Sun Tzu's Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems

When Grand Master Shi Huang arrived at the guesthouse to inspect Sun Bin's copying of military strategy, he pushed open the door and was immediately taken aback by the scene before him. He asked, "Marshal Pang, what are you doing?"

"He wants to kill me," Sun Bin said first.

"Marshal Pang," said Imperial Physician Shi Huang with a cold laugh, "this is not in your Wei Kingdom, but in the Chu Kingdom."

Pang Juan quickly sheathed his sword and explained, "I am serving the King of Chu. The King of Chu asked me to supervise him in writing military strategy, but he refused. I am warning him."

Sun Bin retorted sharply, "It's not that I won't write it, it's that I won't write it for you."

"Writing it for me or writing it for the King of Chu is the same."

"It's different. If I write to the King of Chu, I'm fulfilling my promise. If I write to you, I'm aiding and abetting evil."

Imperial Physician Shi Huang clapped his hands and laughed, "Well said! Excellent!"

Pang Juan glared at Shi Huang Dafu and said to Sun Bin, "I don't care what you say about me, but I must verify the authenticity of your 'Art of War'."

The Grand Master Shi Huang told the King of Chu about the quarrel between Sun Bin and Pang Juan. The King of Chu said with great joy, "Good, good quarrel! I want them to quarrel. In the end, Pang Juan will not get Sun Tzu's Art of War."

The Imperial Physician said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we should send Pang Juan away now."

"He's gone. Who will authenticate the true text of *The Art of War* now?"

"Tell Sun Bin that once the entire treatise on military strategy is written down, Pang Juan should be allowed to verify its authenticity. With Pang Juan opposing him, Sun Bin will not dare to pass off a fake as the real one."

The King of Chu nodded slightly: "You share the same thoughts as me."

The Grand Master Shi Huang relayed King Chu's decision to Pang Juan, requesting that he temporarily leave Chu. Pang Juan was furious, but outwardly appeared indifferent, asking the Grand Master Shi Huang, "Now that Sun Bin has finished writing his military treatise, does King Chu intend to let him go?"

"We won't let him go. We don't even know if his military treatise is genuine or not. How can we let him go?"

"What if we find out if it's true or false?"

"Whether it's true or false, we can't let him go. If we let him go, wouldn't that be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains?"

"That puts my mind at ease."

"In that case, when will the Marshal leave?"

"the day after tomorrow."

"Very well, I will report back to my lord immediately and request that he prepare a grand banquet to bid farewell to the Marshal!"

"No need, I'll be back soon. Maybe next time."

After seeing off Grand Master Shi Huang, Pang Juan immediately went to find Sun Bin. This time, he was very polite, knocking on the already open door and asking, "May I come in?"

Sun Bin was playing the zither when he heard Pang Juan's voice. He looked up and said, "As long as I'm not writing military strategy, you can come in."

Pang Juan walked in, sat down next to Sun Bin, and said to Sun Bin, "Sun Bin, I've come to say goodbye."

"Oh, you're no longer supervising my writing of military strategy?" Sun Bin asked.

Pang Juan appeared nonchalant and said, "Actually, there's no need for me to supervise you. You're a man of your word; you'll always keep your promises."

Sun Bin said, "That's not necessarily true. It depends on when, where, and to whom."

Pang Juan smiled slightly: "The Grand Master Shi Huang told me that even if you write down the art of war, the King of Chu does not intend to release you. He said that one cannot let a tiger return to the mountain."

Sun Bin smiled slightly: "Heh, I admire you. You can tell lies as if they were the truth."

Pang Juan said sadly, "I know I'm despicable in your eyes, and you'll never believe me again. Actually, we weren't like this before. When we were classmates in Guigu..."

"You are not worthy to mention Guiguzi again!" Sun Bin interrupted him.

"Yes, I am not worthy. The reason I am not worthy is because of jealousy. I am jealous of those who are more talented than me; I am jealous of those who are more powerful than me; I am jealous of those who are luckier than me; I am jealous of those who can have what I cannot have... Jealousy made me forget our friendship as classmates, and turned my brother and me into enemies; jealousy made me do so many things to wrong you! Jealousy made me the most despicable person in the world..." Pang Juan became more and more agitated as he spoke, and his eyes involuntarily reddened.

