"The_Art_of_War" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tzu Sun)

topics became the vogue amongst all the high officials. Hence it is that the commentators of Sun Tzu in our
dynasty belong mainly to that period. [47]

Besides these eleven commentators, there are several others whose work has not come down to us. The SUI
SHU mentions four, namely Wang Ling (often quoted by Tu Yu as Wang Tzu); Chang Tzu- shang; Chia Hsu
of Wei; [48] and Shen Yu of Wu. The T`ANG SHU adds Sun Hao, and the T`UNG CHIH Hsiao Chi, while
the T`U SHU mentions a Ming commentator, Huang Jun-yu. It is possible that some of these may have been
merely collectors and editors of other commentaries, like Chi T`ien-pao and Chi Hsieh, mentioned above.

Appreciations of Sun Tzu ------------------------

Sun Tzu has exercised a potent fascination over the minds of some of China's greatest men. Among the
famous generals who are known to have studied his pages with enthusiasm may be mentioned Han Hsin (d.
196 B.C.), [49] Feng I (d. 34 A.D.), [50] Lu Meng (d. 219), [51] and Yo Fei (1103-1141). [52] The opinion of
Ts`ao Kung, who disputes with Han Hsin the highest place in Chinese military annals, has already been
recorded. [53] Still more remarkable, in one way, is the testimony of purely literary men, such as Su Hsun (the
father of Su Tung-p`o), who wrote several essays on military topics, all of which owe their chief inspiration to
Sun Tzu. The following short passage by him is preserved in the YU HAI: [54] --

Sun Wu's saying, that in war one cannot make certain of conquering, [55] is very different indeed from what
other books tell us. [56] Wu Ch`i was a man of the same stamp as Sun Wu: they both wrote books on war, and
they are linked together in popular speech as "Sun and Wu." But Wu Ch`i's remarks on war are less weighty,
his rules are rougher and more crudely stated, and there is not the same unity of plan as in Sun Tzu's work,
where the style is terse, but the meaning fully brought out.

The following is an extract from the "Impartial Judgments in the Garden of Literature" by Cheng Hou: --

Sun Tzu's 13 chapters are not only the staple and base of all military men's training, but also compel the most
careful attention of scholars and men of letters. His sayings are terse yet elegant, simple yet profound,
perspicuous and eminently practical. Such works as the LUN YU, the I CHING and the great Commentary,
Chapter V. 14

[57] as well as the writings of Mencius, Hsun K`uang and Yang Chu, all fall below the level of Sun Tzu.

Chu Hsi, commenting on this, fully admits the first part of the criticism, although he dislikes the audacious
comparison with the venerated classical works. Language of this sort, he says, "encourages a ruler's bent
towards unrelenting warfare and reckless militarism."

Apologies for War -----------------

Accustomed as we are to think of China as the greatest peace-loving nation on earth, we are in some danger of
forgetting that her experience of war in all its phases has also been such as no modern State can parallel. Her
long military annals stretch back to a point at which they are lost in the mists of time. She had built the Great
Wall and was maintaining a huge standing army along her frontier centuries before the first Roman legionary
was seen on the Danube. What with the perpetual collisions of the ancient feudal States, the grim conflicts
with Huns, Turks and other invaders after the centralization of government, the terrific upheavals which
accompanied the overthrow of so many dynasties, besides the countless rebellions and minor disturbances that
have flamed up and flickered out again one by one, it is hardly too much to say that the clash of arms has
never ceased to resound in one portion or another of the Empire. No less remarkable is the succession of
illustrious captains to whom China can point with pride. As in all countries, the greatest are fond of emerging