Although the New Book of Ji Xiao and the Art of War are both military books, they are completely different in style. The Art of War is a collection of pure military theories, constructing the framework of classical military theory and emphasizing universal guiding principles of warfare. This kind of military book is a bit like the Tao Te Ching, which can be read by everyone, and although the military principles can be understood in different ways, it is quite difficult to truly comprehend and apply to the battlefield, almost linked to talent and intelligence. In Yue Fei's words: "The magic of application lies in one mind", which seems to be a kind of metaphysics that seems to be able to be mastered but difficult to actually apply.
In contrast, "Ji Xiao Xinshu" is different. In essence, it is an officer code and military code of conduct, which is very different from the abstract theory of the Art of War. The contents of the "New Book of Discipline and Effectiveness" are all standardized operations, and they provide step-by-step instructions on how to select, train, organize troops, formulate military orders, use various weapons, and maintain discipline. This military book written by Qi Jiguang is very friendly to grassroots officers, and if generals or ministers can study Xi by heart and strictly follow the methods in the book, they will basically be able to build up a decent armed force.
In fact, the reason why Qi Jiguang wrote "The New Book of Discipline and Effectiveness" was because he believed that "The Art of War" only provided a theoretical framework, which was difficult for grassroots officers to understand and apply. In order to truly implement specific military principles, he explained the individual items in detail in an approachable language, established uniform standards, and emphasized implementation in order to achieve victory on the battlefield. In the "New Book of Discipline and Effectiveness", Qi Jiguang collected various entries of the soldiers he trained, and selected practical and effective methods one by one from the aspects of army selection, orders, tactics, camps, martial arts, sentry guards, and water warfare, and compiled them into volumes to teach the three armies and make them proficient.
Wang Shizhen's evaluation of "The New Book of Ji Xiao" highlights its differences from other military books. Compared with other military books, Wang Shizhen believes that the "New Book of Ji Xiao" is very detailed about the military entries, the language is simple and easy to understand, and it is very friendly to ordinary people. This makes people understand and understand as soon as they read it, in stark contrast to other incomprehensible military books. For example, Sun Tzu's Art of War: The First Plan mentions that "the training of soldiers" is one of the keys to the outcome of a war, but the Art of War does not elaborate on how to train soldiers to form combat effectiveness. However, the "New Book of Discipline and Effectiveness" has solved this problem by dividing the training of the army into three major parts according to the process, that is, "the army is the first to teach, the command is secondary, and the equipment is secondary," and it has formulated specific and systematic training content and punishment regulations.
Qi Jiguang is critical of some of the theories in The Art of War, such as the phrase "besiege the master must be que", and he is worried that his soldiers will abuse it and blindly "que" regardless of the situation. Therefore, Qi Jiguang gave an in-depth explanation of this sentence, pointing out that "besieging the army must be que" is not taboo, but there are certain conditions and cannot be abused, and it is definitely not the purpose of letting the enemy escape. He made it clear that "the method of siege cannot be adhered to" and elaborated on the circumstances under which the "siege must be que" to ensure that the enemy is finally defeated and not arbitrarily let go.
In general, the difference between "The New Book of Discipline" and "The Art of War" is obvious, one focuses on theory and the other focuses on practice. The "New Book of Discipline and Effectiveness" has great historical limitations due to its bias towards practical operation, but it is extremely friendly to grassroots officers. In contrast, The Art of War is more theoretical, and it can still provide wisdom and inspiration for all walks of life.