III. Attack by Stratagem
孫子曰:夫用兵之法,全國為上,破國次之;全軍為上,破軍次之;全旅為上,破旅次之;全卒
為上,破卒次之;全伍為上,破伍次之。
Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.
是故百戰(zhàn)百勝,非善之善也;不戰(zhàn)而屈人之兵,善之善者也。
Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
故上兵伐謀,其次伐交,其次伐兵,其下攻城。
Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent the junction 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 besiege walled cities.
攻城之法,為不得已。修櫓□①□②,具器械,三月而后成;距堙,又三月而后已。
The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it can possibly be avoided. The preparation of mantlets, movable shelters, and various implements of war, will take up three whole months; and the piling up of mounds over against the walls will take three months more.
將不勝其忿而蟻附之,殺士卒三分之一,而城不拔者,此攻之災也。
The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege.
故善用兵者,屈人之兵而非戰(zhàn)也,拔人之城而非攻也,毀人之國而非久也,
Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.
必以全爭于天下,故兵不頓而利可全,此謀攻之法也。
With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem.
故用兵之法,十則圍之,五則攻之,倍則分之,
It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.
敵則能戰(zhàn)之,少則能逃之,不若則能避之。
If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.
故小敵之堅,大敵之擒也。
Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force.
夫將者,國之輔也。輔周則國必強,輔隙則國必弱。
Now the general is the bulwark of the State; if the bulwark is complete at all points; the State will be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the State will be weak.