Sun Tzu's The Art of war offers lessons in competition. It explains the strategy of winning without going into wars. These strategies can be used in any form of competition, like business or our day-to day life. The book was penned by Sun Tzu about two thousand years ago. It has the distinction of being the first of military classics and offers a distinct and non-intuitive insight for winning competition while avoiding the most destructive aspects of conflict. It emphasizes that certain key factors influence the outcome of any battle and that victory goes-not to the strongest or most aggressive-but to the person who best understands how to use and leverage the situation and avoid the costs of conflicting desires.
Sun Tzu's text can be divided into thirteen parts which are:-
Laying Plans
The art of war is critical for the nation-a basis of life and death and a philosophy of survival and destruction. It is a matter of enquiry which can never be ignored. The art of war is steered by five factors. These are: The Military Philosophy, The Weather, The Ground, The Commander and The Military Methods.
The Military Philosophy instructs the people to follow the ruler regardless of their lives, without the fear of any danger or dishonesty. Weather signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. Ground signifies distances - near and far(danger and security),open and narrow(life and death).The Commander must have virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness. With the help of these factors the army can plan its structure, ranks, supplies and expenditure. One who takes into account these factors is always victorious. Plans should always be led by circumstances. Warfare should be deceptive so that the enemy does not know about the plans. The military devices, leading to victory, must not be displayed beforehand.
Waging War
For victory, a large army and long wars are not desirable. To maintain a big army, resources too should be huge enough. A large army is the same as invaders as both drain the resources of the nation. If the war continues for long ,the army will get drained, unorganized and demotivated.So, to make good use of war the army should be small but strong, only basic supplies should be carried and the army should feed off the enemy. The main objective of the army should be to capture the enemy’s supplies rather than to kill them. The objective of a war should be victory rather than long campaigns.
Planning An Attack
Everyone depends on the arts of war. Anything united is stronger than anything divided. A united nation is stronger than the divided one. Unity wins every battle fought. The best time to attack is when the enemy is still planning. In this way the army will be caught unawares. The next best is to prevent the grouping of the enemy's forces, the next is to attack the enemy's army in the field, and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide own army into two. Thus the essentials of victory are:
Victory comes from knowing when to attack and when to avoid battle.
Victory comes from correctly using both large and small forces.
Victory comes from everyone sharing the same goals.
Victory comes from having a capable commander and the government leaving him alone.
Positioning
The good fighters first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then wait for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. Defeat of the enemy lies in his hand rather than ours. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but he cannot make sure of the enemy’s defeat.
Security against defeat implies defensive tactics whereas ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive. To win with much of fanfare is not a great victory. A clever fighting is actually when one excels in winning with ease. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position, which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy. In respect of military method, we have:
The ground determines the distance.
The distance determines the numbers.
Numbers determine the calculations.
The calculations determine the decision.
The decisions determine the victory.
Energy
The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men, it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers. So the structure matters a lot. To ensure that the army may withstand the brunt of the enemy's attack and remain unshaken--direct and indirect maneuvers occur.
In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as ground and weather. There are not more than five primary colors (red, white, blue, yellow, and black), yet when combined they produce more colors than can ever been seen. Similarly there are five primary tastes which combine to form so many new tastes. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers. The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combined energy.
Weakness and Strength
Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight, whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him. An army must capitalize on its own strength and the enemy’s weakness. One can be sure of succeeding in one’s attacks. If he attacks places which are undefended. He can ensure the safety of his defense if he holds positions that cannot be attacked. Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare against possible attacks; numerical strength, from compelling our adversary to make these preparations against us. Knowing the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses is also a part of the strategies.
Armed Conflict
In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign. Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof before pitching his camp.
After that, comes tactical maneuvering. The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortuneinto gain. Maneuvering with an army is advantageous, with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous. One cannot enter into alliances until he is well acquainted with the designs of the neighbors. He will be unable to turn natural advantage to account unless he makes use of local guides. Whether to concentrate or to divide the troops must be decided by circumstances. One should ponder and deliberate before making a move.
He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviation. 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.
Adaptability
In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forces. The general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handlehis troops. 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. Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together. If, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune. 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 that is sensitive to shame;
(5) Over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.
Armed March
An army should be aware of where to march and where to camp.
Mountains should be quickly passed over and the army should camp in valleys. The army should always be placed higher than the enemy. Rivers should be avoided. All armies prefer high ground to low and sunny places to dark. In case of heavy rains the army should wait for the rainwaters to subside. We should focus on keeping ourselves away from difficult terrains and the enemy into it. Movement along the trees, movement of birds and animals etc. signals the advancement of the army. Humble words and increased preparations are signs that the enemy is about to advance. Violent language and driving forward as if to the attack are signs that he will retreat. Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant indicate a plot.
Terrain
There are six kinds of terrain:
(1) Accessible ground; (2) Entangling ground;(3) Temporizing ground;
(4) Narrow passes; (5) Precipitous heights; (6) Positions at a great distance from the enemy.
Ground, which can be freely traversed by both sides, is called accessible.
Ground, which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy, is called entangling. When the position is such that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporizing ground. With regard to narrow passes, if one can occupy them first, let them be strongly garrisoned and await the advent of the enemy. With regard to precipitous heights one should occupy the raised and sunny spots, and there wait for the enemy to come up. If one is 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 one’s disadvantage.
The Nine Situations
The art of war recognizes nine varieties of ground:
(1) Dispersive ground; (2) Facile ground; (3) Contentious ground;
(4) Open ground; (5) Ground of intersecting highways;
(6) Serious ground; (7) Difficult ground; (8) Hemmed-in ground;
(9) Desperate ground.
When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory, it is dispersive ground.
When he has penetrated into hostile territory, but to no great distance, it is facile ground. Ground the possession of which imports great advantage to either side, is contentious ground. Ground on which each side has liberty of movement is open ground. Ground which forms the key to three contiguous states, so that he who occupies it first has most of the Empire at his command, is a ground of intersecting highways. When an army has penetrated into the heart of a hostile country, leaving a number of fortified cities in its rear, it is serious ground. Mountain forests, rugged steeps, marshes and fences—all country that is hard to traverse makes for difficult ground. Ground which is reached through narrow gorges, and from which one can only retire by tortuous paths, so that a small number of the enemy would suffice to crush a large body of his men is hemmed in ground. Ground on which one can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay, is desperate ground. The tactics of war should thus be based on the type of ground on which the army is fighting. Therefore one should not fight on dispersive ground, should not halt on facile ground, should not attack on contentious ground, join hands with allies on intersecting grounds, refrain from blocking the enemy on open grounds and so on.
Attack By Fire
There are five ways of attacking with fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp. The second is to burn stores. The third is to burn baggage trains. The fourth is to burn arsenals. The fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy. In order to carry out an attack, one must have means available. The material for raising fire should always be kept in readiness. There is a proper season for making attacks with fire, and special days for starting a conflagration.
Use of Spies
Raising a host of a hundred thousand men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss on the people and a drain on the resources of the nation. Thus prior knowledge of the enemy’s objectives must be known. This knowledge cannot be gained from spirits or calculations. Other men can however brief the general on these things. Hence a group of spies can be instituted. Spies can be of five types. These are: local, inward, converted, doomed and surviving. Services of inhabitants of the district are sought as local spies. Officials of the enemy work as inward spies. Enemy’s spies can be captured and used as coverted spies. Doomed spies do some things openly and let the army know of crucial things. Surviving spies are those who bring back news from the enemy’s camp. secrecy should be maintained in case of spies.
No comments:
Post a Comment