On Waging War (Waging War)

Focus on the object of war and proper engagement.
Stay Focused On Strategic Objectives

"In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns."

Reward/Risk

"When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, the men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be dampened. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength, and if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the state will not be equal to the strain. Never forget: When your weapons are dulled, your ardor dampened, your strength exhausted, and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue."

"In all history, there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare."

Ensure Appropriate Financing

"The skillful general does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply wagons loaded more than twice."

Timing

"Once war is declared, he (the general) will not waste precious time in waiting for reinforcements, nor will he turn his army back for fresh supplies, but crosses the enemy's frontier without delay. The value of time--that is, being a little ahead of your opponent--has counted for more than either numerical superiority or the nicest calculations with regard to commissariat."

From Griffith's translation:

"An attack may lack ingenuity, but it must be delivered with supernatural speed."

Self-Sustaining Strategies

"Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of one's own, ..."

Reward, Replenish, And Invest In Support Structure

"...when you capture spoils from the enemy, they must be used as rewards, so that all your men may have a keen desire to fight, each on his own account."

Go to Chapter 3.

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