Confucius treatise on war. Treatise on the art of war. Relevance of Sun Tzu's War Strategy

“The Art of War” is a very ancient treatise written by the famous Chinese military leader Sun Tzu. It was found during excavations in the 20th century. It is difficult to determine the exact age of the treatise; it has been suggested that it could have been written in both the 6th and 4th centuries BC. In any case, it was written in ancient times, and what is written in it is of great value.

Sun Tzu talks about war, but it is not only a war in which people die, and everywhere there is blood, devastation, hunger and suffering of the population. The author of this book does not at all call for waging merciless wars in order to seize power. This book can be considered as a guide to waging any type of war, including psychological warfare. It is not for nothing that this book is loved by many politicians, businessmen and psychologists. It talks about conflict situations and how to get out of them without unnecessary losses.

The author of the book perceives war as the most extreme method when others have failed. He believes that it is much better to try to reach an agreement peacefully, it is better to skillfully play on the enemy’s fears, using his weaknesses, than to lead to a military clash. Sun Tzu is convinced that it is better to spend money on intelligence officers and spies than to ensure military operations, this will cost much more. And if it comes to war, it must be quick; a long war is not good for anyone. At the same time, we must not forget about the main goals and the population of the conquered territories.

You can learn a lot of useful things from the book that will be useful in everyday life, for example, when negotiating and concluding deals. The treatise will be of interest to most men and will be a wonderful gift for them.

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"Art of War. The Laws of War of the Venerable Teacher Sun" is the most famous ancient Chinese treatise on the topic of military strategy and politics, the fundamental text of the "school of military philosophy." This treatise was used in warfare by such generals as Vo Nguyen Giap and Takeda Shingen, and is also used in military training in the US Army, including the Navy.

The author of the treatise is the strategist and military leader Sun Tzu. Initially, the treatise was dated to the end of the 6th - beginning of the 5th centuries BC, but after its expanded version was discovered in a burial at the beginning of the Han era in 1972, some researchers began to believe that it was created in the second half of the 5th BC . In any case, this treatise is a very important historical document, and it is great happiness that today every person has the opportunity to familiarize themselves with it.

Sun Tzu is a Chinese thinker and strategist who presumably lived in the 6th century BC. He served as a mercenary commander of Prince Ho Lu, who ruled in the kingdom of Wu, and managed to defeat the strongest kingdom of Chu and capture its capital city of Ying, as well as defeat the kingdoms of Jin and Qi. It was the merits of Sun Tzu that made the kingdom of Wu very powerful and allowed it to become part of civilized China.

Fulfilling the request of Prince Ho Lu, Sun Tzu wrote a treatise on the art of war, “The Art of War. The laws of war of the venerable teacher Sun,” after which he returned to his native kingdom of Qi, where he lived the rest of his days. By the way, many years later, members of the Sun clan - Sun Quan, Sun Ce and Sun Jian, who lived during the era of the Three Kingdoms, claimed descent from Sun Tzu.

Summary of the treatise “The Art of War. The laws of war of the venerable teacher Sun"

The treatise consists of thirteen chapters, each of which is devoted to a specific aspect of warfare. Below you can read some provisions of several sections of the treatise.

Preliminary calculations

War is an extremely important process in the life of any state, and in order to come to an understanding of its prospects, it is necessary to understand its five components and answer seven questions.

The five components of war are:

• “The Way” is the attitude of the people towards their ruler, trust in him, readiness to die for him. This includes human resources and that the ruler has
• “Sky” is the time that the warring party has at its disposal
• “Earth” - the disadvantages and advantages that the terrain provides the commander
• “Commander” - troops, his courage, impartiality and intelligence
• “Law” is everything directly related to troops: training, level of officers, etc.

Questions to answer:

• Which ruler has the most pronounced “Path”?
• Which commander can be called talented?
• Which generals already have experience in using “Heaven” and “Earth”?
• Whose army is the most disciplined?
• Whose army is better trained?
• Which commander better understands what is happening in his troops: who deserves a reward and who should be punished?

Waging war

In the process of waging war, it is necessary to conduct the most careful work, both obvious and transport, repair, and household. It is important to understand what harm should be expected from war in order to be able to assess the benefits that war will bring.

