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

As night fell, Zhong Lichun quietly left Chenggao, passing alone through the Wei army camp to the Han Crown Prince's tent, thirty miles away. She questioned the prince: "General, Chenggao is in imminent danger, why are you holding back your troops? Are you afraid of Pang Juan?!"

The crown prince was most afraid of people saying he was afraid of Pang Juan, so he glared and said, "There is no one in the world I'm afraid of!"

Zhongli Chun pressed the Crown Prince, saying, "If you're not afraid, why don't you send troops?"

The crown prince coldly replied, "I must proceed with caution."

Shen, the physician, said to the crown prince, "Being cautious doesn't mean remaining inactive... Although Pang Juan has more soldiers than us, he has surrounded Chenggao on all sides, so his forces will inevitably be scattered. If we follow the strategy in the strategist's letter, sending a portion of our troops to make a show of force in the other three directions, and then gathering our forces to attack one side, we can break Pang Juan's encirclement and send our troops and supplies into Chenggao. With supplies and sufficient military strength, we won't have to worry about Pang Juan continuing to besiege Chenggao. Then we can send troops to harass his supply lines, and Pang Juan's 100,000-strong army will not be able to stay outside Chenggao for long, and the siege of Chenggao will be easily lifted."

The Crown Prince said to Doctor Shen, "Doctor Shen, it's easier said than done. Pang Juan won't let us have our way."

Zhong Lichun said irritably, "If you don't do it, you'll be even less likely to get what you want!"

"How do you know I won't do it? I have another plan."

"What brilliant plan?"

"Wait for Pang Juan to attack the city. If he attacks, he will inevitably expose his weaknesses. Wouldn't it be more certain for me to win if I then go into battle?"

Upon hearing this "brilliant plan," Zhong Lichun flew into a rage: "Pang Juan has no idea how to attack a city; he's trying to trap Master Sun in Chenggao!"

"Oh, the strategist is truly brilliant. Couldn't he possibly have gotten Pang Juan to attack the city?" the crown prince said leisurely.

Suppressing the urge to punch someone, Zhong Lichun angrily said to the Crown Prince, "If you're afraid of Pang Juan, just say so! There's no need to beat around the bush like this!"

The Crown Prince, who was usually hot-tempered, was surprisingly calm this time. He said slowly, "It's no use trying to provoke me. As the Grand General, I have to be responsible for my tens of thousands of troops."

"You should also be held responsible for Chenggao!"

"Of course I have to take responsibility for Chenggao. If I didn't, I wouldn't have come."

"How can we take responsibility if we don't fight?"

The crown prince brought the conversation back to the point, saying, "I already said that as long as Pang Juan attacks the city, I will go to war."

Zhong Lichun had finally reached her breaking point and pointed at the Crown Prince's face, cursing, "The Prince of Han is truly blind to appoint someone like you as a general!"

"Insolence!" The Crown Prince finally lost his temper and roared at Zhong Lichun, "How dare you insult the Grand General! You should be punished according to military law!"

Zhongli Chun ignored the Crown Prince and turned to leave the tent.

Doctor Shen, worried that things would escalate and become difficult to manage, advised the Crown Prince, "General, Miss Zhongli is just like that, please don't take it to heart."

After advising the Crown Prince, Doctor Shen caught up with Zhong Lichun and said, "The Crown Prince is stubborn; once he's made up his mind, not even nine horses can pull him back. Go back and have the strategist think of a way to lure Pang Juan into attacking the city. If the Crown Prince still doesn't fight then, not only will I not agree, but the entire army will not agree either."

Zhong Lichun thought about it and realized that this was the only way. He sighed and said, "Alright, I'll go back and have the master try it."

Zhongli Chun was nowhere to be seen, and Sun Bin could not sleep. He led his guards to the city wall to wait for Zhongli Chun's return. In the distance, the campfires illuminated the Wei army's tents, but Zhongli Chun was still nowhere to be seen in the vast wilderness.

As dawn approached and the first rays of light appeared in the east, Sun Bin remained waiting on the city wall. His guards urged him with concern, "Strategist, go back."

Sun Bin seemed not to have heard a thing.

The guard added, "The fog is so thick, and your legs aren't good. If Miss Zhongli sees you standing here for so long, she'll complain."

Sun Bin gazed into the distance and asked, "Do you think Miss Zhongli will be able to return today?"

