Speaker / Narrator
We assume the author, Sun Tzu, to be the narrator, but the narrator's identity is never revealed. He is the archetypal Eastern master and teacher imparting knowledge to the younger student or reader; in this case, the aspiring Warlord who wants to know how to be successful and conduct a succession of winning campaigns.
The narrator is a man of patience and order, with great experience in conducting a campagin. It is not clear whether he has been a Warlord himself, or whether he was always the teacher. He is the fountain of knowledge and he also expects the reader / student to apply the knowledge he is telling them to their own situation.
The Warlord
No specific warlord is mentioned by name but the "good Warlord" is mentioned multiple times in each chapter as a reference point for success. The Narrator tells the reader that the "good Warlord" will prepare, will gather his resources, will avoid shows of force unless absolutely necessary. There must clearly be specific characters upon which these theories and examples are based but they are not mentioned by name an so a generic Warlord, who employs all of the tools that the Narrator is speaking of, is present throughout the book.
