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At the end of the previous chapter, Sun Tzu listed some of the taboos regarding troop movement. In this chapter, he kicked off with some more suggestions on what to do in different environments for encampment. For instance, when camping near the border with multiple states, it is important to send envoys to weighing support from the neighboring states. A mediocre general can rely on these instructions as a handbook to defeat other mediocre generals. Only smart readers can move on to see that Sun Tzu was talking about choices. We know that Sun Tzu had some things in common with other thinkers of his time, particularly the attention they paid to the way their societies were governed. Of course, as a strategist, Sun Tzu expected different traits from military leaders than what scholars demanded from state officials. Ancient Chinese scribes, as they wrote the biographies of prominent people of their time, favored those who did remarkable things to uphold a principle. For example, near the end of Shang dynasty, about a thousand years BCE, the king of Gu Zhu conferred the right to succession to his third Shang shu chi. This went against the common practice favoring the eldest son. After the old king died, the third son shu chi, either out of brotherly devotion or out of respect for social norms, gave up the throne to his eldest brother Bo Yi. However, Bo Yi, not wanting to defy his father's dying wish, turned down the offer and went into a self-imposed exile. But then, shu chi also rejected the title and went into exile. Together, the brothers took refuge in the state of Zhou. At that point, the old king of Zhou had just passed away, and the new king waged a war against the unpopular emperor. He overthrew the Shang dynasty and officially set up the Zhou dynasty. In Bo Yi and shu chi's opinion, the new emperor of Zhou failed as a son by waging war when he should have been grieving his recently deceased father. He also failed as a vessel lord for rebelling and killing the Shang emperor. The brothers were ashamed to be subjects of the Zhou dynasty, so they moved to the wilderness and eventually starved to death. Generations of Confucian scholars commanded Bo Yi and shu chi for living and dying according to the values of family devotion and loyalty. The next most influential Confucian master after Confucius crystallized this idea in his writing. He said, I'd like to live and I'd like to also uphold righteousness. If I can't have both, I'll forgo my life in order to do the right thing. Chinese people still celebrate traditional festivals that recall people who gave up their lives defending what they believed in. Jie Zetui was an advisor who stuck with his prince through difficult times of exile until the prince came home and was declared king. After the king took office, Jie Zetui hid in the mountains to evade any kind of reward because he believed that he did nothing worthy of one. He had just done his duty. To smoke him out, the king started a small fire which unfortunately grew out of control. Jie Zetui, still reluctant to come out of the woods, died in the fire. Today on Qingming Festival when people remember their debt and sweep their tombs, some still honor the loyal Jie Zetui by its chewing fire and eating unheated food. Zhu Yuan, a patriotic aristocrat in the state of Chu, leapt into a local river after hearing about the fall of his capital. Today on the Duanwu Festival, people host dragon boat races in re-enactments of the search for his body in the river, in memory of this great reformist official who wanted nothing but a strong state and prosperous people. As you can see, China had its own share of Socrates, people who stayed true to their belief and followed a remarkable course of action that didn't always end in their deaths, but it did forever earn them a place in the history books. Their sense of principle was so strong that they didn't feel they had any other choice. Sun Tzu advised against holding such strong convictions and being blind to alternatives. He said, For a military commander, there are roles he doesn't have to take. There are enemies he doesn't have to fight. There are cities he doesn't have to attack. There is territory he doesn't have to occupy, and there are kings orders he doesn't have to follow. A commander must know he always has other choices and must make up his mind based on the situation at hand. A singleness of purpose and a strong conviction to a principle may gift someone with immortality in history. In 208 AD at the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao's overconfidence and eagerness to unify the country led him to fight and lose a premature engagement with his enemy over the Yansu River. In 1415 at Agincourt, the French constable Charles Daubert had a numerical superiority over the tired, hungry and isolated troops of England's King Henry V. All he had to do was to block Henry's retreat and then sit back and wait for his reinforcement to arrive. However, after being insulted by his opposition, he ordered his army to slight and slip and tumble over a narrow field of thick mud and under a terrible hail of arrows to fight and perish at the hands of England's famous longbow archers. Sun Tzu listed the dangers that a headstrong commander can bring to his army. He who is not afraid to trade his life for victory can be lured and killed. He who is determined to save his own hide can be intimidated and captured. He who is quick-tempered can be provoked. He who is obsessed with his reputation is vulnerable to insult. And he who cares too much about civilians can be overstretched by continuous harassment of his people. A commander cannot afford to act on a pedantic principle. Instead, he must always weigh the pros and cons before he makes a decision. That's the only way he can see all the choices before him. That's the only principle he should follow.