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23-580: Dangyang used to be a strategic point in ancient wars. Sun Bin and Pang Juan , two famous strategists of the Warring States period (475–221 BC) studied military affairs from Gui Guzi at Daxian Cave in Dangyang. The Green Woods Uprising was launched in Dangyang and several battles were fought in Dangyang during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220–280). Today Dangyang is a rapidly growing modern city with

46-494: A horse racing competition. Sun Bin suggested a strategy to Tian Ji to utilize his horses to best advantage, and Tian won two out of three rounds in the race. The king was impressed with Tian's victory. Tian admitted that he won with the help of Sun Bin, and recommended Sun's talents to the king. King Wei wanted to appoint Sun Bin as the commander of the Qi armies. Sun declined, as his handicap prevented him from riding horseback, and would have

69-547: A military general, making his name after scoring victories in a few battles. Sun Bin, who was still studying with their teacher then, was invited to enter the service of Wei and he became Pang's colleague. However, Pang was secretly jealous of Sun, because he perceived that Sun Bin was more talented, and had learnt more about military strategy from their teacher than he. Pang Juan framed Sun Bin for treason and reported him to King Hui of Wei , who ordered Sun Bin to be executed. Pang pretended to plead for mercy on Sun's behalf, and

92-588: A negative effect on the morale of soldiers. Sun was then appointed chief military advisor instead and served as Tian Ji's deputy. In 354 BC, Wei state attacked the Zhao state , with Pang Juan leading the Wei army. They besieged the Zhao capital city of Handan . Zhao requested help from Qi, and the king of Qi commissioned Sun Bin and Tian Ji to lead an army to help Zhao. Sun Bin proposed the strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" and

115-443: A pigsty. Sun appeared to enjoy himself there and even consumed animal faeces , calling them delicious. Pang believed that Sun was truly mad and lowered his guard. Sun later escaped from the Wei state with the help of diplomats from the Qi state . In the Qi state , Sun Bin became a retainer (guest) in the residence of Tian Ji , a military general. Once, King Wei of Qi invited Tian Ji to

138-480: A population of over 100,000. While agriculture remains a key industry in Dangyang, industrial production now includes output in the areas of foodstuffs, building materials, textiles, chemicals, electronics, machinery, energy and packaging. On August 11, 2016, an explosion at a chemical factory in Dangyang killed 21 people and injured at least 5. Three subdistricts: Seven towns: Sun Bin Sun Bin (died 316 BC)

161-410: A tree, so he lit a torch for a closer look. Using the torch as the target, the Qi troops lying in ambush attacked. Pang committed suicide after being hit by many enemy arrows. Sun Bin retired from service because of political entanglement in the court and led a reclusive life as a hermit in the later part of his life. Sun Bin's Art of War ( 孫臏兵法 ) is a military treatise authored by Sun Bin. The book

184-495: Is portrayed in the 2011 film The Warring States . Sun Bin is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei . King Wei of Qi King Wei of Qi ( Chinese : 齊威王 ; pinyin : Qí Wēi Wáng ), whose personal name was Tian Yinqi (田因齊), was the king of the northern Chinese state of Qi during the Warring States period , when Qi

207-488: The Qi state , serving as a military strategist and commander. He led Qi to victory against the Wei state at the Battle of Guiling and the Battle of Maling , killing Pang Juan in the battle and avenging himself in the process. Sun authored the military treatise Sun Bin's Art of War , which was rediscovered in a 1972 archaeological excavation after being lost for almost 2000 years. An alleged descendant of Sun Tzu , Sun Bin

230-415: The Qi army again to counter the Wei forces. Sun used a strategy of feigning defeat in a series of skirmishes with the Wei forces, in order to lure Pang Juan to pursue him. Sun ordered the Qi troops to reduce the number of cooking stoves they used, creating the false impression that the Qi army was shrinking in size. The pursuing Wei forces led by Pang Juan spotted the trend by observing the marks left behind by

253-469: The Qi army attacked the Wei capital city of Daliang (present-day Kaifeng ), forcing the Wei army to turn back to save the city and effectively lifting the siege on Handan. The Wei army was ambushed and defeated by the Qi forces at the Battle of Guiling . In 342 BC, the Wei army led by Pang Juan invaded the Han state , an ally of the Qi state, and Han requested help from Qi. Sun Bin and Tian Ji were put in charge of

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276-449: The former. The former advised against siege warfare , while the latter suggested tactics for attacking a besieged city. This paralleled a shift in the strategic consideration of siege warfare during the later stages of the Warring States period . Sun Bin sometimes appears as a Menshen (door god) in Chinese and Taoist temples , usually paired with Pang Juan . His rivalry with Pang Juan

