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

Outside Chenggao City, the Han soldiers were eager for battle. The Crown Prince of Han, rousing himself, addressed his generals: "These past few days, not only have all the soldiers been holding their breath, but I have too. However, as the Grand General, I cannot act on emotion; I must wait for the opportune moment. Today, that moment has finally arrived. I hope that you generals will disregard your own lives, break through Pang Juan's siege, and deliver supplies and reinforcements to Chenggao."

The generals were filled with fervor and exclaimed in unison:

"General, we've long since disregarded life and death!"

"General, rest assured, we will have no face to face our hometown elders if we fail to break Pang Juan's siege!"

"Our brothers are in Chenggao. Even if it means death, we will deliver food and reinforcements there!"

The Crown Prince looked around at everyone and continued, "To relieve Chenggao, we must attack from four directions simultaneously, forcing Pang Juan to be overwhelmed. However, we don't have enough troops, so we can only concentrate our forces on one side. Meanwhile, we will send small numbers of troops from the other three directions to create a false impression. We'll drag tree branches behind our chariots and horses, making them appear as if we have a thousand troops. This is like putting artificial flowers on a tree when there are none, creating a false impression. This is the 'flowers on the tree' strategy. In this way, with flowers blooming on the tree, Pang Juan will have difficulty discerning the location of our main army, while our main army will seize the opportunity to enter and deliver food and reinforcements to Chenggao."

The generals praised, "General, your plan is brilliant! Even Sun Simiao couldn't have done it better."

"I won't easily go into battle without a brilliant plan." The Crown Prince was quite pleased with himself. He issued orders to his generals: "General Wu, General Sima, General Han, each of you will lead five thousand men to make a show of force in the east, west, and north of Chenggao, while I will lead the main army to attack the south of the city. Minister Shen will lead reinforcements and supplies to follow behind me. After I defeat the Wei army, you will take advantage of the situation and attack... Do you understand?"

The generals all replied in unison, "Understood."

Doctor Shen was somewhat worried and said to the Crown Prince, "General, you cannot personally lead the army to attack the south of the city."

The crown prince was displeased and asked, "As the Grand General, why can't I personally lead the army?"

Doctor Shen said, "If Pang Juan knows that the General is in the south of the city, he will surely know that it is the main force of our Han army. No matter how well the other three routes are disguised, it will be difficult to fool the enemy."

The crown prince hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Doctor Shen suggested, "Let the General lead a force to make a show of force, while General Wu leads the main force to attack the south of the city."

The Crown Prince agreed to go to war as Dr. Shen suggested.

The South Korean army appeared in four different directions outside Chenggao City, with banners waving, war drums booming, and chariots trailing tree branches that kicked up clouds of dust, making them look like a vast army.

Pang Cong rode swiftly to the walls of Chenggao and reported to Pang Juan, who was directing the siege, "Uncle, the Crown Prince of Han has sent out troops! Han troops have been spotted in all four directions—east, west, south, and north!"

Pang Juan smiled contemptuously: "He has quite the nerve, daring to attack on all sides... Which side is the Crown Prince of Han on?"

"On the west road."

How many men does he have?

"The spies say there are 30,000 of them."

"What about the South Korean troops in other directions?"

"They also number in the tens of thousands..."

"That's impossible, the South Korean army doesn't have that many."

"This is what the spy said."

Pang Juan pondered for a moment and said, "The other routes may be bluffing... Pang Cong, you command the siege here, I will deal with the Crown Prince of Han."

The prince's army was bustling about in the west of the city when a spy rode up on horseback: "Your Highness, Pang Juan's army is coming towards us."

The prince asked, "How many people are there?"

The spy said, "It seems like not much..."

"Go and meet them, and wipe them out," the prince ordered the general beside him.

One of the prince's generals said, "General, the strategist's 'flowers blooming on trees' strategy is just a bluff. If we go to war..."

