The line between disorder and order lies in logistics.

When the leader is morally weak and his discipline not strict, when his instructions and guidance are not enlightened, when there are no consistent rules, neighboring rulers will take advantage of this.

You can ensure the success of your attacks if you only attack places that are undefended. You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked. Therefore, that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.

I will be able to forecast which side will be victorious and which defeated.

The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.

Thus the skilful general conducts his army just as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand.