The Art Of War By Sun Bin

The Art of War by Sun Bin

Born 232 DC, Wei State, China

Died 316 DC

Sun Bin was a military strategist who lived during the Warring StatesPeriod. He was the hermit Guiguzi’s student.

He was said to be a descendant ofthe renowned Sun Tzu. His brillianceoutshined his classmate Pang Juan. Pang became jealous and tricked him, which resulted in his loss of knee caps in the State of Wei.

He was considered by many scholars as one of the most outstanding military strategist after Sun Tzu.

Sun Bin was believed to be a direct descendant of the distinguished military theorist Sun Tzu (Sun Wu), who flourished during the mid-fourth century B.C. during China's Warring States era, a period of unprecedented violence. He was named Sun Bin in ancient historic books because he suffered corporal punishment, which is named Bin, a form of punishment in ancient China. (Depending on the romanization, Sun Bin is also spelled as Sun Pin.)

The Warring States era was a period "… where independent nation states attempted to annihilate each other through incessant and escalating battles, and military tactics increased exponentially insophistication and brutality (especially with the development of new war technologies). During mid-fourth century B.C. in China, it was common to see 80,000 soldiers perishing in a single defeat." At the same time, these wars of appropriation reduced the number of states to a group of seven powerful states. For that era, warfare was increasingly a way of life as well as a way of death. This quality of influence is found throughout Sun Bin's book.

With assistance, Sun Bin escaped from the grasp of Pang Juan to the State of Qi. Once Sun Bin arrived at the State of Qi, he was immediately nurtured back to health and later, based on his reputation for strategic thinking, appointedto be the principal military advisor to King Wei of the Qi State.

In the Qi State, Sun Bin became a retainer (guest) in the residence of Tian Ji, a military general. Once, King Wei of Qi invited Tian Ji to a racing competition between their horses. Sun Bin suggested a strategy to Tian Ji on how to utilize his horses to his advantage, and Tian won two out of three rounds in the race. The king was impressed with Tian's victory, and Tian admitted that he won with the help of Sun Bin, and he recommended Sun as a talent to the king.

The state of Wei, which was seeking total control of China, sent an army to attack the state of Zhaounder the leadership of Pang Juan. The ruler of Zhao immediately asked the ruler of the Qi state formilitary assistance. Sun Bin was assigned the task of saving the Zhao state. He then devised a scheme of relieving the besieged by besieging the base of the besiegers. After a long battle, the Wei army gave up attacking Zhao as expected and returned to their home state. The army of "Qi" then maneuvered ahead of them and laid an ambush on the way, inflicting a crushing defeat on the armyof Wei. This was one of 36 strategies called “Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.”

Before the final battle, Sun Bin gave the impression of "frailty and retreat," inducing his rival PangJuan to pursue and attack.

“ Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy on the move maintains

deceitful appearances, according to which the enemy will act." --- Sun Tzu

Upon the arrival at a locale called Maling (Horse Trout Way), Pang Juan fell into an ambush laid by the army of Qi. The army of Wei was completely annihilated and Pang Juan committed suicide by cutting his throat.

The Redemption of Sun Bin

After this incident, it has been said that Sun Bin retired from warfare, devotedhimself to the research of military science, and completed his brilliant book Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare (Military Methods). Many scholars consider it to bea brilliant elaboration and a good supplementary text to Sun Tzu: The Art of War.

Sun Bin’s Art of War is a military treatise authored by Sun Bin. The book was believed to be lost after the Han Dynasty, and although there were numerous references to it in post-contemporary texts, some historians still believed that the book was never written and could be a forgery. However, in April 1972, archaeologists excavated several fragments of scrolls from a tomb in Linyi,Shandong province. Sun Bin’s Art of War was found among the scrolls. Although ancient texts mention that the original Sun Bin’s Art of War was 89 chapters long, the rediscovered copy had 16 verifiable chapters only.

Sun Bin’s The Art of Warfare» Sun Bin’s The Art of Warfare

discusses and expands on how to avoid the full and attack the empty.

» He accentuates the importance of understanding the “Tao” of achieving victory and avoiding defeat.

» The path to victory is not straightforward. It is holistic, dynamic, and in tune with nature.

» This translates into a mastery of discerning the reality on the ground, adapting to changing conditions, perceiving where an opponent is weak or in disarray, and learning how to commit a focused attack on weak points in order to gain a quick advantage.

