Military strategy is an important part of warfare. Its crucial role can be summed up in two words: turning the tables. It can turn weakness into strength. Consider a battle from the Northern and Southern Dynasties: In the second year of Jianyuan (480), Northern Wei sent an army of 200,000 to attack Shouchun in Southern Qi. At the time, Southern Qi's defenders were far weaker than the Northern Wei forces. Outnumbered by the enemy, the defending general Yuan Chongzu cleverly used the Fei River near Shouchun to sweep away and drown tens of thousands of Northern Wei soldiers, turning the balance of strength between the two sides. Strategy can also turn danger into safety. During the Western Han dynasty, Li Guang served as a frontier commander. Once, while out with a few cavalrymen, he encountered several thousand Hu horsemen. Li Guang believed that turning back would invite pursuit and slaughter, leaving none of his men alive. So he ordered his men to dismount and unsaddle their horses two li from the Hu cavalry, then rest where they were. Suspecting an ambush, the Hu cavalry withdrew. Through his courage and ingenuity, Li Guang led his party out of danger. This book takes you on a tour of the ingenious military stratagems of ancient times.