If the war drags on, then all the warring parties will suffer losses. A competent commander, who was able to correctly calculate the needs, recruits soldiers only once and stocks up with provisions.

Strategic attack

Battle and victory are far from the best that a ruler can do for his state, and it is much more competent to win a victory by avoiding battle altogether. It is most effective to preserve the enemy’s state and its armed forces. The victorious without destruction, sieges and battles can count on much more than he initially had.

A ruler who controls an army can turn out to be a big problem for the entire state. And victory can be won if the commander knows how to choose the moment for battle and the moment when it needs to be avoided, is able to conduct battles using both large and small armies, knows how to wait and take advantage of the enemy’s negligence, and is able to independently control the army.

Form

It is important to be able to distinguish between victory and invincibility. Invincibility is the ability to preserve oneself, and therefore depends on the one who intends to be invincible. The ability to win is influenced by the enemy, based on which there are no guaranteed victories. Victory is associated with offense, and invincibility is associated with defense.

A smart leader initially calculates everything, and only after that enters into battle - this is the predetermination of his victory. An illiterate leader initially enters into battle, and only after that discusses what needed to be done to win - this is a predetermination of defeat.

Power

It is not so important whether the leader controls small detachments or numerous armies; the correct conduct of battle and the effectiveness of maneuver are much more important. If the battle is conducted correctly, an effective maneuver will be ensured, ensuring victory, because There are a great variety of combat options.

It is also important to take into account the power and degree of timing of the blow. Power is the collection and control of force, and calculation is the purpose. During a fight, power must correspond to the changing situation, and timing guarantees a lightning-fast attack.

Fullness and Emptiness

The one who finds himself on the battlefield before the enemy saves a huge amount of strength, and the leader who sends troops into battle immediately after the end of the march will have to control a tired army, even if before that it was stronger than the enemy’s army.

The strong must be weakened, those who have provisions, the strengthened must be forced to move. To disorient the enemy, you must initially move in the direction in which he expects, and then change direction and go a different way. Even if there is no ambush along the long route, the army will arrive at the battlefield full of strength.

An effective attack requires attacking an unprotected area. Effective defense requires defending a place that is not attacked. When the enemy does not know where to attack and where to defend, he will scatter his forces.

Fight in the war

The struggle in time of war is difficult, and the most difficult thing in it is the ability to take advantage of disaster, and turn a roundabout way into a direct one. When moving along a roundabout path, it is necessary to distract the enemy, luring him with benefits, thereby forcing him to slow down. Fighting during war is dangerous, because trying to gain profit can lead to losses, and an army that does not have supplies is likely to die.

The importance of information cannot be overstated. If you do not know the intentions of potential allies, you should not enter into an agreement with them. If you do not know the situation and the terrain, it is impossible to send troops and achieve advantages on the ground.

Five dangers

Terrain features must always be taken into account. There is no need to set up a camp in the center of the off-road; there is no need to stand for a long time where there is no water, forest or natural shelter. In places where many paths connect, it is necessary to enter into alliances with neighbors in order to prevent a surprise attack on any of the paths.

The five dangers of a commander are:

• The desire to die at any cost - the commander can be killed
• The desire to survive at all costs - the commander can be captured
• - the commander may begin to despise
• Excessive sensitivity - a commander may be offended by too many things
• Excessive philanthropy - a commander can quickly become exhausted

These dangers are not just shortcomings of the commander, but also a disaster for the entire army.

Instead of a conclusion

Of course, we have mentioned only a few of the ideas that he talks about in his treatise “The Art of War. The laws of war of the venerable teacher Sun" Sun Tzu. But this has its advantage - the desire to study this unique work becomes even stronger, and this is far from accidental.

Two and a half thousand years is a long time for any book. And the book that has been used as a textbook by various people throughout this time is truly a unique case, unless, of course, we consider the various sacred scriptures. But even with them, “The Art of War” can compete in popularity - every paragraph of this book hides the invaluable experience of an outstanding philosopher and commander, which can be useful not only in war, but also in ordinary peaceful life.

Sun Tzu- an outstanding Chinese strategist and thinker who presumably lived in the 6th - 5th centuries. BC e. He was the author of a famous treatise on military strategy. Biographical information about him was recorded by Sima Qian in his “Historical Notes”. It is known that Sun Tzu was born in the kingdom of Qi and served as a mercenary commander for Prince Heliu in the kingdom of Wu.