The guard said with certainty, "She can come back. As long as Miss Zhongli says she'll come back, she definitely will."

Sun Bin sighed, "She carries the heavy responsibility entrusted to her by the entire city's soldiers and civilians. I need to see her as soon as possible. Can we wait a little longer?"

"You're the strategist, you're in charge," the guard pouted.

"What's wrong?" Sun Bin glanced at the guards and joked, "Are you unhappy?... Alright, let's go."

The guard was a little embarrassed and said, "It's not that I'm unhappy, I'm just afraid that Miss Zhongli will be unhappy. Last time, because your legs got wet, I didn't dare to see her for several days."

"Is she really that scary?" Sun Bin asked curiously.

"It's not scary, she cares about you. If you're not feeling well, she can't eat or sleep well, and we guards feel sorry for her."

Sun Bin fell silent. Love comes in many forms, but Zhongli Chun's love was the kind that came from the bottom of his heart, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

As Sun Bin passed by a corner of the city wall, he noticed something suspicious: a man with a scar on his face said something to a strong man surnamed Zhao, who then abandoned his post and walked away cursing at a general surnamed Feng. Sun Bin sent his bodyguards to secretly monitor the "scarred-faced" man.

As dawn broke, Sun Bin limped back to his lodgings. When he reached the door, a guard caught up with him and told him that Scarface and Zhao Zhuangshi were both civilians assigned to General Feng's forces to guard the city. Sun Bin planned to go see General Feng after dinner; the sooner this troublemaker was dealt with, the better.

Supported by his guards, Sun Bin limped back to his quarters. Zhong Lichun had already returned and was waiting for him. Seeing that Sun Bin's leg ailment seemed to have flared up again, she anxiously asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Sun Bin tried his best to cover it up, saying, "It's nothing."

Zhong Lichun pressed the guard, "What happened to Mr. Sun?"

"I told you, it's nothing," Sun Bin said with a light cough.

"I didn't ask you." Zhong Lichun glared at Sun Bin irritably, then asked the guard, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

The guard had no choice but to tell the truth: "The strategist waited for you on the southeast city wall, standing there for half the night..."

"Oh, you," Zhong Lichun complained to Sun Bin with heartache, "I didn't want you to wait..."

"I'm worried."

Those four simple words warmed Zhong Lichun's heart.

When Sun Bin inquired about the Crown Prince's condition, Zhong Lichun immediately became furious, saying, "Tch, don't even mention it! I really wish I could slap him twice. I don't know whose spell the Crown Prince has taken, but no matter what Doctor Shen and I say, he insists on waiting for Pang Juan to attack the city before he will go into battle."

"So, as long as Pang Juan doesn't attack the city, he won't fight?" Sun Bin pondered.

"Yes."

"Hmph, I know whose idea this was."

"Whose idea was this?"

Sun Bin waved his hand, without saying who it was.

At this moment, a general ran in to report: "Strategist, something terrible has happened! Someone is stealing our grain."

Sun Bin was startled and asked, "Who's stealing the grain?"

The general said, "The able-bodied men who are guarding the city."

Sun Bin and Zhong Lichun hurriedly rushed to the granary.

The one who led the disturbance at the grain depot was Zhao Zhuangshi, and Scarface was also there. Zhao Zhuangshi led dozens of men armed with clubs and weapons to gather at the entrance of the grain depot compound, pounding on the gate.

Zhao Zhuangshi shouted loudly into the door, "If you don't open the door, we'll break it down!"

The soldiers guarding the granary gate did not answer.

Zhao Zhuangzi waved his hand and shouted, "Break down the door!"

The men pushed the log against the gate... again and again, until the gate began to shake.

"Brothers!" Zhao Zhuangshi shouted, "Just a little more effort, and we'll have food..."

The men rammed into the gate once again.

The door was almost forced open.

Scarface yelled at the top of his lungs, "Almost there! Give it your all!"

Just then, Sun Bin's carriage sped up, with Zhongli Chun inside. Many soldiers armed with bows and arrows and halberds followed closely behind. As soon as the soldiers reached the granary courtyard, they surrounded the troublemakers, aiming their bows and arrows at them.

The men panicked, and some quietly put down their weapons.

Zhao Zhuangshi shouted, "What's the panic? At worst, we'll die. Whether we starve to death or be beaten to death, we'll all die. Pick up your weapons!"

