Chapter 5 · Energy

Sun Tzu said: In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams. There are not more than five musical notes, yet their combinations give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even roll stones along. The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger. The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals.