25
The General’s Defeats

AS FOR THE GENERAL'S DEFEATS ( DEFECTS ) :

First, he is incapable but believes himself to be capable.

Second, arrogance.

Third, greedy for position.

Fourth, greedy for wealth.

. . . . .

Sixth, light.

Seventh, obtuse.

Eighth, little courage.

Ninth, courageous but weak.

Tenth, little credibility.

. . . . .

Fourteenth, rarely decisive.

Fifteenth, slow.

Sixteenth, indolent.

Seventeenth, oppressive.

Eighteenth, brutal.

Nineteenth, selfish.

Twentieth, induces confusion.

When the defeats (defects) are numerous the losses will be many.

COMMENTARY

This concise chapter identifies twenty common, important defects in commanders. The chapter’s title—“The General’s Defeats”—has been translated to preserve the fundamental meaning of the character pai (defeat) and thereby cohere with both the military context and its appearance in the previous chapter, but in this usage pai is of course synonymous with “defects.”

As already mentioned, most of the military writings identified character flaws that would adversely affect command and impact battles and campaigns. A few early books also offered criteria for evaluating officers, sometimes unique but generally falling within the general tradition of “knowing men,” disqualifying those who were hasty, cowardly, greedy, stupid, and disloyal. A chapter in the Six Secret Teachings also explicates the reasons why certain combinations of defects may prove behaviorally inappropriate on the battlefield and open to exploitation by an astute enemy: “One who is courageous and treats death lightly can be destroyed by violence. One who is hasty and impatient can be destroyed by persistence. One who is greedy and loves profit can be bribed. One who is benevolent but unable to inflict suffering can be worn down. One who is wise but fearful can be distressed. One who is trustworthy and likes to trust others can be deceived. One who is scrupulous but incorruptible but does not love men can be insulted. One who is wise but indecisive can be suddenly attacked. One who is resolute and self-reliant can be confounded by events. One who is fearful and likes to entrust responsibility to others can be tricked.”

Sun-tzu also identified several inappropriate traits and listed five excesses found in generals together with their specific dangers: “One committed to dying can be slain. One committed to living can be captured. One easily angered and hasty can be insulted. One obsessed with being scrupulous and untainted can be shamed. One who loves the people can be troubled.” Among others, Wu Ch’i emphasized the importance of evaluating enemy commanders and then exploiting such recognizable defects as stupidity and greed while the Three Strategies includes a paragraph that concretely explicates Sun Pin’s conclusion that numerous defects will result in many losses: “If the general has a single one of these faults, the masses will not submit; if he is marked by two of them, the army will lack order; if by three of them, his subordinates will abandon him; if by four, the disaster will extend to the entire state.”