02.015 Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off...

[sonshi]

Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy. One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own.

No, I really am hungry.

I think I have already said as much as I can on this particular topic.

I shall defer to the insights of others.

BingFa

[markb287]

"Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy. One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own. "-Sun-tzu.

The wise general will not fight the enemy through means of fighting. If the enemy is stronger then he must try to lure him out of fighting us.

[Culturejamming]

This is not what is meant at all. Sun Tzu means that any captured resource is pure sundry and also makes the enemy weaker for having had it plundered from them. The bushel earned negates having to pay a farmer to raise a bushel, then a merchant to handle it. Also to pay for the merchant's horse's share of the grain and the depreciatin to the merchant's waggon. Once it was delivered to the general the bushel must then be carried by someone with another horse and another waggon. It is much better for an army to travel light and take what is needed. The soldiers of Sparta subscribed to similar ideals and were quite sucessfull.

Originally posted by sonshi
Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy. One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own.

As my [consultant] associate tells me, "To survive as a consultant, one must know how to live off the client or the opposition."

Living off the opposition resources is part of the "No Effort Combat" principle.

[gonzo]

Your opponents' resources have more of a important benefit for you than just the tangible uses. It deprives the ememy as well as keeping your resources from becoming exhausted.

Gonzo

[MonteChristo]

That is why you should use enemy’s resources when possible. When you have no resources you are not able to fight.

Sun Tzu said, "Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy. One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own."

The general has two purposes. The first is to achieve his military objectives. The second is to protect the resources of his country by conserving his own resources and by utilizing the oppositions resources for his own needs.

"Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy. One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own. "

Exploiting enemy provisions is a double advantage: is a damage for the enemy and a gain for our army (and without any expenses of transport and production)

[Dan]

Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy.

If you feed off the enemy, you don't use your own resources so your treasury and graineries aren't depleted, taxes aren't raised, and economic ruin doesn't occur (except maybe to your enemy, but that's a good thing).

One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own.

This is an exageration but it makes sense.

Let's do some math (Yay! ). You take one bushel, that's one less your enemy has, so that's a 2 bushel advantage over your enemy.

Now your enemy has to replace that one bushel, which will cost say 3 bushels (It would of course depend on the circumstances but this will give us the basic idea of what I'm trying to explain) because of collection and transportation to the front lines or because of the exaggerated prices described earlier. So that's a 5 bushel advantage over your enemy.

Now you avoid those same costs. So now that's a 8 bushel advantage over your enemy.

Then we factor in that saving that bushel will require less taxes, so less dissent is caused, that's worth 3 bushels. So You have an 11 bushel advantage.

As well your enemy has to raise taxes to cove that bushel (and the other 3 for transportation) this raises dissent which is definately worth 3 bushels towards you. So you now have a 14 bushel adavantage for stealing one bushel. Multiply that on a massive scale and you get a major advantage over your enemy.

So in otherwords. Take whatever you can use from your enemy.

[dej2]

Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy. One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own.
Sawyer’s Translation
"Thus wise generals will concentrate on securing provisions from the enemy. One bushel of the enemy’s foodstuffs is worth twenty of ours; one picul of fodderis worth twenty of ours."

Sun Tzu reiterates the importance for our armies to acquire supplies from the enemy rather than using our own resources. Sun Tzu stresses that point by stating "one bushel of the enemy’s foodstuffs is worth twenty of ours". By taking the enemy’s supplies we deprive them from using it themselves, we save on the cost and labor of transporting the supplies from our nation to our encampments, and we don’t use our nations resources to create those supplies, i.e. grow, fertilize, raise, feed, process or manufacture them. Thus for every item we acquire from the enemy equals twenty of our own.

I can remember working on a small farm and eating about as many strawberries as I could stomach. Now I realize that there are laws of diminishing returns.. too many strawberries can upset ones digestion and so on.

I did though save some money on lunches and benefitted from a high fruit diet (in terms of my health). It was also ok with the boss to forage..so it didn't seem to affect his bottom line.

If I do view earning a living as a type of battle field then taking advantage of natural benefits of the enviroment would seem to indicative of AOW strategy. (But) is it healthy or fair to view your employer as an enemy that requires strategic interventions. I have found that in some work situations it does very much feel like a forced battle where survival is at stake. I personally find this type of thinking to be somewhat depressing and not a very hopeful reflection of the times.

Which brings me back to my question of why am I fighting battles in which I will surly lose. Sometimes these battles require loss of faith and self respect. For those who have been "forced" into work enviroment which they dislike or hate. I have personally found that working for below living wage to be a futile and frustrating event. In lieu of insight or better strategy these types of battles in my own lif continue unabatted (as I reflect from the expenses of protracted warfare.) These battles have been very costly. Why am I fighting battles which I do not win...it seems that necessity is the force thhat motivates me to go to work.

sincerely,
Pawn11

[waterbearer]

Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy. One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own.

The capacity to save the resources of a nation's citizens is tantamount to many times that secured from an adversary. There is a synergy at work in terms of the benevolence with which the citizens honor their leaders for their perceived frugality.

[Truthseeker]

Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy. One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own.

Another viewpoint could be to learn from our competitors. Observe their actions and contemplate the benefit or destruction resulting from their descision making. Apply those lessons to our own strategy, reducing our own level of costly mistakes.

[pol0311]

Therefore, a wise general will strive to feed off the enemy. One bushel of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of our own, one picul of fodder is worth twenty of our own.

Live of the land and feed off of the spoils of war you take from the enemy in battle. Lessen the burden on yourself as you increase the burden of your enemy in this way.