The Art of Strategy
A military book written 2,500 years ago remains relevant in the fight against the novel coronavirus
When I began teaching at the Armed Forces Engineering Institute of the People’s Liberation Army of China in 2001, one of my subjects was The Art of War, a military treatise written by Sun Tzu (545470 B.C.), a famous militarist and strategist in Chinese history.
Since 2003, foreign officers from Asian and African countries began coming to the institute every year to study Chinese military enterprise and culture, and I taught them The Art of War, a favorite course with foreign military officers. In 2016, a team under a senior professor began to offer this course at Peking University. It is very popular with the students there as well, including foreign students.
This little preamble is to show how this treatise, regarded as a military classic, has remained popular—and relevant—despite being written 2,500 years ago, with an unusual universal significance. In addition to its inherent military value, it is useful for politics, diplomacy, economy, medicine, education, sports and many other fields, teaching how to overcome obstacles and attain success.
For the coronavirus outbreak, we can apply Sun Tzu’s instructions right now to address it rationally without panicking.
According to the 11th chapter of The Art of War, there are nine different types of situations for fighting the enemy. Perhaps the situation currently would be what he called “desperate ground.” Under such circumstances, his advice is to fight, and fight without delay. Desperate situations require extraordinary measures.
“Bestow rewards without regard to rules, issue orders without regard to previous arrangements and you will be able to handle a whole army as though you had to do with but a single man,” the book says. It also says, “Skillful leaders of old knew how to drive a wedge between the enemy’s front and rear.”
You could interpret the second part as the quarantine periods enforced in different parts of the world, a measure to prevent further spread of the infection, driving that wedge and weakening the enemy virus. The lockdown of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in central China, since late January and subsequent regulations are all examples of unconventional measures taken at critical moments.
While talking of a desperate situation, Sun Tzu has words of inspiration: When an army faces death, there is nothing it may not achieve. “Officers and men alike will put forth their uttermost strength,” he says. “Soldiers, when in desperate straits, lose the sense of fear… If there is no help for it, they will fight hard. The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach.”
People in China have worked as one to show this to be true. Medical workers, who are at the frontline of the war, and their allies, from security guards to delivery personnel to transport workers, have shown incredible bravery as they keep up a dogged fight. At a critical point, the whole country has united to fight the epidemic because it ultimately concerns everyone’s life.
The standard of courage has already been set; what is important is the assurance from the old strategist, who faced many tough corners, that such valiant efforts lead to success.
The art of healing
Once the epidemic has been brought under control, The Art of War can still serve as a valuable reference for restoring economic development. The treatise not only tells how to predict victory or defeat before war and carefully prepare for it, but also talks about the aftermath.
In Chapter 12, titled The Attack by Fire, Sun Tzu says, “Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise; for the result is waste of time and general stagnation. Hence the saying:
The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.”
It tells us that the victory obtained at the cost of blood and life has to be cherished and consolidated or else even if the war is won, it will eventually lead to failure. After the war is won, it is even more necessary to keep a clear head and restore stability.
Reduction of taxes, restoration and expansion of production and taking quick steps to heal the trauma will soothe the people. Only by ensuring a prosperous market, strengthening comprehensive national strength and improving the comprehensive ability to resist disasters can recovery be facilitated.
After the epidemic ends, people will be faced with the issue of how to restore normal life and production as well as promote the overall development of the economy. Therefore, it is necessary to “repair,” as he says.
First of all, the people in the epidemic area should be soothed through various welfare measures to ensure normal life. Companies that have made positive contributions to fighting the epidemic should be given tax reductions or exemptions for a certain period of time. They should also be given preferential financial conditions so that they can quickly resume production and development.
Medical warriors who have given their lives and blood should be recognized with more than material rewards. It is necessary to create a social culture of respecting medical professionals and making the profession one of the most revered. At the same time, it is necessary to pass legislation to establish and improve a legal system, standardize market operations and crack down on illegal trafficking of wild animal flesh or organs to ensure food safety and prevent the emergence of a new fatal virus.
The Chinese Government has already been implementing these measures. On
the mainland, it announced new regulations to punish those who disrupt epidemic control work, scalpers who try to hike prices of commodities and people selling fake products.
In Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the authorities have said travelers who break quarantine laws will face jail and fines. Some key posts have been reshuffled in Wuhan, Hubei Province and Hong Kong. An immediate ban on wildlife trade was announced in January and more measures are anticipated in this regard.
The government is also looking after the people. Medical workers and other personnel working in epidemic prevention and control will be compensated if they get infected while on duty, and their medical treatment costs, if not covered by insurance, will be subsidized, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Government agencies are offering low-cost, special re-lending funds to help businesses in difficulty, including companies providing daily necessities and medical equipment, to tide them over the difficult period.
The art of winning support
Sun Tzu also said following the Tao—the way to lead a moral life—and maintaining the law are key factors for victory and defeat in war. This means whenever you win the hearts of the people and follow the law, social development and prosperity will be ensured. Therefore, after the epidemic, by continuing to serve the people, winning their hearts and governing the country according to the law will ensure that the fruits of victory are preserved and expanded.
My last class at Peking University on The Art of War was on December 19, 2019. After the Spring Festival break, because of the epidemic, I have been teaching my students and military enthusiasts online through discussions on Wechat.
Working online and remotely has been a nationwide trend in China to prevent the spread of the virus and it shows the resilience and ingenuity of the human spirit. Sun Tzu didn’t know about this potent form of modern tool to fight for victory in a crisis but had he known, he would surely have approved. Indeed, he would have certainly added a 14th chapter to The Art of War on how to use technology effectively.
I look forward to sharing his wisdom with the community face to face once again when normalcy is restored because it will continue to be relevant for humanity.