Sun Tzu's Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems

Following Sun Bin's instructions, the Crown Prince of Korea withdrew back to Korea and set up camp dozens of miles from the capital, forming a pincer movement with the Korean army in the capital.

Pang Juan led several generals to the camp of the Crown Prince of Han to assess the situation. The camp gates were tightly shut. Pang Cong said to Pang Juan, "Uncle, Sun Bin has kept his camp gates closed for many days and has not engaged in battle. Is he trying to stall us?"

Pang Juan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Sun Bin doesn't seem to be in the camp."

Pang Cong, puzzled, asked, "How did you know, Uncle?"

"Sun Bin's tactics are full of feints and real attacks. If he's afraid of us, he'll pretend he's not and won't keep his camp gates tightly shut; if he wants to stall us, he'll make it look like a decisive battle and won't keep his camp gates tightly shut either..." Pang Juan suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "That's it! He must have gone to Chenggao... Pang Cong, I'll lead a large army, lightly armed, to Chenggao to catch Sun Bin off guard. You stay here with ten thousand men to hold back the Crown Prince of Han."

After Sun Bin captured Chenggao, he knew that Pang Juan would not give up easily. He first blocked the news of the recapture of Chenggao, and then ordered his generals to leave a small number of troops and take the majority of soldiers to collect grain outside the city, in preparation for a long-term defense of Chenggao.

Sun Bin was worried about the crown prince, so he sent Zhongli Chun on a fast horse to the capital to monitor Pang Juan's army.

Zhong Lichun returned quickly and said to Sun Bin, "Sir, I have bad news... Pang Juan's vanguard is only thirty li away from Chenggao."

Even Sun Bin, with his exceptional strategic skills, was somewhat at a loss. He exclaimed in surprise, "How did they get here so quickly!"

Zhongli Chun said, "It seems that the Crown Prince has failed to restrain Pang Juan."

Sun Bin was filled with regret and sighed, "Truly, one careless move led to total defeat..."

Zhongli Chun comforted Sun Bin, saying, "Sir, even ghosts and gods sometimes make mistakes, let alone humans... You should quickly devise a plan to deal with Pang Juan."

"I really don't have any plans... There aren't many troops in the city, and most of them are wounded or sick soldiers..."

"Then quickly recall the troops that were collecting grain."

"It's too late," Sun Bin said, shaking his head.

"Then we will abandon Chenggao and gather the troops outside the city to collect grain."

"With only five thousand soldiers and no city, they are no match for Pang Juan's tens of thousands of troops."

"We will not confront Pang Juan. Instead, we will return to our country and join the Crown Prince's army to retake Chenggao."

Sun Bin said, "If Chenggao falls again, Your Majesty will not give us another chance to retake it."

"Then... what do you suggest we do? Stay in Chenggao and wait to be captured?"

Sun Bin remained silent. Even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice. Now, Sun Bin could neither fight nor retreat. He truly felt that he had reached a dead end.

Seeing that Sun Bin remained silent, Zhong Lichun grew impatient and urged, "Sir, please say something. If there's really no other way, we'll leave."

Zhongli Chun's urging actually calmed Sun Bin down. He asked, "I forgot to ask you earlier, was the Wei vanguard lightly armed or heavily armed?"

Zhong Lichun replied, "Travel light."

Sun Bin immediately perked up and said, "I have an idea."

"What idea?" Zhong Lichun asked.

Sun Bin calmly said, "Open the gate, have all the soldiers hide, and let the Wei army in."

Zhong Lichun grew anxious and said, "Opening the gate? What kind of strategy is this? How is this any different from surrendering and waiting to be captured?"

Sun Bin said, "Not necessarily. This may be the best plan to repel the enemy."

