The Rivalry of Sun Bin and Pang Juan

This is the tale of two men of great intelligence and ability, formerly fellow students who due to the treachery and jealousy of one had a terrible falling out. Living in the height of the Warring States Era (战国时代), their contests between the two greatest military commanders of the times held the fate of all of central China in their hands. The first was Pang Juan (龐涓, dates unknown), a general who would rise to command all of the armies of the State of Wei (魏国). The second was named Sun Bin (孙膑, ? – 316 BC). Purportedly descended from the great Chinese strategist Sunzi (孙子), he was a gifted military adviser who steered the State of Qi (齐国) to hegemony. One through jealousy and arrogance brought about his eventual death. The other even though crippled and humiliated, worked from humility and adversity to triumph. This is the tale of the rivalry between Sun Bin and Pang Juan.

Originally named Sun Bing (孙宾), Pang Juan and he were originally students together studying the military strategies under the same master, Guiguzi (鬼谷子). When they were students, the two were granted the honor of solo lessons. The two agreed that they would share the contents of their lessons with each other. Ever devious, Pang Juan feigned after each lesson that he had not learned anything from his master, while learning everything that Sun Bing had learned. When he had deemed himself sufficiently schooled in warfare, Pang Juan departed, his studies not completed. In the meantime, Sun Bing was given one of the few copies of his ancestor’s Art of War (孙子兵法) by his master. He studied it closely and when he had mastered it, he left the mountain retreat as well.

By then, Pang Juan had already accepted a position in the military of the State of Wei. When he learned that Sun Bing had mastered Sunzi’s Art of War and realizing that his fellow student was now superior to him, the ever envious and scheming Pang Juan worked to ensnare Sun Bing. Sun Bing was offered and accepted a position in Wei. Before too long, he was framed for treasonous activities by Pang Juan. He was punished by the removing of his kneecaps (crippling him) and the tattooing of ‘traitor’ on his cheek. Sun Bing was only allowed to live because of Pang Juan’s coveting of the Art of War.

Finally understanding the depth of his classmate’s depravity and his motives, Sun Bing feigned insanity. He was written off by Pang Juan and with the assistance of his servants; Sun Bin managed to escape to the State of Qi. Changing his name to Sun Bin (Bin (膑) meaning someone who has had his kneecaps removed), he found refuge as a guest of Qi’s chief commander, Tian Ji (田忌), who valued his intelligence and abilities. Sun Bin would eventually rise to the position of Chief Strategist (军师, otherwise translated as Director General) of Qi.

And so it was that the personal vendetta that raged between two men became intertwined with the fates of two preeminent states in China. Wei at this point was the most powerful state with an elite army trained and commanded by Pang Juan and his subordinates. Under the rule of its third ruler, King Hui (惠王), Wei had recently moved its capital to the impressive newly built city of Daliang (大梁) and begun massive irrigation projects along the Huang He (黄河, Yellow River). Qi had recently established itself as a power in northeastern China and with the acquisition of Sun Bin’s services would soon rise to preeminence.

There were two military contests between Qi and Wei that occurred, culminating in the Battle of Guiling (桂陵之战) in 354 BC and the Battle of Maling (马陵之战) in 342 BC. The first destroyed the myth of the invincibility of Wei’s mighty armies, the second established Qi as a powerful hegemonic power in eastern China.

