"In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good"

Sun Tzu emphasizes the importance of maintaining the opponent's area in order to take full advantage of success in war. The damage of an enemy's area might appear like an accomplishment, however the supreme objective needs to always be to gain control of the land as a whole, instead of leaving it in ruins. Prioritizing this outcome over destroying the opponent's resources and people is a more tactical technique to warfare.