Sun Bin ordered General Feng to rush outside the city and command the troops outside to cease their grain collection and await further orders. He then summoned the generals inside the city, explained his plan to them, and calmly concluded: "Opening the city gates to meet the enemy is not a figment of my imagination. Three hundred years ago, Prince Yuan of Chu led a large army to attack the capital of Zheng. The people of Zheng, under duress, opened the city gates wide, which in turn caused the Chu army to retreat. I am doing the same thing now. Pang Juan's vanguard is lightly armed and heading straight for Chenggao, intending to catch us off guard. If we use this tactic, it will arouse his suspicion, making him hesitant to attack. We will then have the troops outside the city feign an ambush, revealing weaknesses in the ambush, further fueling his suspicions. Pang Juan is a suspicious man; he will surely retreat dozens of miles. At that time, the troops outside the city will immediately enter and prepare to defend the city."

A general asked, "Strategist, if Pang Juan and his men see through your plan, we'll be in danger!"

Sun Bin laughed and said, "I always use feints with real attacks in my military strategy, and Pang Juan has suffered losses time and time again. Although we have no real attacks this time, they will still think that we have real attacks within feints."

The generals agreed with Sun Bin's reasoning and no longer doubted his strategy.

In less than an hour, the vanguard of the Wei army had arrived outside Chenggao City. General Fei, who was leading the army, saw that the city gates were wide open and people were constantly coming and going, seemingly without any precautions, and he was puzzled. His accompanying general said, "General Fei, since the enemy is unprepared, let's launch a surprise attack."

General Fei pondered for a moment and said, "The Marshal said that Sun Bin always emphasized feints and deceptions in his battles. Now that the city gates are wide open, he must be pretending to be unprepared to lure us into an attack, and then he will take advantage of us."

General Fei ordered spies to immediately infiltrate the city and ascertain the details, while also sending men to scout the surrounding area for any ambushes. He then ordered his troops to prepare for the attack.

The accompanying general, puzzled, asked, "General Fei, didn't you say Sun Bin was treacherous? Why then are we attacking the city?"

General Fei smiled and said, "I'll give him a little trick too, a mix of truth and falsehood."

General Fei's army began preparations for the siege, a move that alarmed the generals of Han, who believed that the Wei army had seen through Sun Bin's plan.

Zhongli Chun said to Sun Bin, "Sir, it's not too late to close the city gates now."

The generals echoed, "Yes, yes, if we don't close the city gates, it will be troublesome if Pang Juan's army launches a surprise attack."

Sun Bin pondered for a moment and said, "They are testing us."

A general said, "Strategist, it's best to be careful."

Sun Bin said solemnly, "I never do anything without certainty. Tell everyone to act according to the plan; anyone who disobeys will be executed."

Although the generals had doubts, they still followed Sun Bin's orders.

People say that Sun Bin was invincible, but he was also a mortal with flesh and blood. As a human, he had his weaknesses—fragility. It was just that Sun Bin was good at concealing his weaknesses. When the generals left his residence and he was left with only Zhongli Chun by his side, he let out a long breath and sat heavily on the mat.

"Sir, are you very confident?" Zhong Lichun asked Sun Bin.

"No," Sun Bin answered honestly.

"Then why open the city gates?"

"There is no way out."

"What if Pang Juan's army sees through your plan, sir?"

"We have no choice but to accept it..."

Zhong Lichun was extremely anxious and said, "Sir, I'll take you away quietly now!"

Sun Bin's attitude was firm. He said, "No, a commander of an army can never abandon his army, even in death! If he abandons his army, he is no longer qualified to be a commander! I am a military strategist. Since I can no longer personally go to the battlefield, if I abandon my army, what else can I do in this world? I would rather die!"

Zhong Lichun was saddened and could only call out, "Sir..." before falling silent.

Sun Bin suddenly felt a weakness and helplessness he had never experienced before, and said softly, "Miss Zhongli, you should go ahead by yourself."

"I'm not leaving," Zhong Lichun said resolutely.

"You can leave now!" Sun Bin said in a commanding tone.

With tears in her eyes, Zhong Lichun said, "I won't leave. Since I've followed you, I'll stay with you, whether in life or in death."

Perhaps only when one is nearing the end of their life can they truly appreciate the value of love; perhaps only at the very end will one reveal their final secret. At this moment, Sun Bin finally opened his heart, which had been closed for so long, and gently said to Zhongli Chun, "Miss Zhongli, I have hurt you before. Please don't hold a grudge. I shouldn't have rejected you in Qi..."

