Six Secret Teachings The Six Secret Teachings (simplified Chinese: 六韬; traditional Chinese: 六韜; pinyin: Liù Tāo), is a treatise on civil and military strategy traditionally attributed to the legendary figure Jiāng Zǐyá, a confederate of King Wen of Zhou, founder of the Zhou Dynasty, at around the eleventh century BC. Modern historians nominally date its final composition to the Warring States period (c.475-221 BC), but some scholars believe that it preserves at least vestiges of ancient Qi political and military thought. Because it is written from the perspective of a statesman attempting to overthrow the ruling Shang dynasty, it is the only one of the Seven Military Classics explicitly written from a revolutionary perspective. [1] Chapter Summary 1. The Civil Strategy: The Civil Strategy provides the narrative of how Jiang Ziya came to dictate the Six Secret Teachings to King Wen, and elaborates on how the state must be organized in order to provide a logistical base for any future military expansion. "Moral, effective government is the basis for survival and the foundation for warfare. The state must thrive economically while limiting expenditures, foster appropriate values and behaviour among the populace, implement rewards and punishments, employ the worthy, and refrain from disturbing and harming the people." [2] This strategy teaches commanders never to delight in small advantages, or that is all they will achieve. It teaches that the greatest gains result from benevolence and helping others achieve their aspirations for a better world. 2. The Military Strategy: The Military Strategy continues the previous section's discussion of civil affairs, analyzes the current state of Zhou, and assesses the prospects of successfully overthrowing the Shang. "Attracting the disaffected weakens the enemy and strengthens the state; employing subterfuge and psychological techniques allows manipulation of the enemy and hastens its demise. The ruler must visibly cultivate his Virtue (德) and embrace government policies that will allow the state to compete for the minds and hearts of the people; the state will thus gain victory without engaging in battle." [2] This strategy teaches commanders to achieve victory via benevolence and wit, preferably without actually fighting. It teaches commanders to outwit opponents through diplomacy and manipulation. 3. The Dragon Strategy: The Dragon Strategy primarily discusses military organization, the necessary characteristics of military officers, and how to evaluate and select for these qualities. It discusses how to establish a system of rewards and punishments for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a general's awesomeness and authority, and discusses the methods necessary to foster allegiance and unity in one's soldiers. The Dragon Strategy's secondary topics include: military communication and the need for secrecy; basic tactical principles (emphasizing flexibility and unorthodoxy); common errors of command and how to avoid them; various cues to interpret the enemy's situation; and, a discussion of common military skills and equipment. [3] This strategy explores the subtle and complex aspects of critical situations without losing control to advisors or becoming confused. It emphasizes that the government depends on a
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Six Secret Teachings
The Six Secret Teachings (simplified Chinese: 六韬; traditional Chinese: 六韜; pinyin: Liù
Tāo), is a treatise on civil and military strategy traditionally attributed to the legendary figure
Jiāng Zǐyá, a confederate of King Wen of Zhou, founder of the Zhou Dynasty, at around the
eleventh century BC. Modern historians nominally date its final composition to the Warring
States period (c.475-221 BC), but some scholars believe that it preserves at least vestiges of
ancient Qi political and military thought. Because it is written from the perspective of a
statesman attempting to overthrow the ruling Shang dynasty, it is the only one of the Seven
Military Classics explicitly written from a revolutionary perspective.[1]
Chapter Summary
1. The Civil Strategy: The Civil Strategy provides the narrative of how Jiang Ziya came to
dictate the Six Secret Teachings to King Wen, and elaborates on how the state must be
organized in order to provide a logistical base for any future military expansion. "Moral,
effective government is the basis for survival and the foundation for warfare. The state
must thrive economically while limiting expenditures, foster appropriate values and
behaviour among the populace, implement rewards and punishments, employ the worthy,
and refrain from disturbing and harming the people."[2]
This strategy teaches commanders
never to delight in small advantages, or that is all they will achieve. It teaches that the
greatest gains result from benevolence and helping others achieve their aspirations for a
better world.
