Separation in Battle

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

3.4

Word count: 385 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

A military treatise recorded in the ancient Chinese classic Baizhan Qilue (One Hundred Battles, One Hundred Strategies), it takes "sowing discord" as its theme and sets out how to employ divisive stratagems in support of military operations. It holds that in fighting an enemy one should constantly watch for and exploit rifts between the enemy ruler and his ministers, send spies to sow discord, widen and deepen the enemy's internal conflicts, and then strike with elite troops at the opening thus created, so as to achieve victory. The line quoted in the chapter, "When they are united, separate them," is one of Sunzi's "twelve stratagems" of deceptive warfare; it means that an enemy united internally must be divided and split apart. Using divisive stratagems to break the enemy's internal unity aims to create openings and favorable conditions for defeating him. The ruse of sowing discord was thus an effective method of overcoming the enemy often employed by strategists in ancient warfare, and it proved especially effective when applied between a benighted ruler and his worthy ministers and capable generals. In the late Warring States period, the Qi general Tian Dan defeated the Yan army in the defense of Jimo, a successful example of cleverly employing divisive stratagems to win.

Editor's review

Taken from Baizhan Qilue, Lijian (Sowing Discord) is devoted to using division to support military operations. Its logic is clear: first identify rifts between the enemy ruler and his ministers, then send spies to widen the conflict, and finally strike with elite troops at the opening. Quoting Sunzi's "when they are united, separate them," the chapter places division within the category of deceptive warfare, showing that the aim is not division for its own sake but creating openings for battle. Tian Dan's defense of Jimo serves as a successful case, grounding abstract principles in a concrete situation and helping readers understand how stratagem works together with battlefield conditions. The 2024 Bashu Publishing House edition offers direct access to the original text. Read it as a slice of ancient military strategy: consider the stratagem itself, but also its conditions of applicability and ethical boundaries. Suitable for enthusiasts of military history and strategic culture, and for readers who need to analyze competitive situations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient military texts and strategy
Those studying Baizhan Qilue or Sunzi's Art of War who need supplementary chapters
General readers concerned with competitive games and information strategy
Students who want to understand the conditions for using divisive stratagems through battle cases

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic military theory textbook
Those who reject strategic content and prefer positive management discourse
Beginners with no grounding in classical Chinese who are unwilling to consult annotations

Reading tips

Read the quotations and the Tian Dan case first, then return to the steps of sowing discord and clarify the chain of strategy.
Read alongside relevant passages of Sunzi's Art of War to see where "when they are united, separate them" sits in its original context.
After reading, analyze the preconditions for this stratagem and consider its boundaries of applicability in non-military situations.

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
离战

FAQ

What is the core strategy of Lijian?

Its core is using division to support military strikes. It advocates watching for rifts between the enemy ruler and his ministers, sending spies to widen and deepen internal conflicts, and then attacking with elite troops at the opening. Quoting Sunzi's "when they are united, separate them," it treats division as one of the deceptive stratagems, aimed at creating timing and conditions for defeating the enemy.

What role does Tian Dan's defense of Jimo play in the chapter?

It appears as a successful case of divisive stratagem. In the late Warring States period, the Qi general Tian Dan defeated the Yan army in the defense of Jimo precisely by cleverly using division to win. This example shows how abstract principles land in a concrete battle situation and suggests that division often works only because trust was already fractured within the enemy camp.

How is the ruse of sowing discord viewed in the book?

It is seen as an effective method of overcoming the enemy often used by strategists in ancient warfare, especially effective between a benighted ruler and worthy ministers and capable generals. The book does not shy away from its deceptive nature; it discusses it within the practical needs of military struggle, leaving readers to consider the relationship between strategy and ethical boundaries.

Can this book be used for modern competitive analysis?

It can serve as an analogy, but with caution. The book discusses division in military confrontation, where the premise is an enemy relationship and life-or-death victory or defeat. Modern competition has different rules, and direct application can easily go wrong. Treat it as a text for understanding strategic logic rather than an operations manual, and focus on its conditions and risks.

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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.