773: IV. Military Form; 5. Troop Strength;

Sun Tzu said: Those who were good at fighting with soldiers in the past must first ensure that they will not be defeated by the enemy, and wait for the opportunity to defeat the enemy. The initiative that will not be defeated by the enemy is in their own hands, and whether they can defeat the enemy depends on whether the enemy has a gap to take advantage of. Therefore, a person who is good at fighting can create conditions that will not be defeated by the enemy, but it is impossible for the enemy to be defeated by us. Therefore, victory can be predicted, but it cannot be forced.

If you want not to be defeated by the enemy, you must defend tightly; If you want to defeat the enemy, you need to attack properly. The practice of defense is due to the lack of troops; The defense was carried out due to the lack of troops; The offensive was carried out because there were more troops. Those who are good at defense conceal their forces as if they were deep underground; Those who are good at attacking will spread their forces as if they were falling from the sky. Therefore, you can not only push yourself, but also win the victory.

Foreseeing victory does not surpass the understanding of ordinary people, and is not the most brilliant among the wise; After a fierce battle to achieve victory, the whole world said that it was good, and it was not the most clever among the highest. It's like being able to lift a slap is not powerful, seeing the sun and the moon is not seeing the eyes, and hearing the thunder is not deaf. In ancient times, the so-called victory of a person who was good at commanding a battle was a victory over an enemy that was easy to defeat. Therefore, those who are good at commanding battles do not have the reputation of wisdom and the merits of bravery. There will be no mistake in his victory. There was no mistake in this because his combat measures were based on the certainty of victory, and he was defeating an enemy who was already in a defeated position. Therefore, a person who is good at commanding battles always makes himself invincible and does not miss the opportunity to defeat the enemy. Therefore, a victorious army always has the certainty of victory before engaging the enemy, while a defeated army engages the enemy first and then seeks victory. Those who are good at directing wars, cultivating politics, and ensuring the legal system, are able to grasp the initiative in victory or defeat.

There are five basic principles of the art of war: one is 'degree', the second is 'quantity', the third is 'number', the fourth is 'weighing', and the fifth is 'victory'. The difference in the territory where the enemy and the enemy are located will produce different 'degrees' of land and size of the two sides; the difference in 'degrees' will produce the different 'quantity' of the material resources of the two sides; the difference in the 'quantity' will produce the difference in the military strength of the two sides, and the difference in the 'scale' will ultimately determine the success or failure of the war. The victorious army has an absolute advantage over the defeated army as 'Eridium' over 'Baht', and the defeated army is at an absolute disadvantage over the victorious army, just as 'Baht' is compared to 'Eridium'. The victor commands the army to fight the enemy, just like the stagnant water that breaks through the mountain stream on a cliff, and is invincible.

Fifth, the strength of the troops

Sun Tzu said: Generally speaking, managing a large army is the same as managing a small army, and this is a matter of the organization of the army. Commanding a large army to fight is like commanding a small unit to fight, and this is a matter of commanding orders. The fact that the entire unit was attacked by the enemy without being defeated was a matter of tactical changes in 'Qizheng'. The blow inflicted on the enemy's army is like striking an egg with a stone, and this is a matter of the correct application of the principle of 'avoiding the real and avoiding the false.'

In general warfare, we always use 'regular soldiers' to fight together and use 'odd soldiers' to win. Therefore, those who are good at winning by surprise will have infinite changes in their tactics like the movement of heaven and earth, and they will flow like rivers without stopping. The end is like the movement of the sun and the moon; Coming and coming back is like the change of seasons. There are no more than five basic scales of music, but the variations of the five scales are inaudible; Color, but five pigments, but the change of five colors, is inexhaustible; There are only five kinds of taste, but the changes in the five flavors are not exhaustive. There are only two kinds of ways and means of warfare, 'odd' and 'positive,' but the changes of 'odd' and 'positive' can never be exhausted. The mutual transformation between 'strange' and 'positive' is like spiraling along a circle, with no beginning and no end, and who can exhaust it?

The swift flow of the water is so fast that it can wash away the boulders because of the 'momentum' formed by its rapid speed, and the birds fly so high and so fast that they can kill the birds, which is the short and swift 'knot'. Therefore, the man who is good at commanding battles, he creates a dangerous situation, and he attacks at a short and powerful pace. The precipitous situation is like a full bow and crossbow, and the rapid rhythm is like a crossbow machine that suddenly shoots an arrow.

The battle flags are chaotic, the men and horses are mixed, and it is all the more necessary to keep the army in order to fight in chaos. When fighting in a situation where the troops are surging and chaotic, it is necessary to arrange the formation carefully and maintain the situation without defeat. The reason for the confusion shown to the enemy is due to the strict organization of the enemy. The reason for showing cowardice to the enemy is due to the courage of one's own side. The reason for showing weakness to the enemy is due to the fact that you have a strong army. Strictness or chaos is determined by the quality of the organization. Courage or cowardice is caused by the strength or weakness of the combat posture. Whether strong or weak is shown by the contrast between the strength of the two sides. Therefore, if the generals who are good at mobilizing the enemy and camouflage the enemy to confuse the enemy, the enemy will obey the transfer; Lure the enemy with a small profit, and the enemy will come and fight for it. In this way, the enemy is actively mobilized, and then heavy troops are prepared to wait for the opportunity to cover it.

Therefore, a person who is good at using troops to fight a war always strives to create a favorable situation, and does not blame his subordinates, so he can choose talents to use and create a favorable situation. A person who is good at using the situation to command an army in battle is like rolling wood and stone. The characteristic of wood and stone is that it is static when placed on a flat and stable place, and rolling when it is placed on a steep and steep place. The square is easy to be stationary, and the round is flexible to roll. Therefore, the favorable situation created by a person who is good at commanding a battle is like rolling a cobblestone down a high mountain, which is called 'momentum'.