2. The Military Strategy: The Military Strategy continues the previous section's discussion
of civil affairs, analyzes the current state of Zhou, and assesses the prospects of
successfully overthrowing the Shang. "Attracting the disaffected weakens the enemy and
strengthens the state; employing subterfuge and psychological techniques allows
manipulation of the enemy and hastens its demise. The ruler must visibly cultivate his
Virtue (德) and embrace government policies that will allow the state to compete for the
minds and hearts of the people; the state will thus gain victory without engaging in
battle."[2]
This strategy teaches commanders to achieve victory via benevolence and wit,
preferably without actually fighting. It teaches commanders to outwit opponents through
diplomacy and manipulation.
3. The Dragon Strategy: The Dragon Strategy primarily discusses military organization,
the necessary characteristics of military officers, and how to evaluate and select for these
qualities. It discusses how to establish a system of rewards and punishments for the
purpose of establishing and maintaining a general's awesomeness and authority, and
discusses the methods necessary to foster allegiance and unity in one's soldiers. The
Dragon Strategy's secondary topics include: military communication and the need for
secrecy; basic tactical principles (emphasizing flexibility and unorthodoxy); common
errors of command and how to avoid them; various cues to interpret the enemy's
situation; and, a discussion of common military skills and equipment.[3]
This strategy
explores the subtle and complex aspects of critical situations without losing control to
advisors or becoming confused. It emphasizes that the government depends on a
As its title would suggest, the Three Strategies of Huang Shigong is organized into three
sections, which can be interpreted as a hierarchy of importance or as simple indicators of
position in the work. The work itself states that all three types of strategy are necessary for
different styles of government. Much of the work is concerned with administrative control, but
some important tactical concepts are also developed. Generals are placed in a high position, and
must be unquestioned once they assume command. Attacks should be swift and decisive.[2]
There are three points which should be mastered:
1. Alternate hard and soft approaches. This means a leader must be both benevolent and awe-inspiring according to what is appropriate. This links to the second principle-
2. Act according to the actual circumstances. Avoid responses which are based on imagination, memory of the past, or habits acquired in other circumstances. You must rely only on observation and perception and be willing to modify plans at any time.
3. Employ only the capable. This requires an accurate insight into others.
Each of these principles have deep and various implications.[3]
Philosophical and Administrative Focus
Many of the themes and ideas present in the Three Srategies are similar to those found in the
other Seven Military Classics. The text contains almost no direct emphasis on battlefield strategy
and tactics, instead focusing on logistical concerns: "concepts of government, the administration
of forces; the unification of the people; the characteristics of a capable general; methods of
nurturing a sound material foundation; motivation of subordinates and the soldiers;
implementing rewards and punishments"; and, how to foster majesty via the balance between
hard and soft administrative practices.[4]
Philosophically, the book is a synthesis of Confucian, Legalist, and Daoist ideas. Confucian
concepts present in the text include an emphasis on the importance of the commander's
cultivation of benevolence (仁) and righteousness (義), humanitarian government via the
promotion of the welfare of the people, rule by Virtue (德), and promotion of the Worthy (賢人).
Legalist concepts present in the text include an emphasis on strengthening the state, the
implementation of rewards and punishments through the strict and impartial enforcement of the
law, and the assumption that power is best concentrated in a single, majestic sovereign. The
book's general Daoist perspective is recognized by its emphasis on a passive, harmonious social
ideal, the ideal of achieving victory without contending, the importance of preserving life, the
importance of Dao and De, and the fundamental evilness of warfare. This Daoist perspective
pervades the book, but is modified to reflect the complicated realities associated with
involvement in politics and warfare. The text asserts that aspects of all three theories are useful
for achieving good government.[5]
Military Theory
The sections of the Three Strategies which directly discuss military strategy and tactics
emphasize quality generalship, swiftness, authority, the integration and balance of available
such arms as signal guns and muskets. For making guns like Xiangyang, Zhankou, First General and
Second General, iron is used
Thirty-Six Stratagems
The Thirty-Six Stratagems was a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in
politics, war, as well as in civil interaction.