The men who had thrown away their weapons picked them up again.

Sun Bin stood on the cart, looked at Zhao Zhuangshi, and asked, "Zhao Zhuangshi, as the commander defending the city, I have issued a proclamation to all the soldiers and civilians that anyone who steals grain will be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public. Are you aware of this?"

"Know."

"Then why did you gather a crowd to loot food?"

"If we don't grab the food, we'll starve to death."

"Nonsense," Sun Bin retorted. "All the people, especially the able-bodied men guarding the city, receive a portion of food every day. Although they are only about 80% full, they will certainly not starve to death."

Zhao Zhuangshi sneered and said, "You make it sound nice. We only get half a portion of food a day. If this continues, we won't starve to death, but we won't be able to defend the city. If the enemy attacks, we'll all die."

Are you telling the truth?

"If I have told even half a lie, I would rather be torn apart by five horses."

"Is General Feng the general who commands you?"

"So what if it is?"

Sun Bin gave the order to the general below the chariot: "Take him away."

The general waved his hand, and two soldiers stepped forward to seize Zhao Zhuangshi. Zhao Zhuangshi swung his great axe, knocking the weapons from the soldiers' hands, and glared angrily: "How dare you!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhong Lichun leaped from the carriage and, in a few moves, snatched the great axe from Zhao Zhuangshi's hand. His long sword was pressed against Zhao Zhuangshi's throat, leaving Zhao Zhuangshi and the men behind him stunned. The soldiers rushed forward and tied Zhao Zhuangshi up.

Sun Bin said to the men, "Go back now, I'll have General Feng supply you with food." As Sun Bin spoke, he saw Scarface again, who was secretly watching him... A plan suddenly came to Sun Bin's mind.

Zhao Zhuangshi was taken to Sun Bin's military advisor's residence. He had already prepared himself to be beheaded, but unexpectedly, Sun Bin personally untied him and even rewarded him with silver, which left Zhao Zhuangshi bewildered.

Sun Bin said to Zhao Zhuangshi with a hint of guilt, "Zhao Zhuangshi, don't blame General Feng. I was the one who ordered him to withhold your rations. Do you know why I did that?"

"Could it be... that we're running out of food?"

"There is plenty of food in the city; we won't be able to eat it all in three months."

"If that's the case, why is the strategist withholding our rations?" Zhao Zhuangshi asked angrily.

Sun Bin said, "We're forcing you to seize grain."

Zhao Zhuangshi was completely puzzled.

Sun Bin explained to Zhao Zhuangshi, "Actually, this was my plan. Pang Juan thought the city's food supplies were running low and that we would be captured soon, so he surrounded the city without attacking. In reality, the city has plenty of food supplies, enough for three months. If he knew we had enough, he would definitely launch a full-scale attack. Although the Crown Prince's army has arrived outside the city, the Han army alone is not enough to defeat Pang Juan; we must wait for Qin reinforcements. What worries me most now is that Pang Juan will attack the city at this time, so I had General Feng withhold your food supplies, forcing you to plunder. When this reached Pang Juan, he firmly believed that the city's food supplies were running out and would patiently wait. If this drags on, Qin reinforcements will arrive, and then Pang Juan will undoubtedly be defeated."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhuangshi was completely convinced and exclaimed, "No wonder people say that the strategist has countless brilliant plans. Even though Pang Juan has an army of 100,000, he can't defeat the strategist."

Sun Bin smiled slightly: "That's an exaggeration. Defeating Pang Juan will depend on everyone."

Zhao Zhuangshi was rewarded for inciting the looting of grain; it was like stumbling upon gold. Although Sun Bin repeatedly told Zhao Zhuangshi not to tell anyone after returning, Zhao Zhuangshi still told Scarface about this strange event. Scarface was full of doubts. He thought to himself, where did Chenggao get so much grain? If Chenggao really had enough grain, he had to tell Pang Juan as soon as possible. He couldn't drag things out with Sun Bin outside Chenggao City any longer.

Sun Bin dismissed Zhao Zhuangshi and immediately ordered his guards to summon General Feng and the others to the military advisor's residence. He sternly reprimanded them, saying, "If it weren't for the imminent threat and my urgent need for manpower, you would all be dead!"

