yangsta
10-02-2005, 01:21 AM
Hi, the assignment is a 3 page report about this book called Warlords of China in MLA format. Any criticisms are more than welcome, but plz back them up with suggestions! Thanks.
China: An Era of War and Chaos
Much of the warfare conducted in ancient China was during the Warring States period around the seventh to the third centuries BC and towards the end of the second century BC when the First Emperor unified china. China was divided into many political states that often fought amongst themselves. But it is this political fragmentation that spawned many military geniuses, ideas, and philosophies especially those associated with warfare. Many advances in technology also emerged during this time period such as the crossbow and cavalry.
The four main groups of beliefs during the Warring States period were The Taoists, The Confucians, The Mohists, and the Legalists. The Taoist beliefs were largely derived from the works of Lao Tzu who is considered the traditional founder of Taoism. The basic Taoist beliefs relating to military strategy is to obtain victory by the use of deception and the manipulation of the enemy. These beliefs have many parallelisms with those of Sun Tzu, a highly revered military strategist. However, Contrary to the military beliefs of Taoism were those of the Confucians who believed in benevolence and harmony between human beings. Hsun Tzu, a third century follower of Confucius, strongly dismissed the deceitfulness in the Taoist methods in military affairs. He believed that wars should be fought without manipulation and deception. The Mohists on the other hand, strongly disapproved of aggressive war altogether and considered it nothing more than “robbery and murder on a large scale”. Mo Tzu, the founder of Mohism, did write about tactics that the victims of aggressive neighbors could utilize to defend themselves. On many occasions through the fourth century BC, Mohists were said to have come to the aid of smaller states in jeopardy of being attacked by larger ones. The Legalists beliefs were more associated with state affairs. The main focus of their beliefs was the strengthening of the state which was done through strict obedience to the laws and a brutal system of rewards and punishments.
One of the great military strategists during the Warring States period was Sun Pin. It is said that he is a descendant from the great military strategist Sun Tzu. During the third century BC, Sun Pin co-commanded the armies of the state of Chi with the general Tien Chi. They successfully defeated the rival armies of Wei two times. Although the battles attributed to Sun Pin’s legacy, the major contributer was his writing in the book titled Sun Ping Ping Fa. An excepert from the many discussions between Sun Pin and King Wei briefly describes the general tactics Sun Pin uses in his battles: “ King Wei asked: ‘How do we attack someone of equal strength? Sun Pin said: ‘Confuse them so that they disperse their forces…’”
its not completely done yet, I still have a page or so to go, but I jsut want any feedback on the current progress of things. Its only a rough draft and thats whats due, but I want it to be a tuned up as possible.
i'm not really sure if this is the place to ask for something like this.. but if ti isn't plz direct me to the correct source or sources. thanks again
China: An Era of War and Chaos
Much of the warfare conducted in ancient China was during the Warring States period around the seventh to the third centuries BC and towards the end of the second century BC when the First Emperor unified china. China was divided into many political states that often fought amongst themselves. But it is this political fragmentation that spawned many military geniuses, ideas, and philosophies especially those associated with warfare. Many advances in technology also emerged during this time period such as the crossbow and cavalry.
The four main groups of beliefs during the Warring States period were The Taoists, The Confucians, The Mohists, and the Legalists. The Taoist beliefs were largely derived from the works of Lao Tzu who is considered the traditional founder of Taoism. The basic Taoist beliefs relating to military strategy is to obtain victory by the use of deception and the manipulation of the enemy. These beliefs have many parallelisms with those of Sun Tzu, a highly revered military strategist. However, Contrary to the military beliefs of Taoism were those of the Confucians who believed in benevolence and harmony between human beings. Hsun Tzu, a third century follower of Confucius, strongly dismissed the deceitfulness in the Taoist methods in military affairs. He believed that wars should be fought without manipulation and deception. The Mohists on the other hand, strongly disapproved of aggressive war altogether and considered it nothing more than “robbery and murder on a large scale”. Mo Tzu, the founder of Mohism, did write about tactics that the victims of aggressive neighbors could utilize to defend themselves. On many occasions through the fourth century BC, Mohists were said to have come to the aid of smaller states in jeopardy of being attacked by larger ones. The Legalists beliefs were more associated with state affairs. The main focus of their beliefs was the strengthening of the state which was done through strict obedience to the laws and a brutal system of rewards and punishments.
One of the great military strategists during the Warring States period was Sun Pin. It is said that he is a descendant from the great military strategist Sun Tzu. During the third century BC, Sun Pin co-commanded the armies of the state of Chi with the general Tien Chi. They successfully defeated the rival armies of Wei two times. Although the battles attributed to Sun Pin’s legacy, the major contributer was his writing in the book titled Sun Ping Ping Fa. An excepert from the many discussions between Sun Pin and King Wei briefly describes the general tactics Sun Pin uses in his battles: “ King Wei asked: ‘How do we attack someone of equal strength? Sun Pin said: ‘Confuse them so that they disperse their forces…’”
its not completely done yet, I still have a page or so to go, but I jsut want any feedback on the current progress of things. Its only a rough draft and thats whats due, but I want it to be a tuned up as possible.
i'm not really sure if this is the place to ask for something like this.. but if ti isn't plz direct me to the correct source or sources. thanks again