Lionel Giles

The Art of War Lionel Giles

Sun Tzu's war is seen as an organic whole, starting with diplomacy and mobilization and ending with espionage. One should never forget the goal of war - to make the population prosperous and loyal to the ruler. The ideal victory is to subjugate other states by diplomatic means, without entering into military action. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct active diplomacy, destroy the alliances of the enemy and break his strategy. Sun Tzu constantly emphasizes that military action is an expensive occupation, bringing loss to the state and disaster to the people. Therefore, warfare must be quick, effective and mobile. Prolonging war is inhumane to the people. The concept of Sun Tzu is based on controlling the enemy, creating opportunities for an easy victory. It is necessary to lure the enemy into traps and avoid collision with trained enemy forces. It is necessary to a balanced distribution of forces, strategic concentration. It is necessary to collect information about the terrain and the enemy's actions while hiding your actions. Any payment for spies' activities will be cheaper than maintaining an army.