The Art of War

Author's name: Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu was able to confirm through his book, “The Art of War” - which was considered the holy book in military studies - that it is impossible to predict in advance the fate of the battle, or to anticipate the events that might occur in it, or the surprises that might appear in it. This necessarily calls upon the commander to adopt strategies.

Flexible war plans. Therefore, Tzu was able to convince his soldiers that war is an art and a thought, not fighting and bloodshed.

Sun Tzu believed that the ideal leader, worthy of his position, is one who knows how to combine firmness of stance and steadfastness of principle, with flexibility and leniency when the situation calls for it. He is the leader in whom leadership is embodied, transforming adversity into gain. In his view, the superior leader is one who can make his followers a unified and cohesive body. Furthermore, the intelligent leader, in Sun Tzu's view, is one who considers the sum of their combined abilities, takes individual talents into account, and uses each person according to their potential, since perfection is not required of the untalented.

It is worth noting that Sun Tzu possessed the spirit of a warrior knight who knew no humiliation, degradation, submission, or defeat. This is what we sense through his biography. Despite the position he enjoyed, as he was the commander-in-chief of the army of the Qi Kingdom, where he helped achieve victory after victory and expand the borders of the kingdom. With successive victories, the king's invasions increased. He became arrogant and did not listen to the opinions and suggestions of others. Here we see that Sun Tzu left the king to go and live in a remote village in the forests. This indicates that he was not a sycophant or cheap, which are the qualities of a true warrior.