V. ENERGY - The Art of War
First PageProject Gutenberg Header Page 9 of 32Next PageLast Page

V. ENERGY

1. Sun Tzu said: 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.

2. Fighting with a large army under your command

is nowise different from fighting with a small one:

it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.

3. To ensure that your whole host may withstand

the brunt of the enemy's attack and remain unshaken--

this is effected by maneuvers direct and indirect.

4. That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone

dashed against an egg--this is effected by the science

of weak points and strong.

5. In all fighting, the direct method may be used

for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed

in order to secure victory.

6. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible

as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams;

like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew;

like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.

7. There are not more than five musical notes,

yet the combinations of these five give rise to more

melodies than can ever be heard.

8. There are not more than five primary colors

(blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination

they produce more hues than can ever been seen.

9. There are not more than five cardinal tastes

(sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations

of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.

10. 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.

11. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn.
It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end.

Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?

12. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent
which will even roll stones along in its course.

13. The quality of decision is like the well-timed
swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy

its victim.

14. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible
in his onset, and prompt in his decision.

15. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow;
decision, to the releasing of a trigger.

16. Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may
be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all;

amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head

or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat.

17. Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline,
simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness

postulates strength. Next Page

Read Easily - Free Ebooks Online Library

Warning: fopen(http://www.readeasily.com/quote3/02853.txt) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found in /home/rosa1968/public_html/inc/footer2.php on line 17

Warning: fgets(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/rosa1968/public_html/inc/footer2.php on line 18

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/rosa1968/public_html/inc/footer2.php on line 20