Sun Bin ' s Art of War Sun Bin ' s Art of War is an ancient Chinese classic work on military strategy written by Sun Bin , an alleged descendant of Sun Tzu who served as a military strategist in the Qi state during the Warring States period . According to historical records from the Han Dynasty , " Sun Bin ' s Art of War " contained an extensive 89 chapters , with four volumes of pictures attached , but was lost by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty . As a consequence , " Sun Bin ' s Art of War " is sometimes conflated with Sun Tzu ' s " The Art of War " . Rediscovery of the lost works . In April 1972 , bamboo slips of both Sun Tzu ' s and Sun Bin ' s works were unearthed in the Yinque Hills ( Lixing , Shandong province ) . Due to natural erosion , some of the bamboo slips were damaged and difficult to reinterpret . After the initial collection and study by experts , the Cultural Relic Press published a new edition of " Sun Bin ' s Art of War " , divided into two volumes , each containing 15 chapters , from the 364 bamboo slips , with a total of 11 , 000 words . After a decade of textual research and study , the Cultural Relic Press made a major adjustment to the book : the second volume was no longer considered to be Sun Bin ' s writings ; the first volume was edited and one chapter detailing five types of training was added . The current edition of " Sun Bin ' s Art of War " contains 16 chapters from 222 bamboo slips , with a total of 4891 words . Contents . Chapter 1 : Capturing Pang Juan . Describes the four stratagems employed in the Battle of Guiling : Chapter 2 : Meeting King Wei . Sun Bin discusses with King Wei of Qi about war and states : " Only victory in war can bring about authority and prosperity " . Sun believes that the historically progressive unification accomplished in war had been an important means of facilitating the submission of feudal lords . To start a war , one must have " a storage of materials , a just cause for war " and must " be well - prepared before launching an attack " . Sun also pointed out that " Warmongers will inevitably lose and those who expect to make a fortune out of war will also suffer defeat and disgrace " . Chapter 3 : King Wei asks for advice . Sun Bin advises King Wei and Tian Ji , engaging them in a comprehensive discussion on his basic thoughts about strategy and tactics . The chapter focuses on resolute attacks on weakly defended key enemy positions and on the military philosophy of using Tao and flexible principles to attain victory . Chapter 4 : Tian Ji asks how to construct a defence . Set in the Battle of Maling , Sun Bin and Tian Ji discuss the problems of battlefield positions in field operations . The combination of terrain , weapons and the types of soldiers is emphasized . Chapter 5 : Selection of the best soldiers . Comments on the basic principles of building and training an army , and on the factors of field command that will determine victory or defeat . On the topic of building an army , Sun Bin focuses on the employment of the best soldiers in terms of field command . He stresses ' five factors that will lead to constant victory ' : There are also five corollaries that will lead to constant defeat : Chapter 7 : Eight formations . Discusses the methods of a commander and the principles of battle formation . It emphasises that a commander must " be well versed in both meteorology and geography . He also must get the support of his people at home , while understanding the actual situation of his enemy . In a direct battle , he knows well the basic points of the eight formations . If one is sure of victory he will fight ; if unsure he should not fight . " Sun Bin also emphasises " that in laying a formation , the army can be divided into three divisions . In each , the best soldiers should be placed as a vanguard and every team should be followed with a sustainable reserve . " < br > He emphasises " dividing the army into three teams " and " engaging one team in battle in while leaving the other two strictly in defence . " < br > Sun Bin says that an army must take an advantageous geographical position to attack enemy in a less defensible position . " When land is flat there should be more armed chariots ; when terrain is difficult , more cavalry should be sent : and when is narrow and blocked , there should be more archers sent . " Chapter 14 : Organisation of military posts . Chapter 14 is similar to military rules and regulations of the later ages . It may be divided into three parts :