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CHAPTER 1  THE FIRST SPIES

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SPYING OUT

THE ART OF WAR

As in other classical civilizations, in ancient China, emperors,

kings, and other leaders consulted oracles or made sacrifices

to discover what decisions they should make. However, the

manual The Art of War suggested a new approach, largely based

on the acquisition of secret knowledge.

The Chinese general and military theorist Sun Tzu, who lived in the fifth

century

bce, was traditionally credited with writing The Art of War, but it is

now thought that it was a collaborative work written at a later date, most

probably in the third century

bce.

THE ART OF SPYING

The book’s title suggests that it is military treatise, but in fact The Art of War

emphasizes the avoidance of battle if at all possible. It encourages the leader to

deploy stratagems such as deceit and subterfuge to achieve his goals. Spies

play a key role in this strategy, employing bribery and seduction to

corrupt enemy officials and gain intelligence, all the while spreading

disinformation. Spies are also expected to take direct action,

including the assassination of important individuals. If these

methods are successfully used, argues The Art of War, the

enemy’s army will collapse with little resistance.

Good assassins in ancient China were highly regarded

and expected to go to great lengths to fulfill their mission.

Perhaps the most extreme example of this involved Yao Li

in the third century

bce. He was instructed by King Ho-lü

to kill the exiled Prince Ch’ing Chi. To establish a cover

story that he had been maltreated by Ho-lü and desired

revenge, Yao Li cut off his own right hand and killed

his wife and children. He arrived in Ch’ing Chi’s court

with a suitably horrific—and believable— cover story,

and was able to gain access to his intended victim,

whom he promptly killed.

Left: The mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi

Huang contained a Terracotta Army of over

8,000 men. Qin unified China in 221

bce

and is said to have used

The Art of War

as

a strategic guide during his conquests.