Story of Military Strategy: Legends of the Wisdom of Winners

Author: Ji Xiaowei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: "War is the way of the state, a matter of life and death, a way of survival or destruction, which must not be neglected." — Sun Tzu
If Sun Tzu's Art of War had been seen twenty years ago, history would have been a different outcome. — Napoleon
The foundation of America's information warfare theory comes from China's Sun Tzu's Art of War. — U.S. Major General Kukris
The book "Stories of the Art of War" uses the thirteen chapters of the original text as teaching material. For each chapter, it first summarizes the basic content and provides a concise explanation, followed by typical battle case stories. Through the study and research of the original text, as well as the analysis and summary of major battle cases in history, the book aims to promote patriotic ideas, popularize military knowledge, and enhance awareness of national defense construction. The vast majority of young people are in the period of physical growth and knowledge acquisition, with a strong desire to learn and seek valuable spiritual nourishment. This book is both informative and engaging, easy to understand, and enjoyable for readers of all backgrounds, making it highly suitable for young readers.
Sun Wu devoted his life to serving King Hui of Wu and, together with the general Wu Zixu, loyally assisted the king in achieving hegemony. He "defeated the strong state of Chu in the west, intimidated Qi and Jin in the north, and subjugated the people of Yue in the south," achieving remarkable military victories. As a master of military strategy, his art of war was filled with patriotic spirit and progressive ideas. Many of his principles for guiding warfare or combat strategies have been proven victorious in countless wars and have also been directly applied by the great modern military commander Mao Zedong.
Mao Zedong inherited and developed Sun Tzu's simple dialectics of "weakness arising from strength" and "attacking the few with the many," formulating the strategy of our army to "disdain the enemy in strategy but attach importance to them in tactics," or "one against ten" and "ten against one." He advocated the skillful use of "concentrating superior forces to defeat the enemy in parts" in warfare. From the "Twelve-character maxim" he summarized in the Shaoshan era to the "Sixteen-character maxim" he summarized and created in the Jinggangshan period, it can be seen how rich his practical experience and profound understanding were of Sun Tzu's ideas such as "to take what is not yours, first give it away," "know yourself and know your enemy," and "avoid the solid and strike the hollow." It can also be seen how passionately he pursued and yearned for a bright and beautiful society.
In conclusion, this book is very helpful in promoting patriotic spirit, enhancing awareness of national defense construction, and establishing a correct outlook on life. It is a good deed that benefits the present and lasts for generations.