THE ART OF WAR: SUN TZU

Who is Sun Tzu, Chinese Military commander. His conversations on war strategy, collected in his articles titled The Art of War, are considered to be the oldest strategy theories in the world.

Sun Tzu was born in 544 BC. His real name is Sun-Tzu, Sun-Wu, Sun-Zi. The meaning of his name is 'sun of the master'. B.C. He was born in the Ch'i State, in today's Chinese territory, in the 5th century. Sun-Tzu, a Chinese sage, soldier and philosopher, lived in the Wu State in 500 BC, in the present-day Chinese territory.

His book The Art of War, which he wrote on war strategy, is considered to be the oldest strategy theory in the world. It is thought that the writings, collected in 13 chapters, are a collective presentation of the principles of warfare known in China since ancient times, and that they were brought together with the commentary of Master Sun Tzu during the Warring Principalities period of China (480 BC - 221 BC).

In these conversations, Sun Tzu said about “True Victory”: “True victory is the victory won without fighting. The real leader is the leader who wins without fighting.

Although it is not known exactly when Sun Tzu lived, it is known that his emergence coincided with the Warring Principalities period. The uncertainty about exactly when the sages lived in China, which has a very old and strong written tradition, is interpreted as the fact that it is a very common situation for sages to choose to disappear towards their deaths.

His guiding words have maintained their value for 2500 years. Sun-Tzu's work The Art of War directly influenced many famous names in the fields of sports, politics, science and art and helped them make decisions. Mao Zedong, General Nguyên Giáp, General Douglas MacArthur, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and Führer Adolf Hitler are some of them. Sun-Tzu's guiding advice is widely used not only in the military but also in the economics and business world.

While determining the principles of the Art of War, Sun Tzu was inspired by the events he experienced in his own time. However, the 384 war principles have not lost their value since then. For this reason, today the principles of Sun-Tzu's Art of War are taught as textbooks in the Military Academies of many countries, especially the USA.

Sun Tzu died in 473 BC at the age of 71.


Sun Tzu Quote:
Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer. Build a golden bridge for your opponent to retreat to. If your forces are equal, you can still engage. If your strength is weak, stay away from the enemy. However, if you are weaker than the enemy in every area, retreat. This would be a smart thing to do.
Give an exit point to an enemy army you are besieging. Do not drive the enemy into complete despair. Apply your ideas correctly and do not deviate from what you know is right. A real leader cultivates the moral factor and adheres to the discipline factor; thus taking success under control. Morality and discipline bring success. In war, hide your emotions, movements, and purpose from the enemy. You win. Don't let the enemy recognize you. Don't be afraid of struggle, success requires courage and preparation. The more you analyze the event correctly and know more about the subject, the more correct decisions you will make and that way you will win.
Sometimes life is about letting yourself go with the flow, sometimes it's about crossing to the opposite shore. You are the one who needs to know which will be which... If you are weak, stay strong. If you are strong, you are weak. Victory is yours. There are two keys to success. Know yourself (Discover what you can do and your limits) Get to know life (Learn the rules of the game and be the best at it)

Sayings from the Book …

Conquering all wars by fighting is not the highest achievement. Superior success is breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.' (Part III, Article 2) After all, if you know the enemy and yourself well, you can be sure of the outcome even if you fight hundreds of battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, you may also encounter defeat for every victory you gain. If you know neither yourself nor the enemy, defeat is inevitable in every war you enter.' (Part III, Article 19) Once men are united, the brave cannot advance alone, nor the cowards retreat alone.' (Chapter VII, Article 14) A master soldier in war is a soldier who does not get angry. A skillful soldier in victory is a fearless soldier. Therefore, the smart one wins the war in advance, whereas the ignorant one has to fight to win.

Art of War 1.

The Art of War is Vitally Important to the State. 2. It is a matter of life and death, a path of safe survival or destruction. In short, this is a research topic that should never be neglected. 3. Art of War; It is governed by five main factors, all of which must be examined interconnectedly in case of on-site, appropriate decision making. 4. These are; Moral Law is Universe, World, Command, Method and Discipline. 5. Moral Law; It enables the people to unite in harmony with their rulers, so much so that they will follow him, even disregarding their own lives, and face all kinds of dangers. 6. Universe; It represents night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. 7. World; It covers great and small distances, danger and safety, open country and narrow passages, the opportunities of life and death. 8. Command; It represents the virtues of the mind, sincerity, benevolence, courage and firm determination. 9. With Method and Discipline; The organization of the appropriate subdivisions of the army, the classification of ranks among officers, the maintenance of supply routes supporting the army, and the control of military expenditures are understood. 10. These five factors should be familiar to every general. He who knows them achieves victory. He who knows them is invincible.

War According to Sun-Tzu

According to Sun-Tzu, if the enemy is going to attack, it is necessary to prepare for defensive warfare well it is advance. Because defensive warfare is difficult. Most importantly, before going to war with the enemy, ways to defeat the enemy must be sought. In war, in order to defeat the enemy at the appropriate place and time, the enemy-air-terrain situation must be closely monitored. Commanders who will manage the war must give clear and concise orders in a way that everyone can understand. The art of war is a matter of life and death for a nation. The Art of War is the key to either victory or capture.

