The Chinese national civilization has been more than 6,000 years old, from the Spring and Autumn Warring States to the present, the dynasties have changed and lasted for a long time, and it is civilization that promotes the progress of history. "The most eminent historical warfarist of our time," John Keegan once wrote in The History of War: "All civilizations are (in part) rooted in the creation of their wars. ”
When people think of the word "war", what comes to mind is burning and looting. In fact, it was the war that promoted the development of society, created a new civilization, and broadened a new history.
The Battle of Makino, also known as the WuWang Cutting, to a certain extent, this is a war of epoch-making significance, it is a key battle for the decline of the Shang Dynasty and the prosperity of the Zhou Dynasty, and it is one of the few battles in China's history in which the victory of the less is more, and the victory of the weak is of great significance to the development of ancient military thought, and at the same time the Zhou Dynasty began to implement a new system - the sub-feudal system, which became the origin of the Lile civilization.
I. The Beginning and End of the Battle of Makino
The Shang Dynasty began in 1600 BC and lasted for 544 years. The Shang Dynasty experienced the initial rise, fall, revitalization to the end, and by the time of the Shang Dynasty, the country was no longer what it used to be, and there was a phenomenon of "like a tick like a clam, like a boiling soup". At this time, under the leadership of Gong Liu and Wang Ji, Zhou's national strength developed rapidly, and its power penetrated into the Shang Dynasty basin. The State of Zhou used troops to the northwest and southwest in the form of strategic encirclement, and successively conquered the small surrounding countries. The State of Zhou sent spies during the Shang Dynasty to inquire about the internal situation of the imperial court and collect confidential information.
At this time, two-thirds of the Shang Dynasty had fallen into the hands of King Wen of Zhou, and the Shang Dynasty was already a lingering and in the palm of his hand.
The world is divided into three points, and the second is returned to the week.
- "The Chronicle of History"
In the end, the battle ended with the beheading of Emperor Xin of the Shang Dynasty, Who escaped from the battlefield and returned to Chaoge City, and finally set himself on fire in Lutai, the life of the last king of the Shang Dynasty ended, and a generation of dynasties disappeared in the long river of history.
(1) Attitude towards war
In the Battle of Makino, the power of the Zhou army was very large, and the whole country shared a vendetta. With the progress of war, people's attitude toward war will change a lot, among which the basis of combat methods and military strategy is the attitude toward war, and attitude often determines thinking.
Military ideas were born in the 8th century BC, people began to be curious about some military matters of war, and the army began to be established and regularized. At this time, the war phalanx, military weapons, offensive strategy, and combat style all began to have the initial basis for formation.
The most important period of formation in the development of ancient Chinese military thought was in the transitional period between slave society and feudal society. During this period, there was a lot of social turmoil, the revolution developed fiercely, and great progress was made in the use of troops and weapons.
Among them, the attitude toward war has changed greatly with the passage of time, and the idea of benevolence in the early stage of ancient Chinese slave society has emerged, and the idea of slave society in the later period has basically matured.
The pillar of war is benevolence, and this idea was pointed out in sima fa ren ben I, and benevolence is the cohesion of combat effectiveness and the basis for winning victory in war. The principle of war is that a division is famous, and the Book of Rites advocates that "a division must be famous", believing that if a division is unknown, it will inevitably be opposed by everyone, and the end must be a failure.
With the gradual maturity of ancient military thinking, the thinking of war has also been perfected, and sun tzu's art of war points out the idea of heavy war, the idea of cautious war, the idea of preparing for war, and the idea of good war. Sun Tzu's Art of War enlightens the doctrine, holding that war is a major event that has a bearing on the life and death of the people of the country, and that one must not have a slack heart, that is, to treat war with caution and not to speak lightly.
(2) Operational principles and military strategies
1. The emergence of various forms of combat such as "car warfare"
On the eve of the decisive battle, the king of Wu mainly occupied Chaoge with car warfare, and snatched his horses by surprise, so that there was no horse in the city.
After this, the vehicle warfare method of warfare appeared in the long river of history. The Zhou people's vehicle warfare technology, the idea of using soldiers, and the directional attack have all created a new war system, and Yangu has been admired by posterity to this day.
Chariots were the main war tools of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and vehicle warfare also became a combat feature of the Western Zhou Dynasty. According to the historical records of the Zhou Dynasty, the vehicle battle was composed of twenty-two people and four people sharing the method of "riding", and the vehicle was accompanied by weapons for soldiers to use in battle.
In ancient Chinese military, there were many forms of warfare based on vehicle warfare - the Battle of Chengpu, and various forms such as roundabouts and long-distance pursuits were implemented, and the two-line configuration was changed to a circular configuration, and vehicle warfare was further developed.
