Waging War — The Art of War

Sun Tzu addresses the economics of competition. Raising and maintaining a large force is enormously expensive, not just in money but in exhaustion, morale, and opportunity cost. Extended campaigns drain the treasury, exhaust the people, and invite opportunistic attacks from others.

The chapter's key insight: 'There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.' Even victors are weakened by long fights. Therefore, the goal should be quick, decisive victory, or avoiding the engagement entirely.

Sun Tzu offers a practical solution for sustained campaigns: use the enemy's resources. Foraging from opponent territory is worth twenty times the equivalent brought from home. Capture equipment rather than destroy it. This principle of leveraging opponent resources transforms a draining competition into a self-sustaining one.