The main purpose of war should be to gain victory. As the war drags on, the effectiveness of weapons decreases and the morale of the soldiers deteriorates. No country has ever gained from a long war. Speed and quickness are the keys to victory. In war, all means of the state, material and moral, must be used. First, the enemy's alliance system must be destroyed, and then the enemy must be attacked directly. If the enemy has taken security measures on all fronts, re-action must be completed. It is not right to attack a fortified, strongly defended castle. Other ways must be found to defeat the enemy.

If your enemy is superior in strength, try to stay away from the enemy.
If your opponent is unbalanced, look for ways to distract him.
If your opponent is arrogant, arrogant, never show yourself as weak.
If your opponent is taking a rest, don't give him a break.
If your opponent's forces are together, try to disperse their forces.
Attack your enemy from where he is not prepared, show yourself in unexpected places.
The greatest art of war is to defeat the enemy without fighting.

The best thing to do is to break the enemy's resistance without fighting.
Victorious warriors first gain victory and then go into battle. Defeated warriors first enter the war and then try to win. Victory belongs to whoever knows when to fight and when not to fight. The commander who knows how to attack both the enemy with superior forces and the enemy with weaker forces wins the victory. Commanders who are ready for battle but catch the enemy unprepared achieve victory. The greatest victory is the one that requires no war. There is no country that has profited from a long war.

Sun-Tzu The Art of War: Knowing the Enemy

To know your enemy, you have to become your own enemy. Keep your enemies closer than your friends. If I did everything I could, could you guess what I could do to you? If you know the enemy and yourself, you will not be in danger even if you fight a hundred times. If you don't know the enemy but know yourself, you win and lose. If you know neither yourself nor the enemy, you will lose every battle you fight. If you know yourself well, you will win all battles.

Sun-Tzu The Art of War: Tactics and Strategy

Strategy without tactics achieves victory late. Tactics without a strategy are the harbinger of defeat. Opportunities must be taken advantage of when they arise. If the enemy is resting, find ways to distract him. If the enemy is full, make him hungry. If your enemy is entrenched, move him. Move quickly like the wind, take shape easily like timber. Attack like fire, stay calm like a mountain. If the enemy is strong, stay away from him. If the enemy's morale is high, break his morale. Appear humble to pamper the enemy. Attack the enemy's weak side from where they are not expecting it. If every flank of the enemy is safe, prepare yourself for the enemy's attack. If the enemy is stronger than you, stay away. Capture the enemy country without destroying it. Burning and destroying doesn't help anyone. Likewise, the benefits of taking over an entire army are unlimited. One of the main rules in war is to avoid besieging cities protected by walls whenever possible. Even the preparation of war equipment to be used in the siege would take months.

Sun-Tzu The Art of War: Deception

If you are strong, look weak, if you are weak, look strong. War is based on deception. Therefore, if you have the strength to attack, pretend that you cannot attack. When using your forces, make it seem as if you do not want to use force at all. If you are close to the enemy, appear as if you are far away. All wars are based on deception. Be mysterious even in silence. Only in this way can you determine the fate of your enemy. Let your plan be as secret as the night. Use baits that will mislead the enemy. Pretend that you have lost your formation and control, deceive the enemy, then shoot. Take the necessary confidentiality measures to ensure that your tactical practices aimed at victory are not detected by the enemy in advance. Act according to your opponent's expectations and keep your opponent's mind occupied enough before a surprise attack.

Sun-Tzu The Art of War: Command

Treat your soldiers as if they were your own sons. They will follow you through the toughest battles. As a leader, trust yourself first. A leader becomes a good manager with exemplary qualities, not by using force. If the commander's order was not well understood by his subordinates, it is the commander's fault. An experienced, intelligent commander makes his plans according to his available possibilities. When he enters a war, he does not hope for reinforcements. It should be well known that the army commander is the person who holds in his hands the fate of his people and whether his country lives in peace or danger. Let your aim in war be victory, not a long campaign. The commander who does not know how to control his anger is the one who sends his army after the enemy like a swarm of ants. This tactic brought no results other than the useless destruction of at least one third of his army at the beginning of the war. This is the biggest disaster that happened especially during the siege. Important rule in war: If the strength of the army you have is ten times greater than the enemy, surround the enemy. If it is five times larger, attack; if it is twice as large, divide your army in two. Commanders are the castle of the state. If every point of the castle is solid, the state is strong; if the castle is rotten, the state is weak. A highly skilled commander can manage to win the war even if his power is not sufficient. Seeing victory only when it comes into view is not warcraft. Lifting a feather from the ground is not a symbol of great power. Just as seeing the moon and the sun does not indicate sharp vision, hearing thunder does not indicate ear sensitivity.

Sun-Tzu The Art of War: Retreat

Build a golden bridge for your opponent to retreat to. If your forces are equal, you can still engage. If your strength is weak, stay away from the enemy. However, if you are weaker than the enemy in every area, retreat. This would be a smart thing to do. Give an exit point to an enemy army you are besieging. Do not drive the enemy into complete despair.