SUN-TZU
INTRODUCTION
Sun Tzu is no doubt one of the oldest and ablest military commanders on ancient china. he has the author of a great Chinese classic "the art of war" sun Tzu was very good on military affairs and he was the first man who brought attention to the western world by a Jesuit missionary to Peking, father j.j.m.amiot.whose interpretation "threat of war" was published in Paris in 1772. Towards the close of a period craftsmen had been significantly influenced by the newly discovered and exciting world of Chinese arts and letters on it was translated into Russian, German and English languages.
Brief life history
Sun Tzu was born at"le"in the state of "qi"(known today as humming country. Shandong province) he lived in around 500 BC. Sun Tzu's father. Sun Ping was also a senior officer in the "Qi" state. Nurtured in a family of military officers. Sun Tzu became an expert in military affairs. Which the society encouraged at that time.
The state of "Qi" had been the property of Jiang Ziya. The militarist in China and also the place where Guan Zhong, the great politician and disorder. Sun Tzu went to the state of "Wu" (at present Suzhou. Jiangsu province). The King "He Lu" appointed him a General in. "We's" army as he knew that he was an expert in military affairs and strategies. Thus, Sun Tzu began his military career in the state of "wu."
Together with Wu zixu. Sun Tzu assisted the sovereign of "Wu" in attacking Chu three times and annihilating the state of "Yue" extending the territory of "wu" up to Sucheng. Luian. Qiuanshan. And cao country "(all at present in Anhui province). And after a three years rest and re organization. They again won at the battle of "Poju" and occupied of "ying" the capital of Chu.
How Sun Tzu became Gen?
Sun Tzu was a native of Chi states who by means of his book "the art of war" secured an audience with Ho-Lu. King of WU states. King Ho-Lu said to Sun Tzu that he had read his thirteen chapters book "The Art of War. He asked him "can you conduct a minor experiment in control of the movement of troops?" Sun Tzu said 'yes'. The King thereupon agreed & sent from the place 180 beautiful women.
Sun Tzu divided them into two companies and put the King's two favorite concubines in command. He instructed them all how to hold halberds. He then said, 'Do you know where the heart is, and where the right and left hands and the back are?'
The women said, 'we know.' Sun Tzu 'When I give the order 'Front' face in the direction of the heart, when I say 'left,' face toward the left hand: when I say 'right' face towards the right; when I say 'Rear' face the direction of your backs.'
The women said, 'we understand.' When these regulations had been announced the executioner's weapons were arranged. Sun Tzu then gave the orders three times and explained them five times, after which he beat on the drum the signal 'Face right'. The women all roared with laughter. Sun Tzu said, 'If regulations are not clear and orders not thoroughly explained, it is the commander's fault.'
He then repeated the orders three times and explained them five times, and gave the drum signal to face to the left. The women again burst into laughter. Sun Tzu said, 'If instructions are not clear and orders not thoroughly explained, it is the commander's fault.' But when they have been made clear, and are not carried out in accordance with military law, it is a crime on the part of the officers,' Then he ordered the commanders of the right and left ranks to be beheaded.
The King of WU (HO-LU), who was reviewing the proceeding from his terrace, saw that his beloved concubines were about to be executed. He was terrified, and hurriedly sent an aid with this message.' I already know that the General is able to employ troops. Without these two concubines my food will not taste sweet. It is my desire that they be not executed.' Sun Tzu replied "Your servant has already received your appointment as commander and when the commander is at the head of the army he need not accept all the sovereign's orders."
Consequently he ordered that the two women who had commanded the ranks be executed as an example. He then used the next seniors as company commanders. Thereupon he repeated the signals on the drum and the women faced left, right, to the front to the rear, knelt and rose all in strict accordance with the prescribed drills. They did not dare to make the slightest noise. Sun Tzu then sent a messenger to the King and informed him "The troops are now in good order. The king may descend to review and inspect them. They may be employed as the king desires, even to the extent of going through fire and water."
The King Ho-Lo said, "The Gen may go to his hostel and rest. I do not wish to come to inspect them. Sun Tzu said, the king likes only empty words. He is not capable of putting them into practice.' Ho –Lo then relished Sun Tzu's capacity as a commander, and eventually made him a general.
