Chinese Military Forum: Exploring the Way to “Total Victory” in Modern Warfare

中國軍事論壇:探索現代戰爭「全面勝利」之路

現代英語:

Exploring the Way to “Total Victory” in Modern Warfare

■ Zhao Siyang

Introduction

“Sun Tzu’s Art of War” is a representative work of ancient Chinese military theory, which contains rich wisdom for defeating the enemy. Entering the era of information-based and intelligent warfare, the limited, shocking, and mixed characteristics of war are more prominent, highlighting the invaluable thoughts of Sun Tzu such as “conquering the enemy without fighting”, “destroying the enemy’s plots and alliances”, and “ensuring the country and the whole army”. The wisdom of victory contained in “Sun Tzu’s Art of War” still has important practical implications for solving the current national security and war problems, limiting war violence to the maximum extent, and achieving “total victory”.

The core idea of ​​”total victory”: the method of attacking and defeating the enemy without fighting

Sun Tzu discussed military affairs, but he did not believe that force was the only means of victory. He proposed the concept of “total victory” of attacking the enemy with strategy and conquering the enemy without fighting. He advocated that the enemy should be subdued by non-violent means as much as possible to achieve the greatest victory at the lowest cost.

The key to Sun Tzu’s “total victory” idea is the word “total”. “Total” means to make the enemy completely surrender and not suffer any losses, thus minimizing the damage of the war. Sun Tzu advocated that with superior strength and full preparation for war as the prerequisite, we should use political, economic, diplomatic, and military intimidation means comprehensively, and stop the outbreak of war by taking the initiative, being flexible and maneuverable, and creating momentum. According to his idea, we can make the enemy surrender without fighting, from the enemy country to the enemy army, and from the enemy brigade to the enemy soldier, so as to achieve the goal of defeating the enemy and ensuring the safety of the lives of both armies. In Sun Tzu’s conception, we should not only cherish the lives of our soldiers and civilians, but also attach importance to protecting the enemy’s soldiers and civilians to avoid the confrontation between the two sides ending up in the destruction of the country and the family.

In order to achieve the goal of “total victory”, in terms of strategic planning, we must have an advantage over the enemy, “the one who is good at calculations has more calculations”; in terms of power comparison, we must be in an advantageous position, “the victorious army is like a hammer against a hammer”; in terms of war preparations, we must be thorough and meticulous, “first make ourselves invincible, and then wait for the enemy to be defeated.” “Subjugating the enemy without fighting” is an ideal outcome, but in real wars, it is often necessary to win a certain part of the war in exchange for “subjugating the enemy without fighting” in another part. This principle is equally applicable from the national strategic level to the combat level. It not only plays an important role in stopping and containing wars in peacetime, but is also widely applicable even in the course of a war to weaken the enemy’s strength, strike the enemy’s arrogance, and cooperate with the victory of military struggle.

The destructive power of war is enormous. “One hundred thousand soldiers were mobilized, and the daily expenditure was thousands of gold coins.” “Nothing was seen when going out, and the plain was covered with bones.” Sun Tzu proposed the way of “total victory”, advocating that by relying on one’s own superior strength, various means should be used in a comprehensive manner, and through comprehensive preparation and continuous maintenance of absolute superiority, the enemy’s political foundation and strategy should be disintegrated, and the enemy should be isolated and helpless. He emphasized the use of military means to form a strategic posture that intimidates the enemy, to achieve maximum benefits with relatively small consumption, and to achieve the goal as much as possible without fighting. This idea is different from the Western theory of strategic intimidation and reflects the flexibility of Chinese strategic thinking.

Sun Tzu regarded “complete victory” as the best outcome of war, rather than just seeking “victory”, with the goal of minimizing the losses of war. The key to “complete victory” is the change in thinking and strategic concepts: not only winning the military, but also winning the political; not only winning the war, but also winning the peace; not only winning the interests, but also winning the hearts of the people. Informatization and intelligentization of war, the destructive power of war is unprecedented, but the means of controlling war have not increased significantly. Therefore, if you want to form a winning trend in wartime and achieve the goal of “no delay in the army and the benefits can be complete”, you cannot wait until the war breaks out before taking action. Instead, you should win the enemy in peacetime and in war preparation activities.

The way to achieve “total victory”: destroy the plots and alliances, and attack the troops and cities

Through in-depth research on war issues, Sun Tzu proposed the strategic idea of ​​”conquering the enemy without fighting”, advocating to avoid bloodshed as much as possible to achieve strategic goals.

