Warfare is
a great matter to a nation;
it is the ground of death
and of life;
it is the way of survival
and of destruction, and must be examined. ?
Therefore, go through
it by means of five factors;
compare them by means
of calculation, and determine their statuses:
One, Way, two, Heaven,
three, Ground, four, General, five, Law. ?
The Way is what causes
the people to have the same thinking as their superiors;
they may be given death,
or they may be given life, but there is no fear of danger and betrayal. ?
Heaven is dark and light,
cold and hot, and the seasonal constraints.
Ground is high and low,
far and near, obstructed and easy, wide and narrow, and dangerous and safe. ?
General is wisdom, credibility,
benevolence, courage, and discipline. ?
Law is organization,
the chain of command, logistics, and the control of expenses. ?
All these five no general
has not heard;
one who knows them is
victorious, one who does not know them is not victorious. ?
Therefore, compare them
by means of calculation, and determine their statuses. ?
Ask:
Which ruler has the Way,
which general has the
ability,
which has gained Heaven
and Ground,
which carried out Law
and commands,
which army is strong,
which officers and soldiers
are trained,
which reward and punish
clearly,
by means of these, I know
victory and defeat! ?
A general who listens
to my calculations, and uses them, will surely be victorious, keep him;
a general who does not
listen to my calculations, and does not use them, will surely be defeated, remove
him. ?
Calculate advantages
by means of what was heard, then create force in order to assist outside missions.
?
Force is the control
of the balance of power, in accordance with advantages. ?
Warfare is the Way of
deception. ?
Therefore, if able, appear
unable,
if active, appear not
active,
if near, appear far,
if far, appear near. ?
If they have advantage,
entice them;
if they are confused,
take them,
if they are substantial,
prepare for them,
if they are strong, avoid
them,
if they are angry, disturb
them,
if they are humble, make
them haughty,
if they are relaxed, toil
them,
if they are united, separate
them. ?
Attack where they are
not prepared, go out to where they do not expect. ?
This specialized warfare
leads to victory, and may not be transmitted beforehand. ?
Before doing battle,
in the temple one calculates and will win, because many calculations were made;
before doing battle,
in the temple one calculates and will not win, because few calculations were made;
?
many calculations, victory,
few calculations, no victory, then how much less so when no calculations?
By means of these, I
can observe them, beholding victory or defeat! ?
