Art of War Chapter – 7.1

Sun Tzu said: In warfare, after the general receives orders from the ruler, assembles troops and marches to face the enemy, nothing is harder than contending for favorable positions.

The difficulty of military contention lies in taking a roundabout route as the direct one, and turning disadvantages into advantages.
Detour the march and lure the enemy with gains. Setting off later yet arriving earlier shows mastery of the tactics of circuit and directness.

Therefore, military contention brings gains, but it also brings dangers.

Note

This excerpt from Chapter 7 of The Art of War argues contending for battlefield advantage is warfare’s hardest task. The core skill is treating roundabout routes as direct paths and drawbacks as gains, luring foes with bait to arrive first. Sun Tzu also warns military maneuver carries both benefits and severe risks.

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.

Military contention

Competing for favorable terrain, timing and initiative between two armies.

Circuit and directness

Core tactic – take indirect paths to achieve direct goals.

Turn harm into benefit

Transform adverse situations into favorable ones through strategy.

Risks and gains

Military contention is a double-edged sword with both opportunities and dangers.

孫子曰：凡用兵之法，將受命於君，合軍聚眾，交和而舍，莫難於軍爭。軍爭之難者，以迂為直，以患為利。故迂其途，而誘之以利，後人發，先人至，此知迂直之計者也。故軍爭為利，軍爭為危。