The Art of War
Authors: Sun Tzu & James Clavell
TeaserThe art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected.
So begins a remarkable document, written in Chinese some 2,500 years ago, that the world famous author James Clavell strongly feels is vital to our survival today: a book to be read not only by every commander in chief and every officer, but by everyone of us who is interested in peace. For if the true purpose of war is peace, here are the ways to attain it.
Sun Tzu was a philosopher before he ever became a general, and he discusses all aspects of war, from the tactical to the human, in language that is both penetrating and poetic. And James Clavell takes his precepts and shows their application to today’s world—to the world of business as well as the world of daily life.
Sun Tzu starts with the laying of plans, moves on to waging war, and then to the sheathed sword; for as Sun Tzu said, “To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” He covers the weak points and the strong ones of an army; the way to maneuver; special tactics for special situations; the army on the march; dealing with different kinds of terrain; when to fight and when not to; attack by fire; and, most important, the use of spies.
The Art of War
brought Sun Tzu to the attention of the King of Wu, who appointed him general. For almost two decades thereafter—until the deaths of Sun Tzu and the king—the armies of Wu were victorious over their hereditary enemies.
KING RAT
TAI - PAN
SHŌGUN
NOBLE HOUSE
THE CHILDREN’S STORY
…but not just for children
CopyrightPublished by
Delacorte Press
1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10017
Copyright © 1983 by James Clavell
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.
Manufactured in the United States of America
9 8 7
Designed by Richard Oriolo
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA
Sun Tzu [6th cent,
B.C.
] The art of war.
I. Military art and science—early works to 1800.
I. Clavell, James. II. Title.
U101.S95 1983 355'.02 82-19939
ISBN 0-385-29216-3
FOREWORD
S
un Tzu wrote this extraordinary book in China two and a half thousand years ago. It begins:
The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected.
It ends:
Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results. Spies are a most important element in war, because upon them depends an army’s ability to move.
I truly believe that if our military and political leaders in recent times had studied this work of genius, Vietnam could not have happened as it happened; we would not have lost the war in Korea (we lost because we did not achieve victory); the Bay of Pigs could not have occurred; the hostage fiasco in Iran would not have come to pass; the British Empire would not have been dismembered; and, in all probability, World Wars I and II would have been avoided—certainly they would not have been waged as they were waged, and the millions of youths obliterated unnecessarily and stupidly by monsters calling themselves generals would have lived out their lives.
Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
I find it astounding that Sun Tzu wrote so many truths twenty-five centuries ago that are still applicable today—especially in his chapter on the use of spies, which I find extraordinary. I think this little book shows clearly what is still being done wrong, and why our present opponents are so successful in some areas (Sun Tzu is obligatory reading in the Soviet political-military hierarchy and has been available in Russian for centuries; it is also, almost word for word, the source of all Mao Tse-tung’s Little Red Book of strategic and tactical doctrine).
Even more importantly, I believe
The Art of War
shows quite clearly
how to take the initiative
and combat the enemy—any enemy.
Sun Tzu wrote: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
Like Machiavelli’s
The Prince
and Miyamoto Musashi’s
The Book of Five Rings,
Sun Tzu’s truths, contained herein, can equally show the way to victory in all kinds of ordinary business conflicts, boardroom battles, and in the day to day fight for survival we all endure—even in the battle of the sexes! They are all forms of war, all fought under the same rules
—his rules.
The first time I ever personally heard about Sun Tzu was at the races in Happy Valley in Hong Kong in 1977. A friend, P. G. Williams, a steward of the Jockey Club, asked me if I had ever read the book. I said no, and he told me that he would be happy to send me a copy the next day. When the book arrived, I left it unread. Then one day, weeks later, I picked it up. I was totally shocked that in all of my reading about Asia, about Japan and China particularly, I had not come across this book before. Since that time it has been a constant companion for me, so much so that during the course of the writing of
Noble House
many of the characters in it refer to Sun Tzu in all his glory. I think his work is fantastic. Hence this version of his book.
Unfortunately little is known of the man himself or of when he wrote the thirteen chapters. Some ascribe them to approximately 500
B.C.
in the Kingdom of Wu, some to approximately 300
B.C.