Zhong Lichun pretended to be indifferent, "That's all in the past, let's not bring it up again, okay?"

"I can't let it go..."

"I know you're doing this for my pride."

Sun Bin shook his head and said, "No, no... Actually, I've had feelings for you for a long time. At that time, I was disabled and Pang Juan was relentlessly hunting me down. I didn't want you to live a life of wandering with me, so I had to refuse you."

Zhong Lichun tried her best to control her emotions, but tears still streamed down her face. She threw herself into Sun Bin's arms, sobbing, "Mr. Sun, I... I've been hoping for you... to say you like me..."

Sun Bin stroked her shoulder and murmured to himself, "I hope we can get through this crisis..."

Zhong Lichun, her eyes filled with tears, gazed at the deeply affectionate Sun Bin. The two lovers then embraced tightly, awaiting the end of the world or a miracle.

General Fei's soldiers were fully prepared for the siege. General Fei stood on the chariot, gazing ahead, awaiting news from his spies.

The spy finally returned on horseback, and General Fei eagerly asked, "How did it go?"

The spy replied, "As you predicted, General, Sun Bin was well-prepared. I sneaked into the city gate and saw the hidden Han army."

How many people are there?

"There seem to be quite a few. South Korean soldiers and their flags can be seen everywhere in the courtyards on both sides of the street."

General Fei's men said, "General, it seems we can only wait for the Marshal's army."

General Fei did not express his opinion; he was waiting for news from outside Chenggao City.

A general rode up on horseback. He was the general who had just been ordered by General Fei to send spies to scout out the ambush around Chenggao.

The general, panting, approached General Fei and said, "General Fei, we have discovered Sun Bin's ambush troops on both sides of us..."

The generals present were taken aback.

Someone asked, "How many people are there?"

The general said, "The spies say there are many, in the woods and bushes... and they're moving this way..."

General Fei gave a cold laugh: "Luckily, I was careful enough."

He ordered his troops to retreat thirty li (approximately 15 kilometers).

General Fei's withdrawal bought Sun Bin valuable time. Sun Bin ordered the troops outside the city to return immediately, bringing back as much grain as they could, and making sure to hide any that couldn't be brought back so that Pang Juan wouldn't get his hands on it. At the same time, Sun Bin ordered the conscription of able-bodied young men from the city, incorporating them into the army, and concentrating the grain from the people's homes for unified distribution.

When General Fei, thirty li away, realized he had fallen for Sun Bin's trap, Pang Juan's army had already arrived. General Fei apologized to Pang Juan, saying, "Marshal, I am incompetent; please punish me."

Pang Juan generously said, "This is not your fault; it's only Sun Bin's fault for being too cunning."

Pang Juan pardoned General Fei, who was extremely grateful and volunteered to lead his army to attack Chenggao.

Pang Juan's eyes flashed with a cold light as he said, "I have no intention of attacking Chenggao. I want to besiege Chenggao and capture Sun Bin alive without bloodshed."

Pang Juan ordered a spy with a scarred face to find a way to sneak into Chenggao before the Wei army besieged it, and to find out how much grain Sun Bin had stored. He was instructed not to return and report until he found out.

When the Crown Prince of Han learned that Chenggao was besieged, he planned to lead a large army to reinforce Chenggao. The King of Han sent an urgent message, ordering the Crown Prince to immediately lead the army back to the capital.

The crown prince arrogantly told the general sent by the King of Han, "Tell my father that while the general is away, he can disobey the king's orders."

The general advised, "General, your words are a capital offense."

The crown prince said indignantly, "The strategist also said similar things, but Father did not execute him."

"Sun Bin is a foreigner, and Your Majesty is only using him. You are different; you are the Crown Prince and must obey Your Majesty."

"If Chenggao falls because of this, who will be held responsible?"

"Your Majesty is in charge."

"Did Father say such a thing?"

"That's the meaning behind the king's letter."

The Crown Prince of Korea had nothing to say and had no choice but to return to the capital.