The generals argued, "Strategist, we didn't eat a single extra bite of rations. The rations we withheld were all given to the soldiers. If the soldiers aren't well-fed, they can't defend against the enemy... Strategist, we were only trying to hold Chenggao!"

Sun Bin said earnestly, "What do we need to defend Chenggao? Our mere five thousand soldiers are not enough; we need the united efforts of the entire city's people! But what about you? If you push the people too far, even without Pang Juan, they will overwhelm us like a flood!" He paused to catch his breath and continued, "This time, I'll let it go; I won't punish you, including General Feng. By the way, General Feng, among the people under your jurisdiction, is there anyone with a scar on their face?"

General Feng thought for a moment and said, "Was he tall and thin, around thirty years old?"

Sun Bin nodded, then asked, "Does his home live in the city?"

"No, he lives outside the city. He only entered the city before Pang Juan's army besieged it."

"He might be a spy sent by Pang Juan."

"A spy?" General Feng was taken aback. "Strategist, I'll go and arrest him."

Sun Bin smiled slightly: "No, we should use him."

That evening, General Feng gathered the men who had looted the grain, including Zhao Zhuangshi and Scarface. General Feng gave a cold laugh and said to them, "You've all done well! The strategist rewarded me with fifty lashes as a way to atone for my sins! If you make another mistake, I won't just get fifty lashes, I'll be beheaded… Hmph, to save my own head, if any of you make even the slightest mistake in the future, I'll behead him first!"

The crowd looked at each other, puzzled as to what General Feng meant.

General Feng's tone softened somewhat, and he said, "However, I should thank you. Your commotion has done nothing wrong; the strategist has agreed to give us more food so that everyone can fill their stomachs."

Everyone looked up again, staring at General Feng with puzzled expressions.

General Feng glanced at everyone and said, "Remember, this matter must not be told to anyone other than you. If anyone leaks the news, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

General Feng led the men to the granary to collect their grain. Several horse-drawn carts loaded with sacks of grain were parked at the entrance, and some men were unloading the sacks and carrying them into the courtyard. The general guarding the granary told General Feng to wait a moment until the grain was unloaded before distributing it to them. However, just as those carts finished unloading, several more horse-drawn carts loaded with grain arrived.

Scarface approached the carriage and casually peeked inside. The general in charge of the granary walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "What are you looking at? There's no grain inside."

Scarface asked, puzzled, "Why is there no food? There was plenty!"

The general's face hardened: "If you spout any more nonsense, I'll kill you!"

Fearing the men would cause more trouble, the general guarding the granary distributed the grain from the carts to them and sent them home. General Feng pulled the granary guard aside and whispered, "Where did all this grain come from?"

The general guarding the granary replied in a low voice, "Have you forgotten? Last time we requisitioned grain, we were almost blocked outside the city by Pang Juan's army. It was only thanks to the strategist's empty city ploy..."

"Didn't they say they didn't bring in the grain?"

"That was something the strategist instructed us to say, for Pang Juan's sake..."

Scarface walked past the two generals carrying a grain sack, the two generals saying this intentionally for Scarface to hear.

General Feng glanced at the departing scarred man out of the corner of his eye, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

Scarface wanted to leave the city to report the news to Pang Juan, but fearing that Sun Bin might be plotting something, he stayed behind to observe the situation further. In order to force Scarface to leave Chenggao as soon as possible, Sun Bin ordered General Feng to search for spies throughout the city and spread rumors that someone suspected Scarface of being a spy.

Scarface could wait no longer. He secretly slipped out of Chenggao and returned to Pang Juan's tent, informing Pang Juan that Chenggao had ample food supplies. After much deliberation, Pang Juan decided to attack the city.

Pang Juan's army launched a fierce attack on Chenggao. The defending troops of Han fought desperately, and arrows flew everywhere in Chenggao, with blood flowing freely.

The Crown Prince of Korea insisted on waiting. Grand Physician Shin questioned the Crown Prince, "How much longer? Are we waiting until Chenggao falls into enemy hands?"

"With Sun Bin here, Chenggao will not fall," the Crown Prince said with a smile.

"Military Advisor Sun has only five thousand men, while Pang Juan has one hundred thousand. If we do not engage in battle, Pang Juan will definitely launch a full-scale attack on the city, and Chenggao will be in grave danger!"

"Doctor Shen is overthinking it. Pang Juan won't launch a full-scale attack on the city," the Crown Prince insisted.

