XIII. THE USE OF SPIES - The Art of War

Page 31 of 32

18. Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every
kind of business.

19. If a secret piece of news is divulged by a spy
before the time is ripe, he must be put to death together

with the man to whom the secret was told.

20. Whether the object be to crush an army, to storm
a city, or to assassinate an individual, it is always

necessary to begin by finding out the names of the attendants,

the aides-de-camp, and door-keepers and sentries of the general

in command. Our spies must be commissioned to ascertain these.

21. The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us
must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and

comfortably housed. Thus they will become converted

spies and available for our service.

22. It is through the information brought by the
converted spy that we are able to acquire and employ

local and inward spies.

23. It is owing to his information, again, that we can
cause the doomed spy to carry false tidings to the enemy.

24. Lastly, it is by his information that the surviving
spy can be used on appointed occasions.

25. The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties
is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only

be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy.

Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated

with the utmost liberality.

26. Of old, the rise of the Yin dynasty was due to I
Chih who had served under the Hsia. Likewise, the rise

of the Chou dynasty was due to Lu Ya who had served

under the Yin.

27. Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the
wise general who will use the highest intelligence of

the army for purposes of spying and thereby they achieve

great results. Spies are a most important element in water,

because on them depends an army's ability to move.

[END - Sun Tzu on the Art of War, text-only]

***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK The Art of War***

		Often a noble face hides filthy ways. Eur pides