Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao

The Art of War - Strategy Two

Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao

This strategy directs one to relieve the besieged city/state by besieging the home base of the besiegers.

Let us say a far superior force is deployed against your city or state; or it may be that your neighbouring ally is the one on the receiving end and steadfast, stalwart resistance is not enough to deter hostilities or defeat the onslaught. Then clearly the best recourse would be to invade the enemy’s home territory. This would compel the foe to hastily divert a major part of their army to defend their home ground.

Meanwhile, having just reduced their forces arrayed against you, you may set a serious of ambushes to target the enemy’s weak points; the objective being to break the enemy’s massive army up into smaller, more vulnerable, segments.

The strategy of fighting a powerful enemy is like regulating the rivers. When the enemy is as ferocious and overpowering as a big flood, one should avoid a head on confrontation and wait until it has lost its initial momentum before steering a torrent into a dredged channel to divide the flow, calm it down and render it controllable. A minor enemy can be handled like a lesser flood. One can construct a dike to halt its movement.

Keep in mind that the motion of ground forces is comparable to the flow of water. Water avoids heights and tends to flow towards the lower ground. The flowing of water is typically determined by the terrain just as the movement of the army is determined by the enemy’s situation.

An effective force therefore avoids engaging a strong enemy directly and attacks the weaker segments. An army should have no fixed deployment. Like water it should have no definite shape. Lastly the superb military commander attains victory by changing tactics according to his different enemies.

In summary, a victorious army avoids engaging the strong and attacks the weak, avoids the solid to attack the brittle, and avoids the difficult to attack the easy. This is the sure way to achieve a hundred victories in a hundred battles.



The End.

A Bird Startled by the Mere Twang of a Bowstring

A Bird Startled by the Mere Twang of a Bowstring

Years ago, Gong Lei and the King Wei standing on a high terrace saw some birds flying past. This Gong Lei boasted that he could down a bird by drawing his bow but not shooting.

“You mean to say that shooting skill can reach such a high level?” the king wondered.

“Indeed I do.”

A while later a flock of wild geese came from the east. Gong Lei went into action and succeeded in downing a bird by merely producing a twang with his bowstring.

“Really, archery can go that far?” cried the King.

“Well, that bird has an unhealed wound.”

“How do you know, sir?”

“Because it was flying slowly and uttering a plaintive cry, “Gong Lei responded. “Generally, an old wound affects the speed of flying and lagging behind the crowd for long leads to a desperate calling. So, an unhealed wound means an un-recovered fright. At the twang of my bowstring the bird strove to soar but fell because the wound burst open.”



From : Zhang no Ce ( warring states records)

Fini

The Art of War Strategy One - Cross the Sea without Heaven’s Knowledge

The Art of War Strategy One

Cross the Sea without Heaven’s Knowledge

Each military maneuver has two aspects: the superficial and the actual move with a hidden agenda. By concealing both, one can take the opponent/enemy completely by surprise. But such ideal secrecy can seldom be attained in actual warfare. In most cases to keep the enemy completely ignorant of one’s operations is no easier task than to “cross the see without heaven’s knowledge.” The only alternative is to trick the enemy to neglect or misinterpret the fundamental purpose of one’s operation.

Take into account that even people who take ample precautions are liable to be caught off guard and that familiar sights do not rouse suspicion. On the outset assume no posture or shape, say nothing literal and do nothing definite to attract the least attention by deep probing spies. At the same time adapt manoeuvres that are twofold; one that is superficial and a second within it that contains the primary goal. By masking both, the adversary can always be deceived and lured into fighting shadows. This would also provide one the advantage of surprise so as to launch strategic and deadly offensives or to ambush the enemy unopposed.

It is said: A good defender conceals beneath multitude layers of camouflage to avoid detection; a good attacker moves (usually from afar) too swiftly with such fabulous speed that the opponent is taken by surprise and robbed any chance for defense.

A superb military manoeuvres leave no trace and therefore avoid detection by deep probing satellites or spies. In this way he is able to both preserve himself and at the same time achieve victory.

“He assumes no posture and reveals no shape so that there’s nothing he cannot achieve. He reveals no shape and shows no move so that there is no change he cannot make. This is the supreme art of war.”

The End