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There is an old joke among classicists: “The Iliad was not written by Homer, but by somebody else with the same name.”
Perform your calculations for everything liable to calculation, but also think very deeply about what people are capable of.
even the most impressive empires fall as soon as their rulers, by their careless conduct, lose or cast aside the best men in their employ.
These classics insist that those in power may not hold cheap the predilections and desires of their subordinates.
Hence the five considerations that must always be kept before you when gauging the strength of the two sides and investigating the true conditions, so as to arrive at a good grasp of the situation: (1) the Way; (2) the heavens; (3) the earth; (4) the field commander; and (5) the regulations.
This explains why we have all heard of victories that result from a quick strike by a mediocre opponent, but we have yet to hear of a single victory gained by clever schemers who let the hostilities drag on. In short, there has never been a single instance where the court has profited from lengthy engagements.
Therefore, although killing the enemy is all a question of rage, wresting advantage from the enemy is something else, a question only of wealth.
The commander who understands his troops is a virtual god mandating the fates of his subordinates.
Best is to subdue the enemy’s troops without ever engaging them on the battlefield.
“Know the enemy; know yourself, and you will meet with no danger in a hundred battles. If you do not know the enemy, but you know yourself, then you will win and lose by turns. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will lose every battle, certainly.”
The terrain leads to measurements; The measurements lead to estimates; The estimates lead to calculations; The calculations lead to weighing the options; The weighing leads to victory.
To be prepared everywhere is to be strong nowhere.
The commander who erupts violently at his subordinates, only then to fear them, is totally inept.
If commands are consistently enforced in training the men, the men will obey. If commands are not enforced during training, the men will not obey. The consistent enforcement of commands benefits both the men and their commander.
We call the “ruler’s treasure” the commander who advances without any thought of winning personal fame for himself, and who withdraws despite the prospect of punishment, as his sole concern is to protect his men and promote his ruler’s interests.1 Because he looks after his foot soldiers tenderly, as if they were beloved sons, they follow him into the deepest ravines, and even die willingly by his side.
If he indulges them, and can’t make them do his bidding, If he spares them and can’t command them, Or if he is too erratic to govern them, they will be spoiled children, good-for-nothing.
Know the enemy and your own, And victory is in sight. Know the terrain and timing,2 And victories will be total.
Once the troops are fighting to the death in the knowledge that they have, in fact, no alternative, your officers and men will give their all.
In this way, a true leader neither jockeys for alliances with other states, nor cultivates his influence throughout the realm. Rather, by trusting in his own plans, and bringing awe-inspiring might to bear down on his enemy, he easily plucks the walled cities of the enemy and topples its ruling house.
