The aphorism "Who wants peace must prepare for war" has become famous. And although the war itself is a thankless and bloody affair, 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, but on the coast they were barbaric. This time is traditionally called the "Spring and Autumn" period. At its end, the rise of the kingdoms of Yue and Wu falls. 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 in the court of the overlord. Therefore, one of the ministers recommended that someone be invited to the court who could organize an army and make a successful military campaign with it. By this warlordbecame Sun Tzu.
First Trial
Helui-wang, the ruler of Wu, interviewed a visiting military leader. Sun Tzu answered all his questions about strategy with quotes from his treatise. They were so exhaustive that it was impossible to see a single flaw. But the overlord wanted to see military strategy in practice. And then the commander offered 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, they were given uniforms and explained the essence of the orders. But the beauties only laughed and did not follow the orders of the commander. Then, according to the laws of war, Sun Tzu decided to execute the commanders of the detachments. Despite the protests of the ruler, he personally carried out the sentence. After that, the female fighters unquestioningly and exactly carried out all orders. Halyuy-van received an army ready to march, but the loss of his beloved concubines overshadowed the life of the prince. Nevertheless, he had to entrust the creation of the army of his kingdom to Sun Tzu, he also led him on campaigns.
Military successes
Among the many books proclaiming certain postulates, those whose authors have managed to prove the viability of their doctrines in practice 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 insidious kingdom of Chu, reach the territory of Ying. Further, sending his troops to the north, the commander frightened the powerful states of Qi and Jin. Specific princes trembled before his strength, skillsand wisdom. Thanks to these campaigns, the ruler Helui-van became the hegemon over the princes. But after the end of hostilities, Sun Tzu retired from the noisy court, because war was his destiny, and not court diplomatic games and intrigues. The ruler and his descendants were left with a specially written book "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
Dialectics of war
The philosophical, ideological basis of the "Art of War" is the eclecticism of Confucianism, Taoism and Moism. Such a synthesis succeeded in showing the war in its contradiction. 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 deceit. War must be driven by five basic principles:
- unity of purpose of the ruling elites and the people;
- timeliness (tao of heaven);
- correspondence to space, place (tao 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 the war, paradoxically as it sounds, 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. The common expression isthe following: "The ideal is a victory achieved without military action."
The relevance of Sun Tzu's war strategy
Despite the fact that more than two thousand years separate us from the time of writing Sun Tzu's treatise, the books of modern Eastern authors, not only in the field of international politics, but also in the field of doing business, are saturated with his ideas. Business educators believe that the laws of combat have not changed, moving from the battlefield to offices, courts, and boardrooms. Ideas of faster goal achievement and efficiency lie at the heart 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 application. Any, not only economic, competition requires the use of verified tactics and strategies, so acquaintance 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.
