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Supreme Excellence Consists in Breaking The Enemy's Resistance Without Fighting
Supreme Excellence Consists in Breaking The Enemy's Resistance Without Fighting
2
Biographical Sketch
If the words of command are not clear and
distinct, or if the instructions are not
understood, it is the mistake of general
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Doctrine of Sun Tzu
4
Salient
Features
Ideas and Strategies
5
Ideas and Strategies
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Ideas and Strategies
1. Appraisals 7. Manoeuvre
2. Waging War 8. Nine Variables
3. Offensive 9. Marches
Strategy
10. Terrain
4. Dispositions
11. Nine Grounds
5. Energy
12. Act by Fire
6. Weaknesses and
Strengths 13. Secret Agents
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Appraisals
• Moral Law
• Weather
• Terrain
• Commander
• Doctrine
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Appraisals
9
Appraisals
• Moral Law
Interaction of natural
• Weather forces; the effects of
winter’s cold and
• Terrain summer’s heat and the
• Commander conduct of military
operations accordingly
• Doctrine
10
Appraisals
• Moral Law
• Weather • Ground – Ease or Difficulty
• Distances – Great or Small
• Terrain
• Places – Dangerous or Secure
• Commander • Lands – Open or Constricted
• Chances – Life or Death
• Doctrine
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Appraisals
• Moral Law
• Weather • Wisdom
• Sincerity
• Terrain
• Humanity
• Commander • Courage
• Firmness
• Doctrine
12
Appraisals
• Moral Law
• Organization & Control
• Weather • Assignment of
appropriate ranks to
• Terrain officers
• Commander • Maintenance of supply
routes
• Doctrine • Provision of principal
items used by army
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Waging War
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Waging War
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Waging War
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Offensive Strategy
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Offensive Strategy
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Dispositions
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Energy
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Energy
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Weaknesses & Strengths
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Weaknesses & Strengths
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Manoeuvre
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Manoeuvre
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The Nine Variables
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The Nine Variables
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Marches
2. Fight downhill
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Marches
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Marches
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Terrains
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Terrains
• Constricted Land – Block the passes
and await the enemy
• Precipitous Land– Take position on
the sunny heights and await the
enemy
• Distant Land – When at a distance
from the enemy of equal strength, it
is difficult to provoke battle and
unprofitable to engage him in his
chosen position
32
Nine Grounds
• Dispersive Ground – When a
feudal lord fights in his own
territory
• Frontier Ground – When a
shallow penetration has been
made into enemy territory
• Key Ground – Equally
advantageous for both sides
• Communicating Ground – Equally
accessible for both sides
• Focal Ground – When a state is
enclosed by three other states
33
Nine Grounds
• Serious Ground – When
penetrated deep into hostile
territory
• Difficult Ground – Hard places
like swamps, marshlands,
mountains, forests etc
• Encircled Ground – Where
access is constricted and even
small enemy force can strike
• Death Ground – Where army
fights with the courage of
desperation
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Act by Fire
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Act by Fire
• Camouflage well
36
Secret Agents
Foreknowledge cannot be
obtained from spirits, nor from
gods, nor by analogy with past
events, nor from calculations. It
must be obtained from men who
know the enemy situation
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Secret Agents
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Secret Agents
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Impact of
his Ideas on
Conduct of War
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Impact on Conduct of War
• Doctrine
• Strategy
• Operations
• Tactics
• Deception
• Limited War
• Victory
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Impact on Conduct of War
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Impact on Conduct of War
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Impact on Conduct of War
• Operational preparedness
• Doctrine • Swiftness
• Strategy • Speed
• Operations should have
• Operations specific aims
• Tactics • Victory is the main object
• Deception in war. If it is delayed
• Limited War weapons are blunted and
morale depressed, when
• Victory troops attack cities, their
strength will be exhausted
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Impact on Conduct of War
• When ten to enemy’s one,
surround him
• Doctrine
• When five times his
• Strategy strength, attack him
• Operations • If double the strength,
• Tactics divide him
• If equally matched, you
• Deception may engage him
• Limited War • If weaker numerically, be
• Victory capable of withdrawing
• If unequal, be capable of
eluding him
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Impact on Conduct of War
• Doctrine
• When capable, pretend
• Strategy incapacity; when active,
• Operations inactivity
• When near, make it
• Tactics appear that you are far
• Deception away; when far that you
• Limited War are near
• Offer the enemy a bait to
• Victory lure him, pretend disorder
and strike him
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Impact on Conduct of War
• Doctrine
• Strategy
• Operations • Protracted campaigns, lead
• Tactics to insufficient resources
• Deception • War demands victory, not
• Limited War prolonged operations
• Victory • Master of the people’s fate
and arbiter of the nation
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Impact on Conduct of War
48
Art of Generalship
Dangerous Qualities
• Reckless
• Coward
• Short tempered
• Compassionate
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Art of Generalship
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Impact on Leadership
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Validity of His Ideas and
Doctrine to Modern Times
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“When the enemy speaks
in the humble tone, he
continues his preparation
and will advance”
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Stratagem
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