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<v Speaker 1>Chapter eleven of the Art of War. This is a

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<v Speaker 1>LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.

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<v Speaker 1>For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.

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<v Speaker 1>The Art of War by Swinter, Chapter eleven. The Nine

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<v Speaker 1>Situations one Swinter said, the Art of War recognizes nine

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<v Speaker 1>varieties of ground. One dispersive ground, two facile ground, three,

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<v Speaker 1>contentious ground, four, open ground, five, ground of intersecting highways, six,

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<v Speaker 1>serious ground, seven, difficult ground, eight, hemmed in ground nine

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<v Speaker 1>desperate ground. Two. When a chieftain is fighting in its

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<v Speaker 1>own territory, it is dispersive ground. Three. When he is

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<v Speaker 1>penetrated into hostile territory but to no great distance, it

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<v Speaker 1>is facile ground. Four ground the possession of which imports

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<v Speaker 1>great advantage to either side is contentious ground. Five, ground

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<v Speaker 1>on which each side has liberty of movement is open ground.

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<v Speaker 1>Six ground which forms the key to three contiguous states,

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<v Speaker 1>so that he who occupies it first has most of

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<v Speaker 1>the empire at his command is the ground of intersecting highways. Seven.

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<v Speaker 1>When an army has penetrated into the heart of a

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<v Speaker 1>hostile country, leaving a number of fortified cities in its rear.

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<v Speaker 1>It is serious ground. Eight mountain forests, rugget steeps, marshes

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<v Speaker 1>and fens, or country that is hard to traverse. This

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<v Speaker 1>is difficult ground. Nine ground which is reached through narrow

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<v Speaker 1>gorges and from which we can only retire by tortuous paths,

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<v Speaker 1>so that a small number of the enemy would suffice

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<v Speaker 1>to crush a large body of our men. This is

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<v Speaker 1>hemding ground. Ten ground on which we can only be

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<v Speaker 1>saved from destruction by fighting without delay. Is desperate ground.

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<v Speaker 1>Eleven on dispersed ground. Therefore, fight not on fesser ground,

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<v Speaker 1>Hold not on contentious ground, Attack not twelve on open ground.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not try to block the enemy's way on the

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<v Speaker 1>ground of intersecting highways. Join hands with their allies. Thirteen

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<v Speaker 1>on serious ground, gather in plunder in difficult ground, keeps

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<v Speaker 1>deadly on the march fourteen on hemmed in ground, resort

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<v Speaker 1>to stratagem on desperate ground. Fight fifteen. Those who were

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<v Speaker 1>called skillful leaders of old knew how to drive a

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<v Speaker 1>wedge between the enemy's front and rear to prevent cooperation

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<v Speaker 1>between his large and small divisions, to hinder the good

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<v Speaker 1>troops from rescuing the bed. The officers from rallying the men. Sixteen.

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<v Speaker 1>When the enemy's men were united, they managed to keep

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<v Speaker 1>them in disorder. Seventeen when it was to their advantage,

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<v Speaker 1>they made a forward move when otherwise they stopped still. Eighteen.

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<v Speaker 1>If asked how to cope with the great host of

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<v Speaker 1>the enemy in orderly array and on the point of

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<v Speaker 1>marching to the attack, I should say, begin by seizing

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<v Speaker 1>something which your opponent hosts deer. Then he will be

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<v Speaker 1>amenable to your will. Nineteen. Rapidity is the essence of war.

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<v Speaker 1>Take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make away by unexpected roots,

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<v Speaker 1>and attack unguarded spots. Twenty The following are the principles

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<v Speaker 1>to be observed by an invading force. The further you

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<v Speaker 1>penetrate into a country, the greater will be the solidarity

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<v Speaker 1>of your troops, and thus the defenders will not prevail

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<v Speaker 1>against you. Twenty One Make forays in fertile country in

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<v Speaker 1>order to supply your army with food. Twenty Two. Carefully

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<v Speaker 1>study the well being of your men and do not

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<v Speaker 1>overtaxt them. Concentrate your energy and hold your strength. Keep

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<v Speaker 1>your army continually on the move, and devise unfathomable plans.

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<v Speaker 1>Twenty three. Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is

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<v Speaker 1>no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If

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<v Speaker 1>they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve.

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<v Speaker 1>Officers and men alike will put forth their uttermost strength.

