A general in any army should understand the usefulness of taking all of an enemy’s resources in one attack. Attacking and then taking only half of the original amount can lead to a prolonged war or major defeats. This concept represents the ideas of “taking whole.” Moreover, Sun Tzu dealt with the unequivocal objective of “taking whole” in the story, “Sun Tzu and the Emperor’s concubines”. Sun Tzu had to rally together 180 women to prove to the emperor that his methods can be applied to anyone, even concubines. He at first is unsuccessful, but after listening and adapting he soon creates order in the women and has their complete will. Markedly, Sun Tzu is not rash by his means towards gaining the respect of the women. He takes his time talking …show more content…
Consequently, Sun Tzu ends up killing the two leaders of the group, who are the emperor’s favorite concubines, and uses this extraordinary method to maintain his army. The story “Sun Tzu and the Emperor’s Concubines” does exhibit “taking whole,” as well as a strong general who can bring order, analyze all his options, and use the unorthodox to win.
“Taking whole” relies heavily on order and a wise commander to properly analyze and control a situation. In the first essay by The Denma Translation for Art of War discusses “taking whole.” This idea of “taking whole” is applied to the story about the emperor’s concubines. In the Art of War essay, it starts by speaking of how one can take whole and how intricate a system “taking whole” can be. “…Each piece is relevant to combat. Every one of them also affects all the others. Altering a single piece, the movement of the whole shifts” (Art of War 70).
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Instead of killing them, he could have ordered the death of the two leaders and then let them off right before they were killed. So instead of killing, just threatening the leader’s lives to scare them straight. Additionally, he could have ordered the death of one or two random soldiers of the group. By doing that, the emperor would not have become distressed and his favorite concubines could still be alive. However, Sun Tzu used shih to make his decision. Shih is taking a position that practically guarantees success. In chapter five of Art of War, it compares shih to a weapon, “Shih is like drawing the crossbow. The node is like pulling the trigger” (Art of War 21). Sun Tzu analyzed his surroundings, emulating the drawing back of a crossbow as well as the building of potential energy. While he prepares his shih, he is deciding which angle would work best for his situation and positioning himself. After listening, he saw the option that would provide the best results and uses the node. The node is a single shot that presents itself as the best moment to initiate an action. For Sun Tzu, he distinguishes that the beheading of the emperor’s favorite concubines will provide the necessary reaction and effect that he needs. In this case, he is representing how, especially in times of war, decisions must be found through quick but thought out options.
Yan Zhitui states that, "women take charge of family affairs, entering into lawsuits, straightening out disagreements, and paying calls to seek favor...the government offices are filled with their fancy silks." (Differences between north and south, 111). Yet, even in the Qing dynasty women were still restricted by and expected to uphold more traditional ideals, especially in the public eye. So, in the end, through her virtue, Hsi-Liu’s two children we able to become upright. Here, there is a split between what a woman is supposed to be according to old Chinese tradition, and the realities facing women in Tancheng. The loss of her husband, and economic hardship had forced His-Liu to behave in a different way, as if she were usurping the power from the eldest son so she could teach the two boys a lesson about being good family members. While she still maintains the ideals of bearing children, and being loyal to her husband, even after he dies, out of necessity she is forced to break from Confucian ideals of being only concerned with the domestic issues. This too put her at odds with the more traditional society around her, as the villagers pitied her sons, but vilified the Hsi-Liu for being so strict with them (Woman Wang, 65). Had she remarried, she would have been looked down upon even more because she would had broken her duty to remain faithful to her deceased
Written by Wu Sangui, the Chief Commander of the Liaodong garrison, this letter is addressed to Dorgon, the Regent of the Manchu. In this letter Wu details a rebel attack on the capital which resulted in the emperor of China loosing the Mandate of Heaven and committing suicide. The letter then turns to extolling upon the Regent’s virtues, and requesting that he send aid to help Wu. Wu also offers all of the wealth and women that the rebels have as payment for the Manchu’s aid. However, Wu’s purpose for requesting said aid from a former enemy is unclear.
Lessons for Women was written by Ban Zhao, the leading female Confucian scholar of classical China, in 100 C.E. It was written to apply Confucian principles to the moral instruction of women, and was particularly addressed to Ban Zhao’s own daughters. As her best remembered work, it allows the reader insight into the common role of a woman during this fascinating time-period. The work starts off by Ban Zhao unconvincingly berating herself, and claiming how she once lived with the constant fear of disgracing her family. This argument is rather implausible, for the reader already knows the credibility of Ban Zhao, and how important her role was in ancient China.
