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

Prince Jiao Shi remained determined to assassinate King Xuan, and General Fei of Wei found three assassins for him: Wei Bo, Wei Zhong, and Wei Shu. The three Wei brothers were of different appearances and heights, which displeased Prince Jiao Shi. He frowned at General Fei and said, "General Fei, the assassins you've found this time seem even less capable than the last one."

General Fei smiled and said, "Young master, draw your conclusions after you've tried it."

Prince Jiaoshi first approached Wei Bo, sizing him up: a robust man, almost entirely without excess flesh. Prince Jiaoshi asked, "Strong man, what is your specialty?"

Wei Bo said, "Kill him."

"I'm asking, what's your best method for killing people?"

"Both hands".

"Can we see it?"

"Okay." Wei Bo said, and suddenly stretched out a hand, lifting Gongzi Jiaoshi up above his head like an eagle snatching a chick.

The young master, standing above him, asked in a panic, "What...what do you want to do?"

Wei Bo laughed heartily and said, "This is my most skilled method of killing."

Young Master Jiao quickly said, "Put me down, I'll accept your challenge..."

Wei Bo gently placed Gongzi Jiaoshi on the ground.

After calming himself for a moment, Gongzi Jiaoshi asked Wei Bo, "Tell me, what do you want?"

Wei Bo said, "Gold."

The young master asked again, "How many do you want?"

"I'll take as much as I can with both hands."

Gongzi Jiaoshi agreed.

Gongzi Jiaoshi approached Wei Zhong again. Looking at this short but muscular man, he asked, "And you, what method are you best at killing?"

Wei Zhong replied, "Stone."

Gongzi Jiaoshi nodded and said, "Give it a try. But don't come at me."

Wei Zhong said with a grin, "Of course." As he spoke, he picked up a stone from the ground and casually tossed it away.

A man hiding behind a tree a few dozen steps away, peering in this direction, was struck by a stone and fell to the ground.

A soldier beside the young master ran over quickly, bent down and reached out to test him, then straightened up and shouted, "Young master, he's dead."

Wei Zhong spat and said, "Nonsense, no one who gets hit by me survives."

Gongzi Jiaoshi nodded in satisfaction and asked Wei Zhong, "What do you want?"

Wei Zhong said, "Beautiful woman."

"several?"

Wei Zhong laughed and said, "Young master is too stingy. How can a few be enough?"

"You tell me, how much do you want?"

"A hundred? Do you have any?"

Gongzi Jiaoshi chuckled lightly, "If I gave you so many women, you wouldn't be able to handle it."

Wei Zhong said with an air of authority, "I have raised a thousand horses and ten thousand sheep. Women are just like horses and sheep. As long as you know how to raise them, there is no problem in dealing with them."

Gongzi Jiaoshi also agreed.

Finally, Gongzi Jiaoshi approached Wei Shu. Wei Shu was dressed as a scholar, with a strange appearance and a pair of small, cunning eyes. Gongzi Jiaoshi asked Wei Shu, "And you, how did you kill him?"

Uncle Wei said, "Use your tongue."

The young master, puzzled and intrigued, asked, "How can a tongue kill?"

"Turning black into white, confusing right and wrong, fabricating stories, spreading rumors and causing trouble... Using one's silver tongue to kill is impossible to guard against."

"Can we give it a try?"

"sure."

"What are you planning to do?"

Uncle Wei pointed to General Fei, who was standing not far away, and whispered, "Have the young master kill General Fei."

Gongzi Jiaoshi sneered, "You simply can't do it."

Uncle Wei lightly scratched his nose and chuckled, "If you, young master, are a fool who can't distinguish right from wrong, then I'll admit I can't do it."

"I'm not a fool!"

"If the young master isn't a fool, then there are no fools in the world."

Prince Jiao Shi had never been so verbally humiliated. He pointed at Wei Shu and angrily rebuked him, "You are too presumptuous! How dare you publicly humiliate the prince of Qi!" He then ordered the soldiers around him, "Arrest him and cut out his tongue."

The soldiers surrounded Uncle Wei with their weapons.

Uncle Wei said slowly and deliberately, "Young master, let me finish. If what I say makes no sense, you don't need to arrest me; I'll bite my own tongue off."