Sun Bin waited anxiously, but the Crown Prince's reinforcements had yet to arrive. All the grain in Chenggao City, even if gathered together, would only last for thirty days. Sun Bin had no choice but to send Zhong Lichun back to the capital to find Minister Shen. He told Zhong Lichun, "Tonight, take my letter and immediately return to the capital to find Minister Shen. Ask him to assist the Crown Prince in leading his troops to break the siege of Chenggao. The letter contains a strategy to repel the enemy; please ask Minister Shen to do everything in his power to persuade the Crown Prince to act according to the plan. Be extremely careful on the journey; the safety of Chenggao rests entirely in your hands..."

Zhong Lichun reassured Sun Bin, saying that she was absolutely capable of handling such matters perfectly.

King Han summoned his court officials to discuss the siege of Chenggao. The Left Grand Master, thinking himself clever, said, "The Wei army is strong and well-equipped, and Pang Juan is skilled in cunning. From the beginning, I opposed fighting them. Now that Sun Bin is trapped in Chenggao, I believe this is only the beginning of Pang Juan's schemes. He has an even bigger conspiracy."

The King of Han asked, "What conspiracy?"

The Left Grand Master said, "Sun Bin defends Chenggao with less than five thousand men, while Pang Juan has a hundred thousand. He could have easily conquered Chenggao, but he didn't..." The Left Grand Master glanced at the crowd and continued, "I believe that he is using Chenggao as bait to lure Your Majesty's army there, annihilate them in one fell swoop, and then march south to attack the capital..."

King Han nodded and said, "Pang Juan's intentions are extremely sinister..."

Doctor Shen advised, "Your Majesty, what the Left Grand Master said is baseless. Pang Juan's reason for besieging the city without attacking is twofold: first, he fears Sun Bin, and second, he fears Your Majesty. Chenggao is a formidable city, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, Sun Bin's military prowess is unparalleled. Pang Juan fears that if he fails to capture the city, the Wei army will be severely weakened. If Your Majesty's army were to approach Chenggao now, Pang Juan would undoubtedly be defeated. Therefore, Your Majesty should immediately send troops to relieve the siege of Chenggao; that would be the best course of action."

King Han pondered, "What you say makes sense..." He turned to Minister Sima and said, "Minister Sima, please share your thoughts."

The Grand Master Sima said, "Pang Juan has besieged Chenggao. Your Majesty should send troops to relieve it. However, Pang Juan's siege of Chenggao is not to make things difficult for Your Majesty, but for Sun Bin's sake. Your Majesty would be better off sitting on the sidelines and watching the two fight. If Pang Juan fails to capture Chenggao, you can send troops to Chenggao when he is exhausted, and victory will be assured. If Pang Juan does capture Chenggao, Your Majesty can then conveniently shift the blame for hostility towards Wei onto Sun Bin. Pang Juan's siege of Chenggao was originally for personal grudges, and he can use this as a way to back down and reconcile with Your Majesty..."

"This plan is unacceptable," Minister Shen interrupted Minister Sima. "Chenggao belongs to Your Majesty, and Sun Bin is Your Majesty's strategist. How can Your Majesty ignore Chenggao's peril and sit idly by while the tigers fight?"

Sima Dafu sneered, "Pang Juan has 100,000 troops. Sun Bin's feint attack didn't gain him any advantage. Who is confident of defeating Pang Juan?"

"Me!" A loud voice rang out from the palace gate.

Everyone turned to look and saw the travel-worn Crown Prince standing at the palace gate.

After bowing and paying his respects to King Han, the crown prince said, "Father, Pang Juan is not to be feared. If you hadn't urgently summoned me back to the capital, I would have already marched back to Chenggao and confronted Pang Juan. Please give the order, and I will immediately lead my army to Chenggao."

King Han said, "Your Highness, please don't rush. Let me and the ministers weigh the pros and cons before making a decision."

The Crown Prince said, "The strategist always says that speed is of the essence in war. But your endless deliberations are delaying our opportunity. Who will be held responsible?"

The King of Han was very displeased and muttered an insult: "How dare you! They are all my advisors, and I invited them here to discuss the siege of Chenggao."

