Sawyer Ralph D. Ancient Chinese Warfare

Basic Books, 2011. — 576 p.The history of China is a history of warfare. Rarely in its 3,000-year existence has the country not been beset by war, rebellion, or raids. Warfare was a primary source of innovation, social evolution, and material progress in the Legendary Era, Hsia dynasty, and Shang dynasty - indeed, war was the force that formed the first cohesive Chinese empire, setting China on a trajectory of state building and aggressive activity that continues to this day.In Ancient Chinese Warfare, a preeminent expert on Chinese military history uses recently recovered documents and archaeological findings to construct a comprehensive guide to the developing technologies, strategies, and logistics of ancient Chinese militarism. The result is a definitive look at the tools and methods that won wars and shaped culture in ancient China.Ralph D. Sawyer has worked extensively with major intelligence and defense agencies, as well as lecturing and consulting internationally on China. A Fellow of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, he is the translator of numerous books from the Chinese military corpus, including The Art of War. He lives in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.