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Crow and Cloud Formation in the Marshes

Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 5.6 Crow and Cloud Formation in the Marshes

Teaching set  | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also

Teaching set

Leopard Secret Teachings 5.6 (48)

Observed lessons

• When you cannot get supplies, retreat. Set up ambushes to your rear.
• To escape quickly, be prepared to bribe local people and buy your way out.
• When they know of your ambushes, improvise. Use a secondary ambush above the initial one, for example.

Discussion

Retreat is seldom dignified and can be very hazardous, but done well it can be successful.

Crow and Cloud formation uses chariots and cavalry and is described as 'like the crows dispersing and the clouds forming together. Their changes and transformations are endless.' In other words, fight with constantly changing formations, flowing with the changing tides of battle.

In business, it is easy to march to the strategic plan. The problem is that the future is uncertain and a point may be reached where the plan will no longer achieve your mission. When this happens, you should keep the mission in mind as you change and adapt to cope with the shifting sands of the marketplace.

See also

Sawyer, R.D. (1993). The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China, Basic Books