SOME months ago, it was reported Gan Siew Kin gave Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim several books on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the hope the opposition leader would choose advisers as wise as famed strategist Zhuge Liang, also known as Kong Ming.
Three Kingdoms is a must-read for those interested in deepening their strategic thinking and understanding of Confucius's philosophy of political governance.
Most novels on the Three Kingdoms are derived from two major sources – a 1522 text commonly accepted as authored by Luo Guanzhong and a mid-1660s publication edited by a father and son team, Mao Lun and Mao Zonggang.
Recounting a tumultuous era of internecine warfare in China, spanning 60 years at the turn of the third century, the Three Kingdoms novels have been described by Zhang Xuecheng as "seven parts fact and three parts fiction".
PM Najib and Anwar Ibrahim
This fictionalisation is purposeful. For example, two sentences are repeated six times in the 1522 edition but omitted entirely in the Mao version – "The empire belongs to no one man but to all in the empire. He who has virtue shall possess it."
Including these two sentences in the 1522 version encapsulates Confucius's revolutionary concept of political legitimacy.
Contrary to popular belief that Confucius sanctioned authoritarian rule, the philosopher stated if a ruler is "virtuous", he will be deemed to hold the Mandate of Heaven and enjoy the right to rule.
Conversely, overthrowing a ruler is justified if he is no longer "virtuous" because he would have lost the Mandate of Heaven.
Among the three protagonists, only Liu Bei had a double entitlement to the Dragon Throne – he was a distant scion of the Liu family who ruled as Han emperors and he was portrayed in the novel as the most virtuous claimant.
Two other contenders were Cao Cao of the Wei kingdom and Sun Quan of Wu.
To boost the Shu ruler's "virtue", some versions of the Three Kingdoms novel gloss over Liu Bei's fondness for luxury and the good life.
Three Kingdoms also highlights Zhuge Liang's understanding of the benefits of a tripartite balance of power.
Foreseeing the Wei navy would suffer a massive defeat in the naval Battle of Red Cliff launched by Wu chief commander Zhou Yu and that Cao Cao would escape death and seek refuge on land, Zhuge Liang planned three successive ambushes in the Black Forest.
Inexplicably, Zhuge Liang chose Guan Yu to oversee the third and most critical ambush. Because Cao Cao had treated a captive Guan Yu well, Zhuge Liang anticipated Guan Yu's deep-seated sense of honour would prompt him to allow Cao Cao to escape.
This was an outcome the master strategist sought. If Cao Cao had been killed, Sun Quan of Wu would challenge Liu Bei for supremacy. With Cao Cao alive, the Wu king would remain an ally of Liu Bei in their joint fight against Wei.
Three Kingdoms also demonstrates the sophisticated use of deception. Realising the credibility of a lie depended on the liar's veracity, extreme steps were taken to burnish the falsehood's apparent verisimilitude.
Before the Battle of Red Cliff, one of Zhou Yu's most trusted generals Huang Gai – who had served three generations of the Sun family – offered to falsely surrender to Cao Cao.
To provide a credible reason for Huang Gai's defection, Zhou Yu ordered Huang Gai to be brutally whipped for challenging the Wu commander's proposed military strategy.
Two spies whom Cao Cao had sent to Zhou Yu's camp weren't executed. Allowed to witness Huang Gai's beating, the spies sent a letter to Cao Cao attesting to Huang Gai's severe punishment. Both the "beaten body" strategy and the testimony of his own spies convinced Cao Cao that Huang Gai's purported surrender was genuine.
Three Kingdoms also emphasises the critical importance of Sun Tzu's maxim – know yourself and know your enemy.
Dr M
Cao Cao's able strategist, Guo Jia, advised the Wei king to refrain from invading Liaodong.
Guo Jia explained Liaodong ruler Gongsun Kang feared the Yuan brothers. Fleeing from Cao Cao, the Yuans had sought refuge in Liaodong. Any attempt to conquer Liaodong would force Gongsun Kang to ally with the Yuans against Cao Cao.
As Guo Jia predicted, by refraining from attacking Liaodong, Gongsun Kang killed the Yuan brothers and surrendered to Cao Cao.
Allowing a threat to be eliminated by its ally is a neat strategy Malaysian politicians should adopt.
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of 100 battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle," Sun Tzu says. - Sundaily
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