User blog comment:Goddess of Despair/King of Kings Round 1: Sun Tzu vs Suleiman the Magnificent/@comment-24189690-20131123190508

Short Range: Yatagan, due to being almost half the weight of the Jian, being made of better materials, and the ability to easily cut through the leather lamellar. Edge: Suleiman

Mid Range: Here, its a bit more iffy, while the Halberd has more versatility, and longer, ultimately its heavier than the simple Qiuang. The Quiang is meant to be a quick, thrusting weapon, while the Halberd can be used for that and much more. That being said, the Quiang is much better than the Halberd at stabing, due to its lighter weight and easier maneuverability. However, in the end, the Halberd is still longer, and the slicing power can definitely cut through leather lamellar. On the flip side, the Quiang will be unlikely to pierce through the chainmail. While butted chainmail isn't as effective as riveted chainmail, butted chainmail is stil chainmail, just less effective. Butted chainmail has proved itself to be effective versus steel stabs, but still broke. Here, the Quiang will be made of iron, which is nothing compared to steel. While the Quiang may be used to score a kill on the head, its definitely not getting any points on range, or penetration. This being said. the halberd gets the edge. Edge: Suleiman

Long Range: While the repeating crossbow was amazing for its time, and was a technological footstep for the chinese.... it just wasn't powerful. The repeating crossbow has an effective range of 60 meters. While I can't find the effective range of the Turkish Recurve Bow specifically, there is one thing to note. The killer for this, armor. butted chainmail can and has stopped arrows before, and while a well placed bolt/arrow can displace the chainmail, the repeating crossbow didn't have as much power as a normal chinese crossbow. The reason they tipped the bolts with poison was because the Chinese themselves doubted its killing potential alone. Compared to the recurve bow, which can pierce through leather lamellar effectively, there is no contest. Edge: Suleiman

Tactics: Here, Suleiman takes it once again. Comparing the tactics of The Art of War, which was useful in its own way. In the battle of Mohacs, however, Suleiman showed success in the face of adversity in combat. The Art of War is good for calculating, when to engage, how to engage, learning strengths, weaknesses.... However, on the battlefield, things have to be taken into consideration as they go. The strategist spends long, thoughtful time planning, compared to a warrior who makes decisions on the battlefield, and as the battle rages on. Sun Tzu had amazing tactical prowess, but in a 4 on 4 battle, there really is no comparison. Edge: Suleiman

Armor: Butted Chainmail > Leather Lamellar. Edge: Suleiman

Overall: Suleiman's weaponry is more modern, (well, unless you count the bow vs repeating crossbow... didn't Suleiman have rifles at the time or was I just misinformed, since I believe it said Suleiman used rifle volleys at Mohacs) made of better materials, and can easily cut into Sun Tzu's armor. Sun Tzu on the other hand really doesn't have much in the way of offense or defense. While strategic prowess is extremely good to have, it doesn't compare against modern technology. For example, when the Assyrians found iron, it didn't matter who they fought, they handily owned them, compared to their enemies bronze weapons. The material difference can win or lose a battle, and in this case, steel definitely beats iron.

Deadliest Warrior: Suleiman the Magnificent.