Doctor Shen suppressed his anger and said, "Why not? If we remain inactive, Pang Juan will have no scruples and will definitely launch a full-scale attack on the city."

The crown prince remained silent.

Doctor Shen then said, "If the General is truly afraid of Pang Juan, then give me ten thousand men, and I will go."

The crown prince, somewhat embarrassed, retorted, "I'm afraid of Pang Juan? Ask my soldiers! I've fought on the battlefield; who have I ever feared?"

"If you're not afraid, why don't you fight?"

"Do you think I don't want to fight?" the crown prince said, feeling both aggrieved and helpless. "It's my father who won't let me fight Pang Juan."

Doctor Shen suddenly realized what was happening, and a strange sense of sorrow followed. "If you're not allowed to fight, then what are we here for? Are we really just here to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight? How can Your Majesty do this? How can you face your strategist? How can you face your five thousand soldiers? How can you face the people of Chenggao?"

After speaking, Doctor Shen saw that the Crown Prince still had no intention of going to war, and sighed, "General, I have no authority to mobilize the army, but I have the authority to wage war. If your army will not go to war, I will go myself!"

Seeing that he could not dissuade Doctor Shen, the Crown Prince ordered his soldiers to tie him up. Doctor Shen angrily shouted, "Crown Prince, you coward! Pang Juan has scared the crap out of you!"

"If you dare say I'm afraid of death again, I'll kill you!" the crown prince said sternly.

"What kind of skill is it to kill me?" Doctor Shen laughed loudly. "If you're so capable, go kill Pang Juan... Hmph, even if you were scared out of your wits, you wouldn't dare!"

The soldiers had just taken Doctor Shen away when General Wu came to the Crown Prince to request permission to fight. The Crown Prince said to General Wu impatiently, "Whether or not to fight is my decision; your responsibility is to obey my orders!"

General Wu said, "I can obey the General's orders, but if we delay in battle, my soldiers will not obey my commands!"

The crown prince roared, "Anyone who dares disobey orders will be killed!"

General Wu said calmly, "The soldiers are disobeying orders. Can you kill them all?"

Before the crown prince could answer, several more generals entered. They said to the prince, "General, if we don't engage in battle soon, my soldiers may act on their own!"

The crown prince drew his sword and said angrily, "Tell them that anyone who dares to act without authorization will face certain death!"

One general said, "They said their brothers are in Chenggao City, and they'd rather die together!"

General Wu chimed in, "General, Pang Juan may have an army of 100,000, but he is not invincible. If we don't even dare to fight and just watch Chenggao fall into Pang Juan's hands, I don't know what you would do. I would have no face to face my fellow villagers!"

Another general echoed, "Me too... General! If Chenggao falls, I cannot die at Pang Juan's hands; I will die by my own sword!"

The prince was speechless, unsure how to respond to the crowd. He shouted, "Don't force me!"

"General, we're not forcing you, the soldiers are forcing us. If Chenggao falls because we remain inactive, the soldiers will not forgive us!"

"General, I beg you, order the troops to battle..."

The crown prince lowered his head and remained silent.

General Wu said earnestly, "General, if we don't fight this time, the South Korean soldiers may never listen to your orders again, or to any of us generals."

"You're threatening me..." The prince gasped, feeling weak and powerless.

"This is not a threat; I'm just speaking from the heart."

Another general said, "General, what General Wu thinks is also what I think..."

The crown prince looked at the two generals and sighed, "How I wish I could go to war, but Pang Juan has an army of 100,000. What if... I will not be able to explain to my father..."

"General, I've heard that Military Advisor Sun has a brilliant plan. We've never been defeated using his strategies..." General Wu glanced at the Crown Prince and continued, "General, we are fighting for the territory of Han, for your prestige, and for our own honor. We will surely defeat Pang Juan!"

The other generals echoed in unison.

The crown prince finally made up his mind: "Let's go to war!"

Note: "The Counter-Espionage Stratagem" is the thirty-third of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. In simple terms, it involves cleverly using enemy spies to one's own advantage. Sun Bin was originally unable to hold Chenggao for long, but he used the Counter-Espionage Stratagem to mislead Pang Juan, causing him to abandon his long-term siege strategy and instead launch an attack. To find out the outcome, please read the next chapter: "Flowers Bloom on the Tree."