The Art of War

[Marblehead]

Sorry , I tend to be an 'open book' , Ive never been tactful or cagey. 

Oh, Stosh, I picked up on that a long time ago.

[Geof Nanto]

“The greatest joy a man can know is to conquer his enemies and drive them before him. To ride their horses and take away their possessions, to see the faces of those who were dear to them bedewed with tears, and to clasp their wives and daughters in his arms.”  Genghis Khan

[Marblehead]

But then I think that dude was riding his horse backward most of the time.

[Michael Sternbach]

"VII. Maneuvering

1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign."

 

In other words, the responsibility lies with somebody else. Some things never change...

"2. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof before pitching his camp."

 

Light waves in lockstep can cut through steel; soldiers in lockstep can make a bridge collapse. The whole is more than the sum of its parts - if those parts are in harmony with one another.

"3. After that, comes tactical maneuvering, than which there is nothing more difficult. The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.

4. Thus, to take a long and circuitous route, after enticing the enemy out of the way, and though starting after him, to contrive to reach the goal before him, shows knowledge of the artifice of deviation."

 

Here, Sun Tzu shows himself not only as a strategist, but also as a Daoist. For he is talking about acting in what we might call a non-linear fashion. It is not always the straightforward approach that is the most advantageous. Patience and seeming deviations can pay off well later - sometimes!

"5. Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous."

 

See the comment on 2. above.

"6. If you set a fully equipped army in march in order to snatch an advantage, the chances are that you will be too late. On the other hand, to detach a flying column for the purpose involves the sacrifice of its baggage and stores."

 

It happens that, to seize an opportunity, we must plunge into it, ready or not.

"7. Thus, if you order your men to roll up their buff-coats, and make forced marches without halting day or night, covering double the usual distance at a stretch, doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an advantage, the leaders of all your three divisions will fall into the hands of the enemy.

8. The stronger men will be in front, the jaded ones will fall behind, and on this plan only one-tenth of your army will reach its destination.

9. If you march fifty LI in order to outmaneuver the enemy, you will lose the leader of your first division, and only half your force will reach the goal.

10. If you march thirty LI with the same object, two-thirds of your army will arrive.

11. We may take it then that an army without its baggage-train is lost; without provisions it is lost; without bases of supply it is lost."

 

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The leader must keep this in mind.

"12. We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors."

 

Choose your friends wisely. It's always advisable to be aware of other people's needs and agendas.

"13. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country--its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.

14. We shall be unable to turn natural advantage to account unless we make use of local guides."

 

Know the territory, or have people available who can guide you. Like so many other pieces of advice in the AoW, and especially in this chapter, this one can be transposed into areas that have nothing to do with warfare.

"15. In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed."

 

By the art of deception, many a battle has been won - or avoided. It's not a human invention, by the way - Nature's creatures are using deception big style.

"16. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops, must be decided by circumstances."

 

Here again, Yin and Yang are to be used as circumstances require. Flexibility is key, not one-way thinking - in war and in love.

"17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest."

 

I am pretty sure that Bruce Lee read Sun Tzu (he had quite a good grasp of the Chinese classics).

 

"18. In raiding and plundering be like fire, in immovability like a mountain."

 

One thing we can't accuse Sun Tzu of is desultoriness.

"19. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt."

 

Nor did he lack in deviousness.

"20. When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil be divided amongst your men; when you capture new territory, cut it up into allotments for the benefit of the soldiery."

 

And his sense of fair play is commendable!

"21. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move."

 

This advice again demonstrates that being Daoist doesn't always mean acting spontaneously/unthinkingly. However, it means acting with sensitivity to the situation at hand, which sometimes calls for careful consideration.

"22. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering."

 

No doubt, "Yin warfare" is the more important kind for Sun Tzu.

"23. The Book of Army Management says: On the field of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough: hence the institution of gongs and drums. Nor can ordinary objects be seen clearly enough: hence the institution of banners and flags.

24. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point.

25. The host thus forming a single united body, is it impossible either for the brave to advance alone, or for the cowardly to retreat alone. This is the art of handling large masses of men.

26. In night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-fires and drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners, as a means of influencing the ears and eyes of your army."

 

In other words, signs and symbols are needed to keep masses together. You will find any functioning collective gathered around such.

"27. A whole army may be robbed of its spirit; a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind."

 

And the latter will usually lead to the former.

"28. Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is bent only on returning to camp.

29. A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods."

 

Also known as the art of psychological warfare.

"30. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:--this is the art of retaining self-possession.

31. To be near the goal while the enemy is still far from it, to wait at ease while the enemy is toiling and struggling, to be well-fed while the enemy is famished:--this is the art of husbanding one's strength.

