audiobook
The Art of War
by Sun Tzu
this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information and to find out how you can volunteer please visit librivox.org recording by moira fogarty the art of war by tsun tzu translated by lionel giles part 1 laying plans sun tzu said the art of war is of vital importance to the state it is a matter of life and death a road either to safety or to ruin hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected the art of war then is governed by five constant factors to be taken into account in one's deliberations when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field these are one the moral law two heaven three earth four the commander five method and discipline the moral law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler so that they will follow him regardless of their lives undismayed by any danger heaven signifies night and day cold and heat times and seasons earth comprises distances great and small danger and security open ground and narrow passes the chances of life and death the commander stands for the virtues of wisdom sincerity benevolence courage and strictness my method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions the graduations of rank among the officers the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army and the control of military expenditure these five heads should be familiar to every general he who knows them will be victorious he who knows them not will fail therefore in your deliberations when seeking to determine the military conditions let them be made the basis of a comparison in this wise one which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the moral law two which of the two generals has most ability three with whom lie the advantages derived from heaven and earth four on which side is disciplined most rigorously enforced five which army is stronger six on which side are officers and men more highly trained seven in which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment by means of these seven considerations i can forecast victory or defeat the general that hearkens to my council and acts upon it will conquer let such a one be retained in command the general that hearkens not to my council nor acts upon it will suffer defeat let such a one be dismissed while heeding the prophet of my counsel avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules according as circumstances are favorable one should modify one's plans all warfare is based on deception hence when able to attack we must seem unable when using our forces we must seem inactive when we are near we must make the enemy believe we are far away when far away we must make him believe we are near hold out baits to entice the enemy feign disorder and crush him if he is secure at all points be prepared for him if he is in superior strength evade him if your opponent is of choleric temper seek to irritate him pretend to be weak that he may grow arrogant if he is taking his ease give him no rest if his forces are united separate them attack him where he is unprepared appear where you are not expected these military devices leading to victory must not be divulged beforehand now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple air the battle is fought the general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand thus do many calculations lead to victory and few calculations to defeat how much more no calculation at all it is by attention to this point that i can foresee who is likely to win or lose end of part one part two waging war sun tzu said in the operations of war where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots as many heavy chariots and a hundred thousand male clad soldiers with provisions enough to carry them a thousand li the expenditure at home and at the front including entertainment of guests small items such as glue and paint and some spent on chariots and armor will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day such as the cost of raising an army of a hundred thousand men when you engage in actual fighting if victory is long incoming then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped if you lay siege to a town you will exhaust your strength again if the campaign is protracted the resources of the state will not be equal to the strain now when your weapons are dulled your ardor damped your strength exhausted and your treasure spent other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity then no man however wise will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue thus though we have heard of stupid haste in war cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare it is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on the skillful soldier does not raise a second levy neither are his supply wagons loaded more than twice bring war material with you from home but forage on the enemy thus the army will have food enough for its needs poverty of the statex checker causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished on the other hand the proximity of an army causes prices to go up and high prices cause the people's substance to be drained away when their is drained away the peasantry will be afflicted by heavy exactions with this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength the homes of the people will be stripped bare and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated while government expenses for broken chariots worn out horses breastplates and helmets bows and arrows spears and shields protective mantles draught-oxen and heavy wagons will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy one cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to 20 of one's own and likewise a single pickle of his provender is equivalent to 20 from one's own store now in order to kill the enemy our men must be roused to anger that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy they must have their rewards therefore in chariot fighting when 10 or more chariots have been taken those should be rewarded who took the first our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy and their chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours the captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept this is called using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength a more then let your great object be victory not lengthy campaigns thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril end of part two recorded in toronto ontario by moira fogarty october 2006

Publication date 2006-11-02
Usage Public DomainCreative Commons Licensepublicdomain
Topics librivox, audiobook, literature, war, Sun Tzu, Sunzi, Lionel Giles
Librivox recording of The Art of War by Sun Tzu, translated by Lionel Giles.
Read by Moira Fogarty.

"The Art of War is a Chinese military treatise written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare, it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategies and tactics of its time. The Art of War is one of the oldest and most famous studies of strategy and has had a huge influence on both military planning and beyond. The Art of War has also been applied, with much success, to business and managerial strategies."
(summary from Wikipedia)

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