军争第七

VII. Maneuvering

孙子曰：凡用兵之法，将受命于君，

Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign.

合军聚众，交和而舍，

Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof before pitching his camp.

莫难于军争。军争之难者，以迂为直，以患为利。

After that, comes tactical maneuvering, than which there is nothing more difficult. The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.

故迂其途，而诱之以利，后人发，先人至，此知迂直之计者也。

Thus, to take a long and circuitous route, after enticing the enemy out of the way, and though starting after him, to contrive to reach the goal before him, shows knowledge of the artifice of deviation.

军争为利，军争为危。

Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.

举军而争利则不及，委军而争利则辎重捐。

If you set a fully equipped army in march in order to snatch an advantage, the chances are that you will be too late. On the other hand, to detach a flying column for the purpose involves the sacrifice of its baggage and stores.

是故卷甲而趋，日夜不处，倍道兼行，百里而争利，则擒三将军，

Thus, if you order your men to roll up their buff-coats, and make forced marches without halting day or night, covering double the usual distance at a stretch, doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an advantage, the leaders of all your three divisions will fall into the hands of the enemy.

劲者先，疲者后，其法十一而至；

The stronger men will be in front, the jaded ones will fall behind, and on this plan only one-tenth of your army will reach its destination.

五十里而争利，则蹶上将军，其法半至；

If you march fifty LI in order to outmaneuver the enemy, you will lose the leader of your first division, and only half your force will reach the goal.

三十里而争利，则三分之二至。

If you march thirty LI with the same object, two-thirds of your army will arrive.

是故军无辎重则亡，无粮食则亡，无委积则亡。

We may take it then that an army without its baggage-train is lost; without provisions it is lost; without bases of supply it is lost.