32. To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose banners are in perfect order, to refrain from attacking an army drawn up in calm and confident array:--this is the art of studying circumstances.

33. It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill."

 

The last few sentences all revolve around the same principle: Never set power against power (or Yang against Yang). Attack your opponents where they are weak. On the level of individual combat, many martial arts employ this principle.

"34. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight; do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen."

 

Also, beware of simulated weakness.

"35. Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.

36. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard."

 

But even genuine inferiority can turn into strength unexpectedly.

"37. Such is the art of warfare."

 

Indeed.

Edited October 7, 2015 by Michael Sternbach

[Marblehead]

The video is blocked for me.

[Michael Sternbach]

The video is blocked for me.

 

Sorry about that, MH. It is just a scene from one of Bruce Lee's movies, demonstrating both his rapidity and his "compactness". I only added it for illustrative purposes.

[Marblehead]

"12. We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors."

 

This is so in every-day life.  We don't make agreements until we know exactly what the other is expecting and what is in it for us.

[Michael Sternbach]

And here comes Sun Tzu's chapter VII in our continuing exploration of this most outstanding philosophical strategist. <Applause.>

 

As usual, I will grant you guys a head start.   Have fun.

 

VIII. Variation in Tactics

1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forces

2. When in difficult country, do not encamp. In country where high roads intersect, join hands with your allies. Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions. In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to stratagem. In desperate position, you must fight.

3. There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must be not attacked, towns which must be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.

4. The general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle his troops.

5. The general who does not understand these, may be well acquainted with the configuration of the country, yet he will not be able to turn his knowledge to practical account.

6. So, the student of war who is unversed in the art of war of varying his plans, even though he be acquainted with the Five Advantages, will fail to make the best use of his men.

7. Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.

8. If our expectation of advantage be tempered in this way, we may succeed in accomplishing the essential part of our schemes.

9. If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune.

10. Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage on them; and make trouble for them, and keep them constantly engaged; hold out specious allurements, and make them rush to any given point.

11. The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.

12. There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: (1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction; (2) cowardice, which leads to capture; (3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults; (4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame; (5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.

13. These are the five besetting sins of a general, ruinous to the conduct of war.

14. When an army is overthrown and its leader slain, the cause will surely be found among these five dangerous faults. Let them be a subject of meditation.

[Stosh]

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Edited January 21, 2016 by Stosh

[Michael Sternbach]

Yet it seems like America's great enemies are regularly guys who have been built up by the government at one stage.

[Stosh]

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Edited January 21, 2016 by Stosh

[Michael Sternbach]

You mean like ISis crazies etc? or like Iran ?

 

And Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden, the Taliban... The list goes on. It seems, even Hitler had some US support for awhile.

 

Im not sure what youre getting at, Groups one is against in one decade, one is congenial with in another. Expecting no changes in attitudes to ever occur ... who would we ever been allied with? Iceland?

 

Yes, today's friend can be tomorrow's enemy - and vice versa. It may be inevitable, to a certain degree. But mind you, Sun Tzu doesn't advice to avoid dubious alliances at all costs. He only says, know your allies.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Michael Sternbach

[Stosh]

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Edited January 21, 2016 by Stosh

[Marblehead]

I have already spoken about flexibility.

[Stosh]

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Edited January 21, 2016 by Stosh

[Marblehead]

Quite the opposite.

[Michael Sternbach]

Ok well we are at a semantic tipping point ,which is close enough I guess. Carry on .

 

Um... How about: "Know your ally like yourself"?

Edited October 9, 2015 by Michael Sternbach

[Stosh]

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Edited January 21, 2016 by Stosh

[Stosh]

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Edited January 21, 2016 by Stosh

[Michael Sternbach]

Light is both a wave and a particle, right? Every truth is complemented by an opposite truth. But that doesn't make either of them a mere half-truth. Each principle is fully valid in its own right, but its applicability depends on context.

[Stosh]

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Edited January 21, 2016 by Stosh

[Michael Sternbach]

Thats very clever actually, but I dont agree that the polemic positions are truthful, if what one believes is that they are misrepresentations , when taken alone.

 

They are not less truthful just because you need to balance them. The Daoist is taking the equivalence of opposite truths for granted and always aims at balancing Yin and Yang in their mind.

[Stosh]

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Edited January 21, 2016 by Stosh

[Marblehead]

Just be as the living tree in the forest, untouched by human hands or any other part of their body or mind, live a long and fruitful life, then die of old age, and fall, knowing that no one will hear you.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Marblehead

[Stosh]

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Edited January 21, 2016 by Stosh