Gongzi Jiaoshi glanced at him and said irritably, "Speak."

Uncle Wei said, "It's not convenient here. I need to speak with the young master alone."

Gongzi Jiaoshi didn't want to listen to Wei Shu's nonsense anymore, but he wanted to know what Wei Shu was going to say, so he took Wei Shu to a secluded place.

Wei Shu said to Gongzi Jiaoshi, "Do you know why General Fei sought our help to kill the King of Qi?"

Prince Jiaoshi said, "After I become the King of Qi, I will be able to maintain lasting peace with the State of Wei."

"Anything else?"

"there is none left."

Uncle Wei laughed and said, "Young master, you only know one side of the story. General Fei's purpose is not just this..."

“I know,” Gongzi Jiaoshi interrupted him. “They have another purpose: to use me to restrain the State of Qi. Even if I don’t become the King of Qi, I can still drag Qi down and make it unable to compete with the State of Wei for hegemony.”

"I never expected that you, young master, would be such an intelligent person!" Uncle Wei feigned surprise.

The arrogant young master Jiao Shi sneered, "Nothing in this world can be hidden from me!"

Uncle Wei nodded obsequiously, "That's right, that's right..." He suddenly knelt before Young Master Jiao Shi, kowtowing as he said, "Young Master, I deserve to die, I shouldn't have deceived you..."

Gongzi Jiaoshi was taken aback, then asked, "What are you hiding from me?"

Uncle Wei said, "I cannot hide the truth from you, young master. You are such a wise man that you will find out the truth sooner or later. If I try to deceive you, I am only deceiving myself."

Young Master Jiao was smug, and his mood improved considerably. He said, "You're right, you can't hide it from me. It's better for you to tell me than for me to find out. Tell me, what are you hiding from me?"

Uncle Wei stood up, leaned forward, and whispered, "Young Master, you must not tell anyone what I'm telling you, especially not General Fei."

"I can guarantee that."

"Marshal Pang's battle with the Qin army is at a stalemate. The State of Han intends to help the Qin army. If Han sends troops to help Qin, Marshal Pang will surely be defeated. The State of Wei hopes to get the help of the State of Qi as soon as possible. Marshal Pang secretly ordered General Fei to immediately kill the King of Qi and let the prince ascend the throne as soon as possible..."

Gongzi Jiaoshi laughed and said, "I thought it was something important. I already know what you're talking about."

"My lord, let me finish. The crucial part is yet to come." Uncle Wei paused for a moment before continuing, "General Fei believes that if we kill the King of Qi and let the prince succeed to the throne, time is short and there is no certainty. He wants to capture the prince and hand him over to the State of Qi in exchange for the King of Qi's military assistance."

Gongzi Jiaoshi sneered, "You're lying. If General Fei didn't intend to kill King Qi, why would he have summoned you here?"

Uncle Wei said, "He sought out the three of us brothers not for the sake of the King of Qi, but for the sake of the prince."

Gongzi Jiaoshi was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Uncle Wei said, "He sent us to arrest you."

"He dares?" Young Master Jiao said, his voice stern but his heart pounding.

Uncle Wei said disdainfully, "What do I have to be afraid of? You've already seen the abilities of my two elder brothers. My eldest brother is incredibly strong and came specifically to capture you; my second brother is unmatched in throwing stones and is specifically designed to deal with your guards; and I'm here with my silver tongue to advise you to surrender and wait to be captured, and not to invite trouble for yourself."

The young master looked bewildered and asked, "Then...why haven't you made a move yet?"

Uncle Wei laughed and said, "We three brothers are very impressed by your generosity just now, but General Fei is too stingy. We do not intend to take orders from him."

"What are you planning to do?"

"As long as the reward you give us remains the same, we will obey you."

"Alright, the reward remains the same, you kill General Fei!"

"My lord, General Fei should not be killed. We should capture him and hand him over to the King of Qi. Once we gain the King's trust, it will be much easier to kill him."

Hearing Wei Shu say this, Gongzi Jiaoshi became even more convinced of his words. He stormed back to his original spot, pointed at General Fei, and said to the soldiers, "Arrest General Fei."

The soldiers looked at Gongzi Jiaoshi with puzzlement.

