02.017 Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our...

[sonshi]

Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own. Mix the captured chariots with our own, treat the captured soldiers well. This is called defeating the enemy and increasing our strength.

[markb287]

"Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own. Mix the captured chariots with our own, treat the captured soldiers well. This is called defeating the enemy and increasing our strength."-Sun-tzu.

If you replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own, we become superior. If we mix the captured weapons with ours, then we get to use the enemy's weapons against him, plus using our own weapons. If we treat the captured soldiers well, then we may be able to convert them to our side, once again using the enemy against himself. We increase our strength from the enemy and then we are able to defeat him.

Replacing the enemies flags and standards is demoralizing to the enemy and is also a psychological ploy that serves as an indication that the defeated enemy is completely subject to the victorious army and that they are under their control.

Moreover, captured enemy flags are HUGE morale boosters to the units that captured them. It is a status symbol and commands respect among warriors. I know a guy in his 70s who was a grunt in the Army and he captured a German flag in WW II and he is extremely proud of his accomplishment even today, 57+ years later.

Moreover, by eliminating all trace of enemy flags and standards it can have a positive impact on the fighting ability of the wise General's fighting force. No one likes to venture forth when enemy is all about and getting rid of the flags is one way of helping the men be more courageous than they otherwise might be.

Besides all that stuff, it just makes good sense.

The idea of mixing captured chariots or weapons or ammo is that it makes one that much more able to wage war. Using their own ammo against an enemy costs my army less money.

POWs should always be treated well. The Art of War is a psychological treatise. Getting inside the mind of an adversary is not an easy thing to do. So when the opportunity arrives it is best to seize it while one can. This requires sometimes acting and reacting in ways that may appear counterintuitive to most what folks might expect. A captured soldier may still have his will to resist and is simply biding his time. By when the POW is treated well his will to resist likely will decline and he becomes less of a threat to one's own army.

Besides, mistreating POWs is contrary to The Way.

-BingFa

Agreed w/ Bing Fa.

When HP took over Compaq, they immediately took over the web site and canned anything 'corporate" relating to Compaq (From corporate flags to name of sporting arena).

They fired most of Compaq non-essential employees before they ever decide HP people.

Canned a lot of the Compaq money-losing product lines before HP product lines were eliminated.

YES! Compaq sucks. HP Rules.

[gonzo]

Using your opponents equipment against them will allow you to save on your own.

Gonzo

[MonteChristo]

Building your internal strength. Increasing your resources. That is why you did the battle. To gain resources and people are among them. So you should treat them well. As much as you treat your own as after the battle all will serve you.

Sun Tzu said, "Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own. Mix the captured chariots with our own, treat the captured soldiers well. This is called defeating the enemy and increasing our strength."

Replace the enemy's flags with our own. Mix the captured oil with our own, treat the captured soldiers well. This is called defeating the enemy and increasing the financial strength of our leadership.

"Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own. Mix the captured chariots with our own, treat the captured soldiers well. This is called defeating the enemy and increasing our strength."


during a cruel and bloody period like the Warring States Era it could be a surprising statement: "treat the captured soldiers well"

many warriors didn't understand the usefullness of this principle: think about Apaches, Mujaideens, Vietcong etc. preferring the panic caused in the enemy by a bad treatment and torture of prisoners...but it could results in a "backfire" strategy.

a well treatment of POW is useful because it encourages desertion among enemy troops and facilitates the recruitment of spies (especially internal , local and double spies)

[Dan]

Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own.

When you take over territory or capture some troops replace all banners with yours to show everybody that someone new is in charge, and the old ruler has been beaten, and to immediately begin (hopefully) turning their allegiance towards you.

Mix the captured chariots with our own,

Don't treat the goods captured as seperate from yours. Make it seem like anything captured is just as good as anything that is gotten from your stores. (I'm not sure if this passage means the chariot riders as well.) Again, use the enemy's supplies to your advantage.

treat the captured soldiers well.

If you treat them well they'll be less likely to cause trouble, more likely to switch sides, and less likely to try to escape to rejion the enemy's army.

This is called defeating the enemy and increasing our strength.

Increase your strangth while decreasing your enemy's will only make future battles easier and increase your chances of winning.

[dej2]

Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own. Mix the captured chariots with our own, treat the captured soldiers well. This is called defeating the enemy and increasing our strength.
Sawyer’s Translation
“Change their flags and pennants to ours; intermix and employ them with our own chariots. Treat captured soldiers well in order to nurture them (for our use). This is referred to as “conquering the enemy and growing stronger.” "

Once equipment is taken from the enemy, change the emblems, banners and flags, incorporate them into our own forces. Captured enemy soldiers should be treated kindly, some may be nurtured for our own use. They may useful sources of information, possibly once acclimated into our society can prove productive citizens. As for Captured Generals and Officers, some may eventually be great assets in service to our own nation.

Note: I suppose entire armies could be subjugated if they are not pressed into service against their own homeland. The Mongols were known for subjugating whole armies. They would break up the units so that no soldier from the same unit would be fighting amongst their comrades, and they would be sent away to an entirely different theater so that they would not fight against their own homeland. In this way they were able to quickly swell the ranks of their armies as their conquest expanded.

[mj0lnir]

To me the key is converting the enemy instead of destroying and oppressing them. When the enemie's flag is replaced by yours it is done so out of loyalty. This is done by treating your enemies well. With the conversion of the enemy their resources becomes yours and your power base grows.

This concept directly translates to modern times. In business if there is a major change iniative that spans multiple departments the strength comes from getting buy-in from others rather than giving a directive. Instead of command and conquer - convert and prosper. This is also what the U.S. is not doing in Iraq.

[waterbearer]

Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own. Mix the captured chariots with our own, treat the captured soldiers well. This is called defeating the enemy and increasing our strength.

It is not necessary to "salt the earth" under the feet aof an adversary. Treat an enermy with the degree of respect tyou would want you own treated under similar circumstance.

Honor the man, if not the flag under which he fights.

[Truthseeker]

Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own. Mix the captured chariots with our own, treat the captured soldiers well. This is called defeating the enemy and increasing our strength.

Referring back to a few passages ago, once we have determined through observing our competitor which of his strategies work and which do not, we will then know which to take on as our own.

[maxx]

Isn't it nice to have a cold beer after a victory?

Beer to us means a reward, a sense of freedom.
Sun Tzu's beer was the enemy's possesions.
The reward for the mens killing is the enemy's possesions.

[Bushranger]

Replace the enemy's flags and standards with our own. Mix the captured chariots with our own, treat the captured soldiers well. This is called defeating the enemy and increasing our strength.

Moral dimensions ...

Symbols of soveignty and unit identity, important of themselves for their affective value, are an index of success and failure, of order and meaning, to the mind grappling with the experience of war. Replacing the enemy's flags and standards reduces chances of friendly fire, it also demonstrates and thus reinforces the fact of our position as winners. It increases our legitimacy as such.

We appropriate equipment by capturing it. It should then be incorporated into our order of battle. Its appearance will have a psychological effect beyond its firepower for what it represents. We want to spread this affective value around. So we spread the useage of the equipment widely.

Treating captured prisoners well is good karma. Acting in this manner reduces the level of hatred, and consequent death rates. It provides good cause for the enemy to treat their prisoners well. It increases the cooperation we desire from both prisoners and active enemy troops.

By doing all these things we demonstrate our superiority over our enemy. All these forms of incorporation work upon the heart and mind of both enemy and friend in a manner that increases our strength.