The Art of War is the most famous ancient Chinese treatise on military strategy and politics. It is studied in military academies and business schools around the world, and many outstanding leaders have been inspired by this work.

We selected 10 quotes from it:

The aphorism “Who wants peace must prepare for war” has become famous. And although war itself is a thankless and bloody task, sometimes only it makes it possible to get what the country really needs. One of the first to understand and describe this was the ancient Chinese thinker Sun Tzu.

Historical evidence

In the 7th-4th centuries BC, China was divided into many kingdoms. In the center they were more developed, and on the coast they were barbaric. This time is traditionally called the period of "Spring and Autumn". At its end comes the rise of the kingdoms of Yue and Wu. It is at this stage that we find evidence of the military art of the talented commander and philosopher Sun Tzu. He was not popular at court, but when danger arose from the neighboring “treacherous” Chu, the ruler was offered a preventive war. The problem was the lack of trust in those commanders who served at the court of the ruler. Therefore, one of the ministers recommended inviting to the court someone who could organize an army and make a successful military campaign with it. This military leader was Sun Tzu.

First test

Helui Wang, ruler of Wu, held an interview with the invited military leader. Sun Tzu answered all his questions about strategy with quotes from his treatise. They were so comprehensive that it was impossible to see a single flaw. But the ruler wanted to see it in practice. And then the commander proposed Helui Wang’s harem, consisting of 300 concubines, as a model. They were divided into 2 detachments led by two beloved women of the prince, given uniforms and explained the essence of the orders. But the beauties only laughed and did not follow the commander’s orders. Then, according to the laws of war, Sun Tzu decided to execute the detachment commanders. Despite the ruler's protests, he personally carried out the sentence. After this, the female fighters unquestioningly and absolutely precisely followed all orders. Haluy Wang received an army ready to march, but the loss of his beloved concubines darkened the prince’s life. Nevertheless, he had to entrust the creation of the army of his kingdom to Sun Tzu, and he led it on campaigns.

Military successes

Among the many books proclaiming certain postulates, those whose authors were able to prove in practice the validity of their doctrines are of particular value. In this regard, Sun Tzu's treatise is impeccable. The army of 30 thousand soldiers he created managed to capture the treacherous kingdom of Chu and reach the territory of In. Further, by sending his troops to the north, the commander intimidated the powerful states of Qi and Jin. The appanage princes were in awe of his strength, skills and wisdom. Thanks to these campaigns, Lord Helui Wang became hegemon over the princes. But after the end of hostilities, Sun Tzu retired from the noisy court, because his destiny was war, and not court diplomatic games and intrigues. The ruler and his descendants were left with a book specially written for this purpose, “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu.

Dialectics of war

The philosophical and ideological basis of The Art of War is the eclecticism of Confucianism, Taoism and Mohism. Such a synthesis managed to show the war in its contradictions. On the one hand, war is the path of development, the soil of death and life, representing the great deeds of the state and the ruler. On the other hand, this is the path of lies and deception. War must be governed by five basic principles:

• unity of goals between the governing elite and the people;
• timeliness (tao of heaven);
• correspondence to space, place (dao of the earth);
• the presence of a commander who can fully combine such qualities as nobility, reliability and high skills;
• organization and discipline of the troops, strict adherence to existing laws.

At the same time, we must not forget that the main goal of war, as paradoxical as it may sound, is the prosperity of the population, the protection of the people’s trust in their ruler. Therefore, military operations must be fast, mobile and extremely effective. Starting from espionage and ending directly with a military campaign, everything must be thought out and subordinated to a great goal. A common expression is the following: “The ideal is a victory achieved without military action.”

