Sun Zi – 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).

Introduction
I. Laying Plans
II. Waging War
III. Attack by Stratagem
IV. Tactical Dispositions

V. Energy
VI. Weak Points and Strong
VII. Maneuvering
VIII. Variation in Tactics
IX. The Army On The March

X. Terrain
XI. The Nine Situations
XII. The Attack By Fire
XIII. The Use of Spies

The Army On The March

The contents of this interesting chapter are better indicated in ss. 1 than by this heading.

Sunzi IX. 5.

These are the four useful branches of military knowledge1 which enabled the Yellow Emperor to vanquish four several sovereigns.2

1. Those, namely, concerned with 1) mountains, 2) rivers, 3) marshes, and 4) plains. Compare Napoleon's "Military Maxims," no. 1.

2. Regarding the "Yellow Emperor": Mei Yao-ch`en asks, with some plausibility, whether there is an error in the text as nothing is known of Huang Ti having conquered four other Emperors. The SHIH CHI (ch. 1 ad init.) speaks only of his victories over Yen Ti and Ch`ih Yu. In the LIU T`AO it is mentioned that he "fought seventy battles and pacified the Empire." Ts`ao Kung's explanation is, that the Yellow Emperor was the first to institute the feudal system of vassals princes, each of whom (to the number of four) originally bore the title of Emperor. Li Ch`uan tells us that the art of war originated under Huang Ti, who received it from his Minister Feng Hou.

Giles IX.10.

Tels sont les avantages des différents campements ; avantages précieux, d'où dépend la plus grande partie des succès militaires. C'est en particulier parce qu'il possédait à fond l'art des campements que l'Empereur Jaune triompha de ses ennemis et soumit à ses lois tous les princes voisins de ses États

Amiot

Sun Zi IX. 5.