Nore: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/bookofwarmilitar00caltiala Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Changes made are listed at the end of the text. THE BOOK OF WAR The Military Classic of the Far East Translated from the Chinese by CAPTAIN E. F. CALTHROP, R.F.A. London John Murray, Albemarle St., W. 1908 CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 7 THE ARTICLES OF SUNTZU I. PRELIMINARY RECKONING 17 II. OPERATIONS OF WAR 20 III. THE ATTACK BY STRATAGEM 24 IV. THE ORDER OF BATTLE 28 V. THE SPIRIT OF THE TROOPS 31 VI. EMPTINESS AND STRENGTH 34 VII. BATTLE TACTICS 40 VIII. THE NINE CHANGES 44 IX. MOVEMENT OF TROOPS 47 X. GROUND 53 XI. NINE GROUNDS 58 XII. ASSAULT BY FIRE 67 XIII. THE EMPLOYMENT OF SPIES 70 THE SAYINGS OF WUTZU INTRODUCTION 75 I. THE GOVERNMENT OF A COUNTRY 77 II. ESTIMATION OF THE ENEMY 85 III. CONTROL OF THE ARMY 93 IV. QUALITIES OF THE GENERAL 101 V. SUITING THE OCCASION 108 VI. ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE TROOPS 116 THE BOOK OF WAR INTRODUCTION I Written in the fifth century B.C., Suntzu and Wutzu still remain the most celebrated works on war in the literature of China. While the chariot has gone, and weapons have changed, these ancient masters have held their own, since they deal chiefly with the fundamental principles of war, with the influence of politics and human nature on military operations; and they show in a most striking way how unchanging these principles are. When these books were written, China was a conglomerate of principalities in continual ferment. Personal ambition and intrigue, and not the wishes of the people, were the main factors in these wars. Patriotism, or a popular cause, could not, therefore, be relied on to maintain the _moral_ of the levies. Instead of these, what may be called the force of despair is pointed out as the most powerful agent in giving cohesion and energy to an army. The general is urged to take a vigorous offensive; and to act at a distance from his base, where defeat means disaster, and where desertion is minimised owing to the distance from home. He should, in fact, burn his boats before an action, or, in Chinese phrase, act as one who removes the ladder from under those mounted upon the roof.