Jiang Taigong: The Supreme Strategist
continuedTrivia (mainly rumors) related to Jiang Taigong:
- It has been said that Fan Li, Zhang Liang, and Zhuge Liang were also readers and users of Jiang Taigong’s book for the purpose of prevailing over their rivals
- Wang Xu (also known as the Master of Ghost Valley) who started the first academy of military studies during the Warring states, taught the concepts of Jiang Taigong writings to his students. His top students were Sun Bin, Sui Chang and Zhang Yi
- Sun Bin also received this book first and later received the Sunzi text from his teacher Wang Xu
- In the river near Xi'an there is a big stone with an indentation that said this was the spot that Jiang Taigong resided in his act of fishing
- Rumors say that the following strategic classics were also attributed to Tai Gong:
Huang Shi Gong Ji (Huang Shi Gong's Records) [later Sui Dynasty]; Huang Shi Gong San Lüe (Huang Shi Gong's Three Schemes); and Yin Fu (Concealed Symbols) - Many legends on Jiang Taigong were collected in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and can be found in a fictional work Fengshen Yanyi (Tales of Gods and Heroes)
- There are various parts of China and Asia that honor the achievements of Jiang Tai Gong
Other Matters
During his retirement, Jiang Taigong took time to write a manuscript on how to effectively lead an empire based on his conversations with King Wen and later King Wu (who succeeded to the throne on Wen's death). This manuscript was Tai Gong Liu Tao (translated as “Tai Gong's Six Secret Strategic Teachings”). It consisted of advice on how to organize a potential empire, military advice describing methods of insurrection and revolution that were instrumental in the overthrow of Shang dynastic rule, and a wide range of strategic insights and tactical instructions in every arena of human activity.
Part 2 of the article continues onto the Jiang Taigong essay Six Secret Strategic Teachings (Six Secret Strategies of Conflict).
M.E.H.
M.E.H. is a strategist whose weekend interests lie between cycling in "linear, circular, and figure-eight patterns" while reading books on world history, global economics, quantum sciences, and military strategies during his breaks.
Previous M.E.H. Writings on Strategy
- Playing with the Dao: A "Pragmatic" Strategic View (Part 1)
- Playing with the Dao: A "Pragmatic" Strategic View (Part 2)
- Sun Tzu's The Art of War
- The Mind of the Strategist: Knowing the Questions
- The Game of Go
- Chinese Chess
- Zhuge Liang – Part 1 and Part 2
- The Tao of Becoming a Strategist
- STRATEGY as a Way of Life: "Know the Question. Then Find the Answer"
- Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare (Military Methods)
- Playing the Global Game
