Art of War Chapter – 6.5

If you know the place and time of battle, you can march a thousand li to fight in unison.
If you know neither the battlefield nor the fighting time, your left wing cannot aid the right, nor the right aid the left; the vanguard and rearguard cannot support each other. How much harder when units are separated by miles or tens of miles?

In my judgment, even if the enemy has numerous troops, they can gain no advantage for victory.
Thus we say: Victory can be achieved by design. No matter how large the enemy force is, we can render them incapable of fighting.

Note

This section of The Art of War stresses knowing the exact time and battlefield to coordinate troops seamlessly. Without clear plans, army units cannot support each other. Skillful strategy can neutralize large enemy forces and seize victory regardless of their numerical strength.

Sun Tzu (Sun Wu)

A great military strategist and thinker in ancient China, who lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He authored The Art of War, the world’s earliest and most influential military classic. His strategic thoughts have been widely applied in military, politics and management worldwide.

Unified operation

Troops fight in coordination with clear time and location arrangements.

Disjointed forces

Poor planning leads to isolated units that cannot support one another.

Create victory actively

Victory relies on strategy rather than sheer troop numbers.

Neutralize the enemy

Make a large enemy army lose combat effectiveness through tactics.

故知戰之地，知戰之日，則可千里而會戰。不知戰地，不知戰日，則左不能救右，右不能救左，前不能救後，後不能救前，而況遠者數十里，近者數里乎？以吾度之，越人之兵雖多，亦奚益于勝哉？故曰：勝可為也，敵雖眾，可使無鬥。