Editing The Art of War

{{Era|Culture}}{{WP-REAL}}
'''''The Art of War''''' (孫子兵法), written by [[Sun Tzu]], is one of the most influential treatises on the fundamental principles, stratagems, and logistics of war.<ref name="Honig 2012">Sun Wu. Introduction to The Art of War. Barnes & Noble Signature Edition, pp. xv–xxiii. Translated by Lionel Giles. Introduction by Jan Willem Honig. Supplementary material by Ilmari Käihkö. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing, 2012.</ref>

It was significant for not only conventional military forces but also for the covert action philosophy of the [[Hidden Ones]]. Its influence can be witnessed in the way the Chinese Hidden Ones translated the name of their organization: 無形者 (Mandarin: ''Wúxíngzhě'', Cantonese: ''Mòuyìng-tsé''), literally meaning 'Those who are Formless'. The term [[wikt:無形|無形]] (Mandarin: ''wúxíng'', Cantonese: ''mòuyìng'') or ''Formless'' refers to a state of being imperceptible and indecipherable, and this quality is referenced in the sixth chapter, "Weak Points and Strong" (虛實):
<blockquote>「故形兵之極，至于'''無形'''；'''無形'''，則深間不能窺，智者不能謀。亅 {{c|Chapter VI, line 6}}<ref name="Sun Tzu">Sun Wu. "Weak Points and Strong". In ''The Art of War''. ''Chinese Text Project''. Accessed 16 April 2023. https://ctext.org/art-of-war/weak-points-and-strong</ref>

"In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to '''conceal them'''; '''conceal your dispositions''', and you will be safe from the prying of the subtlest spies, from the machinations of the wisest brains." {{c|Translated by {{wiki|Lionel Giles}}, 1910}}<ref name="Fall River Press">Sun Wu. "Weak Points and Strong". In The Art of War. Illustrated Edition, pp. 124–135. Translated by Lionel Giles. Introduction by Jan Willem Honig. New York, NY: Fall River Press, 2014.</ref>

"Therefore the pinnacle of troop formation is to be '''formless'''; be '''formless''', and even the most immersed of spies would not be able to pry, nor would the wisest be able to scheme." {{c|Original wiki translation}}
</blockquote>

In 756, as the last surviving [[Hidden Ones of the Great Desert|Hidden One of the Great Desert]], [[Li E]], made his escape from the [[Golden Turtles]]' captivity within the [[Mengshan Giant Buddha]], he composed himself for a [[Leap of Faith]] by reciting this line, having made peace with the loss of his mentor [[Éléna]] and his other comrades. Before the guards pursuing him could reach him, he dived from the Buddha's eye into the river below with the affirmation that he was a "[[Hidden Ones of the Great Tang|Hidden One of the Great Tang]].<ref name="Dynasty 33">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Hidden Ones (Part 1)]]</ref>

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' {{Mo}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Books]]