The Stratagems are often misnamed as strategies; however, a stratagem (synonymous with ruse)
is not the same thing as a strategy (being a long-term plan or outline).
Contents
1 Origin o 1.1 Chapter 1: Winning Stratagems
1.1.1 Deceive the heavens to cross the ocean 1.1.2 Besiege Wèi to rescue Zhào 1.1.3 Kill with a borrowed sword 1.1.4 Wait at leisure while the enemy labors 1.1.5 Loot a burning house 1.1.6 Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west
o 1.2 Chapter 2: Enemy Dealing Stratagems 1.2.1 Create something from nothing 1.2.2 Openly repair the gallery roads, but sneak through the passage of
Chencang 1.2.3 Watch the fires burning across the river 1.2.4 Hide a knife behind a smile 1.2.5 Sacrifice the plum tree to preserve the peach tree 1.2.6 Take the opportunity to pilfer a goat
o 1.3 Chapter 3: Attacking Stratagems 1.3.1 Stomp the grass to scare the snake 1.3.2 Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul 1.3.3 Entice the tiger to leave its mountain lair 1.3.4 In order to capture, one must let loose 1.3.5 Tossing out a brick to get a jade gem 1.3.6 Defeat the enemy by capturing their chief
o 1.4 Chapter 4: Chaos Stratagems 1.4.1 Remove the firewood from under the pot 1.4.2 Disturb the water and catch a fish 1.4.3 Slough off the cicada's golden shell
1.4.4 Shut the door to catch the thief 1.4.5 Befriend a distant state while attacking a neighbor 1.4.6 Obtain safe passage to conquer the State of Guo
o 1.5 Chapter 5: Proximate Stratagems 1.5.1 Replace the beams with rotten timbers 1.5.2 Point at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree 1.5.3 Feign madness but keep your balance 1.5.4 Remove the ladder when the enemy has ascended to the roof 1.5.5 Deck the tree with false blossoms 1.5.6 Make the host and the guest exchange roles
o 1.6 Chapter 6: Desperate Stratagems 1.6.1 The beauty trap (Honeypot) 1.6.2 The empty fort strategy 1.6.3 Let the enemy's own spy sow discord in the enemy camp 1.6.4 Inflict injury on oneself to win the enemy's trust 1.6.5 Chain stratagems 1.6.6 If all else fails, retreat
2 References 3 Sources 4 External links
Origin
The Thirty-Six Stratagems
The name of the collection comes from the Book of Qi, in its seventh biographical volume,
Biography of Wáng Jìngzé (王敬則傳/王敬则传).[1]
Wáng was a general who had served
Southern Qi since the first Emperor Gao of the dynasty. When Emperor Ming came to power and
executed many members of the court and royal family for fear that they would threaten his reign,
Wáng believed that he would be targeted next and rebelled. As Wáng received news that Xiao
Mask your real goals, by using the ruse of a fake goal, until the real goal is achieved. Tactically, this is known as an 'open feint': in front of everyone, you point west, when your goal is actually in the east.
Besiege Wèi to rescue Zhào
(圍魏救趙/围魏救赵, Wéi Wèi jiù Zhào)
When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that he cannot be superior in all things. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead. The idea here is to avoid a head on battle with a strong enemy, and instead strike at his weakness elsewhere. This will force the strong enemy to retreat in order to support his weakness. Battling against the now tired and low-morale enemy will give a much higher chance of success.
Kill with a borrowed sword
(借刀殺人/借刀杀人, Jiè dāo shā rén)
Attack using the strength of another (in a situation where using one's own strength is not favourable). Trick an ally into attacking him, bribe an official to turn traitor, or use the enemy's own strength against him. The idea here is to cause damage to the enemy by getting a 3rd party to do the deed.
