Three Strategies and the Plain Book

Huang Shigong, the mysterious old man who gave Zhang Liang a book at a bridge, is credited with both texts: the Three Strategies on commanding men and states, and the short Plain Book on the way of the ruler and the gentleman. The Three Strategies discusses winning men's hearts, rewarding merit and the balance of soft and hard; the Plain Book condenses the wisdom of rulers and sages into terse maxims on virtue, prudence and timing. This is a complete new English translation, with names in modern pinyin and the text rendered as plain, readable English prose. Read alongside Sunzi, it shows how Chinese thinkers joined war to government, morale, law and the economy of a state. The Chinese military classics were studied by generals and statesmen for two thousand years and are still read for their insight into strategy, leadership and organisation.