2. Waging War

Contents

Text

English translation

Original Chinese text

English translation

As a rule, raising a major force means one thousand chariots, another thousand war wagons, and a hundred thousand armored troops, with grain carried far from home. Even before combat, daily costs for supplies, staff, materials, carriage, and equipment can already reach a thousand gold pieces.

Prolonged war erodes sharpness and morale, while sieges especially drain the state. A long campaign exhausts manpower and resources, inviting counter-moves from others. Therefore Sun Tzu prefers quick resolution over protracted brilliance.

Original Chinese text

English translation

A good commander does not levy the people repeatedly and does not force grain supply planning for three years. Armies should be provisioned through national means, and whenever possible sustain themselves from enemy stores.

Logistics is an economic strategy. Limiting repeated conscription and prolonged stockpiling protects the state’s resilience during campaigns.

Original Chinese text

English translation

If a state is poor, long-distance transport for the army makes the population poorer; if the army is nearby, prices rise and private wealth is drained, then households are pressed into urgent labor duty. When force is spent and assets run out, domestic stability erodes.

The text even gives magnitude estimates: much of civilian expense and a large share of public expenditure are consumed. War is therefore an economy-wide cost, not merely a military line item.

Original Chinese text

English translation

Hence a wise commander should supply himself through the enemy. One unit of grain from the enemy can be worth twenty of one’s own, and one stone of their fodder can equal twenty stones of one’s stock.

The principle is operational economy: by turning enemy logistics into your own support source, your army can endure longer with less domestic cost.

Original Chinese text

English translation

Slaying enemy soldiers gives release to anger; capturing enemy material gives durable value. In chariot battle, if more than ten enemy vehicles are taken, reward the first capturers and change their standards/banners, then integrate those vehicles and train crews, caring for the troops.

Victory is measured less by casualties than by the ability gained. Acquiring usable assets converts tactical success into longer-term operational advantage.

Original Chinese text

English translation

War prizes victory, not duration. A general who understands war is the key holder of the people’s fortunes, the principal guardian of national safety.

This line ties command competence to public consequence. In Sun Tzu’s framing, strategy is governance under risk, not pure battlefield display.

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