Decoding the Art of War

A commander must shape his army like water. Water shuns the high rocks and flows in the shallow valleys. Like water, a commander must direct his army away from the enemy’s strong points and strike at their weaknesses. Water takes various shapes according to the terrain; an army must adapt its strategies according to its enemy.

In Chinese, zheng refers to something that is fundamental; while ji means something odd or extraordinary. Sun Tzu believed that to be successful in war, there needs to be a balance between these two.

The best approach is to go after the opponent’s strategy and defuse their initiative to fight; the second-best course of action is to work for a diplomatic victory; physical confrontation is fine in the absence of smarter solutions; but siege warfare should only be the last resort.

Sun Tzu examined the social and economic cost of war, and the law of supply and demand. Wars are costly, and costlier still if they are prolonged, so it is best to move fast and aim for a quick victory.

Sun Tzu’s war theories are built on information and espionage. He believed a spy-master had to be very smart indeed, to sniff out the truth from mission reports. He also had to be highly thorough: when a military operation is mapped out, efforts must be made to gain knowledge about the opposing commander, his staff members, his aides-de-camp, his gatekeepers and his guards.