Kill one, terrify a thousand.

Defeat the enemies strategy.

Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never peril.

If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.

One whose troops repeatedly congregate in small groups here and there, whispering together, has lost the masses. One who frequently grants rewards is in deep distress. One who frequently imposes punishments is in great difficulty. One who is at first excessively brutal and then fears the masses is the pinnacle of stupidity.

A wise general makes a point of foraging of the enemy.

So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.