General Fei was completely bewildered. He asked the young master, "Young master, what do you intend to do?"

"You know perfectly well," Gongzi Jiaoshi sneered, then shouted at the soldiers, "What are you all standing there for? Arrest him!"

The soldiers immediately swarmed forward and pinned General Fei to the ground.

General Fei looked at Gongzi Jiaoshi with utter bewilderment, struggling to ask, "Young Master, what are you doing?"

Gongzi Jiaoshi laughed and said, "Nothing much. We'll just send you to the King of Qi as a greeting gift to the Wei brothers. That will make it easier for them to kill Pijiang."

General Fei was furious and shouted, "Young Master Jiao, you ungrateful wretch! You despicable and shameless scoundrel!"

Gongzi Jiaoshi angrily retorted, "You are the despicable, shameless, and ungrateful scoundrel! If I don't arrest you, you will arrest me!"

"Hahaha..." A burst of wild laughter came from behind. Uncle Wei walked up to Young Master Jiao Shi and said, "Young Master, you've been tricked."

Gongzi Jiaoshi was taken aback.

Uncle Wei said, "I just fabricated something out of nothing; General Fei is innocent and has been wronged."

Gongzi Jiaoshi immediately understood. He drew his sword and pointed it at Wei Shu: "How dare you to mock me!"

Uncle Wei laughed and said, "Young master, don't be angry. Didn't you want to test me? I just wanted to show you my ability to kill with my tongue."

The young master said unhappily, "You... you've gone too far with your joke!"

Enraged, General Fei scrambled to his feet, grabbed Uncle Wei, and raised his hand to strike him. Uncle Wei reached out and seized General Fei's wrist, coldly saying, "General Fei, if you want to hit someone, you should hit the prince of Qi. He's the one who wants to see the third prince's tongue!"

Wei Shu said, "General Fei, you should not be angry, but celebrate. With the abilities of the three of us brothers, we will surely make Qi a place of unrest."

General Fei snorted and ignored him, pulling his hand away and walking to the side.

Wei Shujing walked up to Gongzi Jiaoshi and said, "Young master, you should ask me what I want."

Young Master Jiao was still furious. He didn't want to ask, but he had no choice but to, so he coldly inquired, "What do you want?"

"Official position".

"What kind of official?"

"Prime Minister".

Gongzi Jiaoshi sneered and said sarcastically, "The Prime Minister cannot fabricate stories and spread rumors."

"Speak human language to humans, and ghost language to ghosts. If you become the prime minister, you will naturally speak the language of the prime minister."

"If you are incompetent, I may dismiss you."

"That's only natural."

Gongzi Jiaoshi agreed to his request.

King Xuan of Qi's injuries were healing daily. Tian Ji and Sun Bin requested permission to launch a military attack on the border city of Wei to eliminate Prince Jiaoshi. King Xuan disagreed, telling Sun Bin that if Prince Jiaoshi were eliminated, the Queen Dowager would cause him great distress. Tian Ji suggested capturing Jiaoshi alive, thus silencing the Queen Dowager. King Xuan still refused, saying he knew Prince Jiaoshi's temperament best; he would rather commit suicide than be captured alive. Just as the two remained silent, Sun Bin spoke up, saying he had a way to capture Prince Jiaoshi alive.

After returning from his mission to Qin, Zou Ji, though highly regarded by King Xuan of Qi, had not yet entered the court to serve as an official due to the lack of a suitable position. Sun Bin's plan was to invite Zou Ji to Chui Du, a border city of Wei, to lure Prince Jiao Shi back to Qi. Zou Ji, eager to further gain King Xuan's favor, readily agreed.

When Zou Ji arrived in Chui Du, he said to Prince Jiao Shi, "Since the assassination attempt, Your Majesty has not left the inner palace. When the court officials inquired about Your Majesty's injuries, the Queen always said that they were improving. Later, we, the old ministers, discovered that Tian Ji and Sun Bin were acting suspiciously, so we bribed the imperial physician. The physician said that Your Majesty's injuries were not only not improving, but were getting worse day by day, and the physician was powerless to help."

"Excellent! The news brought by the Prime Minister is wonderful!" Gongzi Jiaoshi was overjoyed and clapped his hands in approval.