Her unfazed attitude towards society’s expectations of women shocked the country – from marrying more than one man to killing her child to poisoning her family – she became a figure no one else would ever replace. Only her legacy will live on, as well as all the effort she has put into pushing away the boundaries and limits for women, in order to show the world, that women can be just as cruel. Historian C.P. Fitzgerald wrote, “Without Wu there would have been no long enduring Tang dynasty and perhaps no lasting unity of China,” and just with this simple quote, it can be observed that throughout her shocking tactics she used in order to become emperor of China, she indeed succeeded and showed the entire country just how dangerous and cruel a woman can be – completely opposite to the stereotypical expectations in their
During 221 BC, China went through a time called the Warring States Period. Emperor Shi Huangdi rose to power during this time and defeated his enemies and consolidated rule in China. Emperor Shi Huangdi was the first person to unify China in all of history. The emperor was able to use legalist policies to increases his power over his people. Shi Huangdi philosophy of legalism says that all people are evil, and harsh laws must be made to keep them in line. If people are left alone, they will act badly. During the Warring States Period
Mo Tzu lived and taught during the tumultuous Period of Warring States (475-221 BCE) in ancient China. He believed people should only do that which benefits themselves or others and that the civil wars that were taking place were a waste of both time and resources. At the time, Mo Tzu’s teachings were very controversial and differed from the popular belief...
No other woman in the Early Han held the same amount of influence as Empress Lü throughout her various titles as Empress, Empress Dowager, and then Grand Empress Dowager. Stories recounting her manipulative nature paint a picture of a scheming empress using her imperial power to bestow favors and political positions to her own clan. This essay argues that Empress Lü used the lack of precedence for her position as Empress Dowager to manipulate court officials into granting power to her clan, which caused political unrest late in her life and resulted in the destruction of the Lü clan. To support this claim, this essay will discuss the exceptional nature of Empress Lü's power and the extent of her ability to manipulate the court, and then this paper will provide evidence of a Lü clan extermination after the death of the empress that held power for fifteen years after her husband died – in a nation with no precedence for this kind of rule.
By any measure, The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong, known as Hanjungnok (Records written in silence), is a remarkable piece of Korean literature and an invaluable historical document, in which a Korean woman narrated an event that can be described as the ultimate male power rivalry surrounding a father-son conflict that culminates in her husband’s death. However, the Memoirs were much more than a political and historical murder mystery; writing this memoir was her way of seeking forgiveness. As Haboush pointed out in her informative Introduction, Lady Hyegyong experienced a conflict herself between the demands imposed by the roles that came with her marriage, each of which included both public and private aspects. We see that Lady Hyegyong justified her decision to live as choosing the most public of her duties, and she decided that for her and other members of her family must to be judged fairly, which required an accurate understanding of the her husband’s death. It was also important to understand that Lady Hyegyong had to endure the
The Art of War is a treatise written in Ancient China that discusses the most and least effective military strategies for successful warfare according to Sun Tzu, a military general whose existence is still debated to this day. While not every military commander in the history of warfare has read it, the strategies provided can be used as a way to assess said commanders and the effectiveness of their campaigns. In Sun Tzu 's own words, “The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!”1 This paper will discuss various iconic battles throughout history and how closely the leading commanders of each army followed the advice of Sun Tzu. Despite the fact that Sun Tzu lived hundreds of years before many of these battles took place, the
Major changes in political structure, social and economic life define the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. Each period laid the foundation for the next, with changes and improvements to create a new order.
At the center of Japanese and Chinese politics and gender roles lies the teachings of Confucius. The five relationships (五倫） of Confucius permeated the lives of all within the Heian and Tang societies.4 However, the focus here will be on the lives of the courtesans. The Genji Monogatari provides us with an unrivalled look into the inner-workings of Confucianism and court life in the Heian period. Song Geng, in his discourse on power and masculinity in Ch...
as Sung T'ai Tsu, was forced to become emperor in order to unify China. Sung
Chapter Eight War and Society reveals the attitudes about war in both ancient Rome and China. These attitudes prove that in these cases perhaps it is safe to say that wars are not inevitable or natural but were caused by warlike societies and social situations. After reading bits and pieces of both the ancient Roman and Chinese history, one can only gain a greater perspective on how these attitudes derived. In 391 nomads called the Gauls defeated a small army of Roman aristocrats and burnt down the town of Rome. After this attack, Rome rebuilt its town and changed it into an empire, which spread its laws, culture, and peace from the North. Rome was convinced that after this first invasion, it was necessary to change their military.
Sun Tzu believe the best way to win a war is without fighting. He calls this strategy the “supreme art of war”. He believed in “deception” and surprise has a way to turn the enemy down without putting into peril one’s fighting force. He believed a small well trained army following his
The Battle for Shanghai was part of a much wider war fought between China and The Empire of Japan. These two rivals had a mutua...