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第19章

art of war-第19章

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day on which they will join battle; our unity will be forfeited 

through our preparations for defense; and the positions we hold 

will be insecure。  Suddenly happening upon a powerful foe;  we 

shall be brought to battle in a flurried condition; and no mutual 

support will be possible between wings;  vanguard or rear; 

especially if there is any great distance between the foremost 

and hindmost divisions of the army。〃'



     21。  Though according to my estimate the soldiers of Yueh 

exceed our own in number; that shall advantage them nothing in 

the matter of victory。  I say then that victory can be achieved。



     'Alas for these brave words!  The long feud between the two 

states ended in 473 B。C。 with the total defeat of Wu by Kou Chien 

and its incorporation in Yueh。  This was doubtless long after Sun 

Tzu's death。  With his present assertion compare IV。  ss。  4。  

Chang Yu is the only one to point out the seeming discrepancy; 

which he thus goes on to explain:  〃In the chapter on Tactical 

Dispositions it is said; 'One may KNOW how to conquer without 

being able to DO it;' whereas here we have the statement that 

'victory'  can be achieved。'  The explanation is;  that in the 

former chapter;  where the offensive and defensive are under 

discussion;  it is said that if the enemy is fully prepared;  one 

cannot make certain of beating him。  But the present passage 

refers particularly to the soldiers of Yueh who; according to Sun 

Tzu's calculations;  will be kept in ignorance of the time and 

place of the impending struggle。  That is why he says here that 

victory can be achieved。〃'



     22。  Though the enemy be stronger in numbers; we may prevent 

him from fighting。  Scheme so as to discover his plans and the 

likelihood of their success。



     'An alternative reading offered by Chia Lin is:   〃Know 

beforehand all plans conducive to our success and to the enemy's 

failure。〃



     23。  Rouse him; and learn the principle of his activity or 

inactivity。



     'Chang Yu tells us that by noting the joy or anger shown by 

the enemy on being thus disturbed; we shall be able to conclude 

whether his policy is to lie low or the reverse。  He instances 

the action of Cho…ku Liang; who sent the scornful present of a 

woman's head…dress to Ssu…ma I; in order to goad him out of his 

Fabian tactics。'



Force him to reveal himself; so as to find out his vulnerable 

spots。

     24。  Carefully compare the opposing army with your own;  so 

that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is 

deficient。



     'Cf。 IV。 ss。 6。'



     25。  In making tactical dispositions; the highest pitch you 

can attain is to conceal them;



     'The piquancy of the paradox evaporates in translation。  

Concealment is perhaps not so much actual invisibility (see supra 

ss。 9) as 〃showing no sign〃 of what you mean to do; of the plans 

that are formed in your brain。'



conceal your dispositions; and you will be safe from the prying 

of the subtlest spies; from the machinations of the wisest 

brains。



     'Tu Mu explains:  〃Though the enemy may have clever and 

capable officers; they will not be able to lay any plans against 

us。〃'



     26。  How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy's 

own tacticsthat is what the multitude cannot comprehend。

     27。  All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer; but what 

none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved。



     'I。e。; everybody can see superficially how a battle is won; 

what they cannot see is the long series of plans and combinations 

which has preceded the battle。'



     28。  Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one 

victory;  but let your methods be regulated by the infinite 

variety of circumstances。



     'As Wang Hsi sagely remarks:  〃There is but one root…

principle underlying victory; but the tactics which lead up to it 

are infinite in number。〃  With this compare Col。 Henderson:  〃The 

rules of strategy are few and simple。  They may be learned in a 

week。  They may be taught by familiar illustrations or a dozen 

diagrams。  But such knowledge will no more teach a man to lead an 

army like Napoleon than a knowledge of grammar will teach him to 

write like Gibbon。〃'



     29。  Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its 

natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards。

     30。  So in war; the way is to avoid what is strong and to 

strike at what is weak。



     'Like water; taking the line of least resistance。'



     31。  Water shapes its course according to the nature of the 

ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in 

relation to the foe whom he is facing。

     32。  Therefore; just as water retains no constant shape;  so 

in warfare there are no constant conditions。

     33。  He who can modify his tactics in relation to his 

opponent and thereby succeed in winning; may be called a heaven…

born captain。

     34。  The five elements (water; fire; wood; metal; earth) are 

not always equally predominant;



     'That   is;   as   Wang   Hsi   says:    〃they   predominate 

alternately。〃'



the four seasons make way for each other in turn。



     'Literally; 〃have no invariable seat。〃'



There are short days and long; the moon has its periods of waning 

and waxing。



     'Cf。  V。  ss。 6。  The purport of the passage is simply to 

illustrate the want of fixity in war by the changes constantly 

taking place in Nature。  The comparison is not very happy; 

however;  because the regularity of the phenomena which Sun Tzu 

mentions is by no means paralleled in war。'





'1'   See Col。 Henderson's biography of Stonewall Jackson;  1902 

ed。; vol。 II; p。 490。







VII。  MANEUVERING





     1。  Sun Tzu said:  In war; the general receives his commands 

from the sovereign。

     2。  Having collected an army and concentrated his forces; he 

must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof before 

pitching his camp。



     '〃Chang   Yu says:   〃the establishment of harmony   and 

confidence between the higher and lower ranks before venturing 

into the field;〃 and he quotes a saying of Wu Tzu (chap。  1 ad 

init。):   〃Without harmony in the State; no military expedition 

can be undertaken; without harmony in the army; no battle array 

can be formed。〃  In an historical romance Sun Tzu is represented 

as saying to Wu Yuan:  〃As a general rule; those who are waging 

war should get rid of all the domestic troubles before proceeding 

to attack the external foe。〃'



     3。  After that; comes tactical maneuvering; than which there 

is nothing more difficult。



     'I    have   departed   slightly   from   the    traditional 

interpretation of Ts‘ao Kung; who says:   〃From the time of 

receiving the sovereign's instructions until our encampment over 

against the enemy; the tactics to be pursued are most difficult。〃  

It seems to me that the tactics or maneuvers can hardly be said 

to begin until the army has sallied forth and encamped;  and 

Ch‘ien Hao's note gives color to this view:   〃For levying; 

concentrating;  harmonizing and entrenching an army;  there are 

plenty of old rules which will serve。  The real difficulty comes 

when we engage in tactical operations。〃  Tu Yu also observes that 

〃the great difficulty is to be beforehand with the enemy in 

seizing favorable position。〃'



The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the 

devious into the direct; and misfortune into gain。



     'This sentence contains one of those highly condensed and 

somewhat enigmatical expressions of which Sun Tzu is so fond。  

This is how it is explained by Ts‘ao Kung:  〃Make it appear that 

you are a long way off; then cover the distance rapidly and 

arrive on the scene before your opponent。〃   Tu Mu   says:  

〃Hoodwink the enemy;

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