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

When Prince Jiao Shi decided to return to Linzi, Zou Ji advised him not to bring his troops back, lest Tian Ji and Sun Bin exploit the animosity between the two sides' soldiers to stir up trouble and create unnecessary complications. General Fei also advocated not bringing troops, saying that if anything happened in Linzi, the troops in Chui Du could provide support. Therefore, Prince Jiao Shi only brought General Gao and the Wei brothers back to Linzi.

While Sun Bin was capturing Prince Jiao Shi alive, the soldiers under the Tian State surrounded the guesthouse where General Gao and the Wei brothers were staying. At this time, General Gao and the Wei brothers were drinking and eating meat. Wei Zhong, drunk and confused, made a fuss about going out to find women. As soon as he went out, he staggered back in. He had been shot in the shoulder with an arrow, and blood was flowing out.

Wei Zhong knew things were going badly, so he casually threw out two wine cups, extinguishing the candles in the room.

From outside came Tian Guo's shouts: "General Gao, Wei brothers, Prince Jiao Shi has walked right into our trap and has been captured by the King. You will all come out and surrender now, or you will all die."

General Gao was extremely annoyed, fearing that he had fallen into Sun Bin's trap once again.

Tian Guo continued shouting, "General Gao, don't harbor any illusions. The guesthouse is surrounded by archers. You can't escape even if you grow wings. The only way to survive is to surrender."

Wei Bo grabbed a table as a shield, intending to charge out. General Gao stopped him, saying, "A direct assault won't work; they outnumber us and have bows and arrows."

Wei Bo shouted, "Bows and arrows are nothing! At worst, we'll just die!"

Uncle Wei's eyes darted around, and he said, "If we can avoid death, we should... Brother, watch me." Uncle Wei walked to the door and shouted to the person outside, "Listen up, General outside! We can surrender, but you must keep your word and spare our lives."

Tian Guo said loudly, "Don't worry, I, Tian Guo, always keep my word."

Uncle Wei continued, "Then I would like to trouble you, General, to obtain a decree from the King of Qi to pardon our crimes."

Wei Bo whispered to Wei Shu, "Brother, even if the King of Qi pardons us, we cannot surrender."

Uncle Wei explained, "This is just a delaying tactic."

The order arrived quickly, and Uncle Wei wanted to verify it personally. Tian Guo's general walked to the door and slipped a bamboo slip through the crack. Suddenly the door opened, and Uncle Wei pulled the general inside, lifted him up with one hand, held him protectively in front of him, said "Go" to the people behind him, and rushed out of the guesthouse with the general in his arms.

The soldiers inside the courtyard were about to fire their arrows when they realized that their general was blocking Wei Bo's path, rendering them unable to shoot. While the soldiers hesitated, Wei Zhong, who had rushed out of the guesthouse, threw a handful of stones, knocking away the torches held by the soldiers in the courtyard. Wei Zhong then threw another handful of stones, striking more than a dozen soldiers guarding the courtyard gate, who fell to the ground.

Wei Bo and the others seized the opportunity to rush out of the courtyard. Under the cover of darkness, they scaled the city wall and ran a long distance in one breath, only stopping when dawn was breaking.

Wei Bo, panting, said to General Gao, "General Gao, we brothers have never been so disheveled before..."

Wei Zhong chimed in, "It's all because you lied about military intelligence."

Uncle Wei said, "What do you suggest? We brothers can't have come all this way for nothing."

General Gao wiped his sweat and said, "I only have three taels of gold on me. If you don't mind that it's too little, you can take it... Or, you can arrest me and hand me over to the King of Qi, and he will reward you."

"You do have some backbone," Wei Bo sneered, "but you're worthless, not even three taels of gold!"

General Gao, though furious, stopped himself and said, "If you want more rewards, stay here and help me rescue the young master and kill the King of Qi."

Wei Zhong asked, "Just the four of us?"

General Gao said, "We still have people inside Linzi City."

Uncle Wei asked, "You mean Zou Ji?"

General Gao shook his head and said, "No, we're just using him."

Wei Zhong then asked, "Who is that?"

General Gao said, "The people you left behind when you left Linzi are all loyal followers who would risk their lives for you."

Wei Zhong asked Wei Bo, "Brother, what do you think, should we keep them or not?"

Wei Bo had his own plans in mind, and said to General Gao, "We'll stay because you have some backbone."

General Gao knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "On behalf of the young master, I thank you all!"

When the Empress Dowager heard that Prince Jiao Shi had been captured by King Xuan, she went to find King Xuan in a fit of rage. Pointing at him, she scolded, "Bi Jiang, how dare you deceive your mother, deceive your brothers, and deceive the world! You have disgraced our ancestors, and they will not forgive you!"

King Xuan of Qi calmly said, "Your Majesty, I did this for the sake of our ancestors. They will not only not blame me, but will also praise my actions."

The Empress Dowager sneered, "You use tricks to treat your own mother and your own brothers. How could our ancestors have approved of such behavior?!"

King Xuan of Qi said, “Your Majesty, the state founded by our ancestors cannot be divided by anyone; the descendants of our ancestors should not betray the state. Prince Jiao Shi has betrayed the state and become an enemy of Qi. Your Majesty will not allow me to kill him, so I had no choice but to use a scheme to lure him back and make him submit. By doing this, I have both maintained the stability of the state and obeyed your orders. Do you think our ancestors would not approve of me?”

The Empress Dowager was speechless. After a moment, she said, "This old woman will not listen to your sophistry. I have only one sentence: you are not allowed to kill Prince Jiaoshi!"

