Since ancient times, military and national defense have been important guarantees for the stability of the country. As a great thinker, educator and statesman in ancient China, Confucius's views on military affairs and national defense are also one of the important contents of admiration and research by later generations.
In the Analects, we can see Confucius's basic concept of army building - "benevolence and righteousness". "Zilu asked Confucius and said, 'Who has a word that can be done for life?' Zi Ri: 'Do not do to others what you do not want to be done to yourself.' It can be seen that Confucius emphasized the ethics of human nature based on benevolence, and he believed that the army should be a place of love and respect, not a place where only people know how to kill people and seize land. Therefore, he advocated improving the overall combat effectiveness of the army by cultivating the moral cultivation and cultural qualities of the soldiers.
Confucius also proposed his own strategy for the art of war. He once said, "Whoever shoots will know the feelings of the horse, and he will be able to reconcile with it." The meaning of this phrase is that a good shooter must understand the character traits of his mount so that he can better control it. Similarly, a strong army needs to have a deep understanding of the situation on both sides and develop strategies and tactics that are appropriate to the situation. This reflects Confucius's idea of attaching importance to intelligence gathering and analysis.
Confucius also emphasized the importance of defense. He once said: "It is better to defend the people and the land than to attack the city and fight in the field." In his opinion, it is more important to protect the safety of the people than to conquer foreign peoples. Because only when the people live and work in peace and contentment, can the country be truly strong. This is one of the reasons why Confucius opposed wars of aggression.
However, Confucius did not deny the possibility of war. He wrote in "The Twenty-eighth Year of the Emperor of the Spring and Autumn Period": "If the husband is prepared, there is no trouble, and he is a gentleman who cultivates virtue and is brave as a good general, so the country survives although it is weak." This passage tells us that even if you are weak, you can avoid danger if you are well prepared. This requires us to not only have a brave spirit, but also pay attention to cultivating our own moral character in ordinary times to become an outstanding general.
Although Confucius was not a professional military strategist, many of his views provide us with a new perspective on the problem. His unique views on benevolence, justice, intelligence, defense, and so on are of great enlightening significance for our national security construction and military modernization today.