The existence of an individual named after Sun Tzu has always been controversial, just as scholars and historians argue about the existence of what he called the contemporary Taoist philosopher Laozi (500 BC). There is an art war, but since its publication, its far-reaching influence has clearly proved a person's existence and produced a work of saying. Traditionally, works are written by grandchildren.
In A.D. 1972, his works and another "The Art of War" written by his obvious descendant Sun Bin (3 16 BC) in a tomb in Linyi (Shandong Province) seem to confirm his historical authenticity. )。 However, scholars who challenge his historical authenticity still claim that this proves nothing, because Sun Tzu's Art of War may have been written by someone other than Sun Tzu's Art of War in the early days.
It is said that Sun Tzu lived, fought and created in the Spring and Autumn Period before the Warring States Period (48 1-22 1 BC). During this period, the Zhou Dynasty (BC 1046-256) was in decline, and the countries once bound by it were fighting for the hegemony and control of China.
Since then, Sun Tzu's works have been referenced by military figures and business strategists, and his experience and lessons on how to achieve the goal continue to be valued.
In the early Spring and Autumn Period, China's war followed the traditional chivalrous etiquette before, during and after the war. However, with the development of the times, this insistence on tradition has become more and more frustrating, because no country can gain an advantage over another country, because every country follows exactly the same agreement and adopts the same strategy.
Sun Tzu's The Art of War attempts to break this deadlock and outline a clear strategy to win a decisive victory by hook or by crook. His concept may come from early philosophy or be based on his own combat experience. Either way, his theory was put into practice by the King of Qin (259-2 BC10 BC). Following Sun Tzu's philosophy, he conquered other countries through a comprehensive war policy and established the Qin Dynasty (22 BC1-206), calling himself Qin Shihuang (22 BC1-265438). Since then, Sun Tzu's works have been referenced by military figures and business strategists. Today, its course on how to achieve goals is still valued by people of all social classes and occupations.
The history of Sun Tzu
The difficulty in determining whether a grandson exists lies in the time when he should live and write. The late Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were chaotic times, the authority of the Zhou Dynasty declined, and conflicts among the vassal states that once supported the Zhou Dynasty continued.
The turmoil of this era and the destruction of various works after the Qin Dynasty led to the loss of many important records. However, it seems that some generals, at least close to Sun Tzu's reputation, lived and served in this period, advocating a comprehensive war policy, ending conflicts between warring countries and establishing peace.
For Sun Tzu, war is an extension of politics and should pursue the greater interests of all the people, the conquerors and the conquered. However, in order to define war as anything except wasting life and resources, people need to win. Scholar Samuel B. Griffith wrote:
War is an integral part of power politics in this era, and it has become a "national event, a field of life and death, a road of life and death". In order to succeed, it needs a coherent strategy and tactics theory and a practical theory to manage intelligence, planning, command, action and administrative procedures. The author of chapter 13 is the first person to put forward this theory and doctrine. (Griffith, 44)
However, who that person is is still controversial. Sun Tzu's historicity is supported by two central works, namely Spring and Autumn Annals (the national annals of Zhou Dynasty from 722 BC to 48 BC1year) and Historical Records by Sima Qian, a historian of Han Dynasty (94 BC) (BC 145/ 135-86). Scholars criticized the inaccuracy and confusion of possible events in these two works. The argument against the historical authenticity of Sun Tzu claims that if there is such a great military mind, there will be more articles about him than just passing on references. However, many entries in the two works are considered to be historically accurate and given the same brief treatment. Scholar Robert Eno (Robert Eno) commented:
In the spring and autumn period ... it is short-lived and not very rich, so we need to pay attention to the inconsistency in the events it chooses. A typical entry may be: "Autumn; August; Locust. ( 1)
According to Enoch's observation, Sun Tzu's historical critics may have a valid point of view, but it must be admitted that the yearbook that they claimed should record his life more comprehensively did not completely record any important people or events. In Historical Records, Sima Qian spent more time on biographies of people he thought were misjudged by history, so he spent less time on his grandson. He may be famous. The audience of his time, their reputation is guaranteed.
In addition to passing by, Historical Records has been criticized by scholars as an unreliable historical establishment of Sun Tzu's Art of War, claiming that it is largely an illusion of the description of Xia and Shang Dynasties. This statement was once thought to be correct, but archaeological excavations in the 20th century A.D. found physical evidence to support Sima Qian's statement about Shang and possibly Xia. In fact, the record is quite accurate to a great extent, and it will include the part about grandchildren.
