Human Warfare

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

3.4

Word count: 330 words
Chapters: 1

Summary

Part of the ancient Chinese military treatise Baizhan Qilue (One Hundred Strategies), this chapter discusses how to bring human initiative into play in war and fight for a just cause. It holds that "human warfare" means giving full play to human agency, dispelling superstitious and heretical beliefs, and thereby firming up the troops' morale. During a campaign, whenever strange or unusual phenomena occur, the commanding general must handle them properly so as to keep the troops highly stable.

Editor's review

This chapter comes from the ancient military treatise Baizhan Qilue (One Hundred Stratagems) and focuses on how to bring human initiative into play in war. Its core lies not in tactics or troop deployment but in the two words "human warfare": the commanding general must dispel superstitious beliefs and properly handle all manner of strange occurrences during a campaign, so as to steady the troops and strengthen their fighting spirit. The text is concise and its concerns are clear: it places anomalous phenomena within the management of the army rather than explaining them mystically, reflecting the pragmatic and rational side of ancient Chinese military thought. Its value lies in the small entry point it offers: how morale is maintained, and how a commander's judgment is translated into organizational stability. It is suited to comparative reading alongside ancient military texts and works on management, and to casual browsing by readers interested in traditional military thinking. Note that its length is limited; it is best read as a single proposition rather than a complete guide to war. Reading it together with other chapters of Baizhan Qilue makes its place and purpose clearer.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Enthusiasts of ancient military texts and military thought who want to understand the concept of human warfare
Managers leading teams who can draw on ideas for steadying morale
Readers interested in debunking superstition and managing morale
Readers who want to compare chapters while reading Baizhan Qilue

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for concrete tactics, weapons, or battle case studies
Readers expecting systematic argumentation from modern psychology
General readers who only read long war novels

Reading tips

Read this chapter first, then turn to adjacent chapters of Baizhan Qilue and compare their themes
While reading, mark the specific ways the commander handles strange occurrences and turn them into a checklist
Relate it to team-management situations and consider which practices can be adapted to steady morale
It is short enough to finish in one sitting and write a few lines of reflection rather than spreading it over several days

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息

FAQ

What is human warfare mainly about?

It explains how to bring human initiative into play in war and advocates dispelling superstitious beliefs to strengthen the troops' fighting spirit. When strange occurrences arise during a campaign, the commanding general must handle them properly and keep the army highly stable; the focus is on managing the army and morale.

What do the strange occurrences in the chapter refer to?

The material only says that various strange occurrences will be encountered during a campaign and must be properly handled by the commanding general; it does not list specific examples. The point to grasp is the attitude: do not be superstitious or panicky, and put steadying the troops first rather than investigating the phenomena themselves.

Is it suitable for direct use in modern management?

It should not be copied directly. It addresses the context of ancient armies; what can be drawn on is the commander's approach to steadying people's hearts and handling anomalous information. Modern managers should adapt it to their specific organizational context rather than treating ancient army practices as ready-made solutions.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.