An Art Of War Story

The story of Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu Wu was a native of the Ch`i State. His ART OF WAR brought him to the notice of Ho Lu, [2] King of Wu. Ho Lu said to him: "I have carefully perused your 13 chapters. May I submit your theory of managing soldiers to a slight test?"
Sun Tzu replied: "You may."
Ho Lu asked: "May the test be applied to women?"
The answer was again in the affirmative, so arrangements were made to bring 180 ladies out of the Palace. Sun Tzu divided them into two companies, and placed one of the King's favorite concubines at the head of each. He then bade them all take spears in their hands, and addressed them thus: "I presume you know the difference between front and back, right hand and left hand?"
The girls replied: Yes.
Sun Tzu went on: "When I say "Eyes front," you must look straight ahead. When I say "Left turn," you must face towards your left hand. When I say "Right turn," you must face towards your right hand. When I say "About turn," you must face right round towards your back."
Again the girls assented. The words of command having been thus explained, he set up the halberds and battle-axes in order to begin the drill. Then, to the sound of drums, he gave the order "Right turn." But the girls only burst out laughing. Sun Tzu said: "If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame."
So he started drilling them again, and this time gave the order "Left turn," whereupon the girls once more burst into fits of laughter. Sun Tzu: "If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders ARE clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers."
So saying, he ordered the leaders of the two companies to be beheaded. Now the king of Wu was watching the scene from the top of a raised pavilion; and when he saw that his favorite concubines were about to be executed, he was greatly alarmed and hurriedly sent down the following message: "We are now quite satisfied as to our general's ability to handle troops. If We are bereft of these two concubines, our meat and drink will lose their savor. It is our wish that they shall not be beheaded."
Sun Tzu replied: "Having once received His Majesty's commission to be the general of his forces, there are certain commands of His Majesty which, acting in that capacity, I am unable to accept."
Accordingly, he had the two leaders beheaded, and straightway installed the pair next in order as leaders in their place. When this had been done, the drum was sounded for the drill once more; and the girls went through all the evolutions, turning to the right or to the left, marching ahead or wheeling back, kneeling or standing, with perfect accuracy and precision, not venturing to utter a sound. Then Sun Tzu sent a messenger to the King saying: "Your soldiers, Sire, are now properly drilled and disciplined, and ready for your majesty's inspection. They can be put to any use that their sovereign may desire; bid them go through fire and water, and they will not disobey."
But the King replied: "Let our general cease drilling and return to camp. As for us, We have no wish to come down and inspect the troops."
Thereupon Sun Tzu said: "The King is only fond of words, and cannot translate them into deeds." After that, Ho Lu saw that Sun Tzu was one who knew how to handle an army, and finally appointed him general. In the west, he defeated the Ch`u State and forced his way into Ying, the capital; to the north he put fear into the States of Ch`i and Chin, and spread his fame abroad amongst the feudal princes. And Sun Tzu shared in the might of the King.

Art of War I: 11-20

cont.
11. These five heads should be familiar to every general:
he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them
not will fail.

Thus the greatest lesson of Sun Tzu, know your crap!

12. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking
to determine the military conditions, let them be made
the basis of a comparison, in this wise:--

13. (1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued
with the Moral law?

This the great perception. What if the troops on the ground believe equally in the Moral code of their leader? Groups like the Martyr's Brigade aim to live up to the name like the infamous Kamikazes of WWII. Of course you never see the leaders of these sucide units in action.
Our brave troops believed in Old Blood and Guts Patton during WWII. Now our troops are told to fight for their lives while politicians bicker at home. So how do our politicians expect our troops to fight it out when they aren't sure if they have the funding or the moral support of our leaders?

Much a like the Civil War. The South loved the Virginian Gen. Lee while Uncle Billy gave Atlanta and Columbia a deserved woodshed whipping' for their treason. Both troops believed in the Moral Law of their general. The Union had Copperheads to concern themselves with and McClellan running for office. Why did McClellan chose to finally be aggressive after being so cautious during his command? He wanted the war to end yet never fought to finish it.

(2) Which of the two generals has most ability?

There has been constant debate over the actual benefit of Hitler being assassinated like the attempt in the Bunker. The German generals were hindered and bullied into losing the war. As charismatic as Hitler was, he was no Rommel. Yes, eventually we were going to overpower them, but the Nazi generals were that good, just had piss poor management on top.
As opposed to the Allies which had men like Bradley, Ike, Patton, Montgomery and Zhukov to lead them. The US and British generals had support of leadership Stalin tried to play head games with Zhukov in the race to Berlin.

