User blog:SPARTAN 119/Sun Tsu vs Alexander the Great

Sun Tzu, the Chinese tactical genius who literally wrote the book on warfare.

vs.

Alexander the Great, the Macedonian King who built an empire that stretched from Greece to India.

WHO IS DEADLIEST!?

=Biographies (from Wikipedia)=

Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy. Sun Tzu has had a significant impact on Chinese and Asian history and culture, both as an author of The Art of War and through legend. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Sun Tzu's The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in Western society, and his work has continued to influence both Asian and Western culture and politics.

Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος, Mégas Aléxandros), was a king of Macedon (Greek: Βασιλεύς Μακεδόνων), a state in the north eastern region of Greece, and by the age of thirty was the creator of one of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from the Ionian sea to the Himalaya. He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time.[1] Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander was tutored by the famed philosopher Aristotle. In 336 BC he succeeded his father Philip II of Macedon to the throne after Philip was assassinated. Philip had brought most of the city-states of mainland Greece under Macedonian hegemony, using both military and diplomatic means.

=Weapons=

Kopis (Alexander)
The Kopis was a sword about three feet in length with a curved blade designed to be swung downward from horseback. While it was less effective in combat on foot, the kopis was a very effective weapon for cavalry fighting against infantry.

Jian (Sun Tzu)
The Jian is a straight sword with a blade of about 28 inches or 70 centimeters. The Jian is a multipurpose blade capable of making both slashing and thrusting attacks. The weapon sometimes has a brightly colored tassel on the handle, to act a lanyard to make the sword difficult to lose, or for use as a distraction to the enemy, in a manner similar to a matador's cape.

Edge
In spite of the slightly longer reach of the kopis, the jian is more versatile, giving it the edge.

Xyston (Alexander)
The xyston was a long thrusting lance used by Macedonian cavalry. The weapon had a long handle of about 3.5-4.25 meters. The lance was likely held with two hands as the cavalryman charged at the enemy with the xyston outstretched.

Zhua (Sun Tzu)
The Zhua is a metal pole tipped with a claw, designed to deliver powerful blows, causing damage with both the claw and the blunt force of the pole.

Edge
Xyston for its longer reach.

Gastraphetes (Alexander)
A crossbow-like weapon designed to be fired by pressing the stomach against a concavity in the back of the bow and pushing a slider mechanism to string the bow. The gastraphetes could be fired much further than a normal bow.

Repeating Crossbow (Sun Tzu)
Effectively a lever-action crossbow, the Chinese repeating crossbow fired bolts from a magazine of up to ten bolts through the action of pulling a lever. The weapon had a much greater rate of fire than a conventional crossbow, up to 10 bolts every 15 seconds.

Edge
The repeating crossbow gets the edge for its rapid rate of fire.

Ballista (Alexander)
The ballista was effectively a giant crossbow powered by two twisted skeins of rope that stored power as the arms were drawn back, allowing the weapon to fire darts or small stones at long ranges. However, the weapon was large and could not be easily moved.

Flaming Arrows and Linseed Oil (Sun Tzu)
Sun Tzu dedicated a chapter in The Art of War to the use of fire in warfare. One tactic he pioneered was to lure enemies into a field of dry grass, sometimes covered with linseed oil to further increase flammability, and then use flaming arrows to set fire to to field... and the enemy.

Edge
The tactical use of Sun Tzu's Flaming Arrows gets the edge for its effectiveness ability to devastate an advancing army. =Armor=

Alexander
Bronze Cuirass

Sun Tzu
Leather Lamellar with Bronze Helmet

Edge
Alexander for his Bronze Cuirass. =Tactics=

Cavalry Warfare (Alexander)
Alexander was a master of using his Companion Cavalry to launch fast attacks on enemy armies with overwhelming force. Alexander target his cavalry attacks at weak points in the enemy lines, allowing his forces to break through more easily.

Art Of War (Sun Tzu)
Sun Tzu's work, The Art of War described how to use the terrain to ones advantage, how to confuse the enemy, and how to win against superior numbers. Sun Tzu favored guerilla tactics and surprise attacks, choosing the battlefield and making the enemy come to you, rather than engaging in major battles against conventional armies.

Edge
Sun Tzu, for his use intelligence and counterintelligence, use of terrain to his advantage, feigned retreat and guerilla tactics, such as the aforementioned use of flaming arrows to set fire to fields as the enemy crosses them. These tactics would likely be very effective against a general who is used to fighting conventional battles such as Alexander.