299-450: The instigation of his enemy Pang Juan . King Wei's commander Tian Ji recruited him to come to Qi. As Sun Bin could not sit on a horse, he refused when King Wei offered him the actual command of the army. Sun Bin wrote Sun Bin's Art of War , in which King Wei and Tian Ji question Sun Bin on strategy and tactics. Sun Bin was influential in devising the strategy for the Qi triumph at the Battle of Maling in 342 BC, which considerably weakened

322-487: The king instead condemned Sun to face-tattooing and removal of the kneecaps, effectively branding Sun as a criminal and crippling him for life. Pang pretended to take pity on Sun and treated him well while trying to trick Sun into compiling his knowledge on military strategy into a book, after which Pang could kill him. Sun eventually realized Pang's true intentions and feigned madness . Pang attempted to test whether Sun had really become insane or not, so he had Sun locked up in

345-595: The next highest reward, and to those who overhear criticism of me and convey it to my ears will go the least reward." It was said that initially, "the doorway to the king's chamber looked like a marketplace" but after a year, "none who spoke to the king had petitions to present" [because the problems had already been solved]. "When [the states of] Yan , Zhao , Han and Wei heard of this they all came to court at Qi." King Wei employed Sun Bin as chief military advisor. Sun Bin had been punished with mutilation of his knees in Wei at

368-517: The original Sun Bin's Art of War was 89 chapters long, the rediscovered copy had 16 verifiable chapters only. As fragments of Sun Tzu 's The Art of War were discovered as well, historians believed that some of the chapters might belong to The Art of War instead. The newly discovered text provided historians with a different perspective on the Battle of Guiling and Battle of Maling . In addition, when compared to Sun Tzu's The Art of War , Sun Bin's Art of War contained one major difference from

391-464: The stoves, and Pang fell for Sun Bin's ruse. Eager to defeat Sun Bin, Pang continued the pursuit and fell into an ambush in a narrow valley laid by the Qi forces. The Wei army suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Maling , and the crown prince of Wei was captured by the Qi forces. In traditional folklore, Sun Bin carved the words "Pang Juan dies under this tree" on a tree in the ambush area. When Pang arrived there, he saw that there were carvings on

414-467: Was a Chinese general, military strategist , and writer who lived during the Warring States period of Chinese history . A supposed descendant of Sun Tzu , Sun was tutored in military strategy by the hermit Guiguzi . He was accused of treason by Pang Juan while serving in the Wei state and was sentenced to face-tattooing (criminal branding) and had his kneecaps removed , permanently crippling him. Sun later escaped from Wei and rose to prominence in

437-519: Was believed to be lost after the Han dynasty , and although there were numerous references to it in post-contemporary texts, some historians still believed that the book was never written and could be a forgery. However, in April 1972, archaeologists excavated several fragments of scrolls from a tomb in Linyi , Shandong province. Sun Bin's Art of War was found among the scrolls. Although ancient texts mention that

460-438: Was great and their lands were broad. Their states were wealthy and their citizens capable. Their generals were aggressive and their troops strong." King Wei was judicious and measured in his actions toward his subordinates. At one point he was told repeatedly by his spies that one of his generals, Zhangzi, had surrendered to the enemy, Qin. King Wei refused to believe that Zhangzi had deserted. Sure enough, "a short while later it

483-563: Was one of the most powerful states in China. He reigned from 356 to 320 BC. or according to another source from 378 to 343 BC. He was the first ruler of Qi to style himself "king". His successor was King Xuan of Qi . In the Intrigues of the Warring States , the strategist Su Qin is quoted as telling the king of Qin : "Kings Wei and Xuan of Qi were the worthiest rulers of their age. Their power

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506-404: Was recognized for his brilliance at an early age, while he was still studying military strategy under the tutelage of the hermit Guiguzi . He could recite The Art of War , which made Guiguzi remark that all his other students should look up to Sun Bin as a role model. Pang Juan , a fellow student of Guiguzi, became sworn brothers with Sun. Pang left early and went to serve the Wei state as

529-461: Was reported that Qi had won a great victory. The king of Qin proclaimed himself a vassal of the western borders and made his apologies to Qi." King Wei said that he always knew Zhangzi was faithful and cited this story in his defence. According to another story, King Wei proclaimed that "To all ministers, officers and citizens who criticize my faults in front of me, they will get the highest reward; those who remonstrate with me in writing will be given

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