"All war is deception. "
- Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu Art of War
- History Channel
Sun Tzu and the Art of War
“The Purpose of War is Peace”- Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu, one of the world’s greatest military thinkers, grew up in time of great chaos. During the Warring States period (480-221 BCE) China was not the united country that we know today, but rather was divided into seven kingdoms each ruled by its own warlord. Similar to Europe during the Middle Ages, these seven feudal kingdoms were nearly always at war with one another (hence the name Warring States) to take control of their weaker neighbors.
The state of Wu was one of those weaker neighbors and was on the verge of being taken over by its much more powerful kingdom of Chu. Outnumbered ten to one, the Emperor of Wu summoned Sun Tzu, to whip the small Wu army into shape to prepare for the defense of the kingdom. But before offering Sun Tzu the job, the emperor issued a challenge.
The emperor asks Sun Tzu if he can train anyone for battle. Sun Tzu replies that he can, and so the emperor offers his pampered palace concubines as a test to see if Sun Tzu really was as good as his reputation. Sun Tzu divided the beautiful court women into two companies and appointed the emperor’s favorite concubines as company leaders.
To Sun Tzu glory on the battlefield means nothing if you lose the war. Sun Tzu preferred strategies that used mental cunning rather than brute strength to defeat his opponent. Sun Tzu did not wait for the army of Chu to invade Wu. Instead he did the unthinkable and invaded the land of his more powerful enemy. Sun Tzu had no intention of defeating the Chu army on the battlefield. Instead he staged hit and run guerrilla attacks and feints (fake maneuvers) to wearing his enemy down. His plan worked so well that Sun Tzu was able to divide the Chu forces and capture the Chu capital.
Twenty five centuries later the Art of War is still one of the most important works of military strategy. The Art of War has inspired brilliant military minds from Napoleon to Robert E. Lee. In fact, it is required reading for all military cadets. As the former U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell said, “I’ve read the Chinese classic The Art of War written by Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu has been studied for hundreds of years. He continues to give inspiration to soldiers and politicians. So every American soldier in the army knows of his works. We require our soldiers to read it.”
