Spy and War

Author: Yu Yanzhou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-07
Features: Whenever an army of one hundred thousand is mobilized and sent a thousand miles away, the expenses for the people and the state's support amount to a thousand gold pieces daily; the internal and external regions are in turmoil, those who are weary on the roads and unable to engage in their regular duties number seventy thousand households. To defend for years and strive for a single day's victory, yet love one's official rank and (gold and silver), and be ignorant of the enemy's situation—this is the ultimate lack of benevolence. Such a person is not a capable general, not a worthy minister to the ruler, nor a leader capable of winning battles.—"Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Using Spies" Therefore, the wise ruler and the capable general, who can move and defeat others, achieve success beyond the ordinary, rely on foreknowledge. Foreknowledge cannot be obtained from ghosts or gods, cannot be imitated from past events, nor can it be verified through calculations. It must be obtained from people who know the enemy's situation. Among the affairs of the army, nothing is closer than spies; no reward is greater than that for spies; no matter is more confidential than that of spies. Without wisdom, one cannot use spies; without benevolence and righteousness, one cannot employ spies; without subtlety, one cannot obtain the truth from spies. How subtle! There is nothing that spies are not used for.