Sun Tzu's Art of War and the 36 Stratagems (Latest Illustrated Edition, with Bonus CD-ROM)

Author: Sun Wu [Spring and Autumn Period]
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: During the Warring States Period, the legendary master Guiguzi had two outstanding disciples: one was Sunzi, and the other was Pang Juan. Pang Juan emerged into the world before Sun Bin, and Guiguzi secretly passed down the lost Art of War to Sun Bin alone. Pang Juan led the Wei army to stalemate against the Chu army at Fangcheng. Sun Bin quoted the Art of War to propose the strategy of "pulling the ladder away after climbing to the roof," leading to a decisive victory over the Chu army. Jealous of Sun Bin's talent, Pang Juan used the tactic of "smiling with hidden daggers" to frame Sun Bin, who was then punished with the amputation of his legs. Pang Juan's strategist, Gongsun Yue, revealed Pang Juan's plot to Sun Bin to win the favor of the beautiful Zhongliu Qiu. Sun Bin feigned madness ("pretending to be sick but not insane") and burned all the copies of the military strategies he had copied. Zhongliu Qiu hoped Sun Bin was not truly mad and confided in him her true feelings, but Sun Bin remained in a state of feigned insanity. Pang Juan, who secretly monitored Sun Bin, believed him to be genuinely mad. When Zhongliu Qiu's sister, Zhongliu Chun, learned the truth about Sun Bin's feigned madness, she traveled alone to Sun Bin's hometown, Qi, and requested the help of the general Tian Ji to rescue Sun Bin. Tian Ji sent his retainer Qin Hu to Wei, and with Qin Hu's assistance, Sun Bin escaped Wei using the tactic of "shedding a golden cicada skin." Sun Bin defeated Pang Juan and quietly left, leaving behind two sets of military strategies: one was the Art of War and the other was his own Sun Bin's Art of War. The Art of War and the 36 Stratagems presents each stratagem in a separate volume, with each one intricately connected. While showcasing ancient Chinese military strategies and Eastern wisdom culture, it vividly portrays a historical tapestry of politics, military conflicts, and the emotional lives of people from all strata of society in the Warring States Period of China 2,000 years ago.