Zou Ji shook his head and said, "Young master, don't say yes yet, I haven't finished speaking... We old ministers estimated that Tian Ji and Sun Bin were hiding the news of the king's injury, so we sent people to monitor them secretly. Sure enough, as we expected, Tian Ji and Sun Bin are secretly looking for a successor to the throne."

"Since Pijiang has no heir, I am the rightful successor to the throne."

"I heard that Tian Ji found a man named Ji Jiang in Gaomi, who said that he was the son of the late king and a palace maid. They wanted to use this man to prevent the prince from succeeding to the throne."

Gongzi Jiaoshi's expression immediately changed, and he said angrily, "We cannot let their conspiracy succeed!"

Zou Ji nodded and said, "Yes, if their conspiracy succeeds, the prince will never be able to return to the country, let alone obtain the throne. We old ministers who have offended them will also die without a burial place..." He glanced at Prince Jiaoshi, "In order to stop their conspiracy, I was entrusted by these old ministers to risk my life to see the prince."

"I will immediately send men to eliminate Tian Ji and Sun Bin."

"No, Tian Ji and Sun Bin are protected by an army; one or two assassins can't do anything to them... Besides, there's a queen with superb swordsmanship; Cao Yang was killed by her..."

"So, according to the Prime Minister's wishes, how can we prevent Jijiang from ascending the throne?"

"My lord, you must immediately sneak back to the State of Qi."

Gongzi Jiaoshi was taken aback: "Going back to the country... wouldn't it be suicide if they found out?"

Zou Ji laughed and said, "With the Empress Dowager here, even if they discover it, they can't do anything to you, young master."

The young master Jiao Shi, still shaken by the near-fall into Tian Ji's hands, said to Zou Ji, "No, even with the Empress Dowager around, it's too dangerous to go back!"

Zou Ji said, "If you return to your country, you can rightfully inherit the throne; if you do not return, the one who will inherit the throne will be that so-called Ji Jiang."

What Zou Ji said was true; throughout history, there have been many who have deceived others into believing they were the rightful heirs to the throne, and Prince Jiaoshi was hesitant.

"My lord," Zou Ji said, "I have contacted dozens of the late king's old ministers in the court. For the sake of the state of Qi, they are all willing to support your succession to the throne." He then took out a piece of silk from his robes. "This is a letter written to you by dozens of our old ministers." Zou Ji handed the letter to Prince Jiao Shi and continued, "If you return to the country, with the support of the Queen Dowager and the backing of us old ministers, the throne will undoubtedly be yours... If you do not return to the country, we will be powerless to help you."

After much deliberation, Prince Jiao Shi and his advisors discussed the matter repeatedly. They didn't want to miss the opportunity, but they were also worried about falling into Sun Bin's trap. After much thought, Prince Jiao Shi decided to first send General Gao back to Linzi to find a way to meet with the Empress Dowager and have her verify the truth of Zou Ji's words before making a decision.

General Gao arrived in Linzi incognito, disguised as a craftsman, and entered the palace. Upon meeting the Empress Dowager, he first paid his respects on behalf of Prince Jiao Shi, and then asked the Empress Dowager to inquire about the condition of Prince Xuan's injuries. Feeling humiliated by Cao Yang's death, the Empress Dowager had not left her palace. Wanting to know about Prince Xuan's condition, she granted General Gao's request.

Supported by two palace maids, the Empress Dowager arrived at Prince Xuan's bedchamber. Zhong Lichun led her to Prince Xuan's bedside. Seeing that Prince Xuan's eyes were slightly closed and his face was pale, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but feel sad, after all, she had watched Prince Xuan grow up.

Zhong Lichun called softly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has come to see you..."

King Xuan of Qi opened his eyes weakly.

The Empress Dowager bent down and asked softly, "My son, are you feeling better?"

A tear rolled down King Xuan of Qi's cheek.

The Empress Dowager reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of King Xuan's eyes, comforting him, "My son, don't be sad, you will be alright..."

King Xuan of Qi shook his head helplessly, and another tear rolled down his cheek.

Zhong Lichun couldn't help but let out a soft sob, but then she tried her best to hold it back.

