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

subject of military matters. Both of them are widely distributed, so I will not discuss them here." But as we go
further back, serious difficulties begin to arise. The salient fact which has to be faced is that the TSO
CHUAN, the greatest contemporary record, makes no mention whatsoever of Sun Wu, either as a general or
as a writer. It is natural, in view of this awkward circumstance, that many scholars should not only cast doubt
on the story of Sun Wu as given in the SHIH CHI, but even show themselves frankly skeptical as to the
existence of the man at all. The most powerful presentment of this side of the case is to be found in the
Chapter V. 7
following disposition by Yeh Shui-hsin: [17] --

It is stated in Ssu-ma Ch`ien's history that Sun Wu was a native of the Ch`i State, and employed by Wu; and
that in the reign of Ho Lu he crushed Ch`u, entered Ying, and was a great general. But in Tso's Commentary
no Sun Wu appears at all. It is true that Tso's Commentary need not contain absolutely everything that other
histories contain. But Tso has not omitted to mention vulgar plebeians and hireling ruffians such as Ying
K`ao-shu, [18] Ts`ao Kuei, [19], Chu Chih-wu and Chuan She-chu [20]. In the case of Sun Wu, whose fame
and achievements were so brilliant, the omission is much more glaring. Again, details are given, in their due
order, about his contemporaries Wu Yuan and the Minister P`ei. [21] Is it credible that Sun Wu alone should
have been passed over? In point of literary style, Sun Tzu's work belongs to the same school as KUAN TZU,
[22] LIU T`AO, [23] and the YUEH YU [24] and may have been the production of some private scholar
living towards the end of the "Spring and Autumn" or the beginning of the "Warring States" period. [25] The
story that his precepts were actually applied by the Wu State, is merely the outcome of big talk on the part of
his followers. From the flourishing period of the Chou dynasty [26] down to the time of the "Spring and
Autumn," all military commanders were statesmen as well, and the class of professional generals, for
conducting external campaigns, did not then exist. It was not until the period of the "Six States" [27] that this
custom changed. Now although Wu was an uncivilized State, it is conceivable that Tso should have left
unrecorded the fact that Sun Wu was a great general and yet held no civil office? What we are told, therefore,
about Jang-chu [28] and Sun Wu, is not authentic matter, but the reckless fabrication of theorizing pundits.
The story of Ho Lu's experiment on the women, in particular, is utterly preposterous and incredible.

Yeh Shui-hsin represents Ssu-ma Ch`ien as having said that Sun Wu crushed Ch`u and entered Ying. This is
not quite correct. No doubt the impression left on the reader's mind is that he at least shared in these exploits.
The fact may or may not be significant; but it is nowhere explicitly stated in the SHIH CHI either that Sun
Tzu was general on the occasion of the taking of Ying, or that he even went there at all. Moreover, as we
know that Wu Yuan and Po P`ei both took part in the expedition, and also that its success was largely due to
the dash and enterprise of Fu Kai, Ho Lu's younger brother, it is not easy to see how yet another general could
have played a very prominent part in the same campaign. Ch`en Chen-sun of the Sung dynasty has the note: --

Military writers look upon Sun Wu as the father of their art. But the fact that he does not appear in the TSO
CHUAN, although he is said to have served under Ho Lu King of Wu, makes it uncertain what period he
really belonged to.

He also says: --

The works of Sun Wu and Wu Ch`i may be of genuine antiquity.

It is noticeable that both Yeh Shui-hsin and Ch`en Chen-sun, while rejecting the personality of Sun Wu as he
figures in Ssu-ma Ch`ien's history, are inclined to accept the date traditionally assigned to the work which
passes under his name. The author of the HSU LU fails to appreciate this distinction, and consequently his
bitter attack on Ch`en Chen-sun really misses its mark. He makes one of two points, however, which certainly
tell in favor of the high antiquity of our "13 chapters." "Sun Tzu," he says, "must have lived in the age of
Ching Wang [519-476], because he is frequently plagiarized in subsequent works of the Chou, Ch`in and Han