Military Contributions of sun Tzu
According to Sun Tzu, the art of war were made up of five permanent elements, which were as follow:-
(i)The Moral Law- Obey orders
(ii)The Heaven – Weather and climate
(iii)The Earth or Geography – Transport and terrain
(iv)The Commander or Leadership – qualities and character
(v)The method and discipline-Direction and organization
The Moral Law : Sun Tzu has given much importance to the mutual confidence and relationship between the ruler and the people. Due to this moral binding people prey their leader without any hitch. They get ready to sacrifice there lives in difficult situations.
Therefore he always emphasized on good relationship between the government and people. The ruler or government always took care of the welfare of their people. Then only people could be used be used at any type of emergency
The Heaven: According to him Heavenly matters always made much impact on strategy and n the result of war. Actually the meaning of Heaven pointed to day night ,weather and seasons etc. He was well aware of all these kinds of all weather effects in battle. According to him 'a good military leader always formed a strategy keeping his all these kinds of the effects of weather."
The Earth of Geography: Sun Tzu spoke about the importance of geographical conditions like types of land terrain climate and weather etc. He was well aware of ass these kinds of weather effects on battle. According to him a good military leader always formed a strategy keeping his mind of the effects of weather.
The Commander: Sun Tzu highlighted the great value of leadership in war. The qualities of the leaders show the quality of the army. He gave much importance to various qualities of military leader such as moral, strict of controls and justices. His opinion about military commander "The victory cannot be achieved without a good commander." Therefore, his personality should be extra ordinary, and full of skill and hard working. He should not be greedy and selfish. If the commander has any weakness from the above two, he never becomes a successful military commander.
(V) Method and Discipline: - He also explained the functional methods of the army about recruitment, promotion system and training and administration etc. He explained the various economical procedures of military expenditure and different ideas of transport arrangement during war. According to Sun Tzu, the leaders, who were aware of the above factors, always got success and those who didn't got defeated.
There is no general who has not heard of these five matters. Those who master them win; those who do not are defeated. Therefore, in laying plans compare the following 7 elements, for victory.
a)More sagacious (Patriotism feeling)
b)More able Commanders.
c)Advantage of nature and terrain.
d)More discipline.
e)More strongly.
f)Better trained officers & soldiers.
g)Rewards and punishment.
Book Written by Sun Tzu
The famous book "The Art of War" was written by Sun Tzu in Chinese language initially and later on translated into many other languages. The main are topics as follows: -
a)Lying plans (Estimates.)
b)Waging war.
c)Offensive strategy.
d)Dispositions.
e)Weaknesses and strengths.
f)Energy
g)Maneuver
h)The Nine variables
i)Marches
j)Terrain
k)The Nine varieties
l)Attack by fire
m) Employment of Secret Agents.
Famous Quotations
"War is a great of the state, the realm of life and death, the road to safety and ruin, a thing to be studied with extreme diligence,"
"The victorious strategist seeks battle while the battle has been won while he also is destined to defeat first fights and seeks victory afterwards."
"Spies are most important element in war because on them depends army's ability to move."
"All warfare is based on deception."
"The general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle his troops."
Military strategy of Sun Tzu
a)If you are ten and enemy is one, surround the enemy.
b)If you are five and enemy is one , attack without delay.
c)If you are double, divide the enemy in two parts, then only attack.
d)If you are equal, wait and see, analyze and take a decision.
e)If less in number, take defensive position.
f)If very weak, run away.
Sun Tzu also said that the general is the protector of the state. If this protection is all-embracing, the state will surely be strong, if defective; the state will certainly be weak. Therefore there are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army.
(a)When ignorant the army should not advance, to order an advance or ignorant that it should not retire, to order a retirement.
(b) When ignorant of military affairs, to participate in their administrative work. This causes the officers to be perplexed.
(c) When ignorant of command problems to share in the exercise of responsibilities. This engenders doubts in the minds of the officers.
Sun Tzu said if the army was confused and suspicious, neigh boring rulers would cause trouble. This is what is meant by the saying, 'A confused army leads to another's victory'.
There are Five circumstances in which victory may be predicted:-
They are as follows:-
a)He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.
b)He who understands how to use both large and small forces will be victorious.
c)He whose ranks are united in purpose will be victorious.
d)He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy, who is not will be victorious.
e)He whose generals are able and not interfered with by the sovereign will be victorious.