"What did you say?" The crown prince's face darkened as he interrupted the general.

The general didn't understand what the prince was asking, and replied, "I mean, 'flowers blooming on trees' is just a bluff. If we engage in battle, the Wei army will see through our true intentions."

"That's not what I'm asking," the crown prince said, his face still grim. "I'm asking, who told you that 'flowers blooming on trees' was a strategist's plan?"

"Dr. Shen..."

"Nonsense, this is my plan!"

"General, I dare not speak nonsense. It is indeed what Doctor Shen said. He even showed us the strategist's letter, instructing us to follow the plan."

"Alright, that's enough. Let's prepare to fight." The prince's face looked extremely grim.

"General, Doctor Shen says..."

The crown prince interrupted him, sneering, "He also said I was afraid of Pang Juan. Today I'll show them whether I'm afraid of Pang Juan, or Pang Juan is afraid of me!"

"General, you must never act impulsively in battle!"

"I'm not doing this out of spite; I know what I'm doing. Pass on the order."

The general was somewhat reluctant and said, "General, you should think twice before you act..."

The Crown Prince, extremely displeased, ordered: "Issue the order. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

The general dared not say another word and immediately ordered the entire army to meet the Wei army in battle.

The Korean crown prince's army quickly entered Pang Juan's ambush zone, and Pang Juan mocked the Korean crown prince, saying he was too easy to catch. He ordered 20,000 troops to outflank the Korean army from behind and surround the Korean crown prince.

The Han crown prince's banner fluttered in the wind as he stood majestically atop his chariot, preparing to lead his army in a decisive victory against the Wei forces. Suddenly, a spy arrived on horseback, his face filled with panic as he reported to the prince, "General, we've spotted Pang Juan's army ahead..."

The crown prince was taken aback: "Didn't you say that the Wei army didn't have many troops?"

The spy stammered, "There weren't many just now, but then so many troops suddenly appeared out of nowhere..."

"Reporting false military intelligence is a capital offense!" The prince's eyes flashed with murderous intent. As he spoke, he took the halberd from the guard in the carriage and thrust it fiercely at the spy.

The spy fell from his horse and died.

The crown prince then said to the general beside him, "Pass on my order: the vanguard will become the rear, and the rearguard will become the vanguard. Retreat!"

The general responded with a "Yes," turned his horse around, and was about to give orders to the rear guard when a soldier rode up from the rear of the ranks to the prince and urgently reported: "General, Wei troops have been spotted to our flank and rear."

The crown prince was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "How many of them are there?"

The soldier replied, "Many, as far as the eye can see..."

The crown prince remained silent for a moment, then sighed deeply, "I truly regret it..."

Pang Juan, having successfully surrounded the Crown Prince of Han, triumphantly declared to his generals, "This time, I will not only capture Sun Bin alive, but also the Crown Prince of Han..."

Before he could finish speaking, Pang Cong, his face covered in blood, rode up to Pang Juan, dismounted, and kowtowed, saying, "Uncle, kill your nephew! My army has been defeated by Sun Bin..."

"What did you say?" Pang Juan was astonished.

Pang Cong continued, "After my uncle left, tens of thousands of troops from the state of Han arrived. Sun Bin coordinated with them from within and without. Although my nephew's army fought bravely, they were ultimately routed due to being attacked from both sides, and the Han army's supply train also entered Chenggao."

Pang Juan's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he trembled with rage, cursing viciously, "Bastard!"

"Uncle, I have failed your trust. Kill me!" Pang Cong was filled with shame and kowtowed again.

Pang Juan was silent for a moment before speaking, "This is not your fault, it's your uncle's fault. Get up."

Pang Cong stood up and said, "Uncle, assemble the main force, let's go back and besiege Chenggao again."

Pang Juan shook his head: "It's no use. Sun Bin now has food and soldiers, and he is no longer afraid of our siege."

"So, are we just going to let it go like this?"

