In most people’s minds, when we talk about success, the conversation tends to revolve around a few familiar keywords:
hard work, perseverance, ability, and execution.
From a young age, we are taught that as long as we are willing to work, to push, and to endure, results will eventually follow. The workplace seems no different—working overtime, chasing performance targets, and taking on responsibility all create the impression that the more we invest, the closer we get to success. However, after going through several major life decisions, many people gradually begin to ask themselves a question:
Why is it that with the same level of effort, some people move forward quickly and steadily, while others remain stuck, endlessly draining themselves?
Chapter 13 of The Art of War, “Using Spies,” addresses this question from a highly realistic—almost cold, even ruthless—perspective. Sun Tzu tells us:
What determines success or failure is often not how much you are willing to give, but how much you “know” before you act.
At the very beginning, Sun Tzu points directly to the true nature of “cost”:
“When an army of one hundred thousand is mobilized and sent on a campaign a thousand miles away, the expenses borne by the people and the state amount to a thousand pieces of gold each day. Both the internal and external systems are thrown into turmoil.”
This is not merely a description of the grandeur of war—it is a calculation of cost. What is consumed daily is not just money, but manpower, social resources, order, and time. If we translate this into a modern context, it becomes a very familiar picture of work and life:
At the corporate level: Investing tens of millions into a project that has never been validated by the market.
At the personal level: Betting three to five years of youth on a career path with little future.
At the entrepreneurial level: Burning through savings for a chance at a “this might go viral” comeback.
On the surface, these actions appear to demonstrate courage and determination. But Sun Tzu reminds us that if such high costs are paid without understanding the opponent, the environment, the situation, or the key players, then what is truly being consumed is not just resources—but the very possibilities of the future.
Sun Tzu gives a harsh judgment to those who “do not know the enemy”:
“This is the height of inhumanity.”
This is a heavy statement. It means that acting blindly without understanding the situation is not bravery—it is extreme irresponsibility toward your team, your family, and even your own future. Diligence built on weak information foundations only accelerates the depletion of resources.
Sun Tzu is not rejecting effort. He is pointing to a deeper issue:
Action without an informational foundation is, in itself, irresponsible—to the organization, to others, and to oneself.
Such individuals, no matter how hardworking, are unlikely to become reliable leaders, trustworthy advisors, or key figures capable of delivering long-term victory.
Therefore, the chapter “Using Spies” is not merely about espionage, strategy, or manipulation. It is certainly not teaching people to be scheming or cunning. Instead, it speaks to a core capability that applies to any era and any field:
Before taking real action, have you obtained the critical information needed to reduce mistakes and increase your chances of success?
This is not just military strategy—it is a profound form of wisdom for career choices, life decisions, and resource allocation.
Original Text: The Art of War · Chapter 13: Using Spies
Sun Tzu said: When an army of one hundred thousand is raised and sent on a campaign a thousand miles away, the expenses borne by the people and the state amount to a thousand pieces of gold each day. Internal and external affairs are disrupted; people grow weary on the roads, and those unable to tend to their livelihoods number in the hundreds of thousands of households. They endure for years to contend for a single day’s victory. Yet to begrudge the expenditure of ranks and rewards of a hundred pieces of gold, and thereby fail to know the enemy’s situation—this is the height of inhumanity. Such a person is no leader of men, no assistant to the ruler, and no master of victory.
Therefore, what enables enlightened rulers and wise generals to move and conquer others, achieving success beyond the ordinary, is foreknowledge.
Foreknowledge cannot be obtained from spirits, cannot be inferred from analogies, and cannot be verified through calculation. It must be obtained from people—those who know the enemy’s situation.
Thus, there are five types of spies: local spies, inward spies, converted spies, doomed spies, and surviving spies. When all five are employed together and no one understands their methods, this is called the divine network and is the ruler’s greatest treasure.
Local spies are those recruited from among the people of the enemy’s land.
Inward spies are those recruited from among the enemy’s officials.
Converted spies are enemy spies who are turned to serve us.
Doomed spies are those sent out with false information to be passed to the enemy.
Surviving spies are those who return with information.Of all matters concerning the army, none is closer than intelligence work; none is more generously rewarded; none is more secretive. Without wisdom, one cannot use spies; without benevolence and righteousness, one cannot employ them; without subtlety, one cannot obtain their true information.
Subtle indeed, subtle indeed—there is nowhere that espionage is not used. If a spy’s mission is exposed before it is carried out, both the spy and those who were informed must be put to death.
Whenever the army intends to strike, to attack a city, or to eliminate a person, it must first know the names of the defending general, his aides, attendants, gatekeepers, and retainers. Our spies must discover all of this.
We must identify enemy spies who have come to spy on us, entice them with benefits, guide them, and release them. Thus, converted spies can be obtained and used.
Through them, we can make use of local and inward spies; through them, doomed spies can be sent with false information; through them, surviving spies can return as scheduled.
The ruler must understand the operations of all five types of spies, and this understanding depends on converted spies. Therefore, they must be treated with exceptional generosity.
In ancient times, when the Yin dynasty rose, Yi Zhi served in Xia; when the Zhou dynasty rose, Lü Ya served in Yin.
Thus, enlightened rulers and wise generals who can employ the most intelligent individuals as spies will achieve great accomplishments. This is the essential principle of warfare, and the foundation upon which the army acts.
1. The Greatest Waste in Career and Life Is “Blind Commitment”
In this chapter, Sun Tzu repeatedly emphasizes the importance of “foreknowledge”:
“What enables enlightened rulers and wise generals to act and conquer is foreknowledge.”