Realizing his loss of composure, Pang Juan calmed himself down and continued to Sun Bin: "You may think I'm faking it, and that's not your fault. I once put you in a life-or-death situation, causing you to lose all trust in me... But today, I'm not faking it. The reason I hate myself is not because of remorse, but because of jealousy. I'm jealous of the King of Chu, who is about to obtain the 'Art of War' that I cannot have."

"I believe this to be true," Sun Bin said calmly.

"Therefore, I want to help you escape from the State of Chu. What I cannot have, the King of Chu cannot have either!"

"What good will it do you if I flee Chu and return to Qi?"

Pang Juan laughed and said, "Brother Sun, I said I would help you escape from Chu, not that I would let you return to Qi."

Sun Bin was taken aback: "If I don't return to Qi, where will I go?"

"You can go to Wei, Han, Zhao, Yan, or Qin, but you can't go back to Qi. If you agree, I'll help you escape from Chu."

"Just this one condition?"

"No, there's one more thing. Give me a copy of 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu."

"That's your real purpose," Sun Bin sneered.

"You should agree to trade a set of military strategies for your life."

"What if you, like the King of Chu, obtain the military treatise and still don't let me go?"

"I swear to God."

I don't believe your vows.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Sun Bin thought for a moment, then said, "After you help me escape this dangerous situation, I'm not only referring to the State of Chu, but also your State of Wei. Then I will give you military strategy."

Pang Juan agreed.

Sun Bin said he had one more request: he wanted to know how Pang Juan would help him escape.

Pang Juan laughed loudly, "Your request isn't unreasonable. I can tell you first." He lowered his voice and said, "The King of Chu wants me to go back and wait until you finish writing the Art of War. After I leave, tell the King that the Art of War is written by the Sage of War and cannot be written in the noisy city. It needs to be written in a valley similar to Guigu, otherwise it would be a desecration of the sacred spirit. Desecrating the sacred spirit will be punished by Heaven. The people of Chu have always revered ghosts and gods, so the King will surely believe you. Then you can say that there is such a valley on the border between Chu and Wei. The King will not suspect any trickery because I am your mortal enemy, and you will not flee to Wei. After you arrive at the valley, I will immediately lead an army to raid it and rescue you. What do you think?"

Sun Bin remained silent in deep thought.

Pang Juan knew that Sun Bin still didn't believe him, so he said, "Danger and opportunity go hand in hand, and I will not break my promise."

Sun Bin finally made up his mind and said to Pang Juan, "Then I will take the risk one more time."

After saying this, the two high-fived to signify their agreement.

The Grand Master Shi urged Sun Bin to write down his military treatise as soon as possible, but Sun Bin said he couldn't write it in a noisy city. The Grand Master Shi accused Sun Bin of playing tricks. Sun Bin replied, "Grand Master Shi, don't misunderstand. When Master Guigu passed on his military treatise to me, he repeatedly warned me that it was written by the military sage Sun Tzu. It should not be taught in a noisy city, but in a quiet valley. Otherwise, it would be a defilement of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is defiled, both the writer and the holder of the treatise will be punished by Heaven. Therefore, I must find a quiet valley to write my treatise for Your Majesty."

Why didn't you say so sooner?

"I can't tell Pang Juan if he doesn't leave; it would cause a lot of trouble if he found out."

The Imperial Physician no longer doubted Sun Bin's words and agreed to find a valley as soon as possible.

Sun Bin continued, "Grand Master Shi, not every valley is suitable for writing military strategies. The valley must possess spiritual energy and divine aura; otherwise, the military strategies will lose the protection of the gods. Back then, Master Guigu spent several years finding Guigu Valley. If you were to find a place similar to Guigu Valley, it would probably take you several years as well."