Know the enemy and know yourself in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both your enemy and you are certain in every battle to be in peril.
Waging of War
"War is a great affair of the state;
The province of life and death,
The road to survival and ruin,
A thing to be studied with extreme diligence."
Victory is the main objective in war. If this is long delayed, weapons are blunted and morale depressed. When troops attack cities, their strength is exhausted. When the army engages in protracted campaigns the resources of the state will not suffice. When your weapons are dulled and arrow damped, your strength exhausted and treasure spent, neighboring rulers will take advantage of your distress to act. And even though you have wise counselors, none will be able to lay good plans for the future. Thus, while we have heard of blundering swiftness in war, we have not yet seen a clever operation that was prolonged. There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited.
Where the army is prices are high, when prices rise the wealth of the people is exhausted. When wealth is exhausted the peasantry will be affected with urgent executions. Treat the captive well and care for them. This is called winning a battle and becoming stronger. Hence what is essenual in war is victory, not prolonged operations. Therefore, the general who understands war is the minister of the people's fate and garrotter of the nation's destine.
Offensive strategy (Attack by Stratagem)
Generally, in war, the best policy is to take a state intact, to ruin it is inferior to this. "This capture of the enemy's army is better than to destroy it to take intact a battalion, a company or a five-man squad is better than to destroy them. To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the en without fighting is the acme of skill. Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy. Next best is to disrupt his a alliances. (Do not allow your enemies to get together). The next best is to attack his army. The worst policy is to attack cities, Attack cities only when there is no alternative. To prepare the shielded wagons and make ready the necessary arms and equipment requires at least three months, to pile up earthen ramps against the walls an additional three months will be needed. If the general is unable to control his impatience and orders his troops to swarm up the wall like ants, one third of them will be killed without taking the city. Such is the calamity of these attacks. Thus, those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle. They capture his cities without assaulting those overthrows his state without operations.
Sun Tzu said." Your aim must be to take all-under-heaven intact. Thus your troops are not worn out and your gains will be complete. This is the art of offensive strategy."
Tactical Dispositions
Sun Tzu said, the skilful warriors first made themselves invincible and awaited the enemy's movement of vulnerability. Invincibility depends on one's self, the enemy's vulnerability on him. It fallows that those skilled in war can make themselves invincible but cannot cause an enemy to be certainly vulnerable. Therefore, it is said that one may know how to win, but can not necessarily do so.
Invincibility lies in the ordinary man can foresee is not the acme of skill. The skilful commander takes up a position in which strength is inadequate, he attacks when it is abundant. The experts in defense conceal themselves as under the nine-fold earth, those skilled in an attack move as from above the nine fold leavens. Thus they are capable both of protecting themselves and of gaining a complete victory.
To foresee a victory which the ordinary man can foresee is not the acme of skill. The skilful commander takes up a position in which the cannot be defeated and misses no opportunity to master his enemy. Thus a victorious army wins its victories before seeking battle, an army destined to be defeated fights in the hope of winning.
The elements of war are as follows: -
a)Measurement of space.
b)Estimation of quantities.
c)Calculations
d)Comparisons
e)Chances of victory.
Measurement of space is derived from the ground. Estimation of quantities devrve from measurement, figures from quantities. Comparisons form figures and victory from comparisions. Thus a victorious army is as a hundred weight balanced against a grain, a defeated army as a gain blanced against a hundred weight. It is because of disposing that a victorious general is able to make his people fight with the effect of pet up waters, which suddenly released, plunge into a bottoless abyss.
Energy
Sun tzu said, generally management of many is the same as management of few. It is a matter of organisation. To control many is the same as to control few. This is a matter of formations & signals. The army is certain ot sustain the enemy's attack without suffering defeat is due to operations of the extrations of the extraordinary and the normal forces. In battle, the use the narmal force to engage, use the extraordinary to win. The resources of those skilled in the use of extraordinary forces are as infinite as the heavens and earth, as in exhaustible as the flow of the great rivers. For they end and recommence, cyclical, as are the movements of the sun & moon. They die away and are reborn, recurrent, as are the passing seasons. e.g.
(a)The musical notes are only five in number but their melodies are so numerous that one cannot hear them all.
(b)The primary colours are only five in number but their combinations are so infinite that one cannot visualisr them all.
(c)The flowers are only five in number but their blends are so various that one cannot taste them all.