The Art of War is a Chinese military treatise accredited to the military strategist Sun Tzu, who was popularly referred to as Master Sun in ancient China. This work comprises 13 chapters, with each devoted to a different “art” associated with warfare, and how it can be applied in military strategy. Together, the collection of the 13 chapters is considered to be one “zhuan” or whole. This summary guide is from the first annotated English translation of the text done by Lionel Giles in 1910.
Chapter I: Laying Plans
SunTzu outlines Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, the Commander, Method and Discipline as five foundational elements, alongside seven considerations to analyze before engaging in war. In this chapter, the author emphasizes the significance of trickery, gathering of intelligence, and extensive scheming. Additionally, plans ought to be made beforehand, factoring in strengths and weaknesses. Lastly, Sun Tzu highlights that victory is imminent to those who understand themselves and their enemy.
Chapter II: Waging War
In this chapter, the author recommends that war campaigns should be fast with the acknowledgment that war is costly. He states that protracted warfare imposes extra economic and logistical problems. Thus, Sun Tzu vouches for utilizing enemy resources when available, dealing fairly with war captives, and shunning away from unnecessary destruction.
Chapter III: Attack by Stratagem
The third chapter rates different methods of attack, cautioning against laying lengthy sieges. According to Sun Tzu, it is more gainful to win a battle without struggling. This entails being able to utilize strategy and diplomacy to quell resistance from the enemy rather than resorting to the use of force.
Chapter IV: Tactical Dispositions
The author begins by differentiating between offense and defense. Consequently, he suggests that it is important to first safeguard the defensive positions before attacking when conditions are promising. Sun Tzu identifies the best generals as those who position their forces in a manner that defeat becomes difficult.
Chapter V: Energy
This chapter tackles the use of indirect and direct approaches in warfare. Sun Tzu advises that efficient coordination and energy, coupled with the creative use of force, enable a general to direct power where it is most effective.
Chapter VI: Weak Points and Strong
According to the author, a skillful general is the one that avoids the strengths of the enemy and attacks their weaknesses. Therefore, the sixth chapter emphasizes that flexibility is crucial for adapting to evolving circumstances, to hide the exact intentions of an army, and to lure the enemy into vulnerable positions.
Chapter VII: Maneuvering
Sun Tzu utilizes the seventh chapter to address the feasibilities of moving an army, coordinating different regiments, sustaining spirits, and managing supply logistics. He goes ahead to suggest efficiency tactics handling terrain, analyzing enemy movements, and solving communication problems.
Chapter VIII: Variation in Tactics
The author uses the eighth chapter to stress on the importance of varying tactics, avoiding stiffness, and creatively reacting to the changing conditions. Sun Tzu also points out the common mistakes exhibited by leaders such as recklessness and cowardice, which only debilitate a strategy.
Chapter IX: The Army on the March
This chapter explores the framework and best-practices around interpreting the signs of enemy movements using terrain or speech, among other aspects. The author also discusses the ways of selecting campsites and maintaining order while on the march. He highlights that it is important to assess the enemy and observe symbolic signs.
Chapter X: Terrain
The tenth chapter is a reinforcement of the previous chapter where Sun Tzu groups six types of ground – accessible, entangled, temporizing, narrow passes, precipitous heights, and great distance from enemy – and elaborates how each has an impact on strategy. In hindsight, the author states that using the terrain appropriately could turn the disadvantages of nature into advantages.
Chapter XI: The Nine Situations
Sun Tzu delves into the actual war in the eleventh chapter. He outlines nine main battlefield situations – dispersive ground, facile ground, contentious ground, open ground, ground of intersecting highways, serious ground, difficult ground, hemmed-in ground, and desperate ground – proposing how an effective general should act in each situation. The author notes that the right strategy can only be selected after identifying the battlefield situation that one is facing.
Chapter XII: Attack by Fire
In the heat of the battle, Sun Tzu uses the twelfth chapter to explain five methods of utilizing fire as a weapon. The author outlines using fire to burn enemy soldiers in their camp, to burn stores, to burn baggage trains, to burn arsenals and magazines, and to hurl dropping fire among the enemy. He illuminates that timing, environmental situations, and coordinating attacks with fire, can be deployed concertedly to amplify the effect.
Chapter XIII: The Use of Spies
The final chapter, which ties back to the Laying Plans chapter, highlights the significance of intelligence. In tandem with gathering intelligence, Sun Tzu classifies five types of spies – local, inward, converted, doomed, and surviving – detailing how espionage, misinformation, and deception could be leveraged to control the knowledge of the enemy.
Originally written in the fifth century Chinese language, the 13 chapters of The Art of War can be categorized into five main areas of focus. Chapters I to III outline the philosophical and strategic foundations of thinking before going to war. These chapters focus on planning, ethics, mindset, and economy of war. Chapters IV to VI offer a framework for operational and positional strategy in preparation for engagement. The focus of these chapters is on momentum, tactical advantage, and general preparation. Chapters VII to IX delve into logistics and maneuvering by creating an emphasis around observation and adaptation. Chapters X to VII highlight the direct battlefield strategy deployed for combat and situational mastery. These chapters emphasize the importance of terrain, analyzing combat situations, and effective fire attacks. Lastly, Chapter XIII introduces the invisible side of warfare that utilizes intelligence and control to gain an advantage. This final chapter focuses on information dominance as a critical winning strategy.