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<v Speaker 1>Twenty four. Soldiers, when in desperate strikes, lose the sense

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<v Speaker 1>of fear. If there is no place of refuge, they

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<v Speaker 1>will stand firm. If they are in hostile country, they

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<v Speaker 1>will show a stubborn front. If there is no help

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<v Speaker 1>for it, they will fight hard. Twenty five. Thus, without

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<v Speaker 1>waiting to be marshaled, the soldiers will be constantly on

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<v Speaker 1>the key vive, without waiting to be asked. They will

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<v Speaker 1>do your will without restrictions. They will be faithful without

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<v Speaker 1>giving orders. They can be trusted. Twenty six. Prohibit the

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<v Speaker 1>taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then,

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<v Speaker 1>until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared. Twenty seven.

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<v Speaker 1>If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is

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<v Speaker 1>not because they have a estate for riches. If their

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<v Speaker 1>lives are not unduly long, it is not because they

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<v Speaker 1>are disinclined to longevity. Twenty eight. On the day they

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<v Speaker 1>are ordered out, to battle. Your soldiers may weep, those

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<v Speaker 1>sitting up be doing the garments, and those lying down

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<v Speaker 1>letting the tears run down their cheeks, but letting once

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<v Speaker 1>be brought to bay, and they will display the courage

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<v Speaker 1>of a shoe or a quay. Twenty nine. The skillful

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<v Speaker 1>tactician may be likened to the schwai jen. Now, the

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<v Speaker 1>shwai jen is a snake that is found in the

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<v Speaker 1>Chung mountains. Strike at his head, and you will be

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<v Speaker 1>attacked by his tail. Strike at his tail, and you

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<v Speaker 1>will be attacked by this head. Strike at his middle,

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<v Speaker 1>and you will be attacked by head and tail both.

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<v Speaker 1>Thirty Asked if an army can be made to imitate

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<v Speaker 1>the shwai jen, I should answer yes. For the men

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<v Speaker 1>of war and the men of Yue are enemies. Yet

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<v Speaker 1>if they are crossing a river in the same boat

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<v Speaker 1>and a court by a storm, they will come to

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<v Speaker 1>each other's assistance, just as the left hand helps the

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<v Speaker 1>right thirty one. Hence, it is not enough to put

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<v Speaker 1>one's trust in the tethering of horses and the bearing

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<v Speaker 1>of chariot wheels in the ground thirty two. The principle

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<v Speaker 1>on which to manage an army is to set up

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<v Speaker 1>one standard of carriage which all must reach. Thirty three.

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<v Speaker 1>How to make the best of both strong and weak,

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<v Speaker 1>That is a question involving the proper use of ground

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<v Speaker 1>thirty four. Thus the skillful general conducts his army just

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<v Speaker 1>as though he were leading a single man willy kneelly

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<v Speaker 1>by the hand. Thirty five. It is the business of

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<v Speaker 1>a general to be quiet, and thus insure secrets upright

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<v Speaker 1>and just, and thus maintain order. Thirty six. He must

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<v Speaker 1>be able to mystify his officers and men by force,

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<v Speaker 1>reports and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance.

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<v Speaker 1>Thirty seven. By altering his arrangements and changing his plans,

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<v Speaker 1>he keeps the enemy without definite knowledge. By shifting his

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<v Speaker 1>camp and taking securitous roots, he prevents the enemy from

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<v Speaker 1>anticipating his purpose. Thirty eight. At the critical moment, the

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<v Speaker 1>leader of an army acts like one who is climbed

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<v Speaker 1>up a height and then kicks away the ladder behind him.

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<v Speaker 1>He carries his men deep into the hostile territory before

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<v Speaker 1>he shows his hand. Thirty nine. He burns his boats

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<v Speaker 1>and breaks his cooking pots, like a shepherd driving a

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<v Speaker 1>flock of sheep. He drives its men this way and that,

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<v Speaker 1>and nothing knows whither he is going forty to muster

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<v Speaker 1>his host and bring it into danger. This may be

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<v Speaker 1>termed the business of the general forty one. The different

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<v Speaker 1>measures suited to the nine varieties of ground, the expediency

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<v Speaker 1>of aggressive or defensive tactics, and the fundamental laws of

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<v Speaker 1>human nature, These are things that must most certainly be

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<v Speaker 1>studied Forty two. When invading hostile territory, the general principle

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<v Speaker 1>is that penetrating deeply brings cohesion. Penetrating but a short

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<v Speaker 1>way means dispersion. Forty five Three. When you leave your

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<v Speaker 1>own country behind and take your army across neighborhood territory,

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<v Speaker 1>you find yourself on critical ground. When there are means

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<v Speaker 1>of communication, or on all four sides, the ground is

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<v Speaker 1>one of intersecting highways. Forty four. When you penetrate deeply

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<v Speaker 1>into a country, it is serious ground. When you penetrate

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<v Speaker 1>but a little way, it is facile ground. Forty five.

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<v Speaker 1>When you have the enemy's strong holds on your rear

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<v Speaker 1>and narrow passes in front, it is hemmed in ground.