The Grand Master Shi Huang could not agree to spending so much time searching for the valley, as the King of Chu was eager to see the military treatise. Sun Bin said, "If Your Majesty urgently needs to see the military treatise, it is not impossible. When I went to Wei, I passed through a valley on the border between Chu and Wei that closely resembled Guigu Valley. It would be very suitable to write down the military treatise there. However, it is too close to Wei, and I am worried that Pang Juan will harm me if he finds out."

The Imperial Physician said, "You need not worry, the King can send troops to protect you."

Sun Bin waved his hand and said, "Alas, if we send troops, it would be tantamount to revealing my whereabouts to Pang Juan. What if he launches a full-scale invasion of Wei? Furthermore, the Art of War states that deploying 100,000 troops to transport supplies across a thousand miles will incur daily expenses of a thousand gold pieces. Your Majesty's heavy garrison in the barren mountains of the border, while not comparable to a thousand-mile campaign, will still cost no less than five hundred gold pieces daily. Military strategy cannot be written in a few days; how many five hundred gold pieces will Your Majesty need to spend? This is secondary; what if other countries take advantage of the situation and invade?"

The Imperial Physician pondered for a long time, finding it difficult to make a decision.

Sun Bin instructed the Grand Master Shi Huang to return and report to the King of Chu, to weigh the pros and cons repeatedly, and to let the King of Chu make the final decision.

The Grand Master Shi Huang relayed Sun Bin's words to the King of Chu, who said, "Pang Juan is not a serious threat. I will send a well-trained army to ambush him in the valley, and then send many spies into Wei. If Pang Juan makes any move, they will immediately protect Sun Bin and help him retreat from the valley. What I am worried about is Sun Bin himself. He said there is such a valley on the border between Chu and Wei. Could this be a trap?"

The Imperial Physician pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I have also considered this carefully. Sun Bin is not treacherous. Pang Juan is his mortal enemy. If he goes to the border between Chu and Wei, it will be disadvantageous for him. But if he goes to the border between Chu and Qi or Chu and Han, then it is indeed a trap."

The King of Chu nodded slightly, then said, "Take my military tally and mobilize five thousand troops to protect Sun Bin."

The Grand Master Shi Huang informed Sun Bin of the King of Chu's decision and urged him to depart the next day. Sun Bin said he needed the Grand Master Shi Huang's help with something. The Grand Master Shi Huang asked what it was, and Sun Bin, somewhat shyly, said, "This is a difficult matter to discuss… I would like to ask you to help me find someone…"

"Is she a woman?" Doctor Shi Huang asked with a wicked grin.

Sun Bin nodded sheepishly and said, "I don't want to just pick any woman. I want to pick the one who came last time..."

"What, a night of passion, unforgettable for a lifetime?" Grand Physician Shi chuckled again, asking the woman her name and where she lived, but Sun Bin knew nothing. He drew a portrait of Zhongli Chun and asked Grand Physician Shi to have it hung in a crowded place on the street.

Not long after the portrait was hung up, Zhong Lichun saw it. Many onlookers were discussing her in the portrait. Zhong Lichun tore the portrait down from the wall and took it to Sun Bin. She angrily questioned Sun Bin, "Is this how you find people? A thousand people look at it, ten thousand touch it! You've made me utterly humiliated!"

"Miss Zhongli, I'm so sorry," Sun Bin said apologetically. "I'm leaving tomorrow and I'm in a hurry to find you. I couldn't think of any other way, so I had to resort to this."

Sun Bin told Zhongli Chun about his trip to the Chu-Wei border to write military strategy, and then asked for her help. Zhongli Chun, still harboring resentment towards Sun Bin, coldly replied, "How do you know I would help you?"

"We're friends, you wouldn't just stand by and watch someone die."

"You're not a good friend!"

"Miss Zhongli, I know I'm sorry, but I... really can't marry you..."

"That's not what I was talking about. I will never mention it again."

"So, what do you mean?"

You know it in your heart.

"Could it be because... I didn't go with you last time?" Sun Bin pondered.

"That's nothing, I just made a fool of myself," Zhong Lichun teased.

Sun Bin thought about it seriously for a moment, and said very sincerely, "I really can't remember."

"Come find me whenever you feel like it."