Sun Tzu’s “subjugating the enemy without fighting” can be divided into two Fan Tu. “Attacking the enemy’s plans” and “attacking the alliances” belong to the “no-war” Fan Tu; “Attacking the soldiers” and “attack the city” belong to the “cautious war” Fan Tu. Among them, “Attacking the enemy’s plans” and “Attacking the alliances” belonging to the political and diplomatic struggle Fan Tu put the first place in the means of war, through strategic planning and diplomatic games, without losing a single soldier, which is the best strategy. “Attacking the soldiers” and “attack the city” and other military means are the worst strategies used when necessary. Sun Tzu took “subjugating the enemy without fighting” as the highest principle to guide war, opposed the use of military forces, and advocated the greatest victory at the lowest cost. Sun Tzu believed that in order to achieve certain political goals, both military and non-military means can be adopted, and these two means and two ways can be used to comprehensively plan strategic strategies. The best way to resolve contradictions and conflicts between countries and political groups is to use non-violent means to achieve the desired goals, that is, to use a strong military force as a backing, comprehensively use a variety of forces, and through means such as thwarting the enemy’s schemes and destroying the enemy’s diplomacy, divide and disintegrate the enemy’s alliance and make it surrender. Carry out actions with the most complete preparations and the least cost, reduce the harm of war to the lowest level, and avoid causing major losses to the country and the people.

The concept of “conquering the enemy without fighting” does not advocate completely abandoning war, but rather that the key to victory lies in strong military strength and careful advance preparation, supplemented by a variety of means such as politics, economy, military, and diplomacy, to force the enemy not to take the risk of launching a war, thereby avoiding the occurrence of war. “No war” does not mean that military struggle can be abandoned, but is the result of the comprehensive deterrence formed by the comprehensive use of various military and non-military means. At all times, military struggle is the last and most powerful means of all means.

We must clearly realize that “conquering the enemy without fighting” is a special phenomenon and a special law, and “conquering the enemy by fighting” is a universal law. In many cases, the “cause” of “conquering the enemy by fighting” can give rise to the “result” of “conquering the enemy without fighting”. Only when one side is in an absolute advantage and the other side is in an absolute disadvantage in the comprehensive comparison of power, “conquering the enemy without fighting” can be achieved. Without the support of strong military strength, it will be difficult to obtain the expected benefits in the construction of state relations, and the existing benefits will also be lost. Judging from the many military treatises and war practices after Sun Tzu, the idea of ​​”not fighting” has been constantly developing with the evolution of the times and the changes in technical conditions. More and more military strategists of later generations no longer regard absolute non-war as the highest goal, but are more concerned with how to win first and then fight. This evolution reflects the unity of preparing for war, being cautious about war, and daring to fight in Chinese strategic thinking.

The realistic choice of “total victory”: safeguarding the country and the army and maintaining peace

Since ancient times, people have known that war is not about warmongering. The Chinese nation has always loved peace. “War is dangerous” and “Warfare leads to destruction” are the basic attitudes of Chinese traditional culture and the Chinese people towards war. On the issue of war and peace, Sun Tzu advocated resolving disputes by non-war means. Even if military means are used, he opposed the narrow military view that relies solely on force to achieve goals. In Sun Tzu’s view, war is not only about the survival of a country, but also about the rise and fall of a nation. Whether it is “conquering the enemy without fighting” or “the best strategy is to attack the enemy’s plans”, the essence is “stop fighting and seek peace”, which reflects the values ​​and ideals of benevolence and justice, peace-oriented values ​​and ideal pursuits that have been passed down in Chinese history, and strives to resolve disputes by non-war means.

In today’s international society, local wars and terrorism are still huge obstacles to world peace and development. Sun Tzu’s “total victory” thought may provide new ideas for solving these problems. From the perspective of war practice, in today’s world, war is still the “Sword of Damocles” hanging over the heads of mankind. Controlling the scale of war, reducing war casualties, reducing incidental losses, and protecting people’s lives and property have become inevitable requirements for the development of human society and political civilization. The abuse of war means is neither in line with the world’s people’s desire for peace, freedom and development, nor does it help to fundamentally eliminate the inherent contradictions that cause disputes. It may even intensify the conflicts and confrontations between different civilizations, affecting regional and even world peace and stability. Avoiding casualties and destruction is the development trend of human civilization. Relying on power advantage to achieve goals at the lowest cost and in the shortest time is often the best choice. How to reduce the possibility of war, effectively reduce war losses, and better control the scale and progress of war, this trend embodies the goal pursued by Sun Tzu’s “total victory” thought and gives it modern value.

