Long ago, Sun Tzu once wrote, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt. If you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete". Being one of his most famous sayings, it has urged thousands upon thousands of strategists to carefully analyze their enemies and opponents. It is a stratagem of timeless value, appreciated by the generals of countless nations. The military thought illustrated in Sun Tzu's Art of War is abundant, almost touching on all aspects of war. His thirteen chapters of principles and theories on war have been praised by militarists around the world. But the influence of his tactics has gone far beyond the military field. Today, his theories are appreciated by businessmen and politicians as well. Highly applicable in the business world, Sun Tzu's Art of War has become a major influence on business strategy, especially in Asia.
Sun Tzu's Art of War is written by Sun Wu and is set in the final years of the Spring and Autumn Period, 770-476 B.C. It is not only the oldest Chinese military work in existence but the oldest compilation of military theory in the world. Sun Wu, also called Chang Qiao, is known to have lived at about the same time as Confucius (the founder of Confucianism) and the Buddha (the founder of Buddhism). "Tzu" means man and was the title for famous men in ancient China. Hence, Sun Wu became Sun Tzu. .
Sun Wu, who was a native of Qi (a Chinese province near Beijing I think youve been there), caught King He Lu's attention with his profound knowledge on military theory. The curious king appointed him to train a few troops as an experiment and test of loyalty. Since it was a time of ongoing conflict, the experiment was conducted with women instead extremely valuable and sometimes scarce soldiers. The king sent him one hundred and eighty "beauties" from the palace (though whether these women were actually as beautiful as Sun Tzu claims can be heavily disputed).
