Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 8: 14 "The warrior ignorant of the Art of the Nine Changes, may know the Five Gains but will not get the most from his men."

Clearly, we must list them again, the Nine Changes:

1) Intractable Terrain
2) Crossroads
3) Dire
4) Enclosed
5) Death
6) Roads NOT to Take
7) Armies NOT to Attack
8) Towns NOT to Besiege
9) Terrains NOT to Contest

If you've been studying, really studying, then all nine should at least be familiar. But, don't worry, today's focus is only on the first five, called the Five Advantages. The last four, you may recall, is called the Four Contingencies. All nine are the Nine Changes.

I'll tell you again but try to remember we're smack dab in the middle of Master Sun's work, and what's more, no serious reading could deny that this is the pivotal chapter. Before, Master Sun lays out his thinking. After, I assure you, he'll demand you follow.

Think of chapters 1 - 7 as the Beginner's work, chapter 8, here, as Intermediate, and chapters 9 - 13 as Advanced. Returning to today's work, we must focus on the first five of the Nine Changes - the Advantages - and deepen our mastery over them.

Let's now look again at the list of the Five Advantages:

1) Intractable - Don't Encamp
2) Crossroads - Join With Allies
3) Dire - Don't Linger
4) Enclosed - Strategize
5) Death - Do Battle

Follow me, now. Instant understanding is a fool's trap. To understand something, you play with it. Think of a yoyo. Up and down you go. Don't require you mind the instant, easy comprehension it's been trained to by today's world. Fight with the material but fight easy.

In a moment, I'll give you the most precise definitions of each of the Five Advantages I've yet encountered, from Roger Ames' amazing work. Right now, just read the list of the Five Advantages a few times, out loud. Go slowly. Let them thaw your cold mind.

To make the leap from Minford to Ames, we need these equivalencies. Minford first, Ames second:

1) Intractable = Difficult
2) Crossroads = Intersections
3) Dire = Cut Off
4) Enclosed = Ambush
5) Death = No Way Out

Keep it in context. These are five different types of terrain that your army may find itself upon. We'll discuss many more types of terrain as we roll forward. But these five are, for Master Sun, particularly well known. And they each offer a specific advantage.

And since most of us don't speak or read ancient Chinese, we require our translators to give us aid. Minford is the far greater poet, greater than all other translators into English in my judgment. Ames, however, offers the greatest clarity, often at sacrifice of elegant speech.

So, since we MUST know the advantages each of these types of terrain offers, we must turn to the teacher whose instruction is clearest in their definition. That's Ames. We turn now, then, to each of his five definitions.

1) Intractable/Difficult

Ames: "Mountains and forests, passes and natural hazards, wetlands and swamps, and any such roads difficult to traverse constitute difficult terrain." Note 174.

2) Crossroads/Intersections

Ames: "The territory of several neighboring states at which their borders meet is a strategically vital intersection. The first to reach it will gain the allegiance of the other states of their empire." Note 175.

3) Dire/Cut-off

Ames: "When you quit your own territory and lead your troops across the border, you have entered cut-off terrain." Note 176.

4) Enclosed/Ambush

Ames: "Ground that gives access through a narrow defile, and where exit is tortuous. allowing an enemy in small numbers to attack our main force, is vulnerable to ambush." Note 177.

5) Death/No Way Out

Ames: "Terrain in which you will survive only if you fight with all your might, but perish if you fail to do so, is terrain with no way out." Note 178.

I don't know about you, but I will read and reread those definitions. I will then correlate them with the advantages each offers. I'll go over that again and again. What's more, I will find my own applications from my everyday life again and again as well. I love study.

Finally, for today, we return to Master Sun's statement, you can know the Five Gains, but if you're ignorant of the Art of the Nine changes, you will still not lead well. So, we study definitions, but we must master the art of their use. That leads me to a question.

This is hard work, right? It's not easy lifting. Yet, picture finding a leader who had actually done all this work, was still engaged in its study and practice, and was 100% dedicated to its mastery. Would you be willing to follow such a leader? I can tell you I sure would.

On that note, I've decided to start employing the hashtag; #100kMAGALeaders in this #SunTzuForMAGA campaign. Imagine you've studied (once they're done) all 422 verses this deeply. Don't you imagine you'd be a prepared leader? I assure you, if not, you should. You will be.

213 verses completed, 209 to go.

To return to previous sections in our #WarForAmerica2020 and #SunTzuForMAGA series, don't forget to head over to @WarForAmerica21. You'll find the digital table of contents for this series, there. Please retweet each entry you enjoy.