Sun Tzu
Sun Wu (c. 545 BC - c. 470 BC), courtesy name Changqing, was a Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher from the late Spring and Autumn period, born in Le'an, Qi (modern-day Shandong Province). He is honored as "The Sage of War" or "Sun Tzu" (Master Sun), acclaimed as "the teacher of a hundred generations of strategists" and "the forefather of Eastern military science."
The Art of War
The Art of War, also known as Sun Tzu's Military Method, is the earliest surviving Chinese military treatise and the world's oldest military text, honored as the "Holy Scripture of Military Science."
Comprising thirteen chapters of approximately 6,000 characters, the text is profound in content, sophisticated in thought, and rigorous in logic—a concentrated expression of ancient military wisdom.
The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.
— The Art of War, Chapter 1: Laying Plans