The basic principle of vehicle warfare is: the side of the enemy, the left and right rotation. Among them, "vehicle warfare" innovated the form of ancient Chinese warfare, and the development of ancient Chinese military had the influence of various factors.
During the Five Dynasties period, in the process of the feudal system from the beginning to the rupture, the economy, culture, and creativity were developing rapidly, the diversity of weapon types, the unity of combat methods, and the basic formation of systems and capabilities.
2. "Advance is retreat", "cutting conspiracy" and "cutting off" are used together
The successful realization of the strategic thinking of the Zhou father and son marked the further development of ancient Chinese military thinking, and the two of them have long used the strategic thinking of "cutting plots" and "cutting diplomatic relations", which has played a positive role in paralyzing and confusing the other side and establishing a united front.
The timing of making the right decision was particularly important, and at the time of turmoil in the Shang Dynasty, King Wu of Zhou decisively led his troops forward, thus putting the enemy in a disadvantageous position.
We should pay attention to seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, comprehensively view war as a whole, and view the nature, scope, and content of the other side from the perspective of military theory; at the same time, we have a broader understanding of the many contradictory relations in military theory, and the relationship between military and politics, and between military and economics.
Sun Tzu believed that if there was ten times the military strength of the other side, it would surround them, if there was five times the military strength of the other side, it would attack them, and if there was twice the military strength of the other side, it would disperse it.
Only by knowing each other and knowing oneself can we succeed, and we will fail without understanding the enemy or understanding ourselves. This idea of Sun Tzu has produced great value and inspiration for informationized warfare.
3. Boost morale and fight "allied" battles
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Sui first attacked from the north and the south, and used both means and politics to take advantage of the low will and weakness of the Chen army to win victories in one fell swoop, which reflected the flexibility in the war. In the initial strategic thinking of the Zhou father and son, they put forward the idea of "alliance", starting from the small neighboring countries to draw closer to their own camp and expand their scope. Zhuge Liang once proposed in the "Longzhong Pair" that the idea of "uniting Wu and resisting Cao" is an extension of this.
In ancient military wars, land disputes were the largest, and many military wars were based on land division, so joint operations were very common, and two or more countries cooperated with each other. At the same time, joint operations have a huge political impact, from determining the purpose of the war to choosing strategic objectives to the scale of the war, which needs to be closely linked with the state.
The political support of the people is extremely important for the country to fight, and the concerted efforts of the people and the mutual cooperation of the country are conducive to military stability and the development of military strength. Joint operations are expensive and require the two peoples to fight together, but the results are win-win.
(3) The principles of administering the army and the methods of using troops
In the Battle of Makino, King Wen of Zhou sued Emperor Xin of Wu on the battlefield to boost morale and stabilize the morale of the army, which was also a way to govern the army. Since ancient times, the purpose of war is to directly save oneself and destroy the enemy, and it has been pointed out in the "Strategy" that "therefore, a hundred battles are won, and those who are not good at good" can win a great victory. "Causing people but not controlling others" focuses on flexibility on the battlefield, seizes the initiative, and adopts targeted methods of winning. In the war, King Wu used a combination of vehicle warfare and manpower, which was in line with Sun Tzu's idea of "emphasizing Qizheng", changing the law as positive and changing the law into Qi, which was divided into open attack and secret attack.
In the historical wars of some unified countries, there have been many wise, courageous, and highly ideological decision-makers. For example, King Wen of Zhou secretly forged ahead, took the advance as a retreat, and used means to seize the strategic initiative, and king Wu of Zhou was bold and insightful, preemptively attacking people, and selecting talents and appointing talents was not only the way to employ people, but also the way to use generals, and the heavy generals, the generals were selected, and the generals were used. To rule is to win, and to teach first; the chief warrior, the general of the army.
With the accumulation of each dynasty, ancient Chinese military thought gradually developed into a complete system, with unified strategic thinking, progress in weapons of war, diverse marching methods, excellent commanders and rich experience. Compared with the military ideology of all countries in the world, the development of military ideology in China was formed earlier, the system formed was more complete, and it has developed greatly in all dynasties and dynasties, and the Qin Dynasty is also one of the typical dynasties. With the fall of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty, the form and tools of war have progressed.
Ancient Chinese military thought is the result of people's experience in war, and to a certain extent, it represents the wisdom and accumulation of the ancient people of our country.
Ancient military thinking is a precious legacy left by predecessors, and china can be called the best in the world in terms of military regulations, military strategy, and heroic military generals, and the world has given it the reputation of "the country of the art of war". Ancient Chinese military thought is the result of human civilization and has a major influence and prominent position in the world.
Reference:
Historia
The Book of Verses
Ancient Warfare
Wisdom in the Smoke: Apocalypse of the Classic Battle
General History