Complete Victory

Complete Victory which has been the goal of the conqueror and which has been reached by the conqueror slowly and gradually has been mentioned in chapter IV of Book XII in Arthashastra. According to the treatise the defeated king before completely surrendering to the conqueror shall make use of all methods to fight with the conqueror till the end. This further entails that after making peace with the conqueror, the enemy king or the defeated king may give the conqueror part of gold which has been promised by him before the seizure. He, in disguise, may cause the conqueror`s defence forces to be slackened and then strikes them down with fire or swords and poisons; or he may win the confidence of the conqueror`s courtiers deputed to take the tribute. In case if he finds his resources are exhausted then he can run away abandoning his fort; or may escape through the tunnels, or through the wholes made recently or by breaking the parapets.

Complete Victory allows the enemy all fare chances to try before he finally surrenders to the conqueror. As such it leaves an option to the enemy who has challenged the conqueror at night to find a open war with the conqueror and if he fails then he shall runaway by the side path, or disguise as heretics, he may escape with small retinue, or may be carried away by the spies as corps, or can escape in disguise of women. He can be concealed in the fort as well. When surrounded in the fort, he may lie concealed in a hole bored into the body of an idol after eating sacramental food and setting up an altar; or he may lie in a secret hole in a wall, or in a hole made in the body of an idol in an underground chamber; and when he is forgotten, he may get out of his concealment through a tunnel, and, entering into the palace, slay his enemy while sleeping, or loosening the fastening of a machine (yantra) he may let it fall on his enemy.

Fiery spies, hidden in an underground chamber, or in a tunnel, or inside a secret wall, may slay the enemy when the latter is carelessly amusing himself in a pleasure park or any other place of recreation; or spies under concealment may poison him; or women under concealment may throw a snake, or poison, or fire or poisonous smoke over his person when he is asleep in a confined place; or spies, having access to the enemy`s harem, may, when opportunities occur, do to the enemy whatever is found possible on the occasion, and then get out unknown. On such occasions, they should make use of the signs indicative of the purpose of their society.

As such Kautilya with his chapter on Complete Victory ensures that in any condition the enemy should not be able to escape and makes sure that all methods are applied in the effort to slay the enemy.