However, his name is another obstacle, because it is not a personal name. This is a title translated into a master. Just as Sun Tzu's Art of War repeatedly uses the phrase "Sun Tzu said ……" when introducing the precepts, some people think that some unknown great military genius inspired this book to record his strategies. It has also been suggested that some military students can write this work and record their core vision: the victory of the war ensures peace.
History and influence
Scholars who insist on the historical authenticity of Sun Tzu point out that his role in the victory of Bozhou War (506 BC) is proof. Sun Tzu's source claims that he served King Wu and He Lu (also known as He Lu, 5 15-496 BC) in the Wu Chu War from 565438 BC to 506 BC. He Lv wanted to test his grandson's ability and sense of responsibility first, so he ordered him to join the army with 180 concubines. Sun Tzu divided the harem into two companies, each under the command of the king's two darlings. When he nodded his right face for the first time, all the women laughed and didn't take the exercise seriously. The grandson repeated his orders and they giggled again; Then executed two "commanders" and replaced him. After that, the daughters obeyed his orders without hesitation, and He Lu hired his grandson as his general.
This story has been regarded as fiction since at least 1 1 century, when Ye Chengze, a scholar in the Song Dynasty, first questioned the existence of Sun Tzu, but this does not prevent it from being repeated as a fact today. Even though it never happened, it showed Sun Tzu's commitment to victory, starting with military discipline at all costs.
According to Sima Qian, this story should be accepted because it conforms to Sun Tzu's view of discipline, as Wu's victory in Bozhou proved. Boju's victory is not only due to the discipline of the army, but also because of the strategy adopted. According to legend, Sun Tzu once led Wu Jun, together with King He Lu and He Lu's younger brother Fu Gai, to defeat the Chu army with his tactics. Sun Tzu's Art of War describes the best strategy:
Although according to my estimation, Chu has more soldiers than us, winning or losing is not good for them. I said it was possible to win. Although there are many enemies, we can stop him from fighting. Plan to discover his plan and its possibility of success. Wake him up and understand the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to expose himself and find out his weakness. Carefully compare each other's troops with your own, and you will know where there are surplus troops and where there are insufficient troops. When deploying tactics, the highest level you can achieve is to hide them; Hide your temperament, and you will be protected from the prying eyes of the most cunning spies and the intrigues of the cleverest minds. How the enemy's own tactics brought them victory-this is beyond the understanding of the masses. (6.2 1-26)
In Bozhou, the strength of Chu army is superior to that of Wu Jun, and He Lu dare not attack, but both armies are conducting military training on the battlefield. Fu Gai asked for an order to file charges, but He Lu refused. Fu Gai then chose to go his own way according to Sun Tzu's strategic advice and ordered him to move forward. If the army were not disciplined, they might hesitate and wait for the king's order. In this way, they obeyed the commander's orders and Fugai drove the enemy out of the battlefield. Then they chased them, defeated them many times in the next five battles, and occupied Du Ying, the state of Chu.
Fu Gai's success in the Battle of Wu Chu was entirely due to his own courage and his belief in Sun Tzu's commandments. Through the information brought by the spy, Fugai knew that another general, Nanwa, was despised by his army and they had no will to fight. According to Sun Tzu's suggestion, "force him to expose himself ... and find out his weaknesses", he compared his army with Kawa's and found that this was enough to achieve his goal. According to the instructions of his grandson, he refused to abide by the standard rules of war he understood at that time and won the victory from the enemy's own tactics. He did not let the enemy retreat safely, nor did he let them cross the Qingfa River. Instead, cut off the midstream troops, prevent them from mobilizing and laying cables, and even attack them while they are eating.
Total War and the Influence of Taoism
Before Sun Tzu, Fusui's victory in Bozhou was impossible. As mentioned earlier, the war in the early Spring and Autumn Period in China was considered to be a gentleman's movement, where gentlemen prevailed and the rules were unbreakable; Sun Tzu changed all this. Griffith commented:
In ancient China, war was regarded as a contest between knights. Therefore, it is bound by the norms generally observed by both parties. There are many examples in this regard ... For example, in 632 BC, after General Qin defeated Chu in Chengpu, he gave the defeated enemy three days' food. This courtesy was rewarded by the Chu army who won in Xi. When the Art of War was written, this code was abandoned. (Griffith, 23 years old)
Sun Tzu changed the rules, applied the principles of Taoism to war, and refused to regard war as a sport. Sun Tzu's Art of War said:
Then, in a war, let your great goal be victory, not a long battle. It can be seen that the leader of the army is the arbiter of the fate of the people, and whether the country is peaceful or in danger depends on this person. (2. 19-20)
Grandson has no patience for protracted games, and generals all seem to like to play with each other. Once the war breaks out, we must first defeat the enemy, not blindly chivalry, which will only delay the war and sacrifice more lives. Scholar John M. Kohler commented on how Taoism influenced the concept of the Art of War.