Wait at leisure while the enemy labors
(以逸待勞/以逸待劳, Yǐ yì dài láo)
It is an advantage to choose the time and place for battle. In this way you know when and where the battle will take place, while your enemy does not. Encourage your enemy to expend his energy in futile quests while you conserve your strength. When he is exhausted and confused, you attack with energy and purpose. The idea is to have your troops well-prepared for battle, in the same time that the enemy is rushing to fight against you. This will give your troops a huge advantage in the upcoming battle, of which you will get to select the time and place.
Loot a burning house
(趁火打劫, Chèn huǒ dǎ jié) When a country is beset by internal conflicts, when disease and famine ravage the population,
when corruption and crime are rampant, then it will be unable to deal with an outside threat. This is the time to attack. Keep gathering internal information about an enemy. If the enemy is currently in its weakest state ever, attack it without mercy and totally destroy it to prevent future troubles.
Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west
(聲東擊西/声东击西, Shēng dōng jī xī)
In any battle the element of surprise can provide an overwhelming advantage. Even when face to face with an enemy, surprise can still be employed by attacking where he least expects it. To
do this you must create an expectation in the enemy's mind through the use of a feint. The idea here is to get the enemy to focus his forces in a location, and then attack elsewhere which would be weakly defended.
Chapter 2: Enemy Dealing Stratagems
(敵戰計)
Create something from nothing
(無中生有/无中生有, Wú zhōng shēng yǒu) A plain lie. Make somebody believe there was something when there is in fact nothing. One
method of using this strategy is to create an illusion of something's existence, while it does not exist. Another method is to create an illusion that something does not exist, while it does.
Openly repair the gallery roads, but sneak through the passage of Chencang
Deceive the enemy with an obvious approach that will take a very long time, while surprising him by taking a shortcut and sneak up to him. As the enemy concentrates on the decoy, he will miss you sneaking up to him. This tactic is an extension of the "Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west" tactic. But instead of simply spreading misinformation to draw the enemy's attention, physical baits are used to increase the enemy's certainty on the misinformation. These baits must be easily seen by the enemy, to ensure that they draw the enemy's attention. At the same time, the baits must act as if they are meant to do what they were falsely doing, to avoid drawing the enemy's suspicion.
Watch the fires burning across the river
(隔岸觀火/隔岸观火, Gé àn guān huǒ)
Delay entering the field of battle until all the other players have become exhausted fighting amongst themselves. Then go in at full strength and pick up the pieces.
Hide a knife behind a smile
(笑裏藏刀/笑里藏刀, Xiào lǐ cáng dāo) Charm and ingratiate yourself to your enemy. When you have gained his trust, move against him
in secret.
Sacrifice the plum tree to preserve the peach tree
(李代桃僵, Lǐ dài táo jiāng) There are circumstances in which you must sacrifice short-term objectives in order to gain the
long-term goal. This is the scapegoat strategy whereby someone else suffers the consequences so that the rest do not.
While carrying out your plans be flexible enough to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself, however small, and avail yourself of any profit, however slight.
Chapter 3: Attacking Stratagems
(攻戰計)
Stomp the grass to scare the snake
(打草驚蛇/打草惊蛇, Dá cǎo jīng shé) Do something unaimed, but spectacular ("hitting the grass") to provoke a response of the
enemy ("startle the snake"), thereby giving away his plans or position, or just taunt him. Do something unusual, strange, and unexpected as this will arouse the enemy's suspicion and disrupt his thinking. More widely used as "[Do not] startle the snake by hitting the grass". An imprudent act will give your position or intentions away to the enemy.
Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul
(借屍還魂/借尸还魂, Jiè shī huán hún)
Take an institution, a technology, a method, or even an ideology that has been forgotten or discarded and appropriate it for your own purpose. Revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or bring to life old ideas, customs, or traditions and reinterpret them to fit your purposes.
Entice the tiger to leave its mountain lair
(調虎離山/调虎离山, Diào hǔ lí shān)
Never directly attack an opponent whose advantage is derived from its position. Instead lure him away from his position thus separating him from his source of strength.
