Complete Essentials for the Military Classics: Wujing Zongyao, Story Collection, Volume One

By Zeng Gongliang
Translated by Everett Marshall

Daybreak Studios
ISBN: 9798335687287

This is a partial translation of Wujing Zongyao, an important 11th-century Chinese military treatise. The section translated in this volume contains examples from Chinese history that serve as examples of good strategies and tactics related to warfare.

Excerpt:

The “Complete Essentials for the Military Classics” (“Wujing Zongyao“), compiled by Zeng Gongliang, Ding Du, and Yang Weide during the Northern Song dynasty, stands as a monumental work in the history of Chinese military thought. This comprehensive military treatise, completed in 1044 AD, serves as a strategic guide for warfare, offering insights into various aspects of military operations, including tactics, weaponry, logistics, and fortifications. The authors, drawing upon centuries of military experience and classical Chinese literature, sought to create a text that would unify and codify the knowledge necessary for defending the Song dynasty against external threats.

Who is this book for?

It is unfortunate that this volume contains just the stories of historical military engagements. Hopefully there will be further volumes will be published, as the Wujing Zongyao has much to say about medieval military technology, including gunpowder. This particular volume will have very limited value.

The Translator

Everett Marshall seems to be an independent publisher of books, as he has several available through Amazon, including translations of other texts. Otherwise, little is know about him or Daybreak Studios.

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