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<v Speaker 1>When there is no place of refuge are tor it

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<v Speaker 1>is desperate ground forty six. Therefore, on dispersive ground, I

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<v Speaker 1>would inspire my men with unity of purpose. On facile ground,

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<v Speaker 1>I would see that there is close connection between all

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<v Speaker 1>parts of my army. Forty seven. On contentious ground, I

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<v Speaker 1>would hurry up my rear. Forty eight. On open ground,

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<v Speaker 1>I would keep a vigilant eye on my defenses. On

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<v Speaker 1>ground of intersecting highways, I would consolidate my alliances. Forty

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<v Speaker 1>nine On serious ground, I would try to ensure a

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<v Speaker 1>continuous stream of supplies. On difficult ground, I would keep

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<v Speaker 1>pushing on along the road. Fifty On hemmed in ground,

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<v Speaker 1>I would block any way of retreat. On desperate ground,

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<v Speaker 1>I would proclaim to my soldiers the hopelessness of saving

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<v Speaker 1>their lives fifty one, For it is the soldier's disposition

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<v Speaker 1>to offer an obstinate resistance when surrounded, to fire, take

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<v Speaker 1>hard when it cannot help himself, and to obey promptly

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<v Speaker 1>when he has fallen into danger. Fifty two. We cannot

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<v Speaker 1>enter into alliance with neighboring princes until we are acquainted

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<v Speaker 1>with their designs. We are not fit to lead an

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<v Speaker 1>army on the march unless we're familiar with the face

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<v Speaker 1>of the country, its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices,

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<v Speaker 1>its marshes and swamps. We shall be unable to turn

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<v Speaker 1>natural advantages to a count unless we make use of

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<v Speaker 1>local guides fifty three. To be ignored of any one

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<v Speaker 1>of the following four or five principles does not be

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<v Speaker 1>fit a warlike prince. Fifty four. When a warlike prince

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<v Speaker 1>attacks a powerful state, his generalship shows itself in preventing

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<v Speaker 1>the concentration of the enemy's forces. He overawes his opponents,

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<v Speaker 1>and the allies are prevented from joining against him. Fifty five. Hence,

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<v Speaker 1>he does not strive to ally himself with awe and sundry,

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<v Speaker 1>nor does he forced the power of other states. He

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<v Speaker 1>carries out his own secret designs, keeping his antagonists in awe.

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<v Speaker 1>Thus he is able to capture the cities and overthrow

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<v Speaker 1>the kingdoms. Fifty six. Bestow rewards without regard to rule,

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<v Speaker 1>issue orders without regard to previous arrangements, and you will

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<v Speaker 1>be able to handle a whole army as though you

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<v Speaker 1>had to do with but a single man. Fifty seven.

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<v Speaker 1>Confront your soldiers with the deed itself. Never let them

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<v Speaker 1>know your design. When the outlook is bright. Bring it

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<v Speaker 1>before the eyes, but tell them nothing when the situation

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<v Speaker 1>is gloomy. Fifty eight. Place your army in deadly peril

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<v Speaker 1>and it will survive. Plunge it into desperate strikes and

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<v Speaker 1>it will come off in safety. Fifty nine. For it

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<v Speaker 1>is precisely when a force has fallen into harm's way

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<v Speaker 1>that is capable of striking a blow for victory. Sixty

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<v Speaker 1>Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to

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<v Speaker 1>the enemy's purpose. Sixty one. By persistently hanging on the

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<v Speaker 1>enemy's flank, we shall succeed in the long run in

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<v Speaker 1>killing the commander in chief. Sixty two. This is called

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<v Speaker 1>ability to accomplish a thing by sheer cunning sixty three.

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<v Speaker 1>On the day, then you take up your command, block

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<v Speaker 1>the front passers, destroy the official talis, and stop the

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<v Speaker 1>passage of all emissaries. Sixty four be sterned in the

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<v Speaker 1>council chamber, so that you may control the situation. Sixty five.

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<v Speaker 1>If the enemy leaves the door open, you must rush in.

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<v Speaker 1>Sixty six. Forestore your opponent by seizing what he holds deer,

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<v Speaker 1>and subtly contrive the time his arrival on the ground

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<v Speaker 1>sixty seven. Walk in the path defined by rule and

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<v Speaker 1>a reimidate yourself to the enemy until you can fight

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<v Speaker 1>a decisive battle sixty eight at first, then exhibit the

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<v Speaker 1>coiners of a maiden until the enemy gives you an opening. Afterwards,

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<v Speaker 1>emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will

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<v Speaker 1>be too late for the enemy to oppose you. End

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<v Speaker 1>of chapter eleven.