John Minford, #SunTzu 10: 6 "On precipitous terrain, if we occupy it first, we should hold the Yang heights and wait for the enemy. If the enemy occupies it first, do not go after him, but entice him out by retreating."
I teach my granddaughter to cheat in school, and it drives my wife crazy. I then explain, I don't mean cheat as in looking at someone else's answers. I mean, use your calculator for calculations. They both laugh, but my wife still squints at me. She doesn't approve of cheating.
Cracking the code of these verses, 1 - 8 here in chapter 10, requires what would, in old days, have been called cheating. That is, you kind of need to read ahead in the rest of the chapter. That's what I just did. I had a strange idea. Retreat is the key to these first 8 verses.
Retreat is not the solitary idea that breaks open this entire chapter, but it comes up repeatedly. We'll obviously explore the other concepts that arise in coming discussions. The Power of Retreat might be a good name for this chapter. That hit me hard.
I retreat all the time. We've discussed how important this is in swordsmanship. The greatest defensive move is the void. Again, allow your enemy to step forward and strike. You don't even have to deflect the strike, at all. Rather, just step back or to the side, voiding its path.
Wayne Gretzky is famous for his ability to be where the puck is going to be, before it gets there. Retreat, or voiding, means the simple opposite. Don't be where the sword is going to be. Get out of its way. And be patient, and confident. Don't publish. Just step back.
In this chapter, Master Sun requires that tactical capability. You must be able to retreat, voiding your enemy's attack. Linger a moment more on the physics with me. Your enemy expects to strike you. He commits to his swing or thrust. His body weight is in it.
If your timing is right, and you simply step back or away, his sword hits what? Nothing. Picture that last step on your stairway. Imagine you step down, but you do so one step too soon. There's no floor there to great your body's expectation. Alas.
Motion and balance are all about expectation. If the floor fails to great your reaching foot, if your enemy's body fails to be hit by your sword, you're instantly all a kilter, off balance, ready to be toyed with at your enemy's pleasure, ready to die.
A retreating enemy can be vastly more deadly than an aggressing one. Picture it clearly. Your sword is held high to the right, comfortably. Your enemy is swinging or thrusting with all his might. You step out of the path of his sword. He's tumbling and you may strike at will.
Stick with the vision. You have a mighty enemy, well-schooled. He swings at you with a perfect strike. Still, you step back comfortably. He is surprised as this rarely happens. Swordsmen tend to be very aggressive. And he's a bit enraged. You taunt him with your confident smile.
As you step back, he steps forward mounting his second mighty strike. Voiding again, you start laughing at him and his head explodes with your disrespect. Swordsmen tend to need extraordinary amounts of respect. As you step back, he steps forward. Retreating, you're leading.
What he doesn't realize, but you do, is that each of his strikes is less out of control, more flailing. Think of a ping pong player you're sending from one side of the table to the other. Wider and wider strikes, with greater and greater commitment, he falls into your trap.
He doesn't realize he's become the mouse to your cat, but there it is. At your pleasure, you dispatch him with but a single attack. Often, you actually hit his back as he passes in front of you completely out of control. This is the power of retreat.
Now return to Master Sun's Yang heights. You surely want to hold them before your enemy does. High up in the well-lighted, dry ground, you have the advantage to be sure. But, Master Sun tells you, be ready in case your enemy is there first.
Do not go after him, but rather entice him out. How do you do so? You offer yourself for his easy attack, and the retreat even as he strikes. Stepping forward, he chases you. You have dislodged him from the Yang heights. Can't you feel the joy of your prowess, your strategy?
Never allow anyone, in any circumstances, control over the tactical options you select. Yes, absolutely take the high ground of moral and strategic advantage whenever you can. But never believe that your enemy's advantages determine the outcome of the contest. They never do.
Seriously, please read ahead in this chapter, most especially to the final verse. It will be familiar. Master Sun has stated the exact same counsel previously. And seriously, take the high ground when you can, but be ready to pull your enemy out by tempting vulnerability at need.
Masterful ability to strategically retreat may be even greater than the advantage of the high ground. In some ways, it may be that the lower position is higher, when it comes to the probability of tactical victory. Where yin is wiser, yang loses its power. How about that?
289 verses completed, 167 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.
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.
