The Art of War by Sunzi is one of the most amazing books I have ever come across. Written by a Chinese general some 2,500 years ago, it still contains lessons that are absolutely relevant today. This is not a book review. I only want to list some of the points that are, to my mind, the most important. Incidentally, my version of the book has James Clavell as the "editor".1) Discipline
Sunzi was once requested by a Chinese king to demonstrate the effectiveness of his ideas on a group of young women. He carefully explained the orders he would be issuing to the ladies and got them to stand to attention. "Right turn!" he called out. The ladies stood and giggled. "Left turn!" The ladies giggled some more. Sunzi very patiently explained his orders again. If the instructions were unclear, the commander was at fault, he stressed. The ladies acknowledged that they had understood the instructions. "Right turn!" he shouted again. The ladies laughed and did nothing. "Left turn!" More laughter. Sunzi promptly had the group leader, one of the king's favourite concubines, beheaded! Guess what? He had no more problems getting his orders obeyed!
Why did it require the combined might of the USSR, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, etc to overcome a relatively small country like Germany in WW2? My answer: the Germans were highly disciplined.
2) Knowing your enemy and yourself
If you asked me, this is the very reason why the Americans lost in Vietnam (and why they will lose in Afghanistan). The Yanks did not understand the Vietnamese language, culture, spirit, aspirations, etc, and cared less. They arrogantly assumed that they could beat anyone into submission with enough bombs and bullets. As a result, they got their neo-colonial asses whipped.
3) Breaking resistance without fighting
This is not something you would have heard from American Generals like Douglas MacArthur, who had built a career on a mountain of dead bodies. When the Japanese kicked him out of the Philippines, he declared "I shall return!" Years later, the Yanks could have bypassed Luzon island on their way to Japan but MacArthur had to "return" or lose face. The ensuing needless battle for Manila killed 100,000 Filipinos and destroyed the city. Just so a vainglorious general could keep his promise!
Sunzi, on the other hand, preferred not to fight, if at all possible. (Does that sound like he was advocating diplomacy?) If not possible, then fighting should be done in such a way as to minimise casualties and waste. The German blitzkrieg (lightning war) for example, was highly efficient in the use of speed and power to knock an enemy out before he could seriously react.
4) Prisoners and civilians should be well treated
In my opinion, the Rape of Nanjing was a public relations disaster for the Japanese army. What they really intended was to crush Chinese resistance once and for all, via a demonstration of extremely barbarity on the capital of China. But the war was far from over at that point. If you were a Chinese soldier and you knew you would be mercilessly tortured and then executed if you surrendered, would you give up or fight to the death? If the Chinese soldier would no longer surrender, wouldn't life be much harder for the Japanese soldier? The Germans made the same mistake during the Battle of the Bulge. US prisoners were massacred by the SS, which only strengthened American resolve to keep fighting.
5) Holding positions that cannot be attacked
Sounds like common sense, doesn't it? But I've seen lots of people on internet forums get shot to pieces by exposing themselves to fire. If a position cannot be defended, move to a better one, dummy! I will blog more on this later - maybe!
6) Maintaining an army at a distance will impoverish the people
Which dumb-ass nation is conducting wars miles and miles away from home and has consequently gone bankrupt? Give yourself a pat on the back if you answered "the USA!"
Isn't it astonishing how smart Sunzi was compared to some of our modern-day world leaders?
(Art work by Anna Lorimer.)
