- 聚三軍之衆投之於險此謂將軍之事也
- 九地之變屈伸之利人情之理不可不察也
- 凡爲客之道深則專淺則散
- 去國越境而師者絶地也四達者衢地也
40. To muster his host and bring it into danger: — this may be termed the business of the general.
Sun Tzŭ means that after mobilisation there should be no delay in aiming a blow at the enemy’s heart. With 投之於險 cf. supra, § 23: 投之無所往. Note how he returns again and again to this point. Among the warring states of ancient China, desertion was no doubt a much more present fear and serious evil than it is in the armies of to-day.
41. The different measures suited to the nine varieties of ground;
Chang Yü says: 九地之法不可拘泥 “One must not be hide-bound in interpreting the rules for the nine varieties of ground.
the expediency of aggressive or defensive tactics;
The use of 屈伸 “contraction and expansion” may be illustrated by the saying 屈以求伸, which almost exactly corresponds to the French “il faut reculer pour mieux sauter.”[1] Capt. Calthrop, more suo, avoids a real translation and has: “the suiting of the means to the occasion.”
and the fundamental laws of human nature: these are things that must most certainly be studied.
42. When invading hostile territory, the general principle is, that penetrating deeply brings cohesion; penetrating but a short way means dispersion.
Cf. supra, § 20.
43. When you leave your own country behind, and take your army across neighbouring territory,
Chang Yü’s paraphrase is 而用師者.
you find yourself on critical ground.
- ↑ See Giles’ Dictionary, no. 9817.
