‘The art of war is of vital importance to
the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either
to safety or to ruin. Hence, it is a subject of inquiry which can
on no account be neglected’ These are the first sentences of the Sunzi
Bingfa, known in the West as The Art of War, one of the oldest treatises on strategy and
warfare and for sure, the most quoted across the Globe. Its 13 chapters offer high level strategic
advice to rulers and generals, focusing on a series of key principles which should always
be kept in mind, lest one takes the road to ruin. Some of its commandments are very specific
to warfare in the ancient world, for example chapter 12 is entirely dedicated to Attack
by Fire. But most of its teachings can be extrapolated
to a variety of situations outside of the military environment, including politics,
finance, marketing or even sports. But what do we know about its author, the
legendary Sun Tzu, also known as Sunzi? Surprisingly little, for a man whose work
has had such an enduring influence on the politics and History of China at first and
then the whole World. But in today’s Biographics we will attempt
to clear at least some of the mist shrouding the life of Master Sun. The Seven Kingdoms To fully understand the man Sun and the profound
legacy of his work, we first need to look at the historical context in which they appeared. The years between 770BC and 476BC are known
as “The Spring and Autumn Period of China”. Over these three centuries, the land was ruled
by the Zhou dinasty. The Zhous applied a feudal-like system, with
large swathes of land administered by local lords. If a disagreement broke out, the lords would
settle them by means of small scale military engagements, waged using bronze weapons, riding
on top of richly decorated chariots. These battles, which actually were more like
large duels, were regulated by a code of honour and valour, based on the philosophy of Confucianism,
which values strict adherence to a system of traditions and social rules. Here is an example, narrated by historian
Robert Griffiths: “In ancient China war had been regarded
as a knightly contest. As such, it had been governed by a code to
which both sides generally adhered. Many illustrations of this are found…For
example, in 632 BC the Chin commander, after defeating Ch’u at Ch’eng P’u, gave the
vanquished enemy three days’ supply of food. This courtesy was later reciprocated by a
Ch’u army victorious at Pi” This chivalrous approach to war was made possible
by the small size of the armies and the low stakes at play. But the Zhou dynasty was on the decline until
they were removed from power and things changed for the worse. A vacuum at the top normally causes the emergence
of regional powers, all vying for supremacy. And this is what happened in China during
the so-called Period of the Warring States. Seven main Kingdoms, Jin, Chu, Qin, Qi, Wei,
Yue and Wu, alongside their vassal states, were at war for much of the VIth and Vth century
BC. Think Westeros after King Robert’s death. Or Westeros, after King Joffrey’s death. Or Westeros, after King Tonmen’s – you
got the idea. Obviously this constant state of conflict
had a massive impact on society. The rulers of the Seven Kingdoms could not
afford to go to war on fancy bronze chariots, but most of all they could not afford to lose. And so bronze weapons were replaced by iron,
cheaper but deadlier. Chariots were discarded, in favour of cavalry
and infantry units. The warriors, aristocrats and heroes who rode
into battle during the Spring and Autumn, gave way to large armies of conscripts numbering
in the tens, even hundreds of thousands. And large numbers of well-equipped, well-fed
men require tons of money. Who’s going to pay? As usual, the peasants, the merchants, ordinary
folk, hard hit by taxation that depletes the land and sows dissent. The Kings of the Warring States need some
expert advice: not only on how to overcome their foes, but how to do it efficiently and
quickly. But who can provide it? Enter the Master
Sun Wu, later known as Sun Tzu, or ‘Master Sun’ was born in 544BC in the northern state
