One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies

Book excerpt: Unorthodox Strategies for the Everyday Warrior is a handbook of tactics based on the ancient Chinese military classics. This unique work draws on over two thousand years of experience of warfare to present a distillation of a hundred key strategic principles applicable to modern life, including business and human relations. Originally prepared as a text for students aspiring to high official positions in Confucian China, the Unorthodox Strategies for the Everyday Warrior is a compendium of Oriental strategy that is ideally suited to today's needs. Each of the one hundred tactical principles is concisely stated and clearly illustrated with a description of a battle from Chinese history. These real-life examples help to shed new light on the often enigmatic formulations of the ancient strategists, like Sun Tzu. Translator Ralph Sawyer adds his own thoughtful commentary to each case and highlights the modern, nonmilitary applications of these ancient principles.