Other military treatises have mentioned this principle, but very few in the world can summarize the essence of military strategy in just a few simple sentences like Sun Jian.
"The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; the next best is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities..."
Mr. Zhuang and Li Gancheng kept Sun Jian's words in mind, and their hearts and eyes lit up immediately.
To utter such words, this person must have a profound understanding of military strategy and possess deep strategic acumen; otherwise, such insightful observations would be impossible.
"interesting."
Emperor Ganwu thought to himself, "This is interesting," and gestured for Sun Jian to continue.
Sun Jian didn't hold back either, just like copying Su Shi's "Prelude to Water Melody," making it easy to recite.
"Do not use force unless absolutely necessary. If you really have to send troops, then the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting and to win their hearts."
"Warfare is based on deception."
"The art of war lies in its ever-changing nature, striking unexpectedly and catching the enemy off guard. This is the principle behind the saying that water has no constant form and military tactics have no constant shape."
"Only by understanding the enemy's strategies can we develop tactics to defeat them. Therefore, psychological warfare is the key to victory. Gentlemen, do you agree?"
Although Sun Jian had not yet explained his offensive strategy, his words had already caused a dramatic change in everyone's perception and understanding of him.
Although some of his remarks were similar to those in the military books they read, Sun Jian was able to hit the nail on the head, which made people look at him with new respect.
Seeing the change in everyone's expression, they nodded in agreement as if they were on their deathbed.
Sun Jian smiled and continued, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Know yourself but not your enemy, and you will win one and lose one. Know neither yourself nor your enemy, and you will be defeated in every battle!"
"Please look, everyone!"
Sun Jian pointed to the third battleground on the sand table. At this moment, everyone except Emperor Ganwu took a few steps forward and gathered around, looking in the direction Sun Jian was pointing.
"This is the third battleground. A large force of the Great Zhou army is lying in ambush in the dead trees and grass, preparing to launch a surprise attack on our supporting troops."
"On the surface, it appears that our army is on a long and arduous expedition while the enemy is well-rested and ready, but this is only the surface."
"If we are deceived by appearances and start to retreat hastily, it will only lead to greater casualties! A strategist not only needs to understand strategy and know himself and his enemy, but also needs to know how to combine the right time, the right place, and the right people."
"Gentlemen, please look around. The enemy is to the east, and I've positioned myself to the west. Although the enemy has concealed themselves, the surrounding area is covered with reeds and has a forest of dead trees. What can you guess from this?"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought, pondering what Sun Jian had said.
Even Princess Chang Le and Princess Tai Ping frowned and began to ponder...
"Favorable timing... advantageous location..."
Li Gancheng looked at the withered trees and grass on the sand table, repeatedly muttering Sun Jian's words.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something. He excitedly grasped Sun Jian's hand and said, "Brother Sun! I understand! The appearance of withered trees and grass indicates that it is autumn or winter, and the weather is dry. This is the opportune moment. The enemy is in the reeds and withered forest, which is the advantageous terrain. If we are attacked by the enemy, we can use fire to attack, right?"
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what Sun Jian meant.
Sun Jian smiled and shook his head, saying to everyone, "What Your Highness said is correct, but you only mentioned the geographical advantage, and your mention of the opportune moment is incomplete."
"Incomplete?"
Li Gancheng and the others fell into deep thought once again.
At this moment, Mr. Zhuang stroked his beard, frowned, and tentatively replied, "Is the weather that Reader Sun mentioned referring to the northwest wind direction in winter?"
Sun Jian nodded, inwardly giving the old man a thumbs up.
The old man is indeed an old man. Someone who can be valued by the old emperor must have some ability. He hit the nail on the head!
"The teacher is right, that's exactly the direction the wind is blowing!"
Li You and Li Mu stared for a long time before suddenly realizing what was going on, and quickly exclaimed, "I understand! I understand!"
"What Sun Shidu means is that, on the surface, the enemy has the upper hand in this third battlefield, but in reality, both the timing and the terrain are in our favor!"
"The enemy is in the east, and we are in the west. If we are attacked suddenly, we just need to hold our ground and launch a fire attack on the enemy's camp. With the northwest wind blowing, the area where the enemy is located will turn into a sea of fire, right?"
Sun Jian rolled his eyes at the two brothers and nodded helplessly.
This is fucking...
They were just making sarcastic remarks about me, and now they understand?
Damn it, Laozi, the Crown Prince, and Mr. Zhuang have already said everything. If you still don't understand, you might as well just bang your head against the wall, okay?
hiss!
"If we attack this battlefield, we have a 90% chance of annihilating the enemy."
Sun Jian casually pointed to the first and second battlefields.
"In the first battlefield, the isolated army had been deep in the territory for too long, and it was so close to the second battlefield, which was only fifteen miles away."
"As the commander, I will directly order the first force to support the second force, trapping the enemy troops on the mountaintop, beating drums and shouting, surrounding them without attacking."
"Surrounding without attacking?"
Li Gancheng raised a question.
Sun Jian smiled and said, "Your Highness, please look. This is an isolated mountain. The enemy army has set up camp here. On the surface, it seems that they can take advantage of the high ground to block our army's attack, but in reality, it is extremely foolish!"
"If we only besiege them without attacking, wouldn't their intentions be wasted? This is called avoiding the strong and attacking the weak."
"Think about it again, everyone. If we cut off their supply lines, pollute their water sources, and beat drums and shout all day long to disturb their morale and disrupt their rest, how long can the enemy army stay on this mountain? They will surely be defeated!"
Everyone stared at the sand table and fell silent.
None of them were mediocre individuals; Sun Jian's words were like a wake-up call, a sudden enlightenment!
Upon closer examination, these battlefields, though seemingly fraught with peril, could, in reality, be turned into offensive operations if the troops were deployed correctly, resulting in a decisive victory over the enemy!
This is not just theoretical discussion, but a result derived from real reasoning!
Upon realizing this, everyone gasped in shock. It was a moment that truly awakened them from their reverie.
In particular, Mr. Zhuang and Li Gancheng looked at Sun Jian as if he were a monster.
Is this a student or a teacher?!
Such insights are probably rare even in the entire Da Gan region.
If it weren't for Sun Jian's combination of favorable timing and location, it would probably have taken them a long time to come up with this idea...
Needless to say, Li You and Li Mu were initially excited for a while after realizing what had happened, but then they felt a burning pain in their cheeks. Their previous mockery and contempt felt like slaps to their own faces.
"Ding! The system has detected that Princess Chang Le: Li Gan Rou's favorability towards you has increased by 2 points, and the current value is 3 points."
Upon hearing the system notification, Sun Jian's heart tightened, and he dared not meet Princess Chang Le's gaze.
This is fucking...
If this continues, it might actually start to resemble his wife.
"Your Majesty, I have finished answering."
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