of Ch’i, modern day province of Shandong. But please don’t take this date too seriously:
the exact Century in which the Master live is disputed, let alone the year. But let’s settle for 544. He was obviously literate, he knew one or
two things about war and leadership and he travelled across the Warring States, which
leads us to infer that he was a shih, or a member of the landless aristocracy. The shih’s were traditionally travelling
academics, but Sun Wu was more likely a travelling mercenary. It was this particular trade that took him
to travel from his birth state of Ch’i to the southern kingdom of Wu, sometime around
510BC. The state of Wu was at that time a sort of
‘underdog’ in the Chinese Game of Thrones. This kingdom is located in what is now the
Shanghai province and back at that time it was smaller and less populated then its rivals,
especially the large, neighbouring state of Chu. That is why, the ruler King He-Lu, was looking
for a top-notch military advisor to organise and lead his army in war. According to some accounts, at this stage
Master Sun had already written the Art of War, leading to He-Lu summoning him to court. According to others, Sun Wu was only a low
ranking officer in He-Lu’s army at this point, but his skills in unconventional tactics
such as ambushes, espionage and counter-espionage, surprise attacks on enemy camps, had raised
the attention of the King. But what everybody agrees on is how he got
the General job. King He-Lu challenged Sun Wu to demonstrate
his military skills by organising some war manoeuvres, not with soldiers, but with the
court concubines. Sun Wu accepted the challenge, on two conditions:
no interference from the King and absolute obedience from the concubines. Sun then proceeded to created two platoons
of 70 or 80 concubines each, appointing as platoon leaders the two favourites of the
King. He then instructed the concubines on how to
perform a series of marching orders in coordination with a drum beat. But when the drums sounded, the two lead concubines
burst out laughing and the two platoons did not obey the orders. Sun Wu was like ‘OK, that’s cool, it can
happen. If at first the officers and the soldiers
do not perform correctly, it is the General’s fault, my fault, for not being clear enough’. And again Sun gave the marching orders to
the concubines, making it very simple and clear what is it they had to do. And again, the drums went off … and again
the two favourites just couldn’t stop giggling. How fun, right? Not exactly. At this point Sun Wu commented that he, the
General, had done his duty, it was now the fault of the officers if they were not executing
the orders. To show that he meant business he ordered
two guardsmen armed with axes to apprehend the two concubines. He-Lu, watching at a distance with his court,
dispatched a message asking him to stop. “Please Sun Wu, do not chop these ladies’
heads off. My life would be so not fun without them”
To which Master Sun replied that when a General is in charge his orders must be carried out. The axemen decapitated the two squad leaders. The deputy-lead concubines were put in charge
of the platoons and the manoeuvres were carried out perfectly. I guess threat of decapitation is a powerful
incentive. King He-Lu in the end was kind of cool with
all that … so much so that he appointed Master Sun as lead General of his army. Now a couple of points if I may. Point one: we all have a lot to learn from
Master Sun and his book. But I would not take his advice when it comes
to job interviews. Chopping the head off the CEO’s life partners
will not get you that dream job. Point two: I personally find it difficult
to believe this to be a true story, and XIth century scholar Yeh Cheng-Tse agrees with
me. This sounds more like a parable to illustrate
some key lessons which appear again and again in the Art of War. What are the lessons? Absolute obedience to the officers and the
Generals. Discipline. Coordination among ranks. Independence of the Military from political
power in war time. These are the values that make an army of
men into an army of heroes. One Sun, two Suns, three Suns … ?
