Capturing Pang Juan

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.4

Word count: 539 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

This chapter recounts the famous battle in which Sun Bin, in the campaign of "besieging Wei to relieve Zhao," avoided the enemy's strength and struck at his weakness, attacking where the Wei army was certain to come to the rescue, and won a great victory at Guiling, capturing Pang Juan. It is a celebrated example of Sun Bin applying his military thought to achieve victory.

Editor's review

Centered on the battle of "besieging Wei to relieve Zhao," this chapter recounts Sun Bin's avoidance of the enemy's strength and strike at his weakness, attacking where the Wei army was certain to come to the rescue, and his great victory at Guiling, where he captured Pang Juan. The text is short, yet it sets out the strategic intent, the line of march, and the choice of battlefield with considerable concentration, making it a typical piece of material for understanding how Sun Bin's military thought was put into practice. For readers, its value lies not in offering a complete history of the Warring States but in presenting a decision-making process that can be taken apart and examined again and again: how, faced with a strong enemy, not to meet him head-on but to move him by attacking the place he must save, and so change the situation on the battlefield. This edition, collated and published by Bashu Press, makes the text itself accessible to general readers. While reading, one may consult a map of the Warring States situation, clarify the spatial relations among Guiling, Daliang, and other places, and then look back at the intent behind each of Sun Bin's choices. It is also suitable as case material for courses on the art of war, or for short, close reading by readers who enjoy ancient battle examples. Those seeking a comprehensive history of warfare or a detailed biography of individuals will need to look for general histories instead.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Sun Bin's art of war and Warring States battle examples
Students who need case material for history or military courses
Readers who enjoy short ancient battle examples and are willing to read closely with a map
Those who want to understand the origin and development of the allusion "besieging Wei to relieve Zhao"

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic study of the full history of the Warring States or a complete military history
Beginners expecting modern vernacular rewriting and extensive annotation
Those who prefer long biographies and want details of Pang Juan's life

Reading tips

First prepare a map of the Warring States situation, marking Daliang, Guiling, and other places, then read the main text.
As you read, mark with a pen each of Sun Bin's lines of march and the reasons for his decisions, clarifying the chain of cause and effect.
After reading, retell in your own words how "attacking where he must save" was specifically applied in this battle.
It may be read alongside the relevant chapters of the Shiji, noting differences in detail and emphasis between the accounts.

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
擒庞涓

FAQ

How exactly was "besieging Wei to relieve Zhao" carried out in this chapter?

According to this chapter, Sun Bin did not go directly to Zhao to fight the Wei army head-on; instead he avoided the enemy's strength and struck at his weakness, attacking the place Wei was certain to save, forcing the Wei army to turn back, and thereby won a great victory near Guiling and captured Pang Juan. While reading, focus on how "attacking where he must save" changed the direction of the enemy's march; this is the key to understanding the whole battle example.

What is the relation between this chapter and Sun Bin's Art of War?

This chapter recounts a famous battle example in which Sun Bin applied his military thought to achieve victory, and belongs to material on Sun Bin's battles. It can be read as a concrete case for understanding Sun Bin's military thought, but it should not be directly equated with the original text of Sun Bin's Art of War; the two must be distinguished in terms of textual nature.

Can I understand it without a background in military history?

Yes. It is short and the narrative is concentrated, with the line of march and choice of battlefield at its core. As long as you have a map of the Warring States and clarify the relations among places such as Daliang and Guiling, you can follow the basic thread. If the Warring States situation is entirely unfamiliar, it is advisable to spend ten minutes on a background introduction before entering the main text; reading will then be much smoother.

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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.