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The Art of War
by Sun Tzu

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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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 sun tzu translated by lionel giles part three attack by stratagem 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 hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting thus the highest form of generalship is to bulk 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 wild cities 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 against the walls will take three months more 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 therefore the skillful leaders 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 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 it is the rule in war if our forces are ten to the enemies one to surround him if five to one to attack him if twice is numerous to divide our army into two 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 hence though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force in the end it must be captured by the larger force 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 there are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army one by commanding the army to advance or to retreat being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey this is called hobbling the army two by attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army this causes restlessness in the soldiers minds three by employing the officers of his army without discrimination through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances this shakes the confidence of the soldiers but when the army is restless and distrustful trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes this is simply bringing anarchy into the army and flinging victory away thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory one he will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight two he will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces three he will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks four he will win who prepared himself waits to take the enemy unprepared five he will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign hence the saying if you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the result of a hundred battles if you know yourself but not the enemy for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat if you know neither the enemy nor yourself you will succumb in every battle end of part three part four tactical dispositions sun tzu said the good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy hence the saying one may know how to conquer without being able to do it security against defeat implies defensive tactics ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength attacking a super abundance of strength the general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth he who is skilled in attacked flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves on the other a victory that is complete to see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole empire says well done to lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear what the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins but excels in winning with ease hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage he wins his battles by making no mistakes making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory the consummate leader cultivates the moral law and strictly adheres to method and discipline thus it is in his power to control success in respect of military method we have firstly measurement secondly estimation of quantity thirdly calculation fourthly balancing of chances fifthly victory measurement owes its existence to earth estimation of quantity to measurement calculation to estimation of quantity balancing of chances to calculation and victory to balancing of chances a victorious army opposed to a routed one is as a pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain the onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep end of part four recorded in toronto ontario by moira fogarty october 2006.