The cost of conflict

Sun Tzu said: To start a war, it is usually necessary to dispatch 1,000 chariots, 1,000 transport vehicles, gather 100,000 soldiers, and transport grain and grass for thousands of miles along the way.

In this way, all kinds of expenses at home and abroad, the expenses for entertaining envoys and strategists, the expenses for repairing materials such as glue and lacquer for the maintenance of combat equipment, and the expenses for maintaining chariots and armor all cost a huge amount of money every day.

After these preparations are made, the 100,000-strong army can be dispatched!

This is the attrition of war. If the victory drags on for too long, the soldiers will be sluggish, their morale will be frustrated, the attack on the fortified city will be insufficient, and if the army is far away from the homeland for a long time, it will lead to a lack of state funds.

If the army is exhausted and frustrated by the long battle, its military strength is exhausted, and the domestic supplies are depleted, then the other vassal states will take advantage of this difficult situation to raise troops to attack, and it will be difficult for even the wise and clever to clean up the situation.

Therefore, one have only heard of those who have insufficient troops and have won quickly in the short term, but one have never seen those who have to fight for a long time because of their delicate and flexible troops.

There has never been such a thing as waging a protracted war that can benefit one's country.

Therefore, those who do not fully understand the harmful conditions for waging war cannot fully understand the favorable conditions for waging war.

Those who are good at commanding battles do not have to requisition soldiers from other places, and they do not have to transfer food and salary many times. After all kinds of military supplies are requisitioned from the country, the supply of grain and grass is obtained from the enemy country, so that the army's grain and grass can be satisfied.

The reason why the country became impoverished was due to the fact that the army went on an expedition and had to transport supplies over long distances. And long-distance transportation of a war will lead to poverty of the people.

Prices will inevitably soar in the places where the army passes, and the rise in prices will deplete the people's property, which will make it more difficult to pay taxes and participate in military service.

When the army is insufficient, the goods are depleted, and the domestic finances are empty, seven-tenths of the people's resources have been consumed.

Six-tenths of the country's assets were consumed by the destruction of chariots, the fatigue of horses, the loss of armor, crossbows, contradictions, oxen, chariots, and the like.

Thus, a wise general always seeks to seize grain and grass from the enemy,

and 1 Zhong (unit of weight) of grain from the enemy is equivalent to 20 Zhongs when it is shipped from one's country;

1 Dan (unit of weight) of grass from the enemy is equivalent to 20 Dans when it is shipped from one's country.

Therefore, to kill the enemy, it depends on the pent-up anger of the people;

to seize the interests of the enemy, it depends on the materials to sustain their livelihood.

In chariot battles, if more than 10 chariots are captured,

the soldiers who captured the chariot first must be rewarded；

replace the flags on the chariots and mix them into one’s own chariot formations;

treat the captives favorably and make them obedient；

which is the so-called way to overcome the enemy and make oneself stronger.

Therefore, the most important thing in waging a war is to win, not to last.

Therefore, generals who truly understand military warfare control the life and death of the people and the security of the country.