"Forget it? Hmph, not so easy. The Crown Prince of Han is already surrounded by us. Capturing the Crown Prince will allow us to hold the King of Han hostage." Pang Juan sneered and ordered a general on horseback beside him, "Go and tell the troops in the south and north of the city to withdraw some to their main camp and have the rest immediately rush to the west of the city to await orders."

Facing the Crown Prince of Han, who was surrounded by tens of thousands of troops, Pang Juan was in no hurry to devour him. He knew the Crown Prince was swayed by gentle persuasion but not by force, so he used a provocation tactic to "invite" him to the front lines, staring at him intently for a long time. The Crown Prince, unable to bear Pang Juan's gaze any longer, coldly said, "Marshal Pang, just say what you have to say. Why are you staring at me like that?"

Pang Juan laughed and said, "A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days' absence, let alone the crown prince of a country."

The crown prince was displeased and said, "Did you invite me here just to mock me?"

Pang Juan said, "I have no intention of being sarcastic. Last time, I was better than the general in the sneak attack on Chenggao. Today, the general is bluffing and is better than me again. Of course, I am impressed... It's just that the general was so eager to save Sun Bin that he fell into my encirclement. This is a way for me to save some face."

The crown prince retorted defiantly, "If I follow the strategist's plan and don't fight you, you won't even have this much face!"

"What you're saying is simply impossible; it's determined by your nature." Pang Juan sighed solemnly. "Sun Bin is shrewd. He understood your nature perfectly, which is why he sent you to 'bloom on a tree' in the west of the city. He knew I would lead a large army to deal with the Grand General, so you would inevitably be surrounded by me. Only when my army surrounds you can the food and reinforcements be safely delivered into the city... However, for Sun Bin to scheme against the Grand General, with whom I share life and death, for his own sake, even I, as your opponent, cannot stand by and watch."

"Have you finished speaking?" The prince's face darkened.

Pang Juan remained calm and said, "I feel sorry for the General. He shouldn't have died."

"To die on the battlefield is the highest honor for a general!"

"It's different for a general like you. As the crown prince of Han, you will become the king of Han. The glory a king receives far surpasses that of a general who dies on the battlefield. Besides, it was Sun Bin who should have died, and you died in his place. That's why I feel sorry for you."

The crown prince seemed to waver and remained silent.

Pang Juan glanced at the Crown Prince and said, "General, how about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

"General, please make do for now and stay with my army for a while. I will use your position as General to ask your father for Sun Bin."

"Are you asking me to surrender?"

"No, it's more accurate to say they're being held hostage."

"Hmph, it's all the same thing. If word gets out, I'll be utterly disgraced."

"General, in this world, many princes have been sent to other countries as hostages. Far from being disgraced, they have strengthened their nations' alliances. You've helped me this time, and once you become king, no matter what crisis your country faces, I will lead the Wei army to your aid. What do you say?"

"What about my five thousand soldiers?"

"Don't kill a single one, release them all."

"What about Chenggao?"

"My entire army has withdrawn from Chenggao and returned to the State of Wei."

The prince remembered his father's instructions and said, "Let me go back and think about it. I'll give you an answer tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow is too late."

"I have to go back and persuade my generals."

Since the other party was already a fish in the net, Pang Juan readily agreed to the crown prince's request.

"Wait." The crown prince was about to drive away when Pang Juan called him back.

The crown prince looked at Pang Juan with suspicion and asked, "Marshal Pang, is there anything else you want to say?"

Pang Juan laughed and said, "I forgot to tell you, Sun Bin has shown no sign of sending troops to rescue you. He probably won't. Even if he wanted to, he doesn't have the ability."

The crown prince, of course, understood what the other party meant, and said arrogantly, "You don't need to tell me, I already anticipated this."