In the first campaign that resulted in the Battle of Guiling, the Wei armies of Pang Juan (龐涓) were attacking the State of Zhao (赵国). In desperate straits, Zhao begged for aid from Qi. Under the direction of Sun Bin, the Zhao envoy was informed that the Qi army would come to the rescue. In the meantime, Sun Bin advised the Qi King Wei (齐威王) using the term “Sit Atop a Mountain Watching the Tigers Fight” (坐山观虎斗), meaning to allow the two states to wear each other out in battle. As a result of Sun Bin’s advice, Qi waited a year before attacking, launching minor attacks against other states to lull the State of Wei into complacency and even allowing Handan to fall. When the Qi army finally marched off under Tian Ji and Sun Bin’s command, the army was split, using the famous strategy that would be compiled in the Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六計) known as “Besieging Wei to Rescue Zhao” (围魏救赵). Half the army was sent to besiege the Wei capital of Daliang, while the second half was placed in ambush at Guiling, the most likely route that Pang Juan would take from Handan back to Daliang. Recalled back to protect the poorly garrisoned Wei capital, Pang Juan took the path through Guiling and was ambushed. The Wei army suffered heavy casualties and was sent into disarray. Pang Juan himself was captured. Wei’s aura of invincibility was forever weakened. Although Qi won the engagement, the conflict dragged on as the State of Han (韩国) joined in with Wei until Handan was restored back to Zhao.

Just a few short years later, Qi and Wei would fight once again. By 343 BC, state of Han under the guidance of its Legalist Chancellor, Shen Buhai (申不害), had built up a formidable and well-trained army (although smaller than the armies of its larger neighbors), enough to worry its more militaristic of neighbors of Qi and Wei. In 343, Han thought that it had sufficient strength to swallow up the even smaller states of Chen (陈) and Song (宋), sending its army to attack. Wei, disturbed by Han’s expansionist policies, reacted by sending Pang Juan with a massive army to intervene.

The Han army could not stop Pang Juan’s onslaught alone and was forced to retreat to its capital of Xinzheng (新郑) after repeatedly sending messengers to beg for aid from the States of Chu (楚国), Qi, and Zhao (赵国). Once again Sun Bin’s advice was sought. Viewing Han’s new Legalistic reforms and armies as a threat, Sun Bin advised that the rescuers withhold aid for a year. By the time the Qi army under Tian Ji (田忌) finally (and once again) attacked the Wei capital of Daliang (大梁), Han had been almost completely destroyed by Pang Juan. Learning of the attack against Daliang, Pang Juan was forced to retreat, sparing Han from total annihilation.

Seeing that Pang Juan was extremely wary of another ambush after the events of the Battle of Guiling, Sun Bin ingeniously used the “Missing Stoves” (減灶) tactic to lure him to Maling. The tactic called for the gradual elimination of cooking stoves (so that it appeared the Qi army was decreasing in size every day), misleading Pang Juan to believe that the Qi troops were deserting. And when the Qi army retreated, Pang Juan eagerly rode forth at the head of a force of his army towards Maling. There in the darkness, he found a tree carved with the words “Pang Juan died under this tree” (龐涓死于此树之下). Angrily, Pang Juan ordered the words to be wiped away and ordered the advance to continue. Before going so far, he was ambushed by the Qi army. The Wei army suffered heavy casualties. Wei Crown Prince Jia (太子申) was captured and depending on the source, Pang Juan either died under a hail of Qi arrows or committed suicide. It was said that Sun Bin wept upon hearing of the death of his schoolmate, having hoped to eventually reconcile with Pang Juan.

The power of the State of Wei was forever broken. Henceforth, it would suffer with its neighbors of Han and Zhao the depravations of the rising State of Qin (秦国). If it were not for the twin defeats of Guiling and Maling, Qin would not have had the opportunity to prosper under the reforms of the Legalist thinker, Shang Yang (商鞅). The State of Qi would establish itself as the preeminent power in Eastern China, formally recognized as the Hegemon of the East.

This is the intense rivalry of Sun Bin and Pang Juan. Pang Juan lost not only because of his own personal arrogance, beginning from when he first departed before completing his studies, but also in his conduct during the battles against Sun Bin as well. In the test of war, Pang Juan gambled and ultimately lost his life.

From humble origins to crippling humiliations, Sun Bin persevered because of his will and tenacity. Eventually, in the face of political persecution by the Prime Minister of Qi, Zou Ji (鄒忌), Sun Bin would retire to the mountains to become a hermit, purportedly producing his own version of the Art of War.