Under the Warring States Strategies

Author: Zhi Junfeng, Qu Jin, Hu Jianhua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The War States Strategy is an important historical document concerning the conflicts and military-political affairs during the Warring States period. It was not written by a single person at a single time. Its original compiler was a strategist or a traveling scholar from the late Warring States period to the Qin and Han dynasties. In the late Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang, while organizing and reviewing various books, compiled The War States Strategy, establishing its foundation, simplifying its content, and arranging it according to the twelve states of the Eastern Zhou, Western Zhou, Qin, Qi, Chu, Zhao, Han, Yan, Song, Wei, and Zhongshan. It covers over two hundred and forty years, from the Spring and Autumn period to the unification of the six states by Qin, totaling thirty-three chapters, and was named The War States Strategy. Unlike other pre-Qin historical prose that reflects Confucian thought, The War States Strategy primarily records the political ideas and strategies of strategists and advisors when they persuaded the feudal lords or engaged in debates, showcasing their wisdom and manipulation. It reflects the thoughts and actions of the strategists. For example, in politics, they valued strategy, emphasized seizing the moment, and pursued fame, wealth, and power. In action, they traveled to persuade and assist Qin in its unification or form alliances against Qin, determining the success or failure. The War States Strategy is a historical book that reflects the turbulent and unpredictable nature of the prosperous Warring States period. It serves as an important reference for understanding and studying the history of the Warring States period, but it is by no means a reliable historical account. Its elaborate language, dramatic plots, vivid allegories, and anecdotes are highly literary, leaving later generations in awe. The dramatic twists and turns of the plots and the lifelike portrayal of the characters make The War States Strategy highly novelistic. One of the reasons we chose The War States Strategy is to allow more ordinary readers to experience with us the era of changing fortunes but also of great freedom and enlightenment, where rulers and feudal lords respected scholars, officials and subjects worked together to achieve their goals, scholars demonstrated their talents in strategy and manipulation, and people were cherished and valued.