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

In 354 BC, Pang Juan led an army of 100,000 to attack the State of Zhao. The Wei army was invincible and advanced directly to Handan, the capital of Zhao, which was on the verge of collapse. Zhao Li, an envoy of Zhao, was sent by the King of Zhao to Linzi, the capital of Qi, to persuade King Wei of Qi. He told King Wei that the King of Zhao intended to offer three cities to Qi and requested that King Wei send troops to rescue Zhao.

King Wei of Qi summoned his court officials to discuss the matter of rescuing Zhao. "My wise ministers," he asked them, "is it more beneficial for my state to rescue Zhao, or not to rescue Zhao?"

Zou Ji stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe it is advantageous not to rescue Zhao. Handan is the capital of Zhao, and Zhao will certainly not give it up easily. They will fight Wei to the death. Even if Wei captures Handan, it will be severely weakened. In this way, the threat from Wei to Qi will be reduced. If Your Majesty sends troops to rescue Zhao, there will inevitably be a bloody battle. Not to mention that the Qi army is no match for the Wei army, even if the Qi army were to be a match for the Wei army, both sides would suffer heavy losses. Therefore, it is still more advantageous not to rescue Zhao."

King Qi Wei thought Zou Ji's words made sense, and many officials also agreed with Zou Ji's proposal.

Tian Ji opposed Zou Ji's proposal, saying to King Wei of Qi, "Your Majesty, I cannot agree with the Prime Minister's statement. I believe that rescuing Zhao is beneficial to Qi. Zhao and Qi are common enemies of Wei. If Zhao is destroyed, Wei will focus all its efforts on dealing with Qi. In this way, the threat from Wei to Qi will not be reduced, but increased. If Your Majesty sends troops to rescue Zhao and saves Zhao from annihilation, the King of Zhao will be grateful to Your Majesty for life. Once Wei invades Qi, Zhao will go all out, making it difficult for Wei to defend itself. In that case, Wei will not dare to invade Qi rashly. Therefore, rescuing Zhao is beneficial to me."

King Qi Wei thought Tian Ji's words made more sense, and many officials agreed with Tian Ji's proposal.

Zou Ji said, "General Tian's words are indeed reasonable, but I wonder if Your Majesty has considered that the Qi army has been defeated by Pang Juan several times. If it is defeated by Pang Juan again in a distant country, not only will it fail to save the Zhao state, but it will also be in danger of being completely annihilated."

Zou Ji's words sparked a heated discussion. The officials unanimously agreed with Zou Ji's proposal not to rescue the State of Zhao, while King Wei of Qi remained silent in deep thought.

Tian Ji anxiously said to King Wei of Qi, "Your Majesty, if we do not save the State of Zhao, Zhao will surely be destroyed, and if Zhao is destroyed, Qi will also perish!"

Zou Ji said to Tian Ji, "General Tian, ​​don't exaggerate. Even if Zhao is destroyed, we can still form an alliance with Chu, Qin, Han, and Yan. Wei cannot destroy Qi."

Tian Ji retorted, "Prime Minister, I don't know if you're truly confused or feigning ignorance. This time, when Wei invaded Zhao, all the countries you mentioned dared not come to Zhao's aid because they feared Wei. Next year, if Wei invades Qi, will they no longer fear Wei?"

Zou Ji sneered, "General Tian, ​​I'm not pretending to be confused; I understand everything you're saying. However, your army is no match for Pang Juan; how can you possibly save the State of Zhao?"

Tian Ji knew that Zou Ji was mocking his incompetence in command, and he blushed with embarrassment, saying, "I can hand over military power and let a capable person lead the army."

"You should have said that sooner, it's too late now! In a moment of desperation, even if we found someone like that, he wouldn't be a match for Pang Juan."

"I can find him, and this person is absolutely certain to defeat Pang Juan."

Zou Ji sneered and said, "Anyone can talk big."

"I'm not exaggerating, I'm telling the truth."

"Who is this person?"

"Sun Bin is a descendant of Sun Tzu and the inheritor of 'The Art of War'," Tian Ji said to King Wei of Qi. "Your Majesty, I recommend Sun Bin as the Grand General. He will surely defeat Pang Juan."

King Wei of Qi also thought of Sun Bin, and he personally went to Tian's residence to invite Sun Bin to be the Grand General of Qi. Sun Bin bowed to King Wei of Qi and said, "Your Majesty has come to invite me personally, and I am truly humbled. However, I have made a prior agreement with Your Majesty that I would not serve as a general, but only as a military advisor."

