The Art of War: Two Perspectives

The Art of War

Two Perspectives

By Sun Tzu

and Niccolò Machiavelli

©2017 Wilder Publications

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except for brief quotations for review purposes only.

ISBN 13: 978-1-63384-544-2

First Edition

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Table of Contents

The Art of War, by Sun Tzu

Chapter I: Laying Plans

Chapter II: Waging War

Chapter III: Attack by Stratagem

Chapter IV: Tactical Dispositions

Chapter V: Energy

Chapter VI: Weak Points and Strong

Chapter VII: Maneuvering

Chapter VIII: Variation in Tactics

Chapter IX: The Army on the March

Chapter X: Terrain

Chapter XI: The Nine Situations

Chapter XII: The Attack by Fire

Chapter XIII: The Use of Spies

The Art of War, by Niccolò Machiavelli

Foreword

The First Booke

Why a good man ought never to use the exercise of armes, as his art.

A kinge that hath about him any that are to much lovers of warre, or to much lovers of peace shal cause him to erre.

Oute of what countrie is best to chuse souldiours to make a good election.

Whether it Be Better to Take Menne Oute of Townes or out of the Countrie to Serve.

Of what age souldiours ought to bee chosen.

By what meanes souldiours bee made bolde and experte.

Of what science soldiours ought to bee chosen.

Howe to chose a souldiour.

How to provid againste soche inconveniences as souldiours maie cause.

The nomber of horsemen, that the romanies chose for a legion, and for a consailes armie.

The choosing and ordering of horsemen, that is to be observed at this present.

The Second Booke

Howe the Romaines armed their souldiers and what weapons thei used.

A brave and a terrible thing to the enemies

Whether the Romanes maner in arming of men, be better then the arming of men, that is used nowe a daies.

An ensample whiche proveth that horsemen with staves, cannot prevaile against footemen with pikes, and what great advauntage the armed have, againste the unarmed. The victory of carminvola against the duchemen.

The Battailes When Thei Are a Faightyng, Doe Throng Together.

How to arme men, and what weapons to appoincte theim, after the romaine maner, and duche facion.

The victorie of lucullo, against tiarane king of armenia; for what pupose horsemen be most requisite.

The reason why footmen are able to overcome horsemen; how footmen maie save them selves from horsemen; the exercise of souldiours, ought to be devided into thre partes; what exercises the auncient common weales used to exercise their youth in, and what commoditie insued thereby; how the antiquitie, learned their yong soldiours, to handell their weapons; what thantiquitie estemed moste happie in a common weale; mouster maisters; for thexercisyng of yong men unexperte.

The exercises that souldiers ought to make in these daies; the exercise of swimmyng; tiber, is a river runnyng through rome the water wher of will never corrupte; thexercise of vautyng, and the commoditie thereof; an order that is taken in certain countries, concerning exercises of warre; what knowledge a souldiour ought to have; a cohorte is a bande of men; of what nomer and of what kind of armours and weapons, a maine battaile ought to bee, and the distributing and appoinetyng of thesame; veliti are light armed men; thecapitaines that ar appointed to every band of men; twoo orders observed in an armie; how a captain muste instructe muste instructe his souldiours how thei ought to governe themselves in the battaile.

The chief importance in the exercisyng of bandes of men; three principall for thorderyng of menne into battaile raie; the manner how to bryng a bande of men into battaile raie after a square facion; the better waie for the ordring of a band of men in battaile raie, after the first facion; how to exercise men, and to take soche order, whereby a band of men that were by whatsoever chance disordred maye straighte wai be brought into order againe; what advertisement ought to bee used in tourning about a whole bande of menne, after soche sorte, as though it were but one bodie; how to order a band of menne after soche sort that thei maie make their front againste thenemie of whiche flanke thei list; how a band of man oughte to be ordered, when in marchyng thei should bee constrained to faighton their backes.