Taoism has found a way of life by doing natural things instead of obeying social customs. Therefore, Taoism does not emphasize Xiu De and the development of interpersonal relationship as Confucianism does, but emphasizes the spontaneous comfort obtained by letting nature take its course. (243)
This kind of "spontaneous comfort" is reflected in Sun Tzu's works. He always emphasized the way of natural victory, ignoring the traditional wisdom about military engagement at that time. Kohler further wrote that the great Taoist book Tao Te Ching "reflects the horror of war and the deep desire for peace" (244), and Sun Tzu's works also reflect this point, that is, the best way to achieve peace is to make a quick decision, or better yet, to defeat the enemy before the war begins.
Sun Tzu wrote: "In all your battles, it is especially good to be able to fight and conquer." : supreme, defeat the enemy without fighting "(2.2). His basic strategies in the whole book can be found in the Tao Te Ching:
Give in and overcome
Bending and straightening
Empty and full. (Article 22)
By adapting to their own situation, rather than rigidly insisting on what they think things should be, people can recognize the fluidity of the situation and take decisive actions.
Sun Tzu and the Rise of the Dynasty
Although Sun Tzu's works seem to have been known during the Warring States period, his precepts were not used until Yin (338 BC), and he may have been familiar with this work. In order to keep consistent with Sun Tzu's vision, the Shang Dynasty advocated all-out war, rather than sticking to the chivalry of the past. Shang Yang's political reform was fully carried out by the King of Qin. He conquered other countries from 230 BC to 22 BC1year, unified China under his rule, became the Stone Yellow Emperor, and established the first imperial dynasty in China, the Qin Dynasty.
It can be said that Sun Tzu's The Art of War is the basic text of the dynasty that ruled China from 19 12.
After the demise of the Qin Dynasty in 206-202 BC, Liu Bang (256- 195 BC) and Xiang Yu (232-202 BC), the main rivals who ruled China, further utilized the principle of grandchildren's fighting. The strategy that led to the decisive victory of * * * (202 BC) in the war under reform followed the thought of Sun Tzu's Art of War in many aspects, but the most remarkable one was the unremitting efforts of General Han Xin (23 BC1-196 BC). Regardless of the previous art of war, the Han army sang Chu songs, attacked Xiang Yu and bruised the Chu army.
The War of Changing Summer led to the rise of the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), which revived the early Zhou culture and promoted its development, including the invention of paper, the refining of gunpowder, the history of writing, the opening of the Silk Road in BC 130 and the beginning of world trade. The Han Dynasty set a standard model for all the later generations, so it can be said that the Art of War was the basic text for the dynasties that ruled China from 65438 to 69 12.
conclusion
As we all know, The Art of War was consulted by the warlord Cao Cao (A.D. 155-220), who was one of the generals who tried to seize the throne during the decline of the Han Dynasty. Cao Cao wrote an annotation for this book, which established its importance at that time, but there is no doubt that the nobles who participated in the Battle of the Eight Kings (AD 29 1-306) knew that each of them followed Sun Tzu's commandments. Cao Cao's failure in Battle of Red Cliffs (AD 208) led to the division of the Three Kingdoms Period (AD 220 -280) and the establishment of an independent kingdom, all of which were led by former generals who used Sun Tzu's works.
Sun Tzu's The Art of War has been continuously consulted in the history of China, and it is finally considered as one of the classics and must-read books. This book has spread all over the world from China. Today, it is one of the best-selling books of all time. Sun Tzu's motto "All wars are based on deception" (1. 18) is quoted as an important part of any military action, business transaction, legal proceedings and political movement.
His works are becoming more and more popular all over the world through translation, which is not only used by the military, but also by business strategists, political consultants, life coaches and others who give people financial or personal choice advice. Whether Sun Tzu exists as an individual is no longer of any real importance, because the works named after him make the name immortal.