[Or perhaps, "the principles relating to ground." See, however, I. § 8.]
The general who has attained a responsible post must be careful to study them.
- Now an army is exposed to six several calamities, not arising from natural causes, but from faults for which the general is responsible. These are: (1) Flight; (2) insubordination; (3) collapse; (4) ruin; (5) disorganisation; (6) rout.
- Other conditions being equal, if one force is hurled against another ten times its size, the result will be the flight of the former.
- When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination.
[Tu Mu cites the unhappy case of T’ien Pu [ Hsin T’ang Shu , ch. 148], who was sent to Wei in 821 A.D. with orders to lead an army against Wang T’ing-ts’ou. But the whole time he was in command, his soldiers treated him