"Father, I swear to our ancestors in the ancestral temple that I will defeat Pang Juan outside Chenggao! Please send troops, Father."

"You swore the same oath last time, and Chenggao still ended up in your hands, didn't it?"

"But it was I who used a scheme to restrain Pang Juan, and the strategist took the opportunity to recapture Chenggao. I have already made amends for my mistake."

"You've fallen for Pang Juan's trick and are still in the dark... Pang Juan used Chenggao as bait to lure Sun Bin into a trap," King Han sneered.

"Father, Pang Juan isn't that clever. You're probably just intimidated by him..."

"Nonsense! No one in the world can frighten me!" King Han shouted angrily.

Seeing this, the crown prince had no choice but to tone down his arrogance.

After the doctors left, King Han solemnly addressed the kneeling crown prince, saying, "As the crown prince of Han, how can you show such contempt for my advisors? What will they think of you?" After a pause, King Han composed himself and said earnestly, "I have told you before, in today's world, the strong prey on the weak. If a ruler wants to ensure his country's invincibility, he must rely on a group of loyal and wise advisors. Offending them is tantamount to harming your own country."

"Father, I know I was wrong," the Crown Prince said in a low voice.

"Rise," the crown prince said, rising to sit beside King Han. King Han asked, "What are your thoughts on the matter of being trapped in Chenggao?"

The Crown Prince said solemnly, "Father, as a Grand General, if I cannot even defend a single city, what will the generals and soldiers think of me? If a formidable enemy invades and I dare not meet the enemy, what will become of my prestige?"

"You can't just think about your own prestige; you should also consider the safety of the country."

"But Father, if we abandon Chenggao and Sun Bin, will Pang Juan give up? Not necessarily. He will think that our Han state is weak and easy to bully, and thus he will take advantage of us."

King Han sighed and said, "Actually, I have no intention of giving up Chenggao, nor am I prepared to abandon Sun Bin. The reason I asked the ministers to discuss this was to use their minds to weigh the pros and cons... It's just like a merchant doing business. If you don't calculate well, you will lose money. The difference is that if a merchant loses money this time, he can make it back next time, but if you lose money, there won't be a next time."

"Father, how did you know I would lose money?"

"Among the generals and strategists of all the great powers in the world, apart from Sun Bin, no one has ever defeated Pang Juan. Now Sun Bin is trapped in Chenggao... I cannot help but worry about you."

The crown prince was very unconvinced and said, "Father, even without Sun Bin, I can still defeat Pang Juan."

The King of Han said earnestly, "Your Highness, I admire your courage, but courage alone cannot defeat the enemy. To defeat the enemy, you must rely on wisdom."

"So, Father doesn't intend to send troops to relieve the siege of Chenggao?"

"No, the troops must be sent out, but we must not act rashly."

"So, what does Father mean?"

"You shall lead your army to set up camp thirty li away from Pang Juan and act according to circumstances. If Pang Juan captures Chenggao, you shall remain still and I shall devise a way to demand the city from Pang Juan; if Pang Juan fails to capture it after a long siege, you may take advantage of his exhaustion and, in coordination with Sun Bin, devise a plan to repel the enemy."

"Doing this would be too unfair to Sun Bin..." the crown prince hesitated.

The King of Han laughed and said, "In conflicts between nations, only national interests matter, not personal feelings... Do you know who said this? It was your mother... If a woman can have such insight, are we men, especially those who hold power in the country, inferior to a woman?"

The crown prince thought for a moment and said, "Father, I understand..."

The Crown Prince understood, but all the people of Han, including Doctor Shen, didn't understand why the Han reinforcements were holding back thirty miles from Chenggao. The generals in Chenggao asked Sun Bin, but Sun Bin didn't know the reason either.

Note: The "Empty City Stratagem" is the thirty-second of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. It means that when a city is unable to defend itself, it should be deliberately exposed as vulnerable, causing the enemy to hesitate or retreat for fear of an ambush. Sun Bin used this stratagem to resolve the immediate crisis at Chenggao, but an even greater crisis soon followed. To find out how Sun Bin escaped Pang Juan's siege, please see the next chapter: "The Counter-Espionage Stratagem."