» The strategy when facing a stronger opponent is to “attack where he is not prepared and go by way of places where it would never occur to him you would go.”

#1Capturing Pang Juan

Describes the four strategies employed in the Battle of Guiling :

1. A southward march at the initial stage of the war, to avoid a decisive

battle with Pang Juan. 2. Launching a false attack and feigning retreat and

defeat in Pingling, which reinforced Pang Juan's determination to attack

Handan. 3. Direct advance on Kaifeng (capital city of the Wei

State) to force Pang Juan to turn back to rescue Wei. 4. Ambush at Guiling to destroy the enemy in one move.

The chapter “ Defeating Pang Juan ” can be described as the “grand” overview of Sun Bin’s basic theory of strategic warfare. This generalization can be summarized with this perspective

“ To be victorious against the major opposition, one must possess the strong character of quietly maintaining the deceptive state of shaping and influencing the opposition by avoiding direct conflicts and confrontations until the primary weak point of their opposition is pinpointed. At that stage, he or she focuses on conquering the opposition via one major battle with great speed and precision amount of force.”

It is a standpoint that allows the “quietly smart and steady of this world” to succeed against the “Goliath.”

Sun Bin’s Perception

#2 An Audience with

King Wei of Qi

Sun Bin discussed with King Wei of Qi about war and states: “Only victory in war can bring about authority and prosperity”. To start a war, one must have “a storage of materials, a just cause for war” and must “be well-prepared before launching an attack”. Sun also pointed out that “Warmongers will inevitably lose and those who expect to make a fortune out of war will also suffer defeat and disgrace”.

#3 The Questions of

King Wei Sun Bin advised King Wei and Tian Ji, engaging them in a comprehensive discussion on his basic thoughts about strategy and tactics. The chapter focuses on resolute attacks on weakly-defended key enemy positions and on the military philosophy of using Tao and flexible principles to attain victory.

#4 T'ien Chi Inquiring About

Battlefield Defenses

Set in the Battle of Maling, Sun Bin and Tian Ji discussed the problems of battlefield positions in field operations. The combination of terrain, weapons and the types of soldiers is emphasized.

#5 On Selecting the Troops

Sun Bin commented on the basic principles of

buildingand training an army, and on the factors of field

command that will determine victory or defeat. On the topic of building an army, Sun Bin focuses

on the employment of the best soldiers in terms of field

command.

#6 The Moon and

Warfare

“There is nothing between Heaven and Earth more exalted than man. Warfare…man is not the sole factor. You must have the heavenly, earthly, and human advantage; that is, weather conditions, terrain, and harmonious troops.”“One who goes to war without these factors may yet have some minor victories because he is in concert with the calendar.”

#7 The Eightfold Division of

Formations

Sun Bin discussed the methods of a commander and the principles of battle formation. It emphasises that a commander must be well versed in both meteorology and geography. He must understand the actual situation of his enemy. In a direct battle, he knows well the basic points of the eight formations. If one is sure of victory, he will fight; if unsure he should not fight. Sun Bin said that an army had to take an advantageous geographical position to attack enemy in a less defensible position. When land is flat there should be more armed chariots; when terrain is difficult, more cavalry should be sent: and when is narrow and blocked, there should be more archers sent.

#8 Terrain as a Treasure

You need to be aware of the terrain and its affect on your soldiers, as well as the enemy. This will allow you to fight with advantage. From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible, disaster will ensure. Knowing these things is a test of a great general.

#9 Preparing the

Strategic Advantage

Sun Bin advised the commander on “Preparing the Strategic Advantage” before enter the battlefield.

Sun Bin's perception of the consummate strategist can be described in this quote:

"He who has mastered this art of war knows the way of heaven and earth, has the support of the populace, and is fully aware of the enemy situation. When he needs to determine his battle array, he knows how to set up the formations. He fights when there is assurance of victory. He stops fighting when there isn't. Such a commander is a general worthy of his sovereign. … For one who has really mastered the way of warfare, his enemy can do nothing to escape death."

Sun Bin’s Perception

#10 The Real Nature

of Military

"If one desires to know the reality of the military, it is

through using the crossbow and bolt as a model”

#11 Carrying out the

Selection of Personnel

“The way (dao) to employ the military and win the allegiance of Soldiers”

#12 Sacrifice in Battle

“It’s not enough to win by matching the strength of forces.

