On Preserving Authority

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.0

Word count: 527 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Those who defend without outer ramparts to the front and without guard posts to the rear, relying on battle alone, are not skilled defenders. When brave warriors, stout armor, sharp weapons, and powerful crossbows and arrows are all kept within the outer wall, and when granaries are emptied and houses torn down so that the people may take refuge inside, the aggressor's morale is increased ten- or a hundredfold while the defender's is less than half. The harm done by the attackers is then very great.

Yet generals of the world cannot understand this. The defender must not lose his strategic advantages. The method of defense: for every ten feet of wall, ten men hold it, not counting laborers and cooks. Those who go out do not defend; those who defend do not go out. One man matches ten, ten match a hundred, a hundred match a thousand, a thousand match ten thousand. Thus to build walls and outer ramparts is not to waste the people's labor piling up earth in vain; it is truly for defense. A wall a thousand feet long requires a garrison of ten thousand men. When the moat is deep and wide, the wall strong and thick, officers and people fully prepared, fuel and food supplied, crossbows firm and powerful, and spears and halberds suited to them, this is the method of defense.

Editor's review

This book takes "defense" as its theme, discussing city-wall defense, troop deployment, grain and fodder reserves, and equipment preparation. It stresses that defending a city should not mean passively taking blows, but rather relying on the city's walls and strategic terrain, concentrating forces, and allocating resources rationally. The book sets out concrete defensive principles such as "for every ten feet of wall, ten men hold it" and "one man matches ten, ten match a hundred," and criticizes passive defense that lacks outer ramparts to the front and guard posts to the rear. It reflects the practical orientation of ancient military thought, which valued terrain, organization, and logistics. The writing is concise and clearly organized, combining the qualities of a military treatise and a political essay. For general readers, the book is short but conceptually dense, and is suitable as an introduction to ancient city-defense concepts and defensive institutions. It can be read alongside works on ancient military history and the history of urban defense, or approached from a management perspective to appreciate resource allocation and organizational coordination.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in ancient military thought and city-defense institutions
Readers of history and literature who wish to understand pre-Qin military texts
Managers who may draw lessons on organization and resource allocation
Teachers and students who need ancient military materials for teaching or writing

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic history of warfare or case analyses of campaigns
Readers without a foundation in classical Chinese who are unwilling to consult annotations
Readers seeking modern military technology or tactical guidance

Reading tips

First read through the original text, marking key terms such as "outer ramparts," "guard posts," and "granaries," then consult the annotations.
Sort the book's main points into three layers—defensive principles, troop deployment, and logistics—and take brief notes.
Read alongside public-domain military texts such as the city-defense chapters of Mozi, comparing similarities and differences in defensive thought.
After each passage, restate one defensive principle in your own words to test your understanding.

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

Does this book discuss specific battles?

No. The book mainly discusses the principles and methods of defending a city, such as city-wall defense, troop deployment, grain and fodder reserves, and equipment preparation. It belongs to ancient military thought rather than being a record of campaigns or a narrative history of war.

Can I read it without a foundation in classical Chinese?

Yes, but you will need annotations. The original wording is concise and involves ancient military terms such as "outer ramparts," "guard posts," and "granaries." A annotated edition is recommended: read the notes first, then the original text, proceeding passage by passage.

What does "one man matches ten" mean in the book?

It summarizes the effectiveness of defending troops, stressing that by relying on strong walls, full preparation, and rational deployment, the defender can use fewer troops against a larger attacking force. It expresses a defensive principle, not a precise mathematical ratio.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

Some basic knowledge of the forms of cities and towns and the military systems from the pre-Qin through Qin and Han periods is helpful but not essential. A brief glossary of ancient military terms, consulted as you read, is enough to enter the text smoothly.

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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.