Kitabı oku: «Искусство войны. Уровень 2 / The Art of War», sayfa 4

15. A wise general makes a point of taking provisions from his enemy. One cart of the enemy’s provisions is equivalent to twenty of one’s own.

16. Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be angered; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.

17. Those who took first chariot in fighting must be rewarded when ten or more chariots are taken. Our own flags should be replaced for those of the enemy, and the chariots used with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.

18. This is called, using the enemy to raise one’s own strength.

19. In war, then, let your great goal be victory, not long campaigns.

20. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the master of the people’s fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in fear.

III. Attack by stratagem

1. Sun Tzŭ said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and undamaged; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is always better to capture an army and leaders entire than to destroy it.

2. To fight and win in all your battles is not the highest excellence; the highest excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.

3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to ruin the enemy’s plans; the next best is to prevent the reunion of the enemy’s forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy’s army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to lay siege to walled cities.

4. The rule is, not to lay siege to walled cities if you can possibly avoid it. It will take up at least six months, which is too long.

5. The general will become frustrated and unable to control himself. He will send his men to the assault and one-third of his men will be killed, while the town will still remain untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege.