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Sun Zi Introduction Table of content – The Art of War

Chinese strategy explained : know yourself and the ennemy, use deception, spies, and "win with ease". Tr. Giles (en, annotated) and Amiot (fr).

Sunzi XIII. 15.

Whether the object be to crush an army, to storm a city, or to assassinate an individual, it is always necessary to begin by finding out the names of the attendants, the aides-de-camp,1 and door-keepers and sentries of the general in command. Our spies must be commissioned to ascertain these.2

1. Literally "visitors", is equivalent, as Tu Yu says, to "those whose duty it is to keep the general supplied with information," which naturally necessitates frequent interviews with him.
2. As the first step, no doubt towards finding out if any of these important functionaries can be won over by bribery.

Giles XIII.20.

Punissez sévèrement, récompensez avec largesse : multipliez les espions, ayez-en partout, dans le propre palais du prince ennemi, dans l'hôtel de ses ministres, sous les tentes de ses généraux ; ayez une liste des principaux officiers qui sont à son service ; sachez leurs noms, leurs surnoms, le nombre de leurs enfants, de leurs parents, de leurs amis, de leurs domestiques ; que rien ne se passe chez eux que vous n'en soyez instruit.

Amiot

Sun Zi XIII. 15. Table of content
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The Art of War – Sun Zi XIII. 15. – Chinese on/offFrançais/English
Alias Sun Tzu, Sun Wu, Sun Tse, Sunzi Bingfa, Souen Tseu, Souen Wou, 孫武.

The Book of Odes, The Analects, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Three-characters book, The Book of Changes, The Way and its Power, 300 Tang Poems, The Art of War, Thirty-Six Strategies
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