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When Outnumbered by Enemy

Disciplines > Warfare > Wu Zi's Art of War > When Outnumbered by Enemy

Chapter | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also

Chapter

Second part : 5 : 2

Observed lessons

• When they have greater forces, avoid battle in open land or where you may be encircled.
• A better place for battle is in narrow spaces where large numbers cannot enter.
• You may be able to rattle a larger force by pretending you have more troops than you actually have.

Discussion

By and large, engaging directly with a larger force is not a good idea. If you are likely to be beaten in any situation then it is better to retreat and find other means of defeating them, for example with guerilla action. This is a common approach in any asymmetric warfare.

A classic method once used in castles was to imitate more soldiers is to prop up dummies or dead soldiers on the walls and go around firing their guns. In woodland or towns you can appear to be a larger force by moving around and firing from many directions. Remote detonations can be used in similar ways.

See also

Guerilla war

http://www.chinese-wiki.com/Wu_Zi_Art_of_War