Chapter 16 Section 16 Go and Military

Go and the military are closely related.There are many military strategists who love Go in history, and have formed an indissoluble bond with Go.They often use the philosophy of Go to study and command wars.Go theorists and some famous chess players often use military tactics and war examples to explain Go and study the theory of Go. The birth of Go was associated with war from the beginning.It is an intellectual game successfully created to meet the needs of war and simulate the form of war.In the Western Han Dynasty, some people regarded Go as the "art of war". It is not unreasonable that "Sui Shu·Jing Ji Zhi" included Go manuals in the category of military books.According to historical records, in the era of Yao, Shun, and Yu, tribal meetings were held whenever wars were fought.Tribal elders and military leaders are all participants in the meeting, discussing the battle against the enemy together, and each put forward his own opinions.During the discussion, in order to express their opinions more vividly, everyone often drew pictures on the spot, used pebbles instead of soldiers, and imagined military deployment.This is probably the bud of Go.This kind of military deployment map gradually evolved into a part of military games and a method of learning military knowledge.

Things always gradually develop from low-level to high-level.Go from budding to perfection is also inseparable from such laws.It may be a military need at first, and then it will gradually become a need for entertainment. In the Western Han Dynasty, swordsman playing Go was a social fashion at that time.The swordsman talks about Go, focusing on the flexibility of Go strategy and tactics.Huan Tan, a philosopher of the Eastern Han Dynasty, said bluntly in "Xin Lun" that there is Go, or the art of war, and linked Go and the art of war.In the decades after the Huan family, Ma Rong, a famous Confucian scholar, discussed Go with reference to the art of war, and used the three-foot game as the battlefield to simulate the war.

At the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, the battles were fierce. Many military strategists were fearless in the face of danger and were deeply influenced by Go.Hua Tuo scraped Guan Yu's bones to heal the poison, and all made noises. Everyone who saw him in the tents and under the tents all covered their faces, but Guan Yu played Go with Ma Liang as if nothing had happened, without any expression of pain.At the same time, Lu Xun, an outstanding military strategist in the state of Wu, was also very fond of Go.According to the "Book of Wu Lu Xun Biography", once, Sun Quan, the monarch of Wu State, sent troops to attack Wei, so that Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin attacked Xiangyang. Because of leaking military information, Zhuge Jin was very afraid, but Lu Xun was confident and played Go as usual.Show foresight, calm and calm military demeanor.

Xie An in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was also a military strategist who loved Go.In the Battle of Feishui, he defeated the Qin army of one million with less than 80,000 troops, showing the demeanor of a military strategist with a determined command. In the eighth year of Jin Taiyuan (383 A.D.), Fu Jian of the former Qin Dynasty led an army of one million and marched southward, preparing to wipe out the Eastern Jin Dynasty in one fell swoop.At this time, the military strength of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was very thin, less than 80,000.The Qin army arrived in Huaifei, and the whole country was shaken in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Emperor Xiaowu of the Jin Dynasty promoted Xie An as the governor of the conquest to deal with powerful enemies.The battle situation ahead was tense, Xie An's nephew, general Xie Xuan, came to ask for instructions on how to retreat the enemy.Xie An showed no fear, saying that he had his own way, and let Xie Xuan go with him to the villa in the mountains with his relatives and friends.Arriving in the mountains, Xie An set out a chessboard and invited his nephew to play a game.Xie Xuan was originally superior in chess, but lost to Xie An because of nervousness.At this time, Xie An said to Xie Xuan that the way to use soldiers is the same as playing chess. You must hide your secrets, be fearless in the face of danger, and stop with silence. A weak soldier can defeat a strong soldier.After Xie An returned home, he began to give face-to-face instructions on how to fight against the enemy, ordering his generals and commanders to secure their positions and prepare for battle.Xie Xuan and others led an army of 80,000 to defeat Fu Jian's army of one million in Feishui, Anhui after receiving Xie An's clever plan.In this battle, the invading Qin army was frightened.When the good news came, Xie An was playing Go again.Seeing Xie Xuan's good news, he put it aside, kept calm, and continued to play chess.The guests couldn't bear it anymore and asked him about the outcome of the battle, and he said slowly that the battle had been won.Xie An's demeanor of being fearless and commanding in the face of danger is admirable. This is the famous Battle of Feishui in history.The influence of Go on military strategists can be seen from this.