The Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems

This film (drama)Also known as孙子兵法与三十六计，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2000Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating8.9(For reference only)。

During the Warring States period, the eccentric master Guiguzi had two favored disciples, one was Sunzi, and the other was Pang Juan. Pang Juan went out to the world before Sun Bin, and Guiguzi uniquely passed down the lost "Art of War" to Sun Bin. Pang Juan led the Wei state army to a stalemate against the Chu army in Fangcheng. Sun Bin used the strategy of "Removing the Ladder from the Roof" from the "Art of War" to defeat the Chu army decisively. Pang Juan envied Sun Bin's talents and framed him with "A Knife Hidden in a Smile," resulting in Sun Bin being punished with the punishment of "Bing" (a form of cruel punishment). Pang Juan's strategist, Gongsun Yue, wanting the beautiful woman Zhong Li Qiu, revealed Pang Juan's conspiracy to Sun Bin. Sun Bin pretended to be mad in order to avoid suspicion, and burned all the military strategies he had written down. Zhong Li Qiu hoped that Sun Bin was not truly mad and confided her true feelings to him, while Sun Bin continued to act madly, leading Pang Juan's secret observer to believe it to be genuine. Zhong Li Qiu's sister, Zhong Li Chun, learned of Sun Bin's true condition after he feigned madness and went to Sun Bin's hometown in Qi to ask General Tian Ji for help to rescue Sun Bin. Tian Ji sent his servant, Qin Hua, to the Wei state, and with Qin Hua's assistance, Sun Bin escaped Wei country through the strategy of "Golden Cicada shedding its Shell." Tian Ji loved horses and made a heavy bet against King Qi in a horse race, and Sun Bin used the stratagem "Li Dai Tao Jiang" to enable Tian Ji to win. Tian Ji told King Wei of Sun Bin's strategy, and King Wei favored Sun Bin greatly. Sun Bin commanded the Qi army, implementing the strategies of "Surround Wei to Rescue Zhao," "Capture the Thief to Capture the King," and "Waiting for the Tired," defeating Pang Juan three times. Pang Juan sent Gongsun Yue to infiltrate the Qi state. Gongsun Yue created a situation out of nothing, causing Tian Ji and Sun Bin to lose military power; then, using the tactic of "Killing with a Borrowed Knife," Tian Ji and Sun Bin narrowly escaped death at the hands of the Chu state. Pang Juan took advantage of the chaos to force Sun Bin to transcribe the "Art of War.” With Zhong Li Chun's help, Sun Bin engaged in "Deceiving the Heavens to Cross the Sea" and returned to Qi state. Pang Juan and King Chu allied to force Qi state to hand over Sun Bin, and Qin Hua facilitated Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun to escape through Chu state to Han state. Pang Juan invited Han state to meet in Chengzhou, using "A False Route to Attack Guo," and took advantage of Han state's lack of vigilance to occupy the strategic stronghold Chenghao in Beijing, Han state. Sun Bin employed the strategy "Sound the East While Attacking the West" to recapture Chenghao; then, he used the "Empty City Strategy" to trick the reinforcements from Wei's advance troops into retreating. Pang Juan besieged Chenghao, forcing Sun Bin to comply, but the Han army "Bloomed Flowers on Trees" to fake a strong front, breaking Pang Juan's siege. Pang Juan aimed to have a decisive battle with the Han army, and Sun Bin, using the strategy of "Throwing a Brick to Attract Jade," heavily defeated the Wei army, forcing Pang Juan to retreat back to his country. Before his death, King Wei expressed regret for poorly treating Tian Ji and Sun Bin and instructed the Crown Prince to be sure to invite Sun Bin back. Gongsun Yue sowed discord among the princes vying for the throne, leading to rebellion. Pang Juan "Fish in Troubled Water" and seized several cities in the Qi state. The Crown Prince ascended the throne as King Xuan, and he invited Sun Bin to return to the country. However, the King of Han would not release Sun Bin, who then "Secretly Crossed the Chen Cang" to conquer Shangdang for the King of Han, and then returned to Qi state via Zhao state. Gongsun Yue used the "Beauty Trap" to deceive King Xuan, leading him to neglect state affairs, leaving the officials uncertain of what to do. Zhong Li Chun disguised herself as a maid and entered the palace, using veiled language to persuade King Qi. King Qi desired to marry Zhong Li Chun as his queen, and for the sake of Qi state, Zhong Li Chun regrettably had to temporarily abandon her long-standing feelings for Sun Bin, taking the lead to become the queen of Qi state. The beautiful women in the palace who were dissatisfied with losing favor employed various methods to seduce King Xuan, and Zhong Li Chun "Pointed at the Mulberry Tree while Cursing the Locust Tree," executing the beautiful women and reforming the inner palace. Sun Bin then used a "Linked Chain Strategy" to first eliminate Gongsun Yue, and then forced Zou Ji to resign from the chancellorship. Sun Bin "Allied with Distant Neighbors to Attack Nearby Enemies," contacting the Qin state to reclaim border cities. Using the strategies "Luring the Tiger from Its Mountain" and "Letting the Captured Go to Catch Them Again," he eliminated Prince Jiao's army. Pang Juan "Borrowing a Corpse to Restore Life" sent a person who looked like Jiao, using his name to gather remnants of his followers for a comeback. Sun Bin used "Cutting Off the Water Supply" and "Stealing the Goat" while "Closing the Door to Catch the Thief," capturing the false Jiao alive, quelling the rebellion. Pang Juan aimed to draw Sun Bin to Wei state for a decisive battle, leading a massive army to attack Han state. Sun Bin "Watched the Fire from Across the River," sending Qin Hua to tell the King of Han about the troop movement. The Han state fought desperately against the enemies, resulting in a stalemate between Wei and Han. Sun Bin led the Qi army directly towards the Wei capital, Daliang. Pang Juan returned to the country to confront the Qi army. Deep inside Wei territory, Sun Bin, during his retreat, gradually set up a kitchen for the troops. Pang Juan thought that the Qi army feared the Wei army, and with more soldiers fleeing, he brought elite troops to pursue Sun Bin day and night, but fell into Sun Bin's ambush at Maling. With countless arrows shot, Pang Juan had no way to escape and committed suicide. The final trick Sun Bin employed was to "Walk Away as the Best Plan." Sun Bin defeated Pang Juan, quietly leaving behind two military texts, one the "Art of War" and the other his own "Sun Bin's Art of War." "The Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems" consists of one stratagem per episode, with each scheme interconnected. It vividly presents ancient Chinese military strategy and Eastern wisdom, richly illustrating a historical tapestry where political, military, and emotional interactions of various social strata intermingled during China's Warring States period over two thousand years ago.