Ancient war strategies

Of late, there seemed to be a stirring of interest (in Daoist forums) in ancient war strategies of China. Sun Wu or Sunzi would easily stand out as the best and most brilliant of the generals of the times (known as the Spring and Autumn, and Warring States era) with his widely acclaimed ‘Art of War’ comprising of only thirteen chapters. Wu Chi is another well known brilliant war strategist.

A good translation of Sunzi’s Art of War is by Samuel B. Griffith (Oxford University Press) which includes among others, commentaries from Tsao Tsao; and a section on Wu Chi’s Art of War. Tsao Tsao is of course the famous wily general depicted in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms towards the end of the Han dynasty.

Other lesser known war strategists to the West could be Wu Tzu-Hsu who fought alongside Sunzi for their ruler, King Ho-Lu of Wu. More than a hundred years later, Sun Ping a descendant of Sunzi also made a name for himself fighting in the armies of Chi against Wei led by Pang Chuan, his arch enemy. (Both Sun Ping and Pang Chuan studied the art of war together.) Later came Han Hsin who found fame for his war strategies when he helped Liu Pang (who went on to become the first Han emperor) vanquish the armies of the then Overlord, Hsiang Yu. Such war strategists or generals helped their rulers turn the tides of war from frequent losses into resounding victories. (Records of the Historian, Sima Qian)

The best things one can learn from these strategists are that of two cardinal virtues, benevolence (ren) and righteousness (yi). Only when the ruler and his general possess these highly regarded virtues can they fight a righteous war on behalf of the common people. Otherwise be prepared for a protracted war; and go against what Sunzi advised in the first place – ‘no country has ever benefited from a protracted war’. For virtue(s) is a constant theme in ancient books and classics, and virtues form an important part of the Chinese culture, be they Daoist, Confucian or Buddhist. And what Sunzi had advised more than 2,500 years ago still rings true today, if you care to think about it.

Follow the example of Sunzi, maintain proper conduct, retire gracefully when the work is completed and peace reigns. And not that of Wu Tzu-Hsu, Wu Chi and Han Hsin who fell from grace through ‘misconduct’ and were either killed by their ruler or court enemies.