King Qi Wei said, "If the military advisor has no authority to command the army, his talents will be difficult to utilize, and I am not at ease with this."

Sun Bin said, "I have spent many days with General Tian. General Tian is a general who is good at listening to the opinions of others. With General Tian in command of the army, my talents can still be fully utilized."

Tian Ji, who was standing nearby, said to Sun Bin, "I have already agreed to relinquish military power in front of all the officials. If I were to become the general again, wouldn't that be going back on my word? Mr. Sun, please don't refuse anymore."

"General Tian, ​​I am not refusing, but as the general who commands the entire army, you should have authority. I am disabled and have scars on my face, so I have no authority whatsoever. How can I command the entire army?" Sun Bin then said to King Qi Wei, "Your Majesty, it would be more appropriate for General Tian to command the entire army, and for me to be his strategist."

King Qi Wei pondered for a moment and said, "Very well, we will do as you wish. But I have made it clear beforehand that in matters of war, we must listen to the advice of the military advisor. If we are defeated by the Wei army again, the military advisor and General Tian will be punished equally."

Upon hearing that the strategist of Qi was Sun Bin, Zhao Li excitedly rushed to the Qi camp outside the city to pay his respects. After a long separation, things had changed drastically. After exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Li exclaimed, "This time, our Zhao state is saved! Mr. Sun, Pang Juan would never have imagined that you were still alive and fighting him!"

Sun Bin smiled slightly and said, "He would never have imagined that I would go to Wei instead of Zhao."

"What, go to Wei?" Zhao Li asked, puzzled. "If you don't go to Zhao, how will you relieve the siege of Handan?"

Sun Bin said, "If the Qi army travels a thousand miles to Zhao, their exhausted troops will find it difficult to win. Not only will they fail to save Zhao, but the Qi army itself will also be in danger. Now that Wei is vulnerable, I will send my army to Wei. Pang Juan will surely withdraw his troops, and the siege of Handan will be resolved."

Zhao Li was uneasy about Sun Bin's actions and asked, "What if Pang Juan doesn't withdraw his troops?"

Sun Bin confidently said, "The Qi army is threatening the Wei capital, Daliang, so they dare not disobey."

"What if Pang Juan had captured Handan before the Qi army posed a threat to Daliang?"

"If Handan were really that vulnerable, even if we reached the State of Zhao, Pang Juan's army would have already occupied Handan."

"Mr. Sun, the most reliable method is to head straight for Zhao. With the armies of Qi and Zhao working together from the inside, Pang Juan will surely retreat."

"What you are most confident about is often what you are least confident about. Mr. Zhao, you don't need to worry, I will definitely make Pang Juan withdraw his troops."

Zhao Li was very dissatisfied and said coldly, "Are you afraid of Pang Juan?"

Sun Bin smiled and said, "Don't try to provoke me. It won't work. I won't change my mind."

Zhao Li believed that Sun Bin was afraid of Pang Juan, so he intentionally told Qi general Tian Guo about Sun Bin's plan. Tian Guo was a straightforward and hot-tempered general. He stormed into Sun Bin's tent and questioned him bluntly why he didn't go to Zhao.

Sun Bin said calmly, "Sun Tzu said: 'The general's affairs should be conducted with tranquility and secrecy, and with righteousness and order. This will keep the eyes and ears of the soldiers ignorant and the people unaware.' When the time is not ripe, the general's plans should not be known to his subordinates. Only in this way can his subordinates act according to the general's plans without fail."

Tian Guo sneered, "I already know your plan. You want to go to Wei, not Zhao."

Sun Bin replied frankly, "So what if it is?"

"Hmph, you're just bluffing because you're afraid of Pang Juan, and you don't dare go to Zhao! You're a disgrace to our Qi state!"

"Who said this?"

Tian Guo said matter-of-factly, "I said it, I just said it."

"Guards!" Sun Bin ordered sternly, "Drag Tian Guo out and give him thirty strokes of the cane."

Before Tian Guo could react, two guards stepped forward and grabbed his arms. Enraged, Tian Guo shoved the guards aside and pointed at Sun Bin, shouting, "Sun Bin, how dare you! Don't you even know who I am? Let me tell you, I am the Great General's cousin, a meritorious official of Qi, a veteran of countless battles, having killed thousands of enemies. Even the King treats me with respect. How dare you hit me? You are far too presumptuous!"