We can make use of our total numerical strength to annihilate

the enemy.”

#13 Raising and Keeping

Morale High

On the day as you are about to enter battle, make every effort to raise and keep morale high

#14 Coordinating Military

Assignments It is similar to military rules and regulations of the later ages. It

may be dividedinto three parts:1) Regulations for army organization and command,

emphasising that all types of organizations, units and systems must complete and appropriately meet the requirements for battle.

2) Regulations for military operations under different enemy situations, different terrain, and different climates. Its focus is to emphasize flexibility in command and in the employment of soldiers, and on the need to make decisions according to the situation.

3) Specific rules on marching, camping, patrolling, guarding, war ยpreparations and logistics.

#15 The Five Kinds of Training Methods

Sun Bin replied, “... filial deference, fraternity of the younger brother and being good at one's job are the five virtues of the soldier.”

#16 Strengthening

the Military

“ Having made clear the incentives of rank and salary, the soldiers will die for you.”

Sun Bin was an extremely gifted strategist. His work gives the general reader a "thoughtful" insight into the psychological and practical workings of Sun Tzu's teachings. The general reader can appreciate from this work the subtle insights into the nature of human beings in certain crisis situations.

Lessons Learnt from Sun Bin

#17 Ten Military Formations

“ If a commander does not have the full confidence of his ruler, he should not take command.”

#18 Ten Questions

Sun Bin answered ten questions on warfare.

#19 Overwhelming an Armed Infantry

Sun Bin decribed about the method of overwhelming

an armed infantry.

#20 The Position of

Invader and Defender

“What determines victory or defeat, is the way”

#21 The Expert

Commander

Even where the enemy is formidable and numerous, the expert commander can divide and split up the enemy's grades. A skilled commander seeks victory from the situation and does not demand it of his subordinates.

#22Five Postures and Five Situations

in which an Army Respects

“Treating them with deference and respect.”


“For one who has really mastered the way of warfare, his enemy can do nothing to escape death.” — Sun Bin

#23 Military Mistakes

Battles are won by committing no mistakes.

#24 The Rightness (yi) of

the Commander

The soldiers will not die for a commander who they do not hold in awe. Thus, rightness is like the

head of an army.

#25 The Excellence (de) of

the Commander

He stresses “five factors that will lead to constant victory.”:

The commander who has won the sovereign’ s trust and has an independent command will win. The one who knows the art of war will win. The one who gets uniform support from his soldiers will win. The one whose subordinates work in concert with each other will win. The one who is good at analysing and utilising terrain will win.

#26 Fatal Weakness of the

Commander There are also five corollaries that will lead to constant

defeat:

The one whose command is constrained by the sovereign will be

defeated. The one who does not know the art of war will be defeated. The one whose subordinates do not work in harmony will

be defeated. The one who does not know to use spies will be defeated. The one who does not have the support of his soldiers will

be defeated

#27 Fatal Mistakes of the

Commander

“If he loses the passable way, this can lead to

defeat…”

#28 Males and Females

Fortifications

There is Amass troops in the ravines and increase the height of your fortifications, being silently alert without moving…The advent of extensive fortifications and walled cities during the Warring States.

“ Greater powers and resources do not guarantee tactical superiority. ”

—Sun Bin, The Lost Art of War


#29 Five Considerations and Nine Objectives

“If reinforcements come to their aid, we defeat the

enemy a second time.”

#30 Concentrated and

Sparse Troops

“A concentrated and a sparse force should be met

one with the other…”

#31 Straightforward and Surprise Operations

In war the direct method may be used for commencing battle,

but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure

victory.

#32 Ten Advantages of

Using Cavalry

“ Divide the chariots and cavalry that will be used in combat into 3 detachments: one on either flank and one at the rear. On flat and easy ground, make greater use of the war chariots; on rugged terrain use more cavalry; on terrain that is sheer and close in on both sides, use more cross-bowmen.”

#33 Attacking

the Heart and Mind

Concentrate every effort on first subduing

Its heart-and-mind.

#34 Fragments

The Sun Bin fragments refer to particular battles and individuals, who participated in them, together with the number of troops involved and the movement made.

“ When conventional tactics are altered unexpectedly according to the situation, they take on the element of surprise

and increase in strategic value.”

—Sun Bin, The Lost Art of War


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The Art Of War By Sun Bin