This article explains Sun Tzu’s temple calculation principle: thorough pre-war planning secures victory. It contrasts Wu Zixu’s well-devised exhaustion strategy against Chu with Cao Jiu’s reckless, unplanned battle defeat, extending the wisdom to modern business and life decisions.
Among the Twelve Deceptive Stratagems recorded in The Art of War · Initial Estimations, Sun Tzu put forward a lethal psychological warfare tactic: Divide the united enemy (親而離之).
This article explains Sun Tzu’s tactic of provoking hot-tempered foes. Two contrasts: Cao Jiu lost Chenggao after being insulted into reckless battle, while Sima Yi stayed calm amid humiliating gifts and outlasted Zhuge Liang, proving emotional control wins wars.
This article illustrates Sun Tzu’s tactic “feign inaction when ready to strike” via the Baideng Siege. Modu hid elite troops and showed weaklings, trapping Emperor Gaozu for seven days, a warning against mistaking feigned vulnerability for true weakness.
Han Xin launched a brilliant northern campaign, conquering five states via ingenious tactics like the back-water battle and river diversion. This campaign isolated Xiang Yu, shifted the war tide and laid the foundation for the Western Han Dynasty.
This article tells Shi Le’s inspiring rise from a Jie slave to founding emperor of Later Zhao. Guided by strategist Zhang Bin, he unified northern China, governed with wisdom and mercy, and valued history despite being illiterate. His legacy proves courage and integrity can lift even the lowest‑born to greatness.
Xiao He (?–193 BCE) was a prominent statesman in the early Western Han dynasty. He was born in Zhongyang Village, Fengyi, Pei County (in present-day Feng County, Jiangsu). During the Qin dynasty, he served as a low-ranking clerk in the Pei County government.