"No matter who you are, you disregarded the strategist's orders and deserve to be punished," Sun Bin said sternly to the guards. "Drag him out and give him forty strokes of the cane."

The guards dragged Tian Guo outside the tent and began to torture him. Tian Guo lay on the ground, cursing Sun Bin as a coward and a disgrace to Qi. Several generals heard the commotion and came over, seizing the bamboo canes from the guards. A general surnamed Cao stepped forward and helped Tian Guo up, asking, "General Tian, ​​what happened?"

Tian Guo angrily retorted, "Sun Bin was afraid of Pang Juan and dared not go to Zhao. When I questioned him about why he didn't go to Zhao, he used a cane on me."

General Cao angrily said to everyone, "How can such a coward be a strategist? Let's go find the Great General."

The other generals echoed this sentiment, demanding that the Grand General dismiss Sun Bin.

Sun Bin walked slowly over and said to the crowd, "It's no use you going to find the General. The General and I share the same idea."

General Cao didn't take Sun Bin seriously at all. He snorted and said, "Don't talk nonsense. The General is definitely not a coward who fears death."

Sun Bin said, "This is not about being afraid of death; it is a secret of military operations."

General Cao sneered, "What nonsense! If you don't go to Zhao, who will you fight against?"

Sun Bin's lust subsided, and he said, "Who we fight is not something you should ask."

General Cao pressed Sun Bin, "What if I insist on asking?"

"I advise you not to ask, otherwise, the pain of being caned is unpleasant."

"Even if it means the death penalty, I must get to the bottom of this!" General Cao puffed out his chest, appearing righteous and awe-inspiring.

Sun Bin ordered his guards, "Men, give him thirty strokes of the cane."

The guards outside the tent stepped forward to seize General Cao, but General Cao drew his sword and shouted, "Let's see who among you dares to touch a hair on my head!"

"How dare you!" Sun Bin roared in fury, shouting at General Cao, "You dare threaten the strategist with a weapon! Military law forbids this!" He ordered his guards, "Drag him to the camp gate and behead him as a warning!"

Upon hearing this, the generals drew their weapons and protected General Cao.

Sun Bin glanced at the assembled generals and said, "What, do you all want to die?"

One of the generals shouted, "It's better to die than to be pointed at behind someone's back and called a coward!"

As the two sides were locked in a stalemate, General Tian Ji arrived. The generals immediately sheathed their weapons and stepped aside. General Cao stepped forward to accuse Sun Bin, but Tian Ji interrupted him, saying, "No need to say anything, I know everything. Proceed according to the strategist's advice; this is the King's decree!"

Everyone was speechless.

Sun Bin pointed at General Cao and said to the soldiers, "Drag him to the camp gate and behead him as a warning to the public."

All the generals knelt on the ground and bowed, saying, "Strategist, please show mercy and spare General Cao's life."

Tian Guo staggered to Sun Bin's side, knelt on the ground, and said, "Strategist, General Cao offended you because of me. If you want to kill him, then kill me."

Sun Bin pondered for a moment, then addressed the generals: "When your subordinates violate military discipline, can you uphold its dignity by not punishing them according to military law? When you issue orders to your subordinates, and those orders are correct, can you retract them without undermining the authority of military orders? Can an army with lax discipline and weak orders truly fight bravely on the battlefield? Can an army that cannot fight bravely on the battlefield defeat a powerful enemy?"

The generals were speechless.

Sun Bin said to his guards, "Take General Cao to the camp gate and behead him as a warning to the public."

General Cao obediently allowed himself to be carried away by the soldiers. Everyone watched silently as General Cao was led away.

Sun Bin turned around, and two tears rolled down his cheeks.

Afterwards, Tian Ji complained to Sun Bin, "Strategist, you should have told the generals the real purpose of your trip to Wei. That way, today's events wouldn't have happened, and General Cao wouldn't have died."

"General, if we reveal our true purpose to everyone, with so many people talking, it's inevitable that word will leak out. If it reaches Pang Juan's ears, he won't withdraw his troops from Zhao, and we won't be able to achieve our objective," Sun Bin explained. "Therefore, we must conceal our true purpose and feign a genuine attack on Wei. A genuine attack means blocking all information, hiding our movements, and then suddenly appearing in Wei. Pang Juan is a skilled strategist; he's not afraid of bluffing, but he fears a sudden attack."

As dawn broke over the plains, the Qi army marched swiftly towards Wei without a sound from their horses, men, or flags. The soldiers' faces bore the grim weight of impending battle.

