Allow me to explain why it is important to have a good economy and to have morals. Sun Tzu (544–496 BC) is a famous Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who lived in the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China. An elementalist (eg. Air, Earth, Fire, Water) who wrote the Art of War that is Book Three of The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China, But little is known about Jiang Ziya (11th century BC) who held the title Tiagong or Grand Duke. A naturalist in his approach (eg. Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, Dog) and was author of The Six Secret Teachings... Book One. Perhaps the most profound of his philosophy is the Civil Society and Military Strategies. Jiang Ziya held that Civil Society was the moral and economic platform from which to wage war: Moral, effective government is the basis for survival and the foundation for warfare. The state must thrive economically while limiting expenditures, foster appropriate values and behaviour among the populace, implement rewards and punishments, employ the worthy, and refrain from disturbing and harming the people. Jaing Ziyas Military Strategy was an extension of the Civil Society Strategy and sought subterfuge to undermine the enemys moral and economic base: Attracting the disaffected weakens the enemy and strengthens the state; employing subterfuge and psychological techniques allows manipulation of the enemy and hastens its demise. The ruler must visibly cultivate his Virtue (德) and embrace government policies that will allow the state to compete for the minds and hearts of the people; the state will thus gain victory without engaging in battle. This was never an obscure strategem among generals: for example, in Arabic, the term Fasad fee al-Ardh means Corruption in the land and the prophet of Islam, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, used this tactic at The Battle of the Trench (Ghazwah al-Ahzab) on March 31, 627 AD. Besieged and outnumbered by the Quraish Confederacy, Muhammad received a visit from Nuaym ibn Masud, an Arab leader who was well respected by the entire confederacy, but who had, unbeknownst to them, secretly converted to Islam. Muhammad asked him to end the siege by creating discord amongst Confederates. Nuaym then came up with an efficient stratagem. He first went to the Banu Qurayza and warned them about the intentions of the rest of the Confederacy. If the siege fails, he said, the Confederacy will not be afraid to abandon the Jews, leaving them at the mercy of Muhammad. The Qurayza should thus demand Confederate leaders as hostages in return for cooperation. This advice touched upon the fears the Qurayza had already harbored. Next Nuaym went to Abu Sufyan, the Confederate leader, warning him that the Qurayza had defected to Muhammad. He stated that the Jewish tribe intended to ask the Confederacy of hostages, ostensibly in return for cooperation, but really to hand over to Muhammad. Thus the Confederacy should not give a single man as hostage. Nuaym repeated the same message to other tribes in the Confederacy. Nuayms stratagem worked. After consulting, the Confederate leaders sent Ikrimah to the Qurayza Clan, signaling a united invasion of Medina. The Qurayza, however, demanded hostages as a guarantee that the Confederacy would not desert them. The Confederacy, considering that the Qurayza might give the hostage to Muhammad, refused. Messages were repeatedly sent back and forth between the parties, but each held to its position stubbornly. Abu Sufyan summoned Huyayy ibn Akhtab, informing him of Qurayzas response. Huyayy was taken aback, and Abu Sufyan branded him as a traitor. Fearing for his life, Huyayy fled to the Qurayzas strongholds. The Bedouins, the Ghatafan Clan and other Confederates from Najd had already been compromised by Muhammads negotiations. They had taken part in the expedition in hopes of plunder, rather than any particular prejudice against Islam. They lost hope as chances of success dwindled, uninterested in continuing the siege. The two confederate armies were marked by recriminations and mutual distrust. The provisions of the Confederate armies were running out. Horses and camels were dying out of hunger and wounds. For days the weather had been exceptionally cold and wet. Violent winds blew out the camp fires, taking away from the Confederate army their source of heat. The Muslim camp, however, was sheltered from such winds. The enemy’s tents were torn up, their fires were extinguished, the sand and rain beat in their faces, and they were terrified by the portents against them. They had already well nigh fallen out among themselves. During the night the Confederate armies withdrew, and by morning the ground was cleared of all enemy forces. Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too. - Marcus Aurelius
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 08:40:39 +0000