>"Fight when the enemy is weak" Wow, great insight

>>3122308
The fundamentals are simple. But they can be easy to forget when under stress and in the heat of emotion. Therefore it benefits a general to have a reference that he can refer to.

>>3122308
Dude it was written in the bronze age. imagine being the one smart advisor in court trying to explain to some illiterate warlord that no you cant just attack the enemy head on.

>>3122308
This meme isn't funny no matter how variations you post of it.

>>3122308
It's actually very quickly forgotten without constant reinforcement

>>3122308
Advice such as the following is simple, but actually is tremendously deep if you mull it over:
>All warfare is based on deception.
...
>Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.

File: Duke Xiang of Song.jpg (36KB, 300x469px) Image search: [Google]

36KB, 300x469px

>>3122308
>Wow, great insight Mister Tzu! Truly made me think! I could have never figured it out!
Meanwhile during Sun Tzu's time.

>Kingdom of Chu: "DUKE XIANG OF SONG! WE ARE HERE TO GIVE BATTLE!"
>Duke Xiang "I RECOGNIZE YOUR INTENT TO DO BATTLE. THEREFORE, I WILL LET YOU CROSS THAT RIVER UNMOLESTED SO WE CAN FIGHT ON EQUAL FOOTING. WITH HONOR!"
>Chu: "WITH HONOR!"
>Duchy of Song loses to Kingdom of Chu. Duchy destroyed.

Sun Tzu's writings is pretty much the surviving example of Militarist School during the Hundred Schools of Thought period, a period of philosophical learning kinda like an Ancient Chinese Enlightenment. The Militarists pretty much advocated either a practical (read: fuck chivalry) approach to war, or rule of a state by general-kings.