War Kings - Sun Tzu Art of War Chp 3 - Strategizing the Attack 谋攻篇

'Strategizing the Attack' emphasize on the importance of strategizing one’s warfare before an attack. 〈是故百戰百勝，非善之善也﹔不戰而屈人之兵，善之善者也。〉To win every battle is not the highest excellence; the highest excellence is to subdue one’s enemy without fighting at all. This is in fact, what Sun Tzu believed was the best course of attack: To keep intact one’s own army. Not only will one minimizes all damages, but also the unnecessary recovery of the conquered land. Before strategizing every attack, one must know the enemy well. To not know the enemy and strike would only wreck one’s own army.

知己知彼，百戰不貽﹔不知彼而知己，一勝一負﹔不知彼不 知己，每戰必貽

Sun Tzu believes that by knowing oneself and one’s enemy, one will never be defeated. To know oneself and not know one’s enemy, one will only succeed halfway. To not know oneself and one’s enemy, in every battle looms defeat.