Foreknowledge is not fortune-telling, not intuition, and not merely accumulated experience.
Sun Tzu makes this extremely clear:
“It cannot be obtained from spirits, inferred from analogy, or verified through calculation; it must be obtained from people who know the enemy’s situation.”
Translated into the modern workplace, this can almost be stated directly as:
Success does not come from luck
Not from “everyone else is doing it”
Not from guessing the market based on feeling
Instead—it comes from building information channels and obtaining real intelligence through people.
Think about how many workplace tragedies happen this way:
Taking on a project without knowing who the real decision-maker is
Joining a company without understanding its internal power structure
Investing in a startup without clearly understanding competitors’ strengths and hidden advantages
Making major relationship or life decisions based purely on emotion, without verifying any information
All of these are modern manifestations of “not knowing the enemy.”
2. What Is “Using Spies”? Not Espionage, but an Information System
In a modern context, the term “spies” is actually best understood not as literal espionage, but as:
purposeful, structured human information channels
The “Five Types of Spies” proposed by Sun Tzu translate remarkably well into modern workplace applications:
1️⃣ Local Spies: “Outsiders” Close to the Frontline
“Local spies are those recruited from among the people of the enemy’s land.”
In the workplace, these might be:
- Client-side contacts
- Suppliers
- Former colleagues or ex-employees
- Peripheral figures within industry communities
They may not hold power, but they understand the subtle realities on the ground.
Much of the most valuable information does not come from meeting rooms—it comes from coffee breaks, casual chats, and informal networks.
2️⃣ Inward Spies: Key Nodes Within the Organization
“Inward spies are those recruited from among the enemy’s officials.”
These are your internal intelligence sources.
Within a company, the most critical people are often not those with the highest titles, but those who:
- Have access to leadership thinking
- Sense shifts in direction early
- Understand the system’s blind spots
“Managing relationships” is not about flattery—it’s about understanding how the organization truly operates.
3️⃣ Converted Spies: Turning the Enemy’s Information Sources
“Converted spies are enemy spies who are turned to serve us.”
In business and professional settings, this is an advanced capability:
- Interpreting signals from competitors
- Distinguishing between real and misleading information
- Inferring true intentions from observable actions
The truly skilled do not just collect information—they evaluate its reliability.
4️⃣ Doomed Spies: Strategic Information Release for Testing
“Doomed spies are those sent out with false information to be passed to the enemy.”
This is extremely common today:
- Releasing signals to test market reactions
- Quietly leaking strategic directions to observe responses
- Using small-scale experiments to validate major decisions
This is not about deception for its own sake—it is about using low-cost “feints” to observe market and competitor reactions, avoiding the risk of committing all resources blindly.
5️⃣ Surviving Spies: Sustainable Feedback Mechanisms
“Surviving spies are those who return with information.”
These are the most valuable long-term assets:
- Providing real market feedback
- Supplying data for post-action adjustments
- Enabling continuous strategy refinement
They create a real-time feedback loop that allows you to adapt dynamically.
3. Why Did Sun Tzu Say: “No Reward Is Greater Than That for Spies, No Matter More Secret”?
“Of all matters concerning the army, none is closer than intelligence work; none is more generously rewarded; none is more secretive.”
This highlights a principle that modern professionals often overlook:
👉 The value of information always exceeds the value of execution.
In today’s workplace, we often see those who labor being exploited, while those who control information flows profit with ease.
Sun Tzu reminds us: if you do not invest in understanding and judgment, you will end up paying tuition with time and failure.
“Foreknowledge” does not come from intuition or luck—it comes from building reliable human intelligence networks.
4. The Wisdom of Life Decisions: Not About Trying Harder, but Avoiding Mistakes
The ultimate meaning of “Using Spies” is not about outsmarting others, but:
how to reduce the probability of making wrong decisions
The bigger the decision, the less you can rely on passion alone:
- Changing jobs: Have you investigated the real culture of the new team, the manager’s reputation, and turnover rate?
- Starting a business: Do you truly understand competitors’ profit margins, core technologies, and vulnerabilities?
- Investing: Are you seeing genuine industry trends—or “doomed spy” signals deliberately released to mislead retail investors?
- Partnerships: Have you thoroughly examined your partner’s financial credibility, past integrity, and behavior under unequal profit distribution? Information asymmetry before partnership often becomes litigation cost after breakup.
- Even marriage and life turning points: Are you seeing a carefully curated “surviving spy” image during dating—or the underlying values and emotional stability that will sustain a lifetime?
Before you exert effort, you must first use your mind.
Sun Tzu concludes with two historical examples:
“When the Yin dynasty rose, Yi Zhi served in Xia.
When the Zhou dynasty rose, Lü Ya served in Yin.”
The rise of dynasties was not driven by momentary force, but by early positioning, insight into human nature, and accurate judgment of trends.
At critical turning points in life, foreknowledge helps you avoid cliffs.
Conclusion: True Masters Are Quiet Information Strategists
This chapter, “Using Spies,” is calm, realistic—and even ruthless.
It tells us:
- The world does not reward ignorant kindness
- The workplace does not sympathize with blind effort
- Life does not deliver results simply because you try hard
Those who achieve long-term success share a common trait:
They always know—before they act—who they are dealing with and what game they are playing.
This is not conspiracy thinking—it is a clear-eyed understanding of reality.
Effort spends resources; insight determines victory.