In order to capture, one must let loose
(欲擒故縱/欲擒故纵, Yù qín gū zòng)
Cornered prey will often mount a final desperate attack. To prevent this you let the enemy believe he still has a chance for freedom. His will to fight is thus dampened by his desire to escape. When in the end the freedom is proven a falsehood the enemy's morale will be defeated and he will surrender without a fight.
Tossing out a brick to get a jade gem
(拋磚引玉/抛砖引玉, Pāo zhuān yǐn yù)
Bait someone by making him believe he gains something or just make him react to it ("toss out a brick") and obtain something valuable from him in return ("get a jade gem").
Defeat the enemy by capturing their chief
(擒賊擒王/擒贼擒王, Qín zéi qín wáng)
If the enemy's army is strong but is allied to the commander only by money, superstition or threats, then take aim at the leader. If the commander falls the rest of the army will disperse or come over to your side. If, however, they are allied to the leader through loyalty then beware, the army can continue to fight on after his death out of vengeance.
Chapter 4: Chaos Stratagems
(混戰計)
Remove the firewood from under the pot
(釜底抽薪, Fǔ dǐ chōu xīn) Take out the leading argument or asset of someone; "steal someone's thunder". This is the very
essence of indirect approach: instead of attacking enemy's fighting forces, the attacks are directed against his ability to wage war.
Disturb the water and catch a fish
(渾水摸魚/浑水摸鱼 or 混水摸鱼, Hún shuǐ mō yú)
Create confusion and use this confusion to further your own goals.
Slough off the cicada's golden shell
(金蟬脱殼/金蝉脱壳, Jīn chán tuō qiào) Mask yourself. Either leave one's distinctive traits behind, thus becoming inconspicuous, or
masquerade as something or someone else. This strategy is mainly used to escape from enemy of superior strength.
Shut the door to catch the thief
(關門捉賊/关门捉贼, Guān mén zhuō zéi)
To capture your enemy, or more generally in fighting wars, to deliver the final blow to your enemy, you must plan prudently if you want to succeed. Do not rush into action. Before you "move in for the kill", first cut off your enemy's escape routes, and cut off any routes through which outside help can reach them.
Befriend a distant state while attacking a neighbor
(遠交近攻/远交近攻, Yuǎn jiāo jìn gōng)
It is known that nations that border each other become enemies while nations separated by distance and obstacles make better allies. When you are the strongest in one field, your greatest threat is from the second strongest in your field, not the strongest from another field.
(假道伐虢, Jiǎ dào fá Guó) Borrow the resources of an ally to attack a common enemy. Once the enemy is defeated, use
those resources to turn on the ally that lent you them in the first place.
Chapter 5: Proximate Stratagems
(並戰計)
Replace the beams with rotten timbers
(偷梁換柱/偷梁换柱, Tōu liáng huàn zhù)
Disrupt the enemy's formations, interfere with their methods of operations, change the rules in which they are used to follow, go contrary to their standard training. In this way you remove the supporting pillar, the common link that makes a group of men an effective fighting force.
Point at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree
(指桑罵槐/指桑骂槐, Zhǐ sāng mà huái)
To discipline, control, or warn others whose status or position excludes them from direct confrontation; use analogy and innuendo. Without directly naming names, those accused cannot retaliate without revealing their complicity.
Feign madness but keep your balance
(假痴不癲/假痴不癫, Jiǎ chī bù diān)
Hide behind the mask of a fool, a drunk, or a madman to create confusion about your intentions and motivations. Lure your opponent into underestimating your ability until, overconfident, he drops his guard. Then you may attack.
Remove the ladder when the enemy has ascended to the roof
(上屋抽梯, Shàng wū chōu tī) With baits and deceptions, lure your enemy into treacherous terrain. Then cut off his lines of
communication and avenue of escape. To save himself, he must fight both your own forces and the elements of nature.
Deck the tree with false blossoms
(樹上開花/树上开花, Shù shàng kāi huā)
Tying silk blossoms on a dead tree gives the illusion that the tree is healthy. Through the use of artifice and disguise, make something of no value appear valuable; of no threat appear dangerous; of no use appear useful.
