This work investigates the fundamental role of military force in the construction and maintenance of the Chinese imperial state between 900 and 1795. Peter Lorge, a specialist in Chinese military history, challenges prevailing academic theories that downplay the significance of warfare in Chinese state-building. By analyzing the interplay between military capacity and political legitimacy, the author argues that the strength of territorial claims and the longevity of successive dynasties were directly contingent upon their ability to wage war effectively.

Experts identify this text as a foundational survey for students of Asian military studies due to its unique focus on the period between 900 and 1795. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous framework for understanding the intersection of statecraft and conflict in early modern China.