Sun Tzu was a Chinese military general,strategist,philosopher,and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War,an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thought. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing. The name Sun Tzu—by which he is more popularly known—is an honorific which means "Master Sun".
The Warring States period in Chinese history comprises the final centuries of the Zhou dynasty,which were characterized by warfare,bureaucratic and military reform,and political consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the wars of conquest that saw the state of Qin annex each of the other contender states by 221 BC and found the Qin dynasty,the first imperial dynastic state in East Asian history.
The Chu–Han Contention (楚漢相爭),also known as the Chu–Han War (楚漢戰爭),was an interregnum period in Imperial China between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the establishment of the Western Han dynasty. After the third and last Qin ruler,Ziying,unconditionally surrendered to rebel forces in 206 BCE,the former Qin Empire was divided by rebel leader Xiang Yu into the Eighteen Kingdoms,which were ruled by various rebel leaders and surrendered Qin generals. A civil war soon broke out,most prominently between two major contending powers –Xiang Yu's Western Chu and Liu Bang's Han. Some of the other kingdoms also waged war among themselves but these were largely insignificant compared to the main conflict between Chu and Han. The war ended in 202 BCE with a Han victory at the Battle of Gaixia,during which Xiang Yu committed suicide after making a last stand. Liu Bang subsequently proclaimed himself emperor and established the Western Han dynasty.
The Battle of Guìlíng was fought between the states of Qíand Wei in the Warring States period of Chinese history.
The Battle of Maling took place in Maling,currently Dazhangjia Town (大張家鎮),Shen County (莘县),Henan Province,in 342 BC during the Warring States period. The combatants were the State of Qi,who fought on behalf of the State of Han,and the State of Wei. This battle is well recorded in history texts and is famous for the tactics of Sun Bin,known as the "Tactic of Missing Stoves",in which one side is led to underestimate the other by creating an illusion of soldiers running away from the enemy army.
Wei,known in historiography as Zhai Wei,was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Dingling people that existed from 388 to 392,during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Its founder Zhai Liao had previously been vacillating between being a vassal of the Later Yan,Western Yan,and Eastern Jin dynasties,and in 388,after his last overture to reconcile with Later Yan's emperor Murong Chui was rejected,he founded his own dynasty,over the territory of modern central and eastern Henan. In 392,Zhai Wei,then under Zhai Liao's son Zhai Zhao,was destroyed by Later Yan forces. Because of its relatively small size and short lifespan,Zhai Wei is not included by historians among the Sixteen Kingdoms.
King Zhaoxiang of Qin,also abbreviated as King Zhao of Qin (秦昭王),born Ying Ji (嬴稷),was the king of the Qin state from 306 BC to 251 BC. He was the son of King Huiwen and younger brother of King Wu.
Sun Bin's Art of War is a renowned Chinese treatise on military strategy that dates back to the Warring States period,an era of political instability and warfare in ancient China. It is credited to Sun Bin,who was believed to be a descendant of the famous military strategist Sun Tzu. Sun Bin served as a military advisor in the Qi state during this period and is said to have authored this piece on military tactics.
Qin's wars of unification were a series of military campaigns launched in the late 3rd century BC by the state of Qin against the other six powers remaining in China —Han,Zhao,Yan,Wei,Chu and Qi. Between 247 and 221 BC,Qin had developed into one of the most powerful of China's Seven Warring States that coalesced in the wake of the Zhou dynasty's decline,by now retaining a weak and merely ceremonial position among the warring states. In 230 BC,King Ying Zheng of Qin began the sequence of campaigns that would bring the Warring States period to a close,setting out to conquer each remaining sovereign one by one. This was completed in 221 BC with the fall of Qi,leaving the former Zhou sphere unified under a more centralized Qin control. Ying Zheng declared himself the First Emperor,or Qin Shi Huang—becoming the first sovereign over a unified China under the imperial Qin dynasty.
Su Qin was a Chinese political consultant and philosopher who was an influential political strategist during the Warring States period. He was born in Chengxuan Village,Luoyang in present-day Henan Province. According to legend Su Qin was a disciple of Guiguzi,the founder of the School of Diplomacy. He was the chief advocate of the Vertical Alliance system,which sought to create an alliance of the other states against the state of Qin. The opposing theory,"Horizontal Alliance" supported alliances with the State of Qin.
King Wei of Qi,whose personal name was Tian Yinqi (田因齊),was the king of the northern Chinese state of Qi during the Warring States period,when Qi was one of the most powerful states in China. He reigned from 356 to 320 BC. or according to another source from 378 to 343 BC. He was the first ruler of Qi to style himself "king".
Marquess Cheng of Zhao,personal name Zhao Zhong,was a marquess of the Zhao state. He was the son of Marquess Jing,whom he succeeded.
Bing Sheng is a 2008 Chinese television series produced by Zhang Jizhong,starring Zhu Yawen,Li Tai,Hu Jing,Zhao Yi,He Zhuoyan,Xu Huanhuan,Tu Men and Wu Ma. It is loosely based on the life of the ancient Chinese militarist Sun Tzu,who wrote The Art of War. It was first broadcast on Changde TV in 2009.
Pang Juan was an ancient Chinese military general of the Wei state during the Warring States period.
Tian Ji,courtesy name Qi (齐),was a military general of the Qi state during the early Warring States period of Chinese history. Tian Ji met Sun Bin and recommended him to King Wei of Qi as a military strategist. Tian Ji commanded the Qi armies in the Battle of Guiling and Battle of Maling,scoring victories against the Wei state with help and guidance from Sun Bin.
The Warring States is a 2011 Chinese film directed by Chen Jin. The story takes place during the Warring States period,but is only very loosely based on the actual history. The plot focuses on the rivalry between military generals Pang Juan and Sun Bin,both disciples of Guiguzi.
The Qin Empire II:Alliance is a 2012 Chinese television series adapted from Sun Haohui's novel of the same Chinese title,which romanticises the events in China during the Warring States period primarily from the perspective of the Qin state during the reigns of King Huiwen and King Wu.
The Qin Empire III is a 2017 Chinese television series based on Sun Haohui's novel of the same Chinese title,which romanticizes the events in China during the Warring States period primarily from the perspective of the Qin state under King Zhaoxiang. It was first aired on CCTV-1 in mainland China in 2017. It was preceded by The Qin Empire (2009) and The Qin Empire II:Alliance (2012) and followed by The Qin Empire IV (2019),which were also based on Sun Haohui's novels.
The military of the Warring States refers primarily to the military apparatuses of the Seven Warring States which fought from around 475 BC to 221 BC when the state of Qin conquered the other six states,forming China's first imperial dynasty,the Qin dynasty.