Usurp leadership in a situation where you are normally subordinate. Infiltrate your target. Initially, pretend to be a guest to be accepted, but develop from inside and become the owner later.
Chapter 6: Desperate Stratagems
(敗戰計)
The beauty trap (Honeypot)
(美人計/美人计, Měi rén jì)
Send your enemy beautiful women to cause discord within his camp. This strategy can work on three levels. First, the ruler becomes so enamoured with the beauty that he neglects his duties and allows his vigilance to wane. Second, other males at court will begin to display aggressive behaviour that inflames minor differences hindering co-operation and destroying morale. Third, other females at court, motivated by jealousy and envy, begin to plot intrigues further exacerbating the situation.
The empty fort strategy
(空城計/空城计, Kōng chéng jì)
When the enemy is superior in numbers and your situation is such that you expect to be overrun at any moment, then drop all pretense of military preparedness, act calmly and taunt the enemy, so that the enemy will think you have a huge ambush hidden for them. It works best by acting calm and at ease when your enemy expects you to be tense. This ploy is only successful if in most cases you do have a powerful hidden force and only sparsely use the empty fort strategy.
Let the enemy's own spy sow discord in the enemy camp
(反間計/反间计, Fǎn jiàn jì)
Undermine your enemy's ability to fight by secretly causing discord between him and his friends, allies, advisors, family, commanders, soldiers, and population. While he is preoccupied settling internal disputes, his ability to attack or defend, is compromised.
Inflict injury on oneself to win the enemy's trust
(苦肉計/苦肉计, Kǔ ròu jì)
Pretending to be injured has two possible applications. In the first, the enemy is lulled into relaxing his guard since he no longer considers you to be an immediate threat. The second is a way of ingratiating yourself to your enemy by pretending the injury was caused by a mutual enemy.
In important matters, one should use several stratagems applied simultaneously after another as in a chain of stratagems. Keep different plans operating in an overall scheme; however, in this manner if any one strategy fails, then the chain breaks and the whole scheme fails.
If all else fails, retreat
(走為上/走为上, Zǒu wéi shàng) cf. 退避三舍
If it becomes obvious that your current course of action will lead to defeat, then retreat and regroup. When your side is losing, there are only three choices remaining: surrender, compromise, or escape. Surrender is complete defeat, compromise is half defeat, but escape is not defeat. As long as you are not defeated, you still have a chance. This is the most famous of the stratagems, immortalized in the form of a Chinese idiom: "Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems,
fleeing is best" (三十六计,走为上计).
Sun Bin's Art of War
Inscribed bamboo-slips of Sun Bin's Art of War, unearthed
Sun Bin's Art of War is an ancient Chinese classic work on military strategy written by Sun Bin,
an alleged descendant of Sun Tzu who served as a military strategist in the Qi state during the
Warring States period. According to historical records from the Han Dynasty, Sun Bin's Art of
War contained an extensive 89 chapters, with four volumes of pictures attached, but was lost by
the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As a consequence, Sun Bin's Art of War is sometimes
conflated with Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
Rediscovery of the lost works
In April 1972, bamboo slips of both Sun Tzu's and Sun Bin's works were unearthed in the
Yinque Hills (Lixing, Shandong province). Due to natural erosion, some of the bamboo slips
were damaged and difficult to reinterpret. After the initial collection and study by experts, the
Cultural Relic Press published a new edition of Sun Bin's Art of War, divided into two volumes,
each containing 15 chapters, from the 364 bamboo slips, with a total of 11,000 words.
After a decade of textual research and study, the Cultural Relic Press made a major adjustment to
the book: the second volume was no longer considered to be Sun Bin's writings; the first volume
was edited and one chapter detailing five types of training was added. The current edition of Sun
Bin's Art of War contains 16 chapters from 222 bamboo slips, with a total of 4891 words.
