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

Chapter V. 5

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 father of Sun Pin. According to this account then, Pin was the grandson of Wu, which, considering that
Sun Pin's victory over Wei was gained in 341 B.C., may be dismissed as chronological impossible. Whence
these data were obtained by Teng Ming-shih I do not know, but of course no reliance whatever can be placed
in them. An interesting document which has survived from the close of the Han period is the short preface
written by the Great Ts`ao Ts`ao, or Wei Wu Ti, for his edition of Sun Tzu. I shall give it in full: --

I have heard that the ancients used bows and arrows to their advantage. [10] The SHU CHU mentions "the
army" among the "eight objects of government." The I CHING says: "'army' indicates firmness and justice;
the experienced leader will have good fortune." The SHIH CHING says: "The King rose majestic in his wrath,
and he marshaled his troops." The Yellow Emperor, T`ang the Completer and Wu Wang all used spears and
battle-axes in order to succor their generation. The SSU-MA FA says: "If one man slay another of set purpose,