Divided Battle

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.0

Word count: 299 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Fenzhan (Dividing the Force) is a military treatise recorded in the ancient Chinese military classic Baizhan Qilue (A Hundred Battles and a Hundred Stratagems). As the title suggests, it explains under what conditions forces should be divided to attack the enemy and how such a division should be carried out. It holds that when the enemy is few and we are many, dividing forces to attack is the guiding principle in battle; regarding terrain, flat and broad ground should be chosen; regarding force disposition, the main force should take the frontal attack ("zheng", the orthodox), while a portion should carry out a flank or rear strike ("qi", the extraordinary), that is, "one part to hold the front, one part to attack the rear." Only thus can the enemy be defeated.

Editor's review

Fenzhan comes from Baizhan Qilue and deals specifically with how to divide forces against a numerically inferior enemy. Its core is not complicated: use flat, broad terrain; let the main force attack frontally as the "zheng" (orthodox) while a detachment strikes the flank or rear as the "qi" (extraordinary), forming a pincer movement. The text is short but clearly explains the relationship between force disposition and terrain choice, reflecting the ancient principle that "using many against few requires even more attention to dividing and combining forces." For readers, its value lies in offering a concrete model of divided-force operations rather than general maxims of war. The 2024 new edition from Bashu Press makes this individual chapter of Baizhan Qilue easily accessible. It suits readers interested in ancient tactics and military chapters, and also writers of military fiction who need reference for divided forces and the pairing of zheng and qi. Read it in conjunction with terrain conditions and force ratios; do not apply it without its premises.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of ancient military strategy and tactical entries
Students of Baizhan Qilue and related military classics
Writers of ancient warfare scenes needing examples of divided-force tactics
General readers who enjoy short classical texts and close reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long war narratives or character-driven stories
Those hoping for methods to apply directly to modern business competition
Readers unwilling to understand the premises and wanting only conclusions

Reading tips

First grasp the premise "the enemy is few and we are many," then see how terrain and zheng-qi disposition unfold around it.
While reading, draw a simple diagram marking the frontal main force and the flank/rear extraordinary force to understand the logic of dividing forces.
Read alongside other chapters of Baizhan Qilue to observe how principles of war change under different conditions.
The text is very short; read it twice: first for overall meaning, then sentence by sentence to check how premises correspond to disposition.

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
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FAQ

What tactic does Fenzhan describe?

It describes dividing forces to attack when the enemy is few and we are many: choose flat, broad terrain; let the main force attack frontally as the "zheng" (orthodox) and a detachment strike the flank or rear as the "qi" (extraordinary), so that one part holds the front and one attacks the rear, thereby defeating the enemy. The emphasis is on coordinating force disposition with terrain use.

Can this military text be applied directly to real life?

It should not be applied directly. Its premises are a specific force ratio and terrain conditions in an ancient combat context. If you wish to draw lessons, focus on its analytical approach of "premise—disposition—coordination" rather than copying specific divided-force methods into modern situations, which would easily ignore the conditions.

What is the relationship between Fenzhan and Baizhan Qilue?

Fenzhan is one military chapter recorded in Baizhan Qilue. Baizhan Qilue collects many methods of war, each chapter explaining principles of war under different conditions. Fenzhan specifically discusses dividing forces to attack the enemy and is one of the shorter chapters; it is best understood within the framework of the whole book.

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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.