A Military History of China

Was Li Guang’s inability to earn a noble title a matter of fate or human error?

How did Huan Wen use infantry to wage a lightning campaign during his conquest of Shu?

During the Siege of Bianjing, how did the supposedly impregnable Song capital fall?

How did the tiny territories of Greater and Lesser Jinchuan burn through tens of millions of taels of Qianlong’s military budget?

The great affairs of a nation lie in sacrifice and warfare. The wars that shaped the course of Chinese history had complex causes and underlying logic. Military factors such as strategy, the organization of armed forces, and terrain have played a major role in determining the level of civilization and social structure we have today.

This book is neither a dry, ledger-like retelling of historical sources nor an attempt to explain things away with unfounded mysticism. Instead, grounded in the details of military technology, it examines controversial historical topics through the lens of military history, exploring rulers and ministers, famous generals, battles, and geography to explain how four thousand years of war forged the China we know today.