After Zhong Lichun finished speaking, she turned to leave, but Sun Bin grabbed her arm and said, "It's too late. I have to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhong Lichun looked at Sun Bin holding his hand, his face hardened, and he said sternly, "Let go of me."

Sun Bin quickly released his grip.

"You go your way, I'll go mine, we have nothing to do with each other."

After saying that, Zhong Lichun turned and walked away.

Sun Bin was initially confused, but after carefully considering Zhong Lichun's words, "You go your way, I'll go mine," he understood. Zhong Lichun's words had a hidden meaning; she would accompany him secretly. A weight lifted from Sun Bin's heart, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

Grand Master Shi Huang, leading 5,000 troops, secretly escorted Sun Bin to a valley on the border between Chu and Wei. Pang Juan, who was waiting for Sun Bin near the valley, learned of this and exclaimed happily, "Sun Bin has fallen for our trap!"

Pang Juan secretly sent his men into the valley to find Sun Bin's residence. He then ordered Pang Cong to immediately dispatch reinforcements to the border and secretly blockade the Wei-Chu border to prevent Chu spies sent to Wei from returning to Chu.

The valley is covered with tall grass and dense forest, with mist drifting by from time to time. Deep in the woods, there stands a thatched hut, the place where Sun Bin wrote his military treatise.

Sun Bin and Shi Huang carefully examined the deployment of the five thousand troops along the valley. Sun Bin said to Shi Huang, "With these five thousand soldiers deployed like this, Pang Juan cannot enter the valley without five times the number of troops."

When they returned to the thatched hut, Sun Bin's legs could not withstand the dampness of the valley, making it even more difficult for him to walk.

Zhong Lichun, hiding in the forest, saw it all and felt a pang of pain in her heart.

As soon as Grand Physician Shi left, Zhong Lichun emerged from the woods and entered Sun Bin's thatched hut. Sun Bin complained that she shouldn't have come, but Zhong Lichun said she was worried about him.

Sun Bin said, "What's there to worry about? Didn't we already agree that as soon as Pang Juan's army arrives, Imperial Physician Shi will take me away immediately, and you can wait for me at the foot of the mountain?"

When Sun Bin first entered the valley, Zhongli Chun secretly approached him. She told him that she had brought dozens of brave men who could rescue him from the State of Chu at any time. Sun Bin expressed his gratitude profusely and then told Zhongli Chun his escape plan. He also drew her a map, instructing her to take her men and wait outside the valley at the locations shown on the map.

Zhongli Chun said, "Pang Juan is cunning. What if he enters the valley from a place you wouldn't expect?"

Sun Bin said, "I've surveyed the terrain; he can't get in. Let's go back. Those men you left at the foot of the mountain are leaderless. If anything goes wrong, we'll lose everything."

Zhong Lichun said, "Don't worry, those people down the mountain are completely subservient to me. Without my permission, they would never dare to act on their own and there won't be any mistakes. Your legs aren't good, and you have to cross mountains and valleys. I'll be by your side to take care of you."

Sun Bin still insisted on persuading her to leave, saying, "If Grand Master Shi sees you, he will become suspicious."

"Hmm... then I'll quietly wait in the woods outside the shed, so no one will find me."

Sun Bin was deeply moved upon hearing this.

That night, when all was quiet, Zhong Lichun sneaked into Sun Bin's thatched hut again. She made Sun Bin sit barefoot on a bamboo mat, then used silk soaked in wine to repeatedly wash his bare knees, saying that this would ward off the dampness. After washing his legs, she held them in her arms.

Sun Bin blushed and tried to pull his leg away from Zhong Lichun's embrace, saying shyly, "Don't do that, you don't need to..."

Zhong Lichun pressed down on his leg and said frankly, "Don't be embarrassed, I have no other intentions, I'm just treating your leg."

At this moment, Sun Bin felt warmth not only in his legs but throughout his entire body—a warmth he had never experienced before.

Someone outside the thatched hut was hitting the curtain with pebbles. Sun Bin told Zhongli Chun that it was a spy sent by Pang Juan to see him. He went out of the hut and gave Pang Juan's spy a map of the Chu army's deployment.

