Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.

A warrior who is prepared to fight must also be prepared to die.

Therefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.

To persuade your enemy to (retreat) before the fight is to defeat them even before the battle begins. An enemy made ally is no longer an enemy.

Factors in the art of warfare are: First, calculations; second, quantities; third, logistics; fourth, the balance of power; and fifth, the possibility of victory is based on the balance of power.

Be where your enemy is not.

When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, or hurls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank, the result must be rout.