How a battaile is made with twoo hornes; the orderyng of a battaile with a voide space in the middeste.

To what purpose the pikes and velite extraordinarie must serve.

Neither centurion nor peticapitaine, ought not to ride; what carriages the capitaines ought to have, and the nomber of carrages requisite to every bande of menne.

Without many capitaines, an armie cannot be governed; to what purpose ansignes ought to serve; for what purpose drummes oughte to bee used; the propertie that soundes of instrumentes have in mens myndes.

A notable discourse of the aucthour, declaryng whereof groweth so moche vilenes disorder and necligence in these daies, concernyng the exercises of warre.

The causes why the aunciente orders are neclected.

The Armyng of Horsemen; the Weapons That Light Horsmenne Should Have; the Nombre of Horsmen Requisite for a Maine Bataille of Six Thousand Men; the Nombre of Carrages That Men of Armes and Light Horsmen Ought to Have.

The Thirde Booke

The greateste disorder that is used now a daies in pitching of a fielde; the order how a romain legion was appoincted to faight; the maner that the grekes used in their falangi, when thei fought against their enemies; the order that the suizzers use in their main battailes when thei faight; howe to appoincte a main battaile with armour and weapons, and to order thesame after the Greke and Romain maner.

The descripcion of a battaile that is a faightyng.

Questions concerning the shotyng of ordinaunce.

An aunswere to the questions that were demaunded, concernyng the shoting of ordinaunce; the best remedie to avoide the hurte that the enemie in the fielde maie doe with his ordinaunce; a policie against bowes and dartes; nothyng causeth greater confusion in an armie, than to hinder mennes fightes; nothing more blindeth the sight of men in an armie, then the smoke of ordinaunce; a policie to trouble the enemies sight; the shotte of greate ordinaunce in the fielde, is not moche to bee feared of fotemenne; bicause menne of armes stand closer together then light horsmen, thei ought to remaine behinde the armie till the enemies ordinaunce have done shootyng; the artillerie is no let, why the auncient orders of warfar ought not to be used in these daies.

A generall rule againste soche thynges as cannot bee withstoode.

A battaile how greate so ever it bee, cannot atones occupy above v. rankes of pikes.

An advertiement concernyng the pitchying of a field.

How the front of the armie ought to bee made; how the middell part of the armie ought to be ordered.

The orderyng of the hinder part of tharmy.

The retire of the pikes, to place the targaet men.

How the pikes that are placed on the flankes of the armie ought to governe them selves when the rest of the armie is driven to retire.

Thexercise of the army in generall; the nomber that is mete to be written in the ansigne of every band of men; the degrees of honours in an armie, whiche soche a man ought to rise by, as should bee made a generall capitain.

The armes that oughte to bee in the standarde, and in the ansignes of an armie; the second and thirde exercise of an armie; the fowerth exercise of an armie; the soundes of the instrumentes of musicke, that the antiquitie used in their armies; what is signified by the sounde of the trompet.

The cries, and rumours, wher with the firste charge is given unto the enemies, and the silence that ought to bee used after, when the faight is ones begunne.

The Fowerth Booke

To deffende moche the fronte of an armie, is most perillous; what is beste for a capitaine to dooe, where his power is, moche lesse then thenemies power; a general rule; the higher grounde ought to be chosen; an advertisement not to place an armie wher the enemie maie se what the same doeth; respectes for the sonne and winde; the variyng of order and place maie cause the conquered to become victorius; a policie in the ordering of men and pitchyng of a fielde; how to compasse about the enemies power; how a capitaine maie faight and bee as it were sure, not to be overcome; how to trouble the orders of the enemie; what a capitaine oughte to dooe when he hath not so many horsmen as the enemie; a greate aide for horsemen; the policies used betwene aniball and scipio.