Zhao Li returned to the capital of Qi and reported Sun Bin's actions to King Wei of Qi. King Wei explained to him that it was all Sun Bin's scheme. "What a pipe dream," Zhao Li said disdainfully. "Pang Juan will never fall for Sun Bin's tricks. Sun Bin's real purpose is to use Your Majesty's troops to settle his personal score."

King Qi Wei remained silent in deep thought.

Zhao Li added, "Wei is powerful. Even if it is temporarily weakened, Sun Bin will find it difficult to achieve his goal. If Pang Juan captures Handan and immediately returns with his army, the Qi army will be doomed!"

King Wei of Qi ordered his palace guards to catch up with Tian Ji immediately, and commanded him to stop his campaign against Wei and immediately lead his troops to Zhao.

When Tian Ji received the King of Qi's order, he asked Sun Bin what to do. Sun Bin told Tian Ji, "Once the battle plan is finalized, the worst thing you can do is to change it."

Tian Ji had doubts and said, "If the king blames us, we will have no way to explain ourselves."

Sun Bin resolutely replied, "While the general is away, he may disobey the emperor's orders."

Tian Ji was still full of doubts: "That's true, but the king hates generals who disobey his orders the most."

"The king's order is to save Zhao. As long as we get Pang Juan to withdraw his troops, we will not have disobeyed the king's order." With Sun Bin's insistence, the Qi army advanced as planned.

The Qi army, having lowered its flags and sounded its drums, entered Wei territory and headed straight for the capital, Daliang. Upon hearing this, King Hui of Wei immediately summoned his ministers to discuss the matter. Some ministers believed that Pang Juan should be immediately recalled to ensure the Qi army's annihilation; others argued that the Qi army lacked the courage to attack Daliang and was merely bluffing to seize Wei's border cities. King Hui ordered the border troops to harass the Qi army along the way, forcing them to reveal their intentions.

The Qi army was constantly attacked by Wei soldiers, but they ignored the attacks and continued to march towards Daliang without hesitation.

King Hui of Wei no longer hesitated. He ordered a high-ranking official to take his military tally and travel day and night to summon Pang Juan back to Wei immediately to annihilate the Qi army.

When Pang Juan received the order from King Hui of Wei, he was initially puzzled by the actions of the Qi people. However, after hearing that the Qi army had lowered its flags and drums, ignored the harassment from the border garrison, and headed straight for Daliang, he decided to turn back.

When Tian Ji and Sun Bin learned that Pang Juan had returned with his army, they immediately summoned their generals to their camp. Sun Bin said to the generals, "Pang Juan has always looked down on the State of Qi. This time, he will surely divide his army into two parts, the vanguard and the rearguard. He will personally lead the vanguard straight to Daliang. We will ambush him at Guiling, which is on Pang Juan's route, and catch him off guard. Pang Juan will surely be defeated."

The generals were filled with fervor.

Tian Guo stepped forward and said, "Strategist, I want to make amends for my mistakes. Please allow me to be the first to confront Pang Juan."

Sun Bin shook his head and said, "You can't do it."

"Strategist, do you not trust me? You can ask the general. In our Tian Kingdom, we have always disregarded life and death in battle, fighting bravely and never retreating."

"I believe what you say, but what I'm worried about is that you can't fight according to my plan."

Tian Guo confidently declared, "I can! Strategist, just tell me how to fight, and I'll fight exactly as you say!"

"I want you to lose." Sun Bin revealed his plan: "The first person to confront Pang Juan must lose, without letting Pang Juan see any weakness, so that we can lure Pang Juan into our ambush zone."

Following Sun Bin's strategy, Tian Guo led his army to intercept Pang Juan. Pang Juan, enraged that the Qi army had disrupted his plan to attack Zhao, personally supervised the battle, intending to annihilate the Qi army blocking his path. Tian Guo's army fought and retreated, with Pang Juan's army in hot pursuit. Tian Guo abandoned his chariots and changed horses to flee, and Pang Juan also abandoned his chariots and changed horses, leading his soldiers in relentless pursuit.

The army of Tian fled in panic into a long valley, the soldiers losing their armor and weapons, in a sorry state.

Pang Juan personally led his troops into the valley, and the shouts of battle filled the air.

Just then, the thunderous sound of war drums suddenly echoed through the valley, and many Qi soldiers carrying shields swarmed out from the bushes and trees, blocking the Wei army's path. Behind the shields were soldiers with bows, their arrows aimed at the Wei troops.