The crown prince's assessment was certainly wrong. Sun Bin remained inactive because he had no plans during the day and wanted to wait until nightfall. General Wu, not understanding the intricacies of the situation, asked Sun Bin, "Master Sun, the crown prince fell into Pang Juan's hands to save you. If you don't go to his rescue, the king will kill you when he finds out."

Sun Bin explained, "General Wu, it's not that I don't want to rescue him, but there's really no other way during the day. Pang Juan's military strength far surpasses ours. If we act too hastily, not only will we fail to rescue the Crown Prince, but we will also bring annihilation to the Han army! If the Han army is gone, how can Han survive? General Wu, don't worry, Pang Juan doesn't want to kill the Crown Prince right now. Think about it, the Crown Prince only has 5,000 soldiers in the wilderness, with no natural defenses. Pang Juan's army could wipe out the Crown Prince in less than an hour, but he's surrounding him without attacking. This shows that the Crown Prince is still safe at the moment."

Doctor Shen asked Sun Bin how he planned to rescue the Crown Prince that night, and Sun Bin replied, "Let's make it work on the tree."

The same strategy was used twice in the same place. Although the generals were skeptical, they carried out the strategist's orders without question. After nightfall, one group after another of the Korean soldiers, without neighing or making a sound, went out of the east gate and entered through the south gate, making the same route many times. Although they were puzzled, they followed the strategist's instructions based on their trust in Sun Bin.

General Fei quickly learned of the unusual movements of the Han army. He said to Pang Juan, "Marshal, the Han army is still pouring into Chenggao from the south gate. It seems that Sun Bin really intends to abandon the Crown Prince of Han..."

Pang Juan laughed and said, "On the contrary, Sun Bin did this to rescue the Crown Prince of Han." He pointed to the military map and said, "If I'm not mistaken, at daybreak, Han troops will appear to our south, west, and possibly north. They will look like a huge, imposing force, raising dust in the air. He wants to use this bluff to lure our army to one of these directions. Then, the Han troops hiding in the city will take advantage of the situation and rush out of the west gate to launch a surprise attack on our weak point... The west gate is closest to the Crown Prince of Han. They will break out of the encirclement with lightning speed and rescue the Crown Prince of Han to Chenggao."

General Fei seemed to understand and said, "Sun Bin is too cunning!"

Pang Cong scoffed dismissively, "Sun Bin is dreaming!"

Pang Juan ordered his generals: "Pang Cong, you take 5,000 men and when you spot the Han army to the south and west, you feign a large-scale attack, pretending it's the main force of Wei. General Wei, you take 20,000 men and ambush them northwest of Chenggao tonight; General Fei, you take 20,000 men and ambush them southwest of Chenggao. After Sun Bin's army leaves the city through the west gate, I will lead 30,000 troops to meet them head-on, while you lead your troops to encircle them from the flanks and rear, annihilating Sun Bin west of the city."

The next morning, the fields outside Chenggao were shrouded in mist. Pang Juan and his soldiers, shields and halberds in hand, faced Chenggao, ready for battle.

A swift horse galloped out from the morning mist, carrying a general from the State of Wei. The general rode up to Pang Juan and reported, "Marshal, Han troops have been spotted to the west and south; the fog is too thick to discern their numbers."

Pang Juan said to Pang Cong beside him, "Pang Cong, your 'army' can set off now."

Pang Cong's army had been marching for a long time, but Pang Juan still saw no movement from the direction of Chenggao. The scarred city wall stood silently in the morning mist.

Pang Juan was very composed. He stood calmly on the chariot, watching Chenggao. He seemed to see Sun Bin's army on the other side of the city wall, all ready to open the city gates and rush out. A long-awaited battle was about to begin.

Behind Pang Juan, the sounds of battle cries echoed in the distance. A general beside him said, "Marshal, the fighting behind us is fierce. Should we send some troops to reinforce General Fei?"

Pang Juan waved his hand: "That's just an illusion. The real danger is in the direction of Chenggao."

