Sun Tzu

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

The Art of War is the great classic in Chinese literature. It is studied by every high school student in China. It was studied and the advice followed by Chairman Mao. Ho Chi Minh translated the work for his Vietnamese officers to study. It is similar to and perhaps the inspiration for The Prince by Machiavelli. Because the United States military was defeated by generals who were reading this book, the Department of the Army has directed all units to maintain libraries within their respective headquarters for the continuing education of personnel in the art of war. Invading armies have often followed the principle of killing all the enemy men and capturing the women. The women are the spoils at war to be won in battle. The motivation for the men to kill other men is to get the women. However, the Art of War does not say that at all. It says that the most successful war is one in which the men of the enemy are turned and become your men. Nowhere in the Art of War is there any mention of the women or what happens to them, if captured.