Long Tao: Qí Bīng (Unconventional Tactics)

King Wu asked tai gong:"What are the essential principles of employing military forces?" tai gong replied:"Ancient masters of warfare did not fight in the heavens or beneath the earth. Their success or failure lay entirely in creating an unfathomable momentum. Those who shape this momentum triumph; those who fail to do so perish. When confronting the enemy in battle: Shedding armor, abandoning weapons, and appearing disorganized is to deceive and lure the foe. Occupying lush terrain aids concealed retreat. Seizing narrow valleys and rugged passes enables the few to strike the many. Holding low-lying marshes and wetlands blocks chariots and cavalry. Commanding mountain forests and narrow defiles hides troop movements. Deploying on open plains invites tests of courage. Striking swiftly as arrows, fiercely as triggered crossbows, shatters the enemy’s schemes. Setting ambushes and feigning weakness crushes armies and captures generals. Attacking from all directions disrupts enemy formations. Exploiting panic achieves victory with one against ten. Assaulting exhausted......