The Demonstration of the Art of War by Sun Wu Zi

Sun Wu Zi, also known in the West as Sun Tzu, is the author of the famous work, The Art of War. The book was in circulation during the Spring and Autumn Period (800-221 B.C.) and is the oldest book of military strategy in the world. Chinese history records that Sun Wu Zi served in the military for thirty years, from 512 B.C. when he was interviewed by the King of Wu, to 482 B.C., when he helped the Wu Kingdom to achieve hegemony. Sun Wu Zi took part in countless victories, and has been called 'The Father of Chinese Warfare' just as Confucius (551-479 B.C.) has been named 'The Father of Chinese Society'.

In the play, the Prime Minister of the Wu kingdom recommends Sun Wu Zi to the King. Sun Wu Zi presents the King with a book he wrote: The Thirteen Military Tactics. The King is deeply impressed with the book, and asks Sun Wu Zi to demonstrate his work. Unwilling to wait for his guards, the King summons 180 palace maids to take part in the exercise. At Sun Wu Zi's request, the maids are divided into two teams and the King appoints two of his favourite concubines as team leaders.

Before the exercise begins, Sun Wu Zi lays the ground rules: the teams must stand in lines; they must obey all orders; they must remain quiet, and there must be no violation of any of the aforementioned rules. Offenders will be punished by military law. He begins demonstrating his methods, beating a drum to start the exercise. As he starts, the palace maids dissolve into laughter. They stand up or sit down as they like, and nobody listens to Sun Wu Zi's commands.

Sun Wu Zi leaves his mat and says, 'I may not have been clear in my instructions, and people like you may not be able to memorize what I said. It is my fault, so I will repeat my instructions again.' He repeats what he has said and starts the exercise again. The palace maids continue to behave as they like, and laugh as before. Sun Wu Zi repeats his rules, and rolls up his sleeves to beat the drum again.

The two concubines and their teams find the exercises very amusing, because they have never played such games before. They continue laughing, then begin making fun of Sun Wu Zi. He flies into a rage and announces, 'The rules may have been unclear the first time, so I repeated them once. After that, the rules should be clear, but no one is following the commands they have been given. That is the fault of the teams. Since we can not execute all the soldiers on a battlefield, the leader of each troop must take responsibility.' He then orders the two concubines to be pulled from their teams and executed on the spot.

The King, who has been studying the chaos of this exercise from above, suddenly sees that his two favourite concubines have been tied up for execution. He is in shock and says to Sun Wu Zi, 'I can see you are very good at commanding troops. Without these two concubines, however, I will not be able to eat or sleep. Please forgive them.'

Sun Wu Zi replies, 'There is no fooling around when it comes to military exercises. The general is responsible for his troops and his mission, and must have the power to do what he thinks is right on the field of battle, without deferring to the King.' He commands the guards to execute the two concubines without further ado. The two teams of palace maids are now frightened to death, and no one dares make a sound. Sun Wu Zi then selects two more women to lead the teams. When the exercise starts again, his commands are followed without question or delay. Seeing Sun Wu Zi's talent for military strategy and practices, the King of Wu makes Sun Wu Zi a general, despite his ordering the death of the King's favourite concubines.