PREMIERE: Sunday, May 3 at 8 p.m. ET on HISTORY CHANNEL

All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when capable of attacking, feign incapacity; when active in moving troops, feign inactivity. When near the enemy, make it seem that you are far away; when far away, make it seem that you are near. – Sun Tzu.

Sun Tzu was the Nostradamus of warfare, and his book The Art of War, written 2,400 years ago, is still the ultimate how-to book for winning. This two-hour special brings his words to life. Shot like a graphic novel, Art of War weaves together several epic stories, including the story of Sun Tzu himself, and a war soon after his death where a city is saved using his tactics as China takes the first step toward unification.

Art of War also follows other epic battles in history—Roman battles, The American Civil War, World War II, and present day—that illustrate more of Sun Tzu’s lessons and how the people who understand his strategy are the most dangerous weapons of all. While his ideals were originally created for battle, his lessons could be used by anyone who wants to win—whether at sports, business, or life.

Armchair General readers should be interested to know that one of our authors, Bevin Alexander, is featured as one of the on-camera experts. For more on Sun Tzu please be sure to check out Bevin Alexander’s upcoming "Sun Tzu’s Battle of Gettysburg" in the July 2009 issue of Armchair General ® on sale in mid-May.