But what exactly was so revolutionary about Sun Tzu’s approach to warfare? His main contribution was to apply Taoist
principles to the conduct of military campaigns. Unlike the adherence to tradition supported
by Confucianism, Taoism emphasizes adaptability to the natural flow of things. Moreover, the Tao-Te-Ching reflects a horror
of war and yearning for peace. By combining these two principles, you obtain
the foundations of Sun Tzu’s military doctrine: Follow the natural path to victory rather
than adhering to contemporary conventional wisdom
If possible, avoid war. The greatest victory lies in defeating the
enemy even before a war has begun But if a war begins, the best way to achieve
peace is through a swift victory. These precepts of Sun Tzu’s were soon put
the test in one of the many conflicts opposing the kingdoms of Wu and Chu. At the decisive Battle of Boju, Sun-Tzu is
said to have led the Wu forces along with King He-Lu’s brother Fugai, and defeated
the numerically superior Chu army through use of his tactics. In The Art of War, Sun-Tzu writes:
“Though according to my estimate, the soldiers of Chu exceed our own in number, that shall
advantage them nothing in the matter of victory. I say then that victory can be achieved. Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we
may prevent him from fighting.” In other words: take the initiative; attack
first; attack fast; attack where the enemy is weak and prevent him from concentrating
his forces. This is exactly what happened at Boju. Despite He-Lu’s protestations, Fugai listened
to Sun Tzu’s advice and charged the Chu army, defeating them in a series of five further
engagements, which culminated with the capture of the enemy capital, Ying. Fugai’s success in the Wu-Chu wars was due
to his own courage and his belief in the precepts of Sun Tzu. First, he collected intelligence brought by
spies, through which he learned that the opposing general, Nang Wa, was despised by his troops
and that they had no will to fight. Second, he refused to adhere to the standard
rules of war as understood at that time. He did not let the enemy retreat to safety,
he attacked them while they were crossing the Qing-fa river, prevented their formation
of lines, and even later attacked them at their dinner! You may have noticed something in this account
of the Battle of Boju: that the main action was led by Fugai, with Sun Tzu being almost
a shadow, in the background. You see, it interesting to note that we do
have precise historical records of other Generals at King He-Lu’s court, but nothing so precise
about Master Sun Wu himself. It may have been, in fact that Master Sun
was exactly that, a mere phantom, an embodiment of a set of values rather than a real person. Or, if we want to stay more grounded, Master
Sun may be a composite character, the result of different historical figures merged into
one by inaccurate historical records or oral tradition. Two characters could plausibly be at the origin
of the legend of Sun Tzu: Wu Zixu and Sun Bing. Wu Zixu
Wu Zixu was born some time at the end of the VIth Century and was a son of a nobleman called
Wu She, from the state of Chu. When Wu She was executed for an alleged crime,
Wu Zixu fled Chu and after wandering through the Warring States he finally he came to Wu. Here, he became acquainted with one Prince
Guang, to whom he suggested usurping the throne. Guang killed the rightful King Liao and became
our now good old friend, King He-lu. Wu Zixu became He-lu's chief advisor. Advisor to the King, like Sun Tzu? Check! Wu Zixu then took advantage of his position
of power to take revenge for the unjust death of his father, led a campaign against the
state of Chu and conquered the rival state in 506. Conquering the capital city of Chu, like Sun
Tzu with Fugai? Second Check! For his military success he was rewarded with
the territory of Shen. But with He-Lu’s death, his fortunes started
to decline. Wu Zixu did not see eye-to-eye with the new
King Fucha, who after defeating the state of Yue and Qi, wanted to go for the full hegemony
of the whole of China. Wu Zixu advised against that, as he was aware
of the limited power of the kingdom of Wu. Eventually, King Fucha favoured another general,
Bo-Pi, over him. Slandered by the new favourite, Wu Zixu accepted
a sword presented by the king, with which he killed himself in the year 484BC
Sun Bin Sun Bin, also known as Sun Ping, was rumoured
in life to be a descendant to the legendary Sun Tzu. He lived between the years 380 and 316BC in
the state of Wei. He studied military leadership under two great
generals of the period, Pang Juan and Master Guiguzi. But the old teacher, Pang Juan, became envious
of his pupils and he slandered his reputation. This was quite common at the time, it seems,
and always with dire consequences: the King of Wei punished Sun Bin by cutting off his
kneecaps. The word ‘Bin’ in fact was not part of