Cartes full of hookes made to destroie the enemies; the remedy that was used against cartes full of hookes; the straunge maner that Silla used in orderyng his army against Archelaus; how to trouble in the faighte the armie of the enemies; a policie of Caius Sulpitius, to make his enemies afraied; a policie of Marius againste the Duchmenne; a policie of greate importaunce, while a battaile is a faightyng; how horsemen maie bee disordered; how the Turke gave the Sophie an overthrowe; how the Spaniardes overcame the armie of Amilcare; how to traine the enemie, to his destruccion; a policie of Tullo Hostilio and Lucius Silla in dessemlyng of a mischaunce; sertorius slue a man for telling him of the death of one of his capitaines; howe certaine captaines have staied their men that hath been running awaie; Attillius constrained his men that ran awaie to tourne again and to faight; how Philip King of Macedonia made his men afraied to run awaie; victorie ought with all celeritie to bee folowed; what a capitaine ought to dooe, when he should chaunce to receive an overthrowe; how Martius overcame the armie of the Carthaginers; a policie of Titus Dimius to hide a losse, whiche he had received in a faight; a general rule; aniball; scipio; asdruball; a capitaine ought not to faight without advantage, excepte he be constrained; how advauntage maie bee taken of the enemies; furie withstode, converteth into vilenesse; what maner of men a capitaine ought to have about him continually, to consult withall; the condicions of the capitain of the enemies, and of those that are about hym is moste requisite to bee knowen; a timerous army is not to be conducted to faight; how to avoide the faightyng of a fielde.

Fabius Maximus.

Philip king of Macedonia, overcome by the Romaines; How Cingentorige avoided the faightyng of the fielde with Cesar; The ignorance of the Venecians; What is to be doen wher soldiours desire to faight, contrary to their capitaines minde; How to incourage souldiers; An advertisment to make the soldiour most obstinately to faight.

It is requisite for excellent Capitaines to bee good orators; Alexander Magnus used openly to perswade his armie; The effecteousnes of speking; Souldiours ought to be accustomed to heare their Capitaine speake; How in olde time souldiers were threatened for their faltes; Enterprises maie the easelier be brought to passe by meanes of religion; Sertorius; A policie of Silla; A policie of Charles the seventh king of Fraunce against the Englishmen; How souldiers maiebee made to esteme little their enemies; The surest wai to make souldiours moste obstinat to faight; By what meanes obstinatenesse to faighte is increased.

The Fiveth Booke

Commaundementes of Capitaines being not wel understoode, maie be the destruction of an armie; Respect that is to be had in commaundementes made with the sounde of the Trompet; In commaundmentes made with the voice, what respect is to be had; Of Pianars.

The victualles that thantiquitie made provision of, for their armies.

The occasions why the warres made nowe adaies, doe impoverishe the conquerors as well as the conquered; The order that the Romaines toke, concerning the spoile and the booties that their souldiours gotte; An order that the antiquitie tooke, concernyng their soldiours wages.

Captaines mai incurre the daunger of ambusshes twoo maner of wayes; How to avoide the perill of ambusshes; Howe ambusshes have ben perceived; Howe the Capitaine of the enemies ought to be esteemed; Where men be in greatest perill; The description of the countrey where an army muste marche, is most requiset for a Capitaine to have; A most profitable thyng it is for a capitayne to be secrete in all his affaires; An advertisment concernyng the marchyng of an armie; The marching of an armie ought to be ruled by the stroke of the Drumme; The condicion of the enemie ought to be considered.

Annone of Carthage.

Nabide a spartayne; Quintus Luttatius pollecie to passe over a river; How to passe a ryver without a bridge; A polecie of Cesar to passe a river, where his enemie beyng on the other side therof sought to lette hym.

How to know the Foordes of a river.

Howe to escape oute of a straight where the same is besette with enemies; Howe Lutius Minutius escaped out of a strayght wherin he was inclosed of his enemies; Howe some Capitaynes have suffered them selves to be compassed aboute of their enemies; A polecie of Marcus Antonius; A defence for the shotte of arrowes.

The Sixthe Booke