assassinate an individual, it is always necessary to begin by finding
out the names of the attendants, the aides-de- camp,
[Literally "visitors", is equivalent, as Tu Yu says, to "those whose
duty it is to keep the general supplied with information," which
naturally necessitates frequent interviews with him.]
the door-keepers and sentries of the general in command. Our spies must
be commissioned to ascertain these.
[As the first step, no doubt towards finding out if any of these
important functionaries can be won over by bribery.]