The Art of War

THE GRAVITY OF WAR

None

can drain the

marrow of a nation

faster than a leader hasty

to war or one unwise in its waging.

Only a leader familiar with every

cost and harm of war stands

a chance of competing

without destroying

his own country.

A powerful

soldier is well armored,

well fed, and well equipped with weapons.

A powerful army has many soldiers and many

support troops. Assembling these is costly.

Maintaining these is costly.

Moving them to and

fro is costly.

The purpose

of war is not the glory

of campaigning, but victory.

Soldiers long from home lose heart.

Weapons long at war lose their edge.

Laying siege to cities exhausts both, and more:

at home, a nation’s heart is exhausted by the

conscription of its sons and daughters,

the pockets of the people are emptied

by the levying of taxes, and the

resources of the land are

depleted by sending

them elsewhere

for fighting.

A nation

drained like this

is weak at home and weak

in the field, and risks becoming

easy prey for ambitious chieftains.

The wise leader knows that even an army

staked and nourished at home drives prices up

and impoverishes the people. Greater still is

the scarcity born of waging long wars

at great distances. No nation

has ever benefitted

from it.

Therefore,

no good leader

repeatedly raids the families

of his citizens for soldiers, nor their

purses for the gold to

buy weapons, nor

their peace to

make war.

If war

must be fought,

go swiftly and with ardor.

Care properly for your soldiers.

To weaken the enemy, replace his flags

with yours and turn his own weapons

back on him. Eat his grain

and drink his milk, but

once he is captured,

treat him

well.

Victory

is defined not

just by the triumph

of the warriors but by the

health of the nation and the well-being

of all people. Only a leader who

understands this is fit to

hold the people’s

fate in her

hands.

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