Recently, some netizens have published some remarks on the Internet advocating "dare to fight", criticizing and questioning the idea of "prudent war" put forward by Major General Hou Angyu at the Xiangshan Forum, believing that this is a manifestation of cowardice and does not conform to the spirit of the Chinese people. In this regard, some military experts and scholars said that the remarks of these netizens are a misunderstanding and partiality, and they call on everyone to look at the idea of "prudent warfare" rationally and realize that this is a wisdom that conforms to Sun Tzu's Art of War and traditional Chinese military culture, and is also a strategy that adapts to the current world situation and national interests.
It is understood that the Xiangshan Forum is an international military exchange platform with the theme of "The Art of War and Future Global Security", and some young soldiers from different countries participated in it. At the forum, Major General Hou Angyu took Sun Tzu's Art of War as a guide and expounded on the idea of "prudent warfare" of the Chinese people, that is, in war, it is necessary to comprehensively consider national interests, the international situation, the aspirations of the people, the ability to win the war, and other factors, not to start a war easily, not to fight a nameless war, not to fight a war that is uncertain, not to fight a war that is not profitable, but to fight a war that is reasonable, advantageous, and modest, and to fight a war that must be won. Major General Hou Angyu believes that this is a principle that conforms to Sun Tzu's Art of War, "not moving unless it is profitable, and not fighting unless it is dangerous", and it is also a kind of embodiment of the concept of "peace is precious" of the Chinese people, and it is also a kind of ability to show the "dare to struggle and be good at fighting" of the Chinese people.
However, this idea has been misunderstood and attacked by some netizens, who believe that "cautious war" is a manifestation of weakness and retreat, an act of showing weakness to the enemy, and a proposition that does not conform to the spirit of the Chinese people. They believe that the Chinese people should dare to struggle, dare to win, dare to attack, dare to declare war, not afraid of any risks and challenges, no matter what the occasion, when, must show the fearless spirit of "dare to fight".
In response to the remarks of these netizens, some military experts and scholars said that this is an erroneous and extreme view, and they lack an in-depth understanding of Sun Tzu's Art of War and traditional Chinese military culture, as well as a comprehensive grasp of the current world situation and national interests. They called on everyone to take a rational view of the idea of "prudent warfare" and realize that this is a wisdom that conforms to Sun Tzu's Art of War and traditional Chinese military culture, and is also a strategy that suits the current world situation and national interests.
They pointed out that the Art of War is the culmination of ancient Chinese military thought and the treasure of the world's military thought, which not only tells us how to fight war, but also how to avoid war. Sun Tzu's Art of War emphasized that "soldiers are the major affairs of the country, the place of death and life, and the way of survival, and must not be overlooked", and required monarchs and generals to carefully consider the pros and cons of war, the purpose of war, the probability of winning war, the cost of war, the impact of war, the consequences of war, and other factors before launching war, and not to rashly use force, not to blindly seek war, not to covet the short-term interests of war, but to put the long-term interests of the country first, to be guided by the purpose of peace, to stop war with war, and to seek peace with war.
Sun Tzu's Art of War also emphasized that "the first army to attack and strategize, the second to attack the enemy, the second to attack the army, and then to attack the city", and demanded that in the war, we should flexibly use all kinds of means, not stick to one pattern, do not choose one end, not only use troops, but also use intelligence, not only use force, but also use diplomacy, not only use hard power, but also use soft power, not only use frontal battlefields, but also use other battlefields, not only use military means, but also use political, economic, cultural, legal and other means, comprehensive policies, multi-party cooperation, in order to achieve the goal of war. Sun Tzu's Art of War also emphasized that "those who are good at fighting have no outstanding merits", and demanded that in war, we should pay attention to strategy and tactics, the art of struggle, the law of struggle, the rhythm of struggle, and the effect of struggle, not to fight for the sake of war, not to win for the sake of victory, not to take credit for merit, but to achieve the greatest effect at the lowest cost, to end the war with the fastest speed, and to achieve peace in the best way.
They believe that the idea of "prudent warfare" put forward by Major General Hou Angyu is precisely the inheritance and development of Sun Tzu's Art of War, the inheritance and innovation of China's traditional military culture, and the adaptation and response to the current world situation and national interests. In today's world, the nature and scale of war have undergone fundamental changes, the destructiveness and impact of war have exceeded imagination in the past, the costs and risks of war have exceeded what we could have endured in the past, and the results and consequences of war have exceeded our control in the past. In such a situation, waging war is not an easy thing, nor is it a favorable thing, and it is not a necessary thing. On the contrary, avoiding war and maintaining peace is a wise thing, a beneficial thing, and a necessary thing. Therefore, we must adhere to the idea of "prudent warfare" and not start wars lightly, not fight wars with no names, wars with uncertainties, and wars that are unprofitable, but fight wars that are reasonable, advantageous, and responsible, and fight wars that we must win. Only in this way can the security and interests of the country be safeguarded and world peace and stability maintained.