Generals earn soldiers’ loyalty by treating them tenderly like kids, making troops willing to face deadly risks. However, blind indulgence without strict discipline spoils soldiers, rendering the army unfit for combat.
Sun Tzu lists six military failures all arising from flawed generalship, including flight, laxity, rout, etc. Uneven troop-officer morale, mutinous officers, loose discipline and poor enemy evaluation all lead to defeat, which commanders must guard against.
Skilled generals govern well and enforce military laws to control victory. Sun Tzu puts forward five linked factors deciding war outcomes. A winning army holds overwhelming strength and strikes with irresistible momentum.
Sun Tzu puts forward seven criteria to compare rival sides, including virtuous rulers, capable generals and disciplined troops, to judge victory or defeat. He also notes leaving or staying based on whether a general adopts his strategies.
Sun Tzu puts forward five key elements to assess warfare: morality, heaven, earth, commandership and discipline. Leaders should compare both sides’ strengths based on these factors to fully analyze the real situation before battles.
–Mao Zedong, August 1, 1963 Good Eighth Company, famed far and wide.Why so glorified? Strong will abide.Serve the people, side by side,Decades with pride.Resist corruption, never hide,Pure, undefied.Thus named: Good Eighth Company, far and wide.