Sun Tzu Decoded
Chapter 13 · Espionage · 用間

Passage 13-10

五間之事, 君必知之, 知之必在於反間, 故反間不可不厚也.

The ruler must understand all five types of spies. The key lies with double agents—therefore, double agents must be generously rewarded.

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These passages from other chapters connect to the themes in Passage 13-10:

The Five Fundamental Factors Passage 1-2 故經之以五事, 校之以計, 而索其情. 一曰道, 二曰天, ... Dispersive Ground Passage 11-1 孫子曰: 用兵之法, 有散地, 有輕地, 有爭地, 有交地,... No Profit, No Move Passage 12-7 夫戰勝攻取, 而不修其功者凶, 命曰費留. 故曰: 明主慮之... Anger Is Not Strategy Passage 12-9 怒可以復喜, 慍可以復悅, 亡國不可以復存, 死者不可以復生...

More from Chapter 13: Espionage (用間)

Passage 13-1: Sun Tzu said: Raising an army of one hundred thousand and campaigning a thousand... Passage 13-2: To stand in confrontation for years, striving for victory in a single day, yet b... Passage 13-3: The reason wise rulers and brilliant generals move and conquer, achieving succes... Passage 13-4: There are five types of spy: local, internal, double, expendable, and living. Wh... Passage 13-5: Local spies: recruited from the enemy’s population Internal spies: recruited fro... Passage 13-6: In military affairs, no one is closer than spies, no rewards greater, no busines... Passage 13-7: To attack an army, besiege a city, or assassinate an individual—first learn the ... Passage 13-8: Identify enemy spies sent against us. Win them over with benefits, guide and acc... Passage 13-9: Through double agents, gain intelligence that allows expendable spies to deliver... Passage 13-11: In ancient times, the rise of Yin was aided by Yi Zhi, who was in Xia. The rise ... Passage 13-12: Only wise rulers and brilliant generals who employ the highly intelligent as spi...