“话”说孙子兵法(英文版3)
来源：英语联盟
26. in night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-fires
and drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners,
as a means of influencing the ears and eyes of your army.
27. a whole army may be robbed of its spirit;
a commander-in-chief may be robbed of his presence of mind.
28. now a soldiers spirit is keenest in the morning;
by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening,
his mind is bent only on returning to camp.
29. a clever general, therefore, avoids an army when
its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish
and inclined to return. this is the art of studying moods.
30. disciplined and calm, to await the appearance
of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:--this is the art
of retaining self-possession.
31. to be near the goal while the enemy is still
far from it, to wait at ease while the enemy is
toiling and struggling, to be well-fed while the enemy
is famished:--this is the art of husbanding ones strength.
32. to refrain from intercepting an enemy whose
banners are in perfect order, to refrain from attacking
an army drawn up in calm and confident array:--this
is the art of studying circumstances.
33. it is a military axiom not to advance uphill
against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.
34. do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight;
do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.
35. do not swallow bait offered by the enemy.
do not interfere with an army that is returning home.
36. when you surround an army, leave an outlet free.
do not press a desperate foe too hard.
37. such is the art of warfare.
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viii. variation in tactics
1. sun tzu said: in war, the general receives
his commands from the sovereign, collects his army
and concentrates his forces
2. when in difficult country, do not encamp. in country
where 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.
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3. there are roads which must not be followed,
armies which must be not attacked, towns which must
be besieged, positions which must not be contested,
commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.
4. the general who thoroughly understands the advantages
that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle
his troops.
5. the general who does not understand these, may be well
acquainted with the configuration of the country, yet he
will not be able to turn his knowledge to practical account.
6. so, the student of war who is unversed in the art
of war of varying his plans, even though he be acquainted
with the five advantages, will fail to make the best use
of his men.
7. hence in the wise leaders plans, considerations of
advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.
8. if our expectation of advantage be tempered in
this way, we may succeed in accomplishing the essential
part of our schemes.
9. if, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties
we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate
ourselves from misfortune.
10. reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage
on them; and make trouble for them, and keep them
constantly engaged; hold out specious allurements,
and make them rush to any given point.
11. the art of war teaches us to rely not on the
likelihood of the enemys not coming, but on our own readiness
to 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 affect
a 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 him
to 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 five
dangerous faults. let them be a subject of meditation.
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ix. the army on the march
1. sun tzu said: we come now to the question of
encamping the army, and observing signs of the enemy.
pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the neighborhood
of valleys.
2. camp in high places, facing the sun. do not climb
heights in order to fight. so much for mountain warfare.
3. after crossing a river, you should get far away
from it.
4. when an invading force crosses a river in its
onward march, do not advance to meet it in mid-stream.
it will be best to let half the army get across,
and then deliver your attack.
5. if you are anxious to fight, you should not go
to meet the invader near a river which he has to cross.
6. moor your craft higher up than the enemy, and facing
the sun. do not move up-stream to meet the enemy.
so much for river warfare.
7. in crossing salt-marshes, your sole concern
should be to get over them quickly, without any delay.
8. if forced to fight in a salt-marsh, you should
have water and grass near you, and get your back
to a clump of trees. so much for operations in salt-marches.
9. in dry, level country, take up an easily accessible
position with rising ground to your right and on your rear,
so that the danger may be in front, and safety lie behind.
so much for campaigning in flat country.
10. these are the four useful branches of military
knowledge which enabled the yellow emperor to vanquish
four several sovereigns.
11. all armies prefer high ground to low and sunny
places to dark.
12. if you are careful of your men, and camp on hard
ground, the army will be free from disease of every kind,
and this will spell victory.
13. when you come to a hill or a bank, occupy the
sunny side, with the slope on your right rear.
thus you will at once act for the benefit of your soldiers
and utilize the natural advantages of the ground.
14. when, in consequence of heavy rains up-country,
a river which you wish to ford is swollen and flecked
with foam, you must wait until it subsides.
15. country in which there are precipitous cliffs
with torrents running between, deep natural hollows,
confined places, tangled thickets, quagmires and crevasses,
should be left with all possible speed and not approached.
16. while we keep away from such places, we should
get the enemy to approach them; while we face them,
we should let the enemy have them on his rear.
17. if in the neighborhood of your camp there should
be any hilly country, ponds surrounded by aquatic grass,
hollow basins filled with reeds, or woods with thick
undergrowth, they must be carefully routed out and searched;
for these are places where men in ambush or insidious
spies are likely to be lurking.
18. when the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet,
he is relying on the natural strength of his position.
19. when he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle,
he is anxious for the other side to advance.
20. if his place of encampment is easy of access,
he is tendering a bait.
21. movement amongst the trees of a forest shows that the
enemy is advancing. the appearance of a number of screens
in the midst of thick grass means that the enemy wants to make us suspicious.
22. the rising of birds in their flight is the sign
of an ambuscade. startled beasts indicate that a sudden
attack is coming.
23. when there is dust rising in a high column,
it is the sign of chariots advancing; when the dust is low,
but spread over a wide area, it betokens the approach
of infantry. when it branches out in different directions,
it shows that parties have been sent to collect firewood.
a few clouds of dust moving to and fro signify that the army
is encamping.
24. humble words and increased preparations are signs
that the enemy is about to advance. violent language
and driving forward as if to the attack are signs that he
will retreat.
25. when the light chariots come out first and take
up a position on the wings, it is a sign that the enemy
is forming for battle.
26. peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant
indicate a plot.
27. when there is much running about and the soldiers
fall into rank, it means that the critical moment has come.
28. when some are seen advancing and some retreating,
it is a lure.
29. when the soldiers stand leaning on their spears,
they are faint from want of food.
30. if those who are sent to draw water begin
by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.
31. if the enemy sees an advantage to be gained and
makes no effort to secure it, the soldiers are exhausted.
32. if birds gather on any spot, it is unoccupied.
clamor by night betokens nervousness.
33. if there is disturbance in the camp, the generals
authority is weak. if the banners and flags are shifted
about, sedition is afoot. if the officers are angry,
it means that the men are weary.
34. when an army feeds its horses with grain and kills
its cattle for food, and when the men do not hang their
cooking-pots over the camp-fires, showing that they
will not return to their tents, you may know that they
are determined to fight to the death.
35. the sight of men whispering together in small
knots or speaking in subdued tones points to disaffection
amongst the rank and file.
36. too frequent rewards signify that the enemy is
at the end of his resources; too many punishments betray
a condition of dire distress.
37. to begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright
at the enemys numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.
38. when envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths,
it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.
39. if the enemys troops march up angrily and remain
facing ours for a long time without either joining
battle or taking themselves off again, the situation
is one that demands great vigilance and circumspection.
40. if our troops are no more in number than the enemy,
that is amply sufficient; it only means that no direct attack
can be made. what we can do is simply to concentrate all
our available strength, keep a close watch on the enemy,
and obtain reinforcements.
41. he who exercises no forethought but makes light
of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.
42. if soldiers are punished before they have grown
attached to you, they will not prove submissive; and,
unless submissive, then will be practically useless.
if, when the soldiers have become attached to you,
punishments are not enforced, they will still be unless.
43. therefore soldiers must be treated in the first
instance with humanity, but kept under control by means
of iron discipline. this is a certain road to victory.
44. if in training soldiers commands are habitually
enforced, the army will be well-disciplined; if not,
its discipline will be bad.
45. if a general shows confidence in his men but always
insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.
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