Introduction to the Art of War

Author: Tao Han Zhang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-14
Features: "The Art of War," written by Sun Wu, one of ancient China's most renowned military strategists and organizational talents. Sun Wu's birth and death dates are not recorded in history, but he lived roughly around the same time as Confucius, around 500 BC. According to the "Biography of Wu Zixu" in the Records of the Grand Historian, in 512 BC, Sun Wu was recommended by the Wu general Wu Zixu and presented his "Thirteen Chapters of the Art of War" to King Helü of Wu. Recognizing Sun Wu's military prowess, the king appointed him as a general. This military treatise is one of the earliest complete works on military strategy still preserved in China, with a composition date dating back approximately 2,400 to 2,500 years. Based on the bamboo slips of "The Art of War" unearthed from the Western Han tomb at Xuanqueshan in the 1970s in China, there are slight differences between them and the current original text. The Western Han Dynasty was about 350 years after the Spring and Autumn Period. The unearthed artifacts confirm two points: first, they verify the accuracy of Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian regarding the composition date of "The Art of War," proving that the author was Sun Wu, not someone who later forged his name. Second, the bamboo slips of "The Art of War" differ slightly from the current printed version, indicating that this classical military masterpiece was supplemented and revised over the centuries as famous generals and strategists studied and interpreted the treatise. Many generals and military scholars in Chinese history have studied "The Art of War," including Sun Bin (Sun Wu's fourth-generation descendant) in the Warring States Period, Zhang Liang and Han Xin in the Western Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms Period, Li Shimin and Li Jing in the Tang Dynasty, Yue Fei and Li Gang in the Song Dynasty, Yelü Chucai in the Yuan Dynasty, Liu Bowen in the Ming Dynasty, and Zeng Guofan in the Qing Dynasty. Some generals and advisors annotated "The Art of War," while others developed unique insights based on its theories. Modern generals and strategists of the People's Liberation Army of China have conducted in-depth studies of "The Art of War." Comrade Mao Zedong highly praised "The Art of War," believing that "knowing the enemy and knowing yourself will lead to victory in a hundred battles" remains a scientific truth. Marshal Liu Bocheng was so familiar with "The Art of War" that he could recite it from memory and skillfully apply its principles, often surprising the enemy. His handwritten translation of the "Stratagems of Attack" section of "The Art of War" is still preserved in historical archives. Chinese Marxist military strategists, guided by Mao Zedong's military thought, have drawn on many principles and principles from "The Art of War" in their operations, often achieving victory. "The Art of War" is also renowned in the world of military history. It was introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty, and Japan's study of Sun Wu's philosophy began much earlier, more broadly, and more deeply than in Europe. Japan reveres "The Art of War" as the "Holy Classic of Military Strategy," the "World's Ancient Military Classic," and the "Forefather of Eastern Military Strategy." "The Art of War" entered Europe in the 18th century, and translations into English, French, German, Russian, and Czech gradually appeared. Napoleon often studied "The Art of War" during his campaigns. After Germany's defeat in World War I, Emperor Wilhelm II read the "Fire Attack" chapter and sighed, "I wish I had read this book years ago." As early as 1888, the Russian General Staff began writing articles introducing "The Art of War." During World War II, the Soviet Union, following the advice of the Voroshilov Academy, directly translated "The Art of War" from the Chinese version and included it as an important part of military academic teaching and research. After World War II, the British military strategist Liddell Hart wrote in the preface to a new English translation of "The Art of War," "After the development of nuclear weapons, which have led to human self-destruction and inhumanity, it is even more necessary to translate 'The Art of War' again and more completely." John Collins of the United States pointed out in Grand Strategy that "Sun Wu was a great figure in ancient times who formed strategic thinking. He wrote the earliest famous work, 'The Art of War,' between 400 and 320 BC. Sun Wu's thirteen chapters can be compared with the works of, including Clausewitz's writings 2,200 years later. Today, no one has a deeper understanding of the relationships between strategies, the issues they consider, and the limitations they face than he did. Most of his views remain as significant today as they were at the time." The new edition of the U.S. military's operational manual explicitly quotes Sun Wu's famous saying, "Attack where the enemy is unprepared and strike where he does not expect," as its guiding principle for operations.