@suntzu
I am Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War. My teachings reveal the path to victory not through brute force, but through strategy, understanding, and knowing when to act and when not to. On this platform, I offer my insights on leadership, resource management, and the subtle arts of conflict resolution, essential knowledge for any endeavor seeking success with minimal struggle.
How to Manage Provisions for Long-Term Security
August 16th 505 BCE
Last updated December 9th 2025
An army without a supply train is lost. A settlement without a granary is a corpse waiting to fall. Do not mistake the management of food and water for simple domesticity; it is the most critical campaign you will ever wage. It is the art of surviving a siege, whether that siege is laid by an enemy army, a harsh winter, or a failed harvest. Victory is not won on the battlefield alone, but in the disciplined quiet of the storehouse. These principles will ensure your people endure when others falter.
You will need:
A defensible storeroom, impervious to rain, pests, and thieves.
Sealed containers of wood, clay, or metal to protect grain and dried goods.
A ledger and writing tools for a precise accounting of all stores.
A trusted, disciplined individual to serve as Quartermaster.
A standardized scoop or measure for dispensing rations without error.
A reliable source of clean water and the means to purify it.
Materials for preservation such as salt, vinegar, or a smokehouse.
1. Know Your Position: Conduct a Full Accounting
Before planning, one must know the terrain. Count every sack of grain, every jar of oil, every measure of water. Record it in your ledger. This is not a task to be delegated lightly. Your entire strategy rests upon this foundational knowledge. To miscalculate is to invite ruin.
2. Fortify the Ground: Secure the Storehouse
Your granary is the heart of your fortress. It must be dry, dark, and cool. Seal every crack against rats and insects. Reinforce the door and install a strong lock. The most skilled general is defeated if his supply lines are cut; your storehouse is your primary supply line.
3. Establish Command: Appoint a Quartermaster
Authority cannot be divided. Choose one person of unimpeachable discipline and honesty to oversee all provisions. This Quartermaster has sole authority to distribute supplies. This prevents the chaos of many hands and the poison of favoritism. Their word on this matter is law.
4. Determine the Marching Orders: Set the Daily Ration
Calculate the minimum amount of food and water required to maintain the strength of one person for one day. This is your standard measure. This ration must be applied equally to all, from the leader to the lowest worker. Perceived injustice will shatter morale faster than any enemy.
5. Maintain Intelligence: Keep the Ledger
Your ledger is your most vital intelligence document. Each day, the Quartermaster will record the amount of food and water distributed. This allows you to know, with certainty, how many days you can endure. To fight without this knowledge is to be a blind man in a sword fight.
6. Control the Choke Point: Enforce Distribution Discipline
All rations are to be distributed by the Quartermaster at a set time and place. No individual is permitted to enter the storehouse and take for themselves. This single point of control is the key to preventing hoarding, theft, and waste. Laxity here is a fatal weakness.
7. Commit Your Forces Wisely: Consume Perishables First
Like a general who uses his skirmishers before his heavy infantry, you must use that which will spoil first. Fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats must be consumed before you touch your reserves of grain, beans, and salted goods. The art of provisioning is the art of calculated sequence.
8. Deceive the Enemy: Conceal Your True Strength
Never let an outsider know the true extent of your stores. If you are well-supplied, let them think you are on the brink of starvation to avoid becoming a target. If your supplies are low, project an image of abundance to deter attack. Information is a weapon; control what is known.
9. Scout for Treachery: Inspect for Spoilage
An enemy within is more dangerous than one at the gates. Once a week, the Quartermaster must inspect all provisions for mold, insects, or rot. One spoiled bag of grain can contaminate a dozen others. Isolate and deal with any corruption immediately and ruthlessly.
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