About 100
B.C.
one of his chroniclers, Su-ma Ch’ien, gives this biography:
Sun Tzu, whose personal name was Wu, was a native of the Ch’i state. His
Art of War
brought him to the notice of Ho Lu, King of Wu. Ho Lu said to him, “I have carefully perused your thirteen chapters. May I submit your theory of managing soldiers to a slight test?”Sun Tzu replied, “You may.”
The king asked, “May the test be applied to women?”
The answer was again in the affirmative, so arrangements were made to bring 180 ladies out of the palace. Sun Tzu divided them into two companies and placed one of the king’s favorite concubines at the head of each. He then made them all take spears in their hands and addressed them thus: “I presume you know the difference between front and back, right hand and left hand?”
The girls replied, “Yes.”
Sun Tzu went on. “When I say ‘eyes front,’ you must look straight ahead. When I say ‘left turn,’ you must face toward your left hand. When I say ‘right turn,’ you must face toward your right hand. When I say ‘about turn,’ you must face right around toward the back.”
Again the girls assented. The words of command having been thus explained, he set up the halberds and battle-axes in order to begin the drill. Then to the sound of drums he gave the order “right turn,” but the girls only burst out laughing.
Sun Tzu said patiently, “If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame.” He started drilling them again and this time gave the order “left turn,” whereupon the girls once more burst into fits of laughter.
Then he said, “If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders are
clear
and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers.” So saying, he ordered the leaders of the two companies to be beheaded.Now the King of Wu was watching from the top of a raised pavilion, and when he saw that his favorite concubines were about to be executed, he was greatly alarmed and hurriedly sent down the following message: “We are now quite satisfied as to our general’s ability to handle troops. If we are bereft of these two concubines, our meat and drink will lose their savor. It is our wish that they shall not be beheaded.”
Sun Tzu replied even more patiently: “Having once received His Majesty’s commission to be general of his forces, there are certain commands of His Majesty which, acting in that capacity, I am unable to accept.” Accordingly, and immediately, he had the two leaders beheaded and straight-away installed the pair next in order as leaders in their place. When this had been done the drum was sounded for the drill once more. The girls went through all the evolutions, turning to the right or to the left, marching ahead or wheeling about, kneeling or standing, with perfect accuracy and precision, not venturing to utter a sound.
Then Sun Tzu sent a messenger to the king saying: “Your soldiers, sire, are now properly drilled and disciplined and ready for Your Majesty’s inspection. They can be put to any use that their sovereign may desire. Bid them go through fire and water and they will not now disobey.”
But the king replied: “Let our general cease drilling and return to camp. As for us, we have no wish to come down and inspect the troops.”
Thereupon Sun Tzu said calmly: “The king is only fond of words and cannot translate them into deeds.”
After that the King of Wu saw that Sun Tzu was one who knew how to handle an army, and appointed him general. In the west Sun Tzu defeated the Ch’u state and forced his way into Ying, the capital; to the north he put fear into the states of Ch’i and Chin, and spread his fame abroad among the feudal princes. And Sun Tzu shared in the might of the kingdom.
So Sun Tzu became a general for the King of Wu. For almost two decades the armies of Wu were victorious over their hereditary enemies, the Kingdom of Yueh and Ch’u. Sometime within this period Sun Tzu died and his patron, the King of Wu, was killed in a battle. For a few years his descendants followed the precepts of Sun Tzu and continued to be victorious. And then they forgot.
In 473
B.C.
the armies of Wu were defeated and the kingdom made extinct.
In 1782
The Art of War
was first translated into French by a Jesuit, Father Amiot. There is a legend that this little book was Napoleon’s key to success and his secret weapon. Certainly his battles depended upon mobility, and mobility is one of the things that Sun Tzu stresses. Certainly Napoleon used all of Sun Tzu to his own advantage to conquer most of Europe. It was only when he failed to follow Sun Tzu’s rules that he was defeated.
The Art of War
was not translated into English until 1905. The first English translation was by P. F. Calthrop. The second, the one that you will read here, is by Lionel Giles, originally published in Shanghai and London in 1910. I have taken a few liberties with this translation to make it a little more accessible—any translation from ancient Chinese to another language is to a certain extent a point of view—and have inserted some of Giles’s notes, according to the Chinese method, immediately after the passages to which they refer.
I have also, for simplicity, deliberately eliminated all accents over Chinese names and places. It is, really, almost impossible to translate the Chinese sounds of a character into Roman lettering. Again, for simplicity, I’ve used the old-fashioned method of spelling. Let all scholars great and small please excuse me!