(3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven
and Earth?

Which army knows the lay of the land. My favorite example of this the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion. During the Revolutionary War, Marion and his band of rogues made life difficult for the British in the South. Use of guerilla style tatics proved annoying to the classic fighting style of the Brits. Mel Gibson's character in the Patriot had part of this sly hero in it.

(4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?

See my post from a few days ago. He cut the friggin' concubine's head of! Two of them! The favorites!

(5) Which army is stronger?

Admiral Yamamoto felt that by attacking the US Japan would "awaken a sleeping giant" and felt that victory over the United States would be impossible.

(6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?

When the Germans invaded Belgium during WWII, a fort lay in the way, Battice. The Germans built a replica and trained on it prior to battle. From where to march to which flamethrower would go to which pillbox. This difficult fort was crushed in no time.

(7) In which army is there the greater constancy
both in reward and punishment?

See above #4 above

14. By means of these seven considerations I can
forecast victory or defeat.

15. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts
upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command!
The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it,
will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!

What a great selling point. He is flat out telling you his product will work. Brillant.

16. While heading the profit of my counsel,
avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances
over and beyond the ordinary rules.

17. According as circumstances are favorable,
one should modify one's plans.

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

18. All warfare is based on deception.

Two of the greatest examples, D-Day and Operation Desert Storm :

19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable;
when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we
are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away;
when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder,
and crush him.

Maybe that is the grand master plan of the Democratic Party. Not only does the left not have the heart to fight the War on Terror and in Iraq, the Face, Sheehan, quits and protest numbers are down. Is feigning no will a bait?

The Art of War Part I

The Art of War ranks with the Bible as the most influential books I have read or devoured. We know the Bible: floods, Egypt, Jesus and the end of the world as we know and I feel fine. The Holy Book really does have the answers to life's questions.
But the Art of War is a different kind of book. Fans of the book will tell you it influences military as well as corporate leaders for centuries. To be honest, I use the teachings in my classroom as an educator. Periodically I will be giving my smug and feeble attempts at intellectually based opinions on parts of the book and its impact today. This will kick into overdrive over the summer as I try to keep my grey matter stirring.

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR
I. LAYING PLANS

1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance
to the State.

Sadly, if we do not know how to defend ourselves, we will be eradicated. A soon-to-be classic example is Clinton's lack of effort in defending our nation during his terms. Had Clinton really done something about Sadaam after the attempt on Bush 41 or taken out Bin Laden, he could have a real legacy. But in a fashion that the current Democrats are using, they choose the "wait and see" appraoch. Wait out a leaders life span and see what happens. It reeks of courage and compassion for basic human rights.

2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either
to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry
which can on no account be neglected.

The first sentence says it best. We live in another time when evil wants us dead. If 9/11 did not convince you of that, look at the attacks on Spain and the UK where they went after civilian targets.

3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant
factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations,
when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.

4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth;
(4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.

5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete
accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him
regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

Look at the outright lack of respect Bill Clinton had from the military going into his term and out of it. His unapologetic role in the Vietnam protests cost him the support needed to be an effective Commander-in-Chief. The pure professionalism of our troops was exhibited by their following of orders going to fight upon his orders.

7. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat,
times and seasons.

You must look at the all variables going into any conflict verbal or physical. This could be a point for those who have criticized the war plan going into Iraq. Whether or not we had enough troops on the ground will be a debate for the ages.

8. Earth comprises distances, great and small;
danger and security; open ground and narrow passes;
the chances of life and death.

9. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom,
sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.

Goes back to the that Clinton thing. Some will bemoan GW's lack of morals for the "immoral" war in Iraq. But the war is not "immoral," thus I find that argument flawed from inception. There is a simple honest courage in GW. He may not go down as our greatest President, that goes to Teddy. Alas, it will a take a couple editions of hisotry textbooks to bring his courage and will to take on evil men and women in the War on Terror.

10. By method and discipline are to be understood
the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions,
the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance
of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the
control of military expenditure.

This is an important aspect. Our military is one of the most disciplined and moral armies on the planet. Do have rogues and criminals in the midst? Of course we do. But we have them also as teachers and in government service, Republican and Democrat.
Another criticism of the war effort has the been the lack of armament for our troops. The MRAP, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, is a another adaption to combat and will reinforce the legitimacy of this rule.


Please feel free to agree or disagree with my humble thoughts. I hope to improve my writing and research abilities as I progress.