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Description
In 440 BC, Mozi and Lu Ban—using a belt to represent a city wall and wooden tablets as weaponry—launched a "paper confrontation" in front of the palace of the King of Chu that changed the trajectory of warfare. This simulation of nine victorious battles not only neutralized the power of the State of Chu’s siege ladders in an abstract strategic contest, but also revealed the ultimate value of wargaming: utilizing simulated combat to anticipate the realities of the battlefield and employing logical deduction to avert the calamities of war.
Publication Date
4-21-2026
Publisher
China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S Naval War College
City
Newport, Rhode Island
Keywords
China Maritime Studies Institute, CMSI, PLA, PLAN, armchair strategizing, wargaming, war gaming, military simulations, strategy
Recommended Citation
Lin, Huang; Ting, Xu; and Xiaotu, Deng, "CMSI Translations #29: Can “Armchair Strategizing” Secure Victory from a Thousand Miles Away?" (2026). CMSI Translations. 37.
https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-translations/37
