The Art of War | Page 3

he 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
amongst the feudal princes. And Sun Tzu shared in the might of the
King.

About Sun Tzu himself this is all that Ssu-ma Ch`ien has to tell us in
this chapter. But he proceeds to give a biography of his descendant,
Sun Pin, born about a hundred years after his famous ancestor's death,
and also the outstanding military genius of his time. The historian
speaks of him too as Sun Tzu, and in his preface we read: "Sun Tzu had
his feet cut off and yet continued to discuss the art of war." [3] It seems
likely, then, that "Pin" was a nickname bestowed on him after his
mutilation, unless the story was invented in order to account for the
name. The crowning incident of his career, the crushing defeat of his
treacherous rival P`ang Chuan, will be found briefly related in
Chapter V.
ss. 19, note. To return to the elder Sun Tzu. He is mentioned in two
other passages of the SHIH CHI: --
In the third year of his reign [512 B.C.] Ho Lu, king of Wu, took the
field with Tzu-hsu [i.e. Wu Yuan] and Po P`ei, and attacked Ch`u. He
captured the town of Shu and slew the two prince's sons who had
formerly been generals of Wu. He was then meditating a descent on
Ying [the capital]; but the general Sun Wu said: "The army is
exhausted. It is not yet possible. We must wait".... [After further
successful fighting,] "in the ninth year [506 B.C.], King Ho Lu
addressed Wu Tzu-hsu and Sun Wu, saying: "Formerly, you declared
that it was not yet possible for us to enter Ying. Is the time ripe now?"
The two men replied: "Ch`u's general Tzu-ch`ang, [4] is grasping and
covetous, and the princes of T`ang and Ts`ai both have a grudge against
him. If Your Majesty has resolved to make a grand attack, you must
win over T`ang and Ts`ai, and then you may succeed." Ho Lu followed
this advice, [beat Ch`u in five pitched battles and marched into Ying.]
[5]
This is the latest date at which anything is recorded of Sun Wu. He
does not appear to have survived his patron, who died from the effects
of a wound in 496. In another chapter there occurs this passage: [6]
From this time onward, a number of famous soldiers arose, one after

the other: Kao-fan, [7] who was employed by the Chin State; Wang-tzu,
[8] in the service of Ch`i; and Sun Wu, in the service of Wu. These men
developed and threw light upon the principles of war.
It is obvious enough that Ssu-ma Ch`ien at least had no doubt about the
reality of Sun Wu as an historical personage; and with one exception,
to be noticed presently, he is by far the most important authority on the
period in question. It will not be necessary, therefore, to say much of
such a work as the WU YUEH CH`UN CH`IU, which is supposed to
have been written by Chao Yeh of the 1st century A.D. The attribution
is somewhat doubtful; but even if it were otherwise, his account would
be of little value, based as it is on the SHIH CHI and expanded with
romantic details. The story of Sun Tzu will be found, for what it is
worth, in chapter 2. The only new points in it worth noting are: (1) Sun
Tzu was first recommended to Ho Lu by Wu Tzu-hsu. (2) He is called a
native of Wu. (3) He had previously lived a retired life, and his
contemporaries were unaware of his ability. The following passage
occurs in the Huai-nan Tzu: "When sovereign and ministers show
perversity of mind, it is impossible even for a Sun Tzu to encounter the
foe." Assuming that this work is genuine (and hitherto no doubt has
been cast upon it), we have here the earliest direct reference for Sun
Tzu, for Huai-nan Tzu died in 122 B.C., many years before the SHIH
CHI was given to the world. Liu Hsiang (80-9 B.C.) says: "The reason
why Sun Tzu at the head of 30,000 men beat Ch`u with 200,000 is that
the latter were undisciplined." Teng Ming-shih informs us that the
surname "Sun" was bestowed on Sun Wu's grandfather by Duke Ching
of Ch`i [547-490 B.C.]. Sun Wu's father Sun P`ing, rose to be a
Minister of State in Ch`i, and Sun Wu himself, whose style was
Ch`ang-ch`ing, fled to Wu on account of the rebellion which was being
fomented by the kindred of T`ien Pao. He had three sons, of whom the
second, named Ming, was the