"Fan Li's Art of War" (excerpted from "Guoyu") is a record of practical wisdom by Fan Li, a strategist in the Spring and Autumn Period. It takes Wu and Yue's struggle for hegemony as the background and records Fan Li's core strategy of assisting Gou Jian in restoring the country and destroying Wu. The whole book focuses on the core idea of "the one who maintains profit is related to heaven, the one who is determined is related to people, the one who is in trouble is related to the earth", and shows a set of military methods of "waiting for the time and acting according to the situation". When Gou Jian first came to the throne and wanted to attack Wu, Fan Li gave two remonstrances, warning that "soldiers are the most deadly weapon" and "any action against the times will lead to defeat." However, it was not adopted, which eventually led to Kuaiji's predicament. In the desperate situation, he offered the "fixed" policy of "humble words, generous courtesy, and personal service to Wu" to help Gou Jian escape. After returning to the country, he explained in detail the way of "saving things", advocating adapting to the favorable geographical conditions, urging farmers to accumulate millet, recuperating and recuperating, and opposing the rush for quick success; in the face of Gou Jian's repeated requests to conquer Wu, he insisted that "only when human affairs are in harmony with heaven and earth can success be achieved" and waited patiently for the best opportunity for civil strife and natural disasters in Wu. Finally, he advocated sending troops when "time will come again", and adhered to the tactics of "strike late, be gentle and unyielding", and helped Yue to destroy Wu in one fell swoop. The article not only demonstrates Fan Li's strategic vision of "following the way of heaven and doing the best for people", but also embodies the transparent wisdom of "retiring after success". It is a classic record of ancient Chinese strategic thinking, and has left profound inspiration for future generations on timing, situation analysis and the way to deal with the world.
