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Sun Shi Huangdi
General of Wu, First Kai Emperor of China

Sun Tzu Emperor
A later dynastic depiction of Sun Shi Huangdi.
Reign 501 - 496 B.C.
Successor Sun Yang Huangdi
Born 544 B.C.
Died 496 B.C.
Tianjing
Issue Sun Yang Huangdi
Family Sun
Religion Chinese lu symbol Chinese Polytheism

Sun Shi Huangdi, previously known as Sun Wu and perhaps better known as Sun Tzu, was a general from the state of Wu during the Warring States Period within the Zhou Dynasty of China. During this conflict he managed to overwhelm all opposition against him through strategic insight and tactical genius, eventually uniting all of the warring Chinese states into one single political entity which he titled the Kai Dynasty, with himself as China's first emperor.

Sun Wu began his career as a general serving King Helü of Wu. When Helü, fearful of his neighbor's larger size, declared war upon the state of Chu, Sun Wu and the Wu forces were successful at crushing Chu even against stronger opposition. The conflict soon spiraled and incorporated all of the de facto states within the Zhou Dynasty, which was powerless to stop the bloodshed. At the command of Helü, Sun Wu conquered a wide swath of state.

Soon afterwards, however, Sun Wu began to take actions that Helü disagreed with, leading to considerable tensions between the king and his commander. Shortly thereafter, fearful of Sun Wu's growing popularity amongst the northern Chinese states, Helü demanded that Sun Wu return home and step down as general. Knowing that such a thing would likely result in his death, Sun Wu refused, defeated Helü's forces, and united much of China with his army. He deposed the Ji family of the Zhou Dynasty in short order, uniting China once again and ending the Warring States Period. Centralizing himself at the head of government, Sun Wu declared himself Sun Shi Huangdi of the Kai Dynasty in 501 B.C.

For the next five years, Sun Shi Huangdi consolidated his power, wishing to eliminate the various factional differences between the previous Chinese states as well as reform the bureaucracy and military. During this time he also wrote the fabled Art of War, one of the most widely recognized and praised books on the subjects of military strategy. Because of his genius in martial ability as well as his role in consolidating power under the new imperial system, Sun Shi Huangdi is often referred to as Sun Tzu or Master Sun and he is widely revered within China as the first of the Chinese emperors.

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