouds of dust, moving to and fro, signify that the army is encamping.

41Humble words and increased preparations are signs that the enemy is about to advance.

42Violent language and driving forward as if to the attack are signs that he will retreat.

43When the light chariots come out first and take up a position on the wings, it is a sign that the enemy is forming for battle.

44Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant indicate a plot.

45When there is much running about, and the soldiers fall into rank, it means that the critical moment has come.

46When some are seen advancing and some retreating, it is a lure.

47When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, they are faint from want of food.

48If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.

49If the enemy sees an advantage to be gained and makes no effort to secure it, the soldiers are exhausted.

50If birds gather on any spot, it is unoccupied.

51Clamor by night betokens nervousness.

52If there is a disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak.

53If the banners and flags are shifted about, sedition is afoot.

54If the officers are angry, it means that the men are weary.

55When an army feeds its horses with grain and kills its cattle for food, and when the men do not hang their cooking pots over the campfires, showing that they will not return to their tents, you may know that they are determined to fight to the death.

56The sight of men whispering together in small knots, or speaking in subdued tones, points to disaffection amongst the rank and file.

57Too frequent rewards signify that the enemy is at the end of his resources.

58Too many punishments betray a condition of dire distress.

59To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.

60When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.

61If the enemy's troops march up angrily and remain facing ours for a long time, without either joining battle, or taking themselves off again, the situation is one that demands great vigilance and circumspection.

62If our troops are no more in number than the enemy, that is amply sufficient.

63It only means that no direct attack can be made.

64What we can do is simply to concentrate all our available strength, keep a close watch on the enemy, and obtain reinforcements.

65He who exercises no forethought, but makes light of his opponents, is sure to be captured by them.

66If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive.

67And, unless submissive, they will be practically useless.

68If, when the soldiers have become attached to you, punishments are not enforced, they will still be useless.

69Therefore, soldiers must be treated in the first instance with humanity, but kept under control by means of iron discipline.

70This is a certain road to victory.

71If, in training soldiers, commands are habitually enforced, the army will be well disciplined.

72If not, its discipline will be bad.

73If a general shows confidence in his men, but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.

74End of Part 9 Part 10 Terrain Sun Tzu said, We may distinguish six kinds of terrain.

75To wit, 1.

76Accessible ground 2.

77Entangling ground 3.

78Temporizing ground 4.

79Narrow passes 5.

80Precipitous heights 6.

81Positions at a great distance from the enemy Ground Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is called accessible.

82With regard to ground of this nature, be before the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your line of supplies.

83Then you will be able to fight with advantage.

84Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to reoccupy is called entangling.

85From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him.

86But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible, disaster will ensue.

87When the position is such that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporizing ground.

88In a position of this sort, even though the enemy should offer us an attractive bait, it will be advisable not to stir forth, but rather to retreat, thus enticing the enemy in his turn.

89Then, when part of his army has come out, we may deliver our attack with advantage.

90With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy them first, let them be strongly garrisoned and await the advent of the enemy.

91Should the army forestall you in occupying a pass, do not go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned, but only if it is weakly garrisoned.

92With regard to precipitous heights, if you are beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the raised and sunny spots, and there wait for him to come up.

93If the enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat, and try to entice him away.

94If you are situated at a great distance from the enemy, and the strength of the two armies is equal, it is not easy to provoke a battle, and fighting will be to your disadvantage.

95These six are the principles connected with earth.

96The general who has attained a responsible post must be careful to study them.

97Now, an army is exposed to six several calamities, not arising from natural causes, but from faults for which the general is responsible.

98These are 1.

99Flight 2.

100Insubordination 3.

101Collapse 4.

102Ruin 5.

103Disorganization 6.

104Rout Other conditions being equal, if one force is hurled against another ten times its size, the result will be the flight of the former.

105When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination.

106When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is collapse.

107When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin.

108When the general is weak and without authority, when his orders are not clear and distinct, when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly, haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.

109When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, or hurls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank, the result must be rout.

110These are six ways of courting defeat, which must be carefully noted by the general who has attained a responsible post.

111The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally, but a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers, and distances, constitutes the test of a great general.

112He who knows these things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles.

113He who knows them not, nor practices them, will surely be defeated.

114If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it.

115If fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight, even at the ruler's bidding.

116The general who advances without coveting fame, and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.

117Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys.

118Look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.

119If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt, kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands, and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder, then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children.

120They are useless for any practical purpose.

121If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.

122If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men are not in a condition to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.

123If we know that the enemy is open to attack, and also know that our men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the nature of the ground makes fighting impracticable, we have still only gone halfway towards victory.

124Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered.

125Once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.

126Hence the saying, If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt.

127If you know heaven and know earth, you may make your victory complete.

128End of Part 10 Recorded in Toronto, Ontario by Moira Fogarty October 2006