his name at birth, it rather indicates this type of punishment and was a nickname given
to him later in his life. Somehow, Sun Bin managed to escape to the
northern state of Qi, where he was hired as a general and led successful campaigns against
Wei. His preferred tactics are a close match with
some of those found in the Art of War, such as encircling the enemy forces and attacking
the weaker enemy formations, which require more support from other units. After his successes with Qi, he retired to
the state of Chu, where he probably died. What makes him a candidate to be the “real
life” Sun Tzu, or at least one of the characters that inspired his legend, is that Sun Bin
authored his own Art of War! This book, titled “The Art of Warfare by
Sun Bin” was discovered by archaeologists in 1972 and it reads like an expansion to
the original book attributed to Sun Tzu. But whatever the truth about the identity
or existence of Master Sun Wu, the man’s life will always be secondary to his greatest
achievement, a short book in thirteen brief chapters, which can be read in little more
than an hour, and yet charged with a relevance that has spanned centuries. The Art of War What we know for certain about this book is
that it was first written in the Vth Century BC, later amended in the IInd Century BC. It later spread to most of East Asia, gaining
notoriety especially in Japan, around the VIIIth Century AD. We know of at least one Japanese warlord who
used as an emblem the four Chinese characters of Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain, which
represent a famous maxim from Sun Tzu’s work: Strike like the wind, be as tranquil
as a forest, be as devastating as a fire and as firm as a mountain. The book was finally formalised in its current
version in the XIth century AD, but we had to wait until 1772 for it to be introduced
to the west, thanks to the translation of a French Jesuit Priest. The Art of War rests on a few key principles,
some of which we have already hinted at. The main point, which is a stern piece of
advice to all rulers, is that war should not be taken lightly, it is a matter of life and
death for the State and the people living within it. At least, it should be avoided at all costs. If this is not possible, it should be extensively
planned and prepared, and concluded as swiftly as possible. No state ever benefited from a prolonged state
of war. If you want to know more about Sun Tzu’s
philosophy of warfare, I strongly encourage you to go and read it, you can read it or
listen to it for free basically everywhere online. But if you can’t spare one hour of your
precious time, I am going to summarise it for you in five minutes. Countdown please. Chapter 1 – Planning. The five key factors of war are: strategy,
weather, terrain, leadership, management. By considering these factors and comparing
them to the enemy a commander can calculate chances for victory. Chapter 2 - Waging War, or the economy of
warfare. Success lies in the ability to win quickly
and effectively, thus limiting the cost of military campaigns Chapter 3 – Strategic Attack, in which the
Master tells us that strength comes from unity, not size. Four – Disposition of the Army. Obvious but true: about the importance of
being able to recognize strategic opportunities and to not create opportunities for the enemy. Five – Forces! About using creativity and timing to build
your army’s momentum. Six – Weaknesses and Strengths. This is Taoism at its best: always adapt your
tactics to changes in the environment. Seven – Military Manoeuvres. About the dangers of direct conflict and how
to win if you cannot avoid it: use initiative to impose your will on the enemy and fight
at your own conditions. Eight - Variations and Adaptability. Taoism, 2nd round. Adapt your tactics to the enemy army’s responses. Nine – Movement and development of troops. Or: how to evaluate the intentions of the
enemy while moving across their territory. Ten – Terrain and Eleven – The Nine Battlegrounds. Both chapters discuss how to interact with
different types of ground to your advantage, at strategic and tactical level. For example, at strategic level, if positioned
at an intersection between two or more factions, or states, always seek an alliance with at
least one of them. A tactical example: when encountering high
ground, either occupy first and hold it. If you can’t, avoid it at any cost. Twelve – Attack by fire. There are five ways to do so: burn the soldiers,
burn their stores, burn their baggage trains, burn their arsenals, shoot fire missiles from
the distance. Thirteen – Espionage. There are five types of spies: locals spying
on the enemy; infiltrated spies; double agents; spies sowing false intelligence on purpose;
and surviving spies – basically those who make it back alive to your camp. Foreknowledge and deception are key to the
conduct of war. In fact, one of the most quoted maxims of
Master Sun’s is exactly that, ‘All war is based on deception’.