The Empress Dowager could no longer hold back, and her turbid tears welled up in her eyes.

King Xuan of Qi murmured, "Mother, I am not worthy of your tears, not worthy..."

The Empress Dowager was deeply moved and said, "My son, how can you say that... Although you are not my biological son, I watched you grow up, and I treat you like my own son..."

King Xuan of Qi said, "No, that's not what I meant... What I meant was... if I had given the throne to Jiao Shi earlier... my brother and I... wouldn't have... ended up fighting to the death..."

The Empress Dowager wiped away her tears and said sincerely, "My son, it was the tutor who was wrong... When he returns, I will definitely punish him severely."

"Mother... I am so relieved to hear your words..." King Xuan of Qi seemed tired and slowly closed his eyes.

"My son, my son, what's wrong..." the Empress Dowager called out anxiously.

King Xuan of Qi closed his eyes and murmured, "Mother... I'm tired... I want some peace and quiet..."

Tears flowed from the Empress Dowager's eyes once again.

When the Empress Dowager returned to her palace, her face still streaked with tears, she complained to General Gao, "The Imperial Envoy has gone too far! He has gone too far!"

General Gao explained, "If the young master doesn't do this, he won't be able to obtain the throne..."

The Empress Dowager angrily said, "Is it acceptable to kill one's own brother for the sake of the throne? Killing one's brother is unrighteous and disrespectful!"

Seeing the Empress Dowager's anger, General Gao quickly corrected her, "Your Majesty, the young master was wrong..."

The Empress Dowager instructed General Gao, "Go back and tell Jiao Shi to return immediately, kneel before his elder brother, and beg for his forgiveness. Otherwise, this old woman will not spare him!"

General Gao immediately returned to the capital of Wei and relayed the Empress Dowager's words to Prince Jiao Shi. Prince Jiao Shi then fully believed Zou Ji's words and secretly led the three Wei brothers and General Gao back to Linzi. Prince Jiao Shi first arranged for General Gao and the others to stay in guesthouses, then went to the palace to see the Empress Dowager. Kneeling before her, he begged for forgiveness. Tears welled in the Empress Dowager's eyes as she reached out a trembling hand to stroke his face, murmuring, "Jiao Shi…you have made your mother miss you terribly…"

Prince Jiaoshi embraced the Empress Dowager tightly, weeping, "Mother, I will never leave you again!"

The Empress Dowager stroked the head of the young master Jiao Shi and said, "You must keep your word..."

The young master Jiao Shi solemnly vowed, "I keep my word and will never leave Mother!"

The Empress Dowager thought of King Xuan lying on his deathbed, wiped away her tears, and said to Prince Jiao Shi, "Go quickly and see your brother. He is dying. Kneel before him and beg for his forgiveness until he dies... In this way, our father in the ancestral temple will not blame you, and the officials in the court will forgive you."

Gongzi Jiaoshi walked into King Xuan's palace in tears, saying as he went, "Brother, brother, I'm so sorry..."

When Prince Jiaoshi arrived at King Xuan of Qi's bedside, he was stunned.

King Xuan was not at his bedside.

"Master, wipe away your tears!" A dignified voice came from behind.

Gongzi Jiaoshi turned around, looking puzzled.

King Xuan of Qi and Zhongli Chun were standing behind him.

King Xuan of Qi scoffed, "I despise insincere weeping!"

Gongzi Jiaoshi then realized what was happening and angrily exclaimed, "So... you were deceiving me!"

King Xuan of Qi said, "It's not deception, it's a scheme. This scheme is called 'luring the tiger away from the mountain.'" King Xuan clapped his hands as he spoke.

A dozen or so palace guards emerged from behind the curtain and surrounded Prince Jiao Shi.

Prince Jiao Shi pointed at King Xuan of Qi in terror and said, "If you...if you kill me, my mother will not forgive you!"

King Xuan of Qi smiled coldly: "I will not kill you, but I will make sure you never see the light of day again."

Note: "Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain" is the fifteenth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. This stratagem means to lure the enemy away from a favorable position and then force them to submit. Sun Bin used this stratagem to trick Prince Jiao Shi into leaving the protection of Wei and returning alone to Qi, where he was easily captured. To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter: "Playing Hard to Get."