Maybe this has already bed discussed, but I just noticed. It's been a while since i read Art of War so I decided to read it tonight. Pretty quick into the read something stuck out to me that seemed to be written in the style Q uses. Here it is.

1. (1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law?

(2) Which of the two generals has most ability?

(3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?

(4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?

(5) Which army is stronger?

(6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?

(7) In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?

1. By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat.

This last line could be viewed as the future proves the past.

What does this mean? Not sure, but at the very least, Q's posts are a nod to Sun Tzu and might confirm the importance of information in Art of War.

Sun Tzu - Art of War

1. Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.

>>536403

Art of War Chapter III Attack by Stratagem

1. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.

>>536403

In Chapter III in Art of War the numbers 10, 5 and 2 are discussed.

Chapter III

1. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy’s one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.

>>536403

End of chapter III

1. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:

(1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

(2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.

(3) He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

(4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

(5) He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

1. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

>>536644

Chapter IV Tactical Dispositions

1. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won,

whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.

>>536403

End of chapter IV

1. The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.

Watch the water?

Bruce Lee: "Be like water my friend"

Maybe we are the water…the conquering force!

>>536403

Chapter 5 Energy

1. Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.

1. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack—the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.

1. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle—you never come to an end. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?

1. Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all; amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat.

1. Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline, simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength.

1. Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is simply a question of subdivision; concealing courage under a show of timidity presupposes a fund of latent energy; masking strength with weakness is to be effected by tactical dispositions.

>>536927

More references to water

Chapter VI. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG

1. Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.

1. You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended. You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.

1. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

1. Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle, we may concentrate from the greatest distances in order to fight.

2. Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.

1. Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.

1. Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards.

1. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.

1. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.

1. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.

>>536403

Chapter VII Maneuvering

1. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

1. The Book of Army Management says: On the field of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough: hence the institution of gongs and drums. Nor can ordinary objects be seen clearly enough: hence the institution of banners and flags.

1. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point.

1. In night-fighting, then, make much use of signal-fires and drums, and in fighting by day, of flags and banners, as a means of influencing the ears and eyes of your army.