Contents
Chapter 1 : Capturing Pang Juan
Describes the four stratagems employed in the Battle of Guiling:
1. A southward march at the initial stage of the war, to avoid a decisive battle with Pang Juan 2. Launching a false attack and feigning retreat and defeat in Pingling, which reinforced Pang Juan's
determination to attack Handan 3. Direct advance on Kaifeng (capital city of the Wei state) to force Pang Juan to turn back to
rescue Wei 4. Ambush at Guiling to destroy the enemy in one move
Chapter 2: Meeting King Wei
Sun Bin discusses with King Wei of Qi about war and states: "Only victory in war can bring
about authority and prosperity". Sun believes that the historically progressive unification
accomplished in war had been an important means of facilitating the submission of feudal lords.
To start a war, one must have "a storage of materials, a just cause for war" and must "be well-
prepared before launching an attack". Sun also pointed out that "Warmongers will inevitably lose
and those who expect to make a fortune out of war will also suffer defeat and disgrace".
Sun Bin advises King Wei and Tian Ji, engaging them in a comprehensive discussion on his
basic thoughts about strategy and tactics. The chapter focuses on resolute attacks on weakly
defended key enemy positions and on the military philosophy of using Tao and flexible
principles to attain victory.
Chapter 4: Tian Ji asks how to construct a defence
Set in the Battle of Maling, Sun Bin and Tian Ji discuss the problems of battlefield positions in
field operations. The combination of terrain, weapons and the types of soldiers is emphasized.
Chapter 5: Selection of the best soldiers
Comments on the basic principles of building and training an army, and on the factors of field
command that will determine victory or defeat. On the topic of building an army, Sun Bin
focuses on the employment of the best soldiers in terms of field command. He stresses 'five
factors that will lead to constant victory':
1. The commander who has won the sovereign's trust and has an independent command will win. 2. The one who knows the art of war will win. 3. The one who gets uniform support from his soldiers will win. 4. The one whose subordinates work in concert with each other will win. 5. The one who is good at analysing and utilising terrain will win.
There are also five corollaries that will lead to constant defeat:
1. The one whose command is constrained by the sovereign will be defeated. 2. The one who does not know the art of war will be defeated. 3. The one who does not have the support of his soldiers will be defeated. 4. The one whose subordinates do not work in harmony will be defeated. 5. The one who does not know to use spies will be defeated.
Chapter 7: Eight formations
Discusses the methods of a commander and the principles of battle formation. It emphasises that
a commander must be well versed in both meteorology and geography. He also must get the
support of his people at home, while understanding the actual situation of his enemy. In a direct
battle, he knows well the basic points of the eight formations. If one is sure of victory he will
fight; if unsure he should not fight. Sun Bin also emphasises that in laying a formation, the army
can be divided into three divisions. In each, the best soldiers should be placed as a vanguard and
every team should be followed with a sustainable reserve.
He emphasises dividing the army into three teams and engaging one team in battle in while
leaving the other two strictly in defence.
Sun Bin says that an army must take an advantageous geographical position to attack enemy in a
less defensible position. When land is flat there should be more armed chariots; when terrain is
difficult, more cavalry should be sent: and when is narrow and blocked, there should be more
archers sent.
Chapter 14: Organisation of military posts
Chapter 14 is similar to military rules and regulations of the later ages. It may be divided into
three parts:
1. Regulations for army organization and command, emphasising that all types of organizations, units and systems must complete and appropriately meet the requirements for battle.
2. Regulations for military operations under different enemy situations, different terrain, and different climates. Its focus is to emphasize flexibility in command and in the employment of soldiers, and on the need to make decisions according to the situation.
3. Specific rules on marching, camping, patrolling, guarding, war preparations and logistics.
Wujing Zongyao
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A Chinese Song Dynasty naval river ship with a Xuanfeng traction-trebuchet catapult on its top deck,
taken from an illustration of the Wujing Zongyao.
The Wujing Zongyao (simplified Chinese: 武经总要; traditional Chinese: 武經總要; pinyin:
Wǔjīng Zǒngyào; Wade–Giles: Wu Ching Tsung Yao; literally "Collection of the Most Important
Military Techniques") was a Chinese military compendium written in 1044 AD, during the