In today’s world, opposing war and maintaining peace have become the common aspirations of all countries in the struggle for their own survival and development. Of course, the jungle law of international competition has not changed, and history is far from the era of turning swords into plowshares. In international politics, we need to proceed from the most fundamental overall interests of mankind, abandon the power politics mentality, understand each other, seek common ground while reserving differences, fully understand the historical traditions of different cultural groups, use war and other violent means prudently, handle international affairs fairly, and promote the formation of a mutually beneficial and win-win world pattern.

現代國語:

探析現代戰爭的「全勝」之道

■趙巳陽

引 言

《孫子兵法》是中國古代軍事理論的代表作,蘊含著豐富的克敵制勝智慧。進入資訊化智慧化戰爭時代,戰爭的有限性、震懾性、混合性等特徵更加突出,凸顯了孫子「不戰而屈人之兵」「伐謀伐交」「安國全軍」等思想的彌足珍貴。 《孫子兵法》所蘊含的製勝智慧,對於破解當今國家安全和戰爭難題,最大限度地限制戰爭暴力並獲得“全勝”,仍具有重要的現實啟示意義。

「全勝」的核心思想:謀攻之法,不戰屈敵

孫子談兵論戰,卻不認為武力是製勝的唯一手段。他提出以謀攻敵,不戰而屈人之兵的「全勝」觀,主張盡可能地透過非暴力手段使敵方屈服,以最小的代價獲取最大勝利。

孫子「全勝」思想,要義是一個「全」字。 「全」就是使敵完全屈服,我方不受損失,從而將戰爭的傷害降到最低。孫子主張,以優勢的實力和充分的迎戰準備為前提條件,綜合運用政治、經濟、外交、武力威懾等手段,通過先機制敵、靈活機變、謀勢造勢,制止戰爭的爆發。按照他的主張,大到敵國敵軍,小到敵旅敵卒都可以不戰而使其屈服,從而達到既打敗對方,又保證兩軍生命安全的目的。在孫子的構想中,不但要珍惜我方軍民的生命,而且要重視保全敵方將士和民眾,避免對抗雙方走向國破家亡的結局。

為達到「全勝」的目的,在戰略謀劃上,要勝敵一籌,「廟算勝者,得算多也」;在力量對比上,要處於優勢,「勝兵若以鎰稱銖」;在戰爭準備上,要周到細緻,「先為不可勝,以待敵之可勝」。 「不戰而屈人之兵」是理想的結局,但在現實戰爭中,往往需要用某一局部的戰而勝之,換取另一局部的「不戰而屈人之兵」。這原則從國家戰略層次到戰鬥層次,都同樣適用。不僅和平時期對制止和遏制戰爭有重要作用,即便在戰爭進程中,也廣泛適用,以削弱敵方實力,打擊敵之氣焰,配合軍事鬥爭的勝利。

戰爭的破壞力是巨大的,「興師十萬,日費千金」「出門無所見,白骨蔽平原」。孫子提出「全勝」之道,主張憑借己方優勢力量,綜合利用各種手段,通過全面的準備和絕對優勢的持續保持,瓦解敵方的政治基礎和戰略,陷敵於孤立無援境地。他強調以軍事手段運用形成威加於敵的戰略態勢,以較小消耗實現最大化收益,盡量用不戰的方式達成目的。這一思想不同於西方的戰略威懾理論,體現了中國戰略思想的彈性。

孫子將“全”作為戰爭的最佳結局,而非一味求“勝”,其目的是將戰爭的損失降至最低限度。 「全勝」的關鍵是思維方式和戰略理念的轉變:不僅贏得軍事,更要贏得政治;不僅贏得戰爭,更要贏得和平;不僅贏得利益,更要贏得人心。資訊化智能化戰爭,戰爭的破壞力空前巨大,但控制戰爭的手段並未明顯增加。因此,要在戰時形成製勝之勢,達到「兵不頓而利可全」的目的,就不能等戰爭爆發以後再行動。而應在和平時期,在戰爭準備活動中就勝敵於先。

