A Study Of Sun Tzu’s Thought Of "Prudent Warfare"

Sun Tzu,the bible of warriors,is the manifestation of Sun Wu’s basic principles of warfare,and has had a profound influence on future generations.The thirteen chapters of Sun Tzu are based on the ideas of cautious warfare,temple calculation,trickery,total victory,knowledge of victory,profit,warfare,initiative,generalship,and the use of interlocutors,among which the idea of cautious warfare plays the most crucial role.The thirteen books of Sun Tzu are logically arranged in a rigid system,a holistic and structured system.The basic framework of this system is as follows:firstly,it takes "prudent warfare" as the starting point,and grasps warfare as a whole,considering the combined strengths of both sides in order to determine the general direction of warfare.This is followed by a consideration of the local details,which are then directed towards specific battles,and the establishment of tactics and plans tailored to local conditions.Again,it advances further into the vagaries of specific battle situations,such as enemy-meeting,platooning,different zones,different forms,different natural conditions,and so on.The whole of Sun Tzu moves from the general to the subdivision and then from the subdivision to the general,with the idea of "careful warfare" running through the whole book,and in the time dimension of "before","during" and "after" the war."It also plays an important role as a platform for grasping the situation of war.Sun Wu’s "cautious warfare" approach is based on absolute reality and seeks to blend the ideal with reality,forming a series of operational rules to guide the practical application of warfare.The idea of "cautious warfare" revolves around the two principles of cautious decision-making and cautious planning,with specific analysis of specific issues and layers peeling back the layers,making it a sound theoretical system.The system is rich in connotations and distinctive features,including the utilitarian’s maximum pursuit of "profit" and the pursuit of"righteousness" in the context of "no righteous warfare in the Spring and Autumn Period".It is also clear that there is the utilitarian’s pursuit of the maximum value of"profit" and the pursuit of "righteousness" in the context of "no righteous warfare in the Spring and Autumn Period",which is concerned with militaristic warfare,and the fine measurement of the vagaries of the battlefield and the search for checks and balances."The human being is at the top of the hierarchy of values.The pre-Qin sons were a peak in the history of human thought,not only in their philosophical achievements but also in their insights into military matters.The core of their approach to warfare is more or less similar to the core of Sun Tzu’s idea of prudent warfare.The Confucian school,represented by Confucius,Mencius and Xun,took a largely negative view of war,using ’benevolence’ and ’propriety’ as their starting points to attack the dangers of war.The Taoist school,represented by Laozi and Zhuangzi,has a negative attitude towards war.While Laozi rejects war from the standpoint of the "natural way of heaven",he also has a dialectical and tactical approach to war.Zhuangzi does not talk much about war,but his attitude is distinctly negative.The school of Legalism had a two-sided view of war,affirming just war and denying unjust war.They did not simply refute war,but condemned the cruel and inhumane aspects of war,while at the same time focusing on the practical effects of war and advocating the enrichment of the state and the strengthening of the army.The Moist school,from the standpoint of ’love and harmony’,distinguishes between’punishment’ and ’attack’,opposes unjust wars and supports just wars to eliminate violence and to protect the people,focusing on defensive strategies on the battlefield.The school of "attack" is a distinction between "execution" and "attack".