VIII. VARIATION IN TACTICS

by Sun Tzu

　　1. Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receiveshis commands from the sovereign, collects his armyand concentrates his forces 2. When in difficult country, do not encamp. In countrywhere high roads intersect, join hands with your allies.Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions.In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to stratagem.In desperate position, you must fight. 3. There are roads which must not be followed,armies which must be not attacked, towns which mustbe besieged, positions which must not be contested,commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed. 4. The general who thoroughly understands the advantagesthat accompany variation of tactics knows how to handlehis troops. 5. The general who does not understand these, may be wellacquainted with the configuration of the country, yet hewill not be able to turn his knowledge to practical account. 6. So, the student of war who is unversed in the artof war of varying his plans, even though he be acquaintedwith the Five Advantages, will fail to make the best useof his men. 7. Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations ofadvantage and of disadvantage will be blended together. 8. If our expectation of advantage be tempered inthis way, we may succeed in accomplishing the essentialpart of our schemes. 9. If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficultieswe are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricateourselves from misfortune. 10. Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damageon them; and make trouble for them, and keep themconstantly engaged; hold out specious allurements,and make them rush to any given point. 11. The art of war teaches us to rely not on thelikelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readinessto receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking,but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. 12. There are five dangerous faults which may affecta general:(1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;(2) cowardice, which leads to capture;(3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;(4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame;(5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes himto worry and trouble. 13. These are the five besetting sins of a general,ruinous to the conduct of war. 14. When an army is overthrown and its leader slain,the cause will surely be found among these fivedangerous faults. Let them be a subject of meditation.