The Art of War: A New Translation by Michael Nylan by Sun Tzu

Author:Sun Tzu [Tzu, Sun]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 2020-01-06T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

NINE CONTINGENCIES

MASTER SUN SAYS,

In general, the rule for deploying troops is this:

Once the commander receives his charge from the ruler, he assembles his armies, and gathers his multitudes.

He refuses to make camp in difficult terrain.1

He meets with others at the major thoroughfares.

He takes care not to tarry in terrain where he can be cut off.

He makes plans if the terrain is liable to encirclement.

He battles to the death, if the terrain offers no way out.2

There are

roads he will not travel,

armies he will not strike,

walled cities he will not attack,

terrain he will not contest.

Nor will he accept and obey each and every one of the ruler’s commands.

Thus a commander with a thorough grasp of the advantages to be had from the Nine Contingencies will surely know how to deploy his troops, while the commander who fails to grasp these essentials will not be able to wrest any advantages from the terrain, even if he knows the lay of the land. Failing to appreciate the arts of managing the Nine Contingencies, anyone who would command the troops will likewise not be able to secure the most from his men, even if he understands the five methods to take advantage of the terrain.3

For this reason, the wise commander never misconstrues or fails to ruminate on the advantages and disadvantages.4 As he takes advantages into account, his hard work pays off in reliable ways. Taking disadvantages into account, he finds a way to extricate himself from trouble. Thus to subjugate the local lords, he uses the threat of harm; to keep them in his service, he gives them tasks to do; and to lure them on, he dangles the prospect of gain.

So, the rule for deploying troops is this:

Do not count on the enemy not coming.

Depend instead on your side being prepared to confront him.

Do not count on the enemy not attacking.

Depend instead on your side having an unassailable position.

So a commander may have five fatal flaws:

One determined to fight to the death can be killed;

One determined to survive at all costs can be captured;

One with a quick temper can be provoked by insults;

One obsessed can be sullied and disgraced;

One who would spare the people grief can be overburdened.5

In general, these five dangers in a commander can prove fatal when he is deploying troops. One or more of these five traits is invariably the cause for an army’s rout and the slaughter of its commanders. A good commander must give the most careful consideration to these five.

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