Relevance of Sun Tzu's War Strategy

Despite the fact that more than two thousand years separate us from the time Sun Tzu wrote his treatise, the books of modern Eastern authors, not only in the field of international politics, but also in the field of business, are imbued with his ideas. Business teachers believe that the laws of warfare have not changed, moving from the battlefield to offices, courts and meeting rooms. The ideas of achieving goals as quickly as possible and efficiency are at the core of modern business strategies. The main ones are: victory without a fight or at the beginning of a fight, softness and speed as elements of strength and the possibility of their use. Any competition, not just economic, requires the use of proven tactics and strategies, so getting acquainted with the treatise “The Art of War” will be interesting and useful for a wide range of readers - everyone who wants to achieve success in life.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu is the oldest manual on warfare that has survived to this day. The treatise “The Art of War” was written around the end of the 6th and beginning of the 5th century BC by the greatest commander of that time, Sun Tzu, who lived in the kingdom of Qi. It is still not clear whether Sun Tzu is a real historical figure and the author of the work “The Art of War”; based on recent research, the possible author could be the commander Sun Bin. Despite the fact that the author is not exactly known, the book went down in history as “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu, titles are also found: “a treatise on the art of war” by Sun Tzu, “The Laws of War (military methods) of the venerable (teacher) Sun” .

Philosophy of the "Art of War"

The book The Art of War itself consists of 13 chapters that describe the main stages of warfare. These are the chapters:

• Preliminary calculations
• Waging war.
• Strategic.
• Combat uniform.
• Power.
• Fullness and emptiness.
• Fight in the war.
• Nine changes.
• Hike.
• Terrain forms.
• Nine localities.
• Fire attack.
• Use of spies.

The book itself is full of Confucian philosophy and it should be noted that the essence of the book “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu boils down to the fact that war should be avoided. And it is worth using military action for the sake of the prosperity of the state and the people. It is this deep philosophy of life that makes the book not only relevant thousands of years after its writing, but also allows it to be applied in other areas of life, for example in business.

Application of the "Art of War"

Sun Tzu's Art of War became most widespread in the east, including outside China. In particular, the treatise on the art of war was widely used in Japan. In many countries it is still used to train officers, for example in the US and Chinese armies. There are also many unconfirmed stories that the “Arts of War” were used by famous commanders of the past, in particular Napoleon and Nazi Germany.

Since most of the book is written about how to wage war without the use of force, the book has been widely used in areas not related to the army, especially in, as well as in sports. A lot of modern business literature has been written on the practical use of the advice described in The Art of War. One of the most famous is the story of the concubines.

The story of the Concubines

One day the prince asked Sun Tzu to demonstrate his abilities in practice. To do this, he offered him his harem at his disposal. It was a cunning move, but Sun Tzu did not refuse; he divided the harem into two detachments, distributed halberds to the women and appointed two of the prince’s favorite concubines at the head of the detachments.

The detachments took up a battle formation. When Sun Tzu began to command “right”, “left”, “forward” - the women began to laugh and not follow the order. Sun Tzu said: “the detachment did not carry out the order, which means it needs to be repeated,” which he did.

But the concubines did not carry out the order again, then Sun Tzu said “if the order is not carried out again, it is the fault of the commanders, since the commander explained the order twice.” And he ordered the execution of his two favorite concubines.

The prince, realizing the seriousness of the situation, decided to cancel the order, to which Sun Tzu said that in war no one has the right to cancel the order of the commander and the concubines were executed. After this, the concubines began to carry out all orders the first time.

Quotes from the book "The Art of War"

There are many famous quotes in Sun Tzu's book The Art of War; they have been used by generals for many centuries. But in the 21st century, these quotes are often used in peaceful areas. You can read the most famous quotes from the book “The Art of War” below:

“War is a great thing for the state, it is the ground of life and death, it is the path of existence and death. This needs to be understood"

“Power is the ability to use tactics in accordance with advantage”

“It has never happened before that a war lasted for a long time and this would be beneficial to the state. Therefore, anyone who does not fully understand all the harm from war cannot fully understand all the benefits from war.”

“War loves victory and does not like duration”

“Being in order, one expects disorder; being calm, they expect unrest; this is control of the heart"

“There are roads that are not taken; there are armies that are not attacked; there are fortresses over which they do not fight; there are areas over which people do not fight; There are commands of the sovereign that are not fulfilled"

“The essence of war is deception. The skillful must feign ineptitude. When ready to attack, demonstrate submission. When you are close, appear far away, but when you are very far away, pretend you are close.”

“Winning a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the pinnacle of military art. To defeat the enemy without fighting is the pinnacle.”

“I dare to ask: if the enemy appears in large numbers and in perfect order, how to meet him? I answer: take first what is dear to him. If you capture him, he will obey you."