Guided Warfare

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

2.4

Word count: 329 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Daozhan (Guided Warfare) is a treatise on the art of war recorded in the ancient Chinese military classic Baizhan Qilue (A Hundred Stratagems). The title, meaning “guidance,” expounds the important role of using local guides in military operations. It holds that the terrain conditions of an operational area can be understood and mastered only by using local people as guides, and that victory in battle can be achieved only when terrain conditions are fully utilized. War is always conducted within a certain spatial region. The terrain conditions of an operational area greatly affect both sides. Therefore, avoiding unfavorable terrain and exploiting favorable terrain has always been a matter of great importance to military strategists. In exploiting terrain, to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, the use of local people familiar with the situation as guides was an effective method frequently adopted in ancient warfare, when reconnaissance means and technologies were backward. This chapter quotes the passage from Sunzi Bingfa (The Art of War): “One who does not use local guides cannot gain the advantage of terrain,” which precisely and truly proves that “local guides” played an important role in ancient warfare that cannot be ignored.

Editor's review

Although brief, „Tao-chan“ (Guided Warfare) seizes on a neglected yet crucial element of ancient military operations: the guide and the advantages of terrain. This book centers on the chapter „Tao-chan“ as recorded in the Pai-chan ch'i-lüeh, unfolding around the maxim „He who does not use local guides cannot gain the advantages of terrain,“ and emphasizing the use of people familiar with the local terrain to obtain intelligence and to pursue advantage while avoiding harm. For today's readers its value lies not only in military history but in offering a way of thinking that prizes on-the-spot knowledge and the skillful use of local experience. As an edition it is well suited to serve as an introductory selection of ancient military thought: concise in wording, it rewards repeated reading. It can be read alongside relevant passages of Sun-tzu's Art of War to appreciate the enduring attention of ancient strategists to the relationship between terrain and people. Suitable for dipping into at one's desk, and equally suitable as a starting point for thematic reading in military strategy, especially for readers interested in ancient military thought, geographical cognition, and methods of decision-making.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in ancient military thought who want to understand the essentials of military strategy through a short piece.
Students of ancient Chinese history or military history who need a carefully read selection on military strategy.
Managers concerned with decision-making and the use of intelligence who hope to reflect on the value of on-site information through an ancient case.
Readers who like The Art of War and want to expand their reading to related military texts.

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic military theory textbook or lengthy analysis of battle cases.
Readers interested only in modern warfare technology and weapons.
Readers hoping for a complete annotated edition of the entire Hundred Battles and Strange Strategies.

Reading tips

First read the original text and the introduction, mark key terms such as "local guides" and "terrain advantage," then revisit each passage.
Read it alongside chapters of The Art of War dealing with terrain and the use of spies, and compare the emphases of different military texts.
After reading, summarize the core argument of "Guiding Warfare" in your own words, and connect it to a real-life scenario of information-based decision-making.

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
导战

FAQ

Is Guiding Warfare a complete military treatise?

No. Guiding Warfare is one chapter of Hundred Battles and Strange Strategies. It is relatively short and focuses on the importance of using guides and mastering terrain. It is more like a topical short essay on military strategy, suitable for close reading rather than as a complete systematic treatise.

Can I read it without a foundation in classical Chinese?

Yes. The text is concise and its core argument clear; with the introduction and annotations, you can basically understand it. If you encounter ancient place names or terminology, you can skip the details at first, grasp the main thread of "using locals to understand terrain," and then gradually go back.

What practical use does this text have today?

It reminds readers to value local knowledge and on-site information: when making decisions, maps or secondhand materials alone are not enough, and people familiar with the actual situation can often supply crucial information. This approach can be applied to project management, research, and everyday judgment.

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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.