The Wei spy returned to the valley and handed the defense map to Pang Juan. Pang Juan asked him if he had checked it against the map. The spy said he had, and it was the same as Sun Bin's drawing. Pang Juan was then relieved; Sun Bin hadn't seen through his scheme, or rather, even if he had, he was now powerless to do anything about it.

At dawn, when a thick fog enveloped the valley, the Wei army split into several groups and quietly sneaked into the valley along the forest paths.

The Chu army, which was lying in ambush in the grass, sounded the ox horn.

The Chu army in the valley immediately moved into their new battle positions after changing their defensive deployment.

Upon learning of Pang Juan's army's surprise attack on the valley, Grand Master Shi Huang arrived breathlessly at the thatched hut and exclaimed to Sun Bin, "Master Sun, it's terrible! Pang Juan's army is here!"

Sun Bin feigned surprise and asked accusingly, "What were your spies for? Why haven't they sent any news back?"

"Who knew," said Imperial Physician Shi, panting. "None of the spies we sent out have returned."

Sun Bin complained, "I told you I wouldn't come, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened, what are we going to do?"

Grand Physician Shi Huang said with great confidence, "Mr. Sun, rest assured, even if it costs me five thousand men, I will rescue you and bring you back to the capital."

The Wei army's surprise attack failed, and the Wei general reported to Pang Juan that the Chu army's deployment had changed. Pang Juan knew that Sun Bin was behind it; he had already anticipated this. He said to his generals, "We have already surrounded the valley. Even if Sun Bin is up to something, he cannot escape my grasp."

He ordered his troops to force their way into the valley.

The war drums of the Wei army resounded throughout the valley. The Wei general led his soldiers, shields and long spears in hand, charging down the valley. The Chu army on both sides of the valley bravely resisted the Wei army, the sounds of clashing weapons and shouts of battle rising and falling.

Following the escape route that Sun Bin had planned in advance, Shi Huang Dafu led a dozen soldiers to protect Sun Bin as he climbed to the top of the mountain. Then, they prepared to escape the valley along a rugged, steep, and overgrown mountain path.

The shouts of battle in the valley gradually faded into the distance.

Grand Physician Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said to Sun Bin, "Mr. Sun, there's no more danger. Pang Juan would never have imagined that we would escape from a place where there's no way out..."

Before they could finish speaking, a dozen men wielding weapons emerged from the woods and blocked their way.

Imperial Physician Shi Huang was taken aback and asked, "Who...are you?"

The leading man replied, "He's one of Marshal Pang's men." With that, he waved his hand.

The men brandished their weapons and charged forward.

A flurry of swordplay ensued, and a dozen Chu soldiers fell to the ground. The leader approached the Imperial Censor. The Imperial Censor trembled violently, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed, pleading, "Good sir, spare my life! I am willing to hand over Sun Bin..."

The leading man grabbed Imperial Physician Shi by the collar, lifted him up, and asked Zhongli Chun, who was standing nearby, "Miss Chun, what should we do with him?"

Zhongli Chun said, "Spare his life and let him go back and inform the King of Chu that Marshal Pang has thanked us."

Doctor Shi stared blankly at Zhong Lichun. He seemed to have seen her somewhere before. Before he could figure it out, the leader of the men punched him, and Doctor Shi fell heavily to the ground and fainted.

Zhongli Chun's men pulled out a fast horse that had been prepared in advance from the forest, helped Sun Bin onto the horse, and Zhongli Chun also mounted the horse, protecting Sun Bin as they galloped eastward towards the State of Qi.

Note: "Crossing the Sea Under Cover of Darkness" is the first of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Although its name originated in the Tang Dynasty, its content was widely used during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. In this stratagem, "Heaven" originally referred to the emperor, and "crossing the sea" signifies an insurmountable obstacle. The key to "Crossing the Sea Under Cover of Darkness" is to conceal a hidden scheme within ostentatious and exposed actions. Sun Bin used this stratagem to deceive the King of Chu and Pang Juan, escaping danger. To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter: "Stealing the Beams and Replacing the Pillars."