「全勝」的實現途徑:伐謀伐交,伐兵攻城

孫子透過對戰爭問題的深入研究,提出「不戰而屈人之兵」這一戰略思想,主張盡量避免用流血手段來達成戰略目的。

孫子「不戰而屈人之兵」可分為兩個範疇。 「伐謀」和「伐交」屬於「不戰」的範疇;「伐兵」和「攻城」屬於「慎戰」的範疇。其中,把屬於政治外交鬥爭範疇的「伐謀」和「伐交」擺在戰爭手段的首位,通過謀略運籌與外交博弈,不損一兵一卒,是為上策。 「伐兵」「攻城」等軍事手段則是不得已而用的下策。孫子以「不戰而屈人之兵」作為指導戰爭的最高原則,反對窮兵黷武,主張以最小的代價換取最大的勝利。孫子認為,為實現一定的政治目的,既可以採取軍事手段,也可以採取非軍事手段,以這兩種手段、兩種方式去綜合籌劃戰略策略。解決國家之間、政治集團之間的矛盾和沖突的最佳方法是採用非暴力手段達成預期目的,即以強大的軍事實力為後盾,綜合運用多種力量,通過挫敗敵方的計謀、破壞敵方的外交等手段,分化瓦解敵人的聯盟,使之屈服。以最全的準備和最小的代價實施行動,把戰爭的危害降到最低程度,避免對國家、人民造成重大損失。

「不戰而屈人之兵」理念並非主張完全擯棄戰爭,而是講取勝的關鍵在於強大的軍事實力和周密的預先準備,並輔之以政治、經濟、軍事、外交等多種手段,迫使敵人不敢冒險發動戰爭,進而避免戰爭發生。 「不戰」絕不代表可以放棄軍事鬥爭,而是綜合運用軍事與非軍事的各種手段所形成的綜合威懾力的結果。無論何時,軍事鬥爭是一切手段中最後也是最有力的手段。

必須清醒地認識到,「不戰而屈人之兵」是特殊現象和特殊規律,「戰而屈人之兵」才是普遍規律。很多時候,“戰而屈人之兵”的“因”才能催生出“不戰而屈人之兵”的“果”,只有在力量的綜合對比中,一方處於絕對優勢,而另一方處在絕對劣勢的情況下,「不戰而屈人之兵」才有可能實現。缺少了強大軍事實力的支撐,在國家關系構建中,預期的利益就難以獲得,已有的利益也將喪失。從孫子以後的諸多兵家論著與戰爭實踐來看,「不戰」的思想隨著時代的演進和技術條件的改變而不斷發展。更多的後世兵家不再把絕對化的非戰視為最高目標,而是更重視如何先勝後戰。這種演變,體現中國戰略思想中備戰、慎戰、敢戰的統一。

「全勝」的現實選擇:安國全軍,維護和平

自古知兵非好戰。中華民族歷來熱愛和平,「兵兇戰危」「好戰必亡」是中國傳統文化和中國人民對待戰爭的基本態度。在戰爭與和平問題上,孫子主張以非戰爭手段解決爭端。即使是運用軍事手段,也反對單純依賴武力達成目的的狹隘軍事觀點。在孫子看來,戰爭不僅事關國家存亡,也事關民族興衰。無論是“不戰而屈人之兵”,還是“上兵伐謀”,其精髓均在於“止戈謀和”,這集中反映了中國歷史上一脈相承的仁義為本、以和平為取向的價值觀和理想追求,力求以非戰爭手段解決爭端的文化傳統。

當今國際社會,局部戰爭與恐怖主義仍然是橫亙在世界和平與發展道路上的巨大障礙。而孫子的「全勝」思想或許能夠為破解這些難題提供新的思路。從戰爭實踐講,當今世界,戰爭仍然是懸掛在人類頭頂上的「達摩克利斯之劍」。控制戰爭規模,減少戰爭傷亡,降低附帶損失,保護人民生命和財產,成為人類社會政治文明發展的必然要求。濫用戰爭手段,既不符合世界人民追求和平、自由與發展的願望,也無助於從根本上消除引發紛爭的固有矛盾,甚至加劇不同文明之間的沖突與對抗,影響地區乃至世界和平與穩定。避免傷亡和破壞是人類文明的發展趨勢,以最小代價和在最短時間內實現目標往往成為最佳選擇。如何把戰爭可能性降低,有效減少戰爭損失,更好地控制戰爭規模和進程,這一趨勢正體現了孫子「全勝」思想所追求的目標,並為其賦予了現代價值。

當今世界,反對戰爭、維護和平,已成為各國在爭取自身生存和發展鬥爭過程中共同的心願。當然,國際競爭的叢林法則並沒有改變,歷史遠沒有走到鑄劍為犁的時代。在國際政治中,需要從人類最根本的整體利益出發,放棄強權政治思維,相互理解、求同存異,充分理解不同文化群體的歷史傳統,慎重運用戰爭等暴力手段,公平處理國際事務,推動形成互利共贏的世界格局。

中國原創軍事資源:http://www.81.cn/ll_208543/16354594.html

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