Pang Juan was startled, but quickly regained his composure and shouted, "Shields forward, bows and arrows behind!"

The Wei soldiers, holding shields, quickly formed a shield wall in front of the Wei army, and the soldiers with bows and arrows surged behind the shield wall.

Another drumbeat resounded. On both sides of the mountain, numerous banners of the Qi army were raised, and many soldiers carrying bows emerged from the grassy slopes.

Pang Juan was startled again. Seeing the situation was dire, he shouted, "The front ranks move to the rear, the rear ranks to the front! Retreat!"

Before he could finish speaking, a familiar voice came from the mountain: "Pang Juan, you can't leave!"

Pang Juan was taken aback and turned to look.

Sun Bin stood on a high slope, with Tian Ji standing beside him and Zhong Lichun behind him, surrounded by many soldiers holding shields.

Pang Juan stared at Sun Bin in astonishment, and asked in a trembling voice, "Who...who are you?"

Sun Bin smiled slightly and said, "Junior brother, don't you even recognize your senior brother?"

Pang Juan could hardly believe his eyes and shook his head, saying, "No, you...you are not my senior brother. My senior brother is already dead."

Zhong Lichun, who was standing nearby, shouted, "Have you seen Mr. Sun's body?"

Pang Juan was taken aback.

Sun Bin said, "That was a clever escape strategy, do you understand?"

"A petty trick, I'll let you succeed this once!" Pang Juan said angrily.

Sun Bin calmly replied, "Then let's succeed one more time. This time, let's call it 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao'!"

Pang Juan was so angry that he couldn't speak for a moment.

Sun Bin continued, "Pang Juan, you are already surrounded. Lay down your weapons and surrender to capture. You will still have a chance to survive. Otherwise, even I, as your senior brother, cannot save you."

Pang Juan gritted his teeth and said, "You're dreaming! Your Qi army is a bunch of incompetent fools; they can't stop me!"

"Then let's give it a try."

With the sound of a drum, arrows rained down from both sides of the mountain towards Pang Juan's army. In an instant, the Wei army in the valley was thrown into chaos, with men and horses falling and blood splattering everywhere.

Another drumbeat resounded, and Qi soldiers, wielding long spears, surged down the mountain like an unstoppable tidal wave! Squad after squad of Wei soldiers fell at their feet.

Pang Juan's guards, shields in hand, stood tightly on either side of him. One guard fell, another took his place; under Pang Juan's command, they protected him with their blood and lives as they retreated the way they had come.

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

The blood-red sunset stained the valley after the fierce battle. Many Wei soldiers and Qi soldiers lay dead at the valley entrance, a testament to the bloody battle that had taken place. Some Qi soldiers, their bodies stained with blood, were cleaning up the battlefield.

Sun Bin, Tian Ji, Zhongli Chun, and several guards passed by. Tian Guo stepped forward and said, "General, strategist, the Wei army was almost completely wiped out at the front, except for Pang Juan who escaped. Without the strategist's orders, we didn't dare to pursue him. If we had, he wouldn't have been able to escape."

The general beside him pleaded, "Strategist, General, give the order! We can still catch up now."

Sun Bin shook his head and said, "We cannot pursue them; we should withdraw our troops and return home immediately."

Tian Guo, puzzled, asked, "Strategist, we have defeated Pang Juan, and the Wei army is now like frightened birds. If we pursue them, victory is assured. Why then do we retreat?"

Sun Bin said, "Although Pang Juan's vanguard was defeated, his main force has not been thwarted. Defeating the Wei army will not be an easy task. Furthermore, we are deep in Wei territory and cannot afford to fight for too long. A prolonged battle will exhaust our troops and dampen their morale. At that point, even the most resourceful person will be unable to avert disaster."

Tian Ji and Sun Bin led the Qi army back to Linzi. King Wei of Qi led his officials to the city to welcome the triumphant army, and the roadsides were lined with cheering and jubilant Qi citizens. Never in recent years had the state of Qi felt so triumphant.

Note: "Besieging Wei to Rescue Zhao" is the second of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, derived from the story of Sun Bin rescuing Zhao. This stratagem suggests that instead of attacking a strong, concentrated enemy on the front lines, it is better to outflank them by attacking their weak rear, forcing them to retreat or divide their forces, and then seeking an opportunity to annihilate them. Sun Bin used this stratagem to both save the state of Zhao and severely damage Pang Juan. Pang Juan would certainly not give up easily; to find out what happens next, please read the next chapter: "Capture the King to Capture the Thief."