Before Pang Juan could finish speaking, a swift horse emerged from the fog on the right, carrying a general covered in blood. He reached Pang Juan, panting, and said, "Marshal, it's terrible! Sun Bin's army has broken through our encirclement from the rear and rescued the Crown Prince of Han..."

Pang Juan drew his sword and roared, "Impossible! There couldn't possibly be Sun Bin's army behind us. It must be your incompetence!"

The general dismounted and knelt down, saying, "Marshal, this humble general dares not lie. The entire mountainside is teeming with Han troops, and... this humble general saw Sun Bin..."

Pang Juan was taken aback, her lips pressed tightly together, and she remained silent for a long time.

Pang Juan was a man who cared a lot about his reputation. He would not give up so easily, but his 100,000-strong army had been fighting abroad for a long time and was short of money. He could not afford to delay and was unwilling to delay. He immediately sent Pang Cong to the Han army camp to challenge the Crown Prince of Han to a decisive battle.

The Crown Prince of Han, already hot-blooded and having just broken through the Wei army's encirclement and returned to his camp, couldn't resist Pang Cong's provocation and agreed to a decisive battle with the Wei army. He said to Pang Cong, "If you are defeated, Wei will cede three cities to me. If we are defeated, I will cede three cities to you and guarantee peaceful relations with Wei."

Pang Cong said, "We don't want your city, we only want Sun Bin."

Doctor Shen said, "The strategist stands with the state of Han. To use the strategist as a wager is to use the state of Han as a wager. We will never agree to that."

Pang Cong gave a cold laugh and said, "I never expected that Koreans are all such cowards... Goodbye." He then turned to leave.

The prince drew his sword and stopped Pang Cong.

Pang Cong glanced at the long sword in the prince's hand, showing no fear whatsoever. He calmly said to the prince, "General, killing me here is not heroic. If you have the ability to kill me on the battlefield, then you are a hero... Unfortunately, you do not have the courage to face our marshal."

Provoked, the prince blurted out, "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond! Tell me, when shall we have our final battle?"

This was exactly what Pang Cong wanted to hear, and he seized the opportunity to ask, "How about three days from now?"

The Crown Prince agreed.

Pang Cong, worried that something might change, said, "Let's clap our hands to signify our agreement."

The Crown Prince and Pang Cong high-fived.

Since things had come to this point, Sun Bin had no choice but to go along with the mistake and said to Pang Cong, "I would like to remind General Pang that since we are making a bet, the stakes should be the same for both sides. General Pang proposed to use me as the stake, so you should also have someone of the same status as the stake."

The Crown Prince agreed with Sun Bin's reasoning and said to Pang Cong, "General Pang, you should also use Marshal Pang as a wager."

Sun Bin laughed and said, "Pang Juan is not qualified. He has been defeated by me time and time again. How can he be compared to me?"

Pang Cong was most indignant that his respected uncle was always bullied by Sun Bin. He said to Sun Bin, "Sun Bin, don't think you're invincible just because you've won a few times by trickery and deceit... Humph, our marshal really doesn't take you seriously!"

Sun Bin coldly replied, "If you don't take me seriously, then why are you jealous of me and plot against me? Why do you follow me wherever I go, determined to seize my military strategies?"

Pang Cong had no answer.

Sun Bin said to Pang Cong, "General Pang, go back and tell your Marshal Pang that if you are willing to use the Crown Prince of Wei—Crown Prince Shen—as the wager, I will use the wager of Han."

Note: "Flowers Blooming on a Tree" is the twenty-ninth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. It means to create a false impression, to feign strength, to confuse the enemy and achieve one's own strategic objectives. Facing a powerful enemy, Sun Bin repeatedly used the "Flowers Blooming on a Tree" stratagem, first relieving the siege of Chenggao, and then rescuing the crown prince of Han. To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter: "Throwing a Brick to Attract Jade."