King Xuan of Qi retorted, "Your Majesty, I never intended to kill Prince Jiao Shi. It was precisely because I did not wish to kill him that I devised a plan to capture him alive..."

"Stop talking," the Empress Dowager interrupted King Xuan of Qi, "Just don't kill Prince Jiao Shi!"

The Empress Dowager left, and King Xuan of Qi breathed a sigh of relief. Zhong Lichun emerged from the inner chamber and said to King Xuan, "The Empress Dowager has been far too rude and unreasonable to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty tolerates such unreasonable behavior, she will surely take advantage of it!"

King Xuan of Qi said, "I have already captured Prince Jiaoshi. Even if the Empress Dowager pushes her luck, she cannot save Prince Jiaoshi."

King Xuan of Qi underestimated both the Queen Dowager and Prince Jiao Shi. Imprisoned, Prince Jiao Shi refused to eat or drink, threatening suicide to see the Queen Dowager. King Xuan initially didn't want to grant Prince Jiao Shi's request, but worried that if Jiao Shi starved to death, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the Queen Dowager, so he reluctantly agreed to let them meet.

When the Empress Dowager saw Jiao Shi, he was lying on a tattered mat in his prison cell, his hair disheveled, his eyes half-closed, and his face haggard. The Empress Dowager walked up to Jiao Shi, looked him up and down with suspicion, and asked, "You... are you my son, Jiao Shi?"

Gongzi Jiaoshi struggled to his feet, looked at the Empress Dowager, and said sorrowfully, "Mother, it's me, it's Jiaoshi..."

Tears immediately streamed down the Empress Dowager's face. She reached out a trembling hand to stroke the haggard face of the young master, saying, "My son, Jiao Shi... how did you become like this... I don't even recognize you anymore..."

With tears streaming down his face, Gongzi Jiaoshi choked out, "This is... missing Mother... missing... longing for Mother..."

The Empress Dowager held Prince Jiaoshi tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her face, and cried, "Mother will never leave you... I will never leave you again..."

The Empress Dowager could wait no longer. She wanted King Xuan to immediately release Jiao Shi and have him live by her side to care for and protect him. Upon seeing King Xuan, she said to him, "My son, if you still respect me as your Empress Dowager, release Jiao Shi immediately!"

King Xuan of Qi sensed something was amiss, but quickly regained his composure and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Jiaoshi's regicide and rebellion endanger the state and deserve no pardon. My sparing his life is already a great act of leniency. If he is released, what laws will remain in Qi?"

The Empress Dowager said, "This old woman doesn't concern herself with the laws of the land, only with family ties. Since you are the tutor's elder brother, you should be lenient and release him!"

King Xuan of Qi said solemnly, "I am not only Prince Jiao Shi's elder brother, but also his ruler. As an elder brother, I have done more than enough for him; as a ruler, I cannot allow a traitor to go unpunished!"

The Empress Dowager's face was filled with anger as she coldly said, "So you're saying you're unwilling to release the army from the suburbs?"

"Yes, if we release Prince Jiaoshi, I will be unable to answer to the officials in the court, to the people of the country, and to the nation."

"Fine, then lock the old woman up in jail too. The old woman wants to stay with the suburban teacher!"

King Xuan of Qi was taken aback and said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed... You are putting your son in a position of being unfilial and unrighteous."

"Then release Jiao Shi. If you don't release him, this old woman will go to jail with him!"

King Xuan of Qi had no choice but to ask Sun Bin for advice. Sun Bin suggested releasing Prince Jiao Shi, but King Xuan hesitated, saying, "Once Prince Jiao Shi is released, he certainly won't give up; he'll cause trouble again... If he escapes to Wei, it won't be easy to catch him again..."

Sun Bin smiled slightly and said, "After Prince Jiaoshi comes out, Your Majesty should pretend to be helpless against the Empress Dowager and ignore what Prince Jiaoshi has done. He thinks there is an opportunity and will not leave Linzi. Once Your Majesty catches him red-handed, you can put him back in prison. In this way, the Empress Dowager will have nothing to say."

Upon receiving news of Prince Jiao Shi's release from prison, General Gao immediately brought the three Wei brothers to see him. Jiao Shi, grateful for the brothers' unwavering loyalty during his time of hardship, arranged for them to stay in his palace and even found them beautiful women. He instructed them to obey his orders and never venture out on their own to cause trouble, lest they ruin his grand plan.

After arranging things for the three brothers, Gongzi Jiaoshi went to visit Zou Ji, forgiving Zou Ji for failing to see through Sun Bin's conspiracy. He asked Zou Ji to continue secretly contacting the court officials so that one day he could help him control the government and stabilize the country.

Prince Jiao Shi was making trouble, and Tian Ji was worried. He said to Sun Bin, "Zou Ji sent someone to tell us that Prince Jiao Shi's ambition to usurp the throne has not died. General Gao is secretly gathering his old troops, and the Wei brothers have returned to Linzi. They also want to assassinate the king... Sir, we cannot just wait. We should find a way to stop Prince Jiao Shi from acting recklessly."

Sun Bin said, "Now, waiting is the best course of action."

"I'm worried that if we're careless and they succeed, the consequences will be unimaginable... Sir, we should find an excuse to arrest the assassins."

"He will find another assassin."

"Then we'll force the assassin to confess. With the assassin's confession, we can put Young Master Jiao back in jail."

"The Empress Dowager will also force the King to release the prisoners."

"So, according to you, we have no way to deal with Master Jiao?"

"Use the tactic of feigning indifference to lure the young master Jiao Shi into action, allowing him to make his own move, and then eliminate him when he does."

"I'm always worried... that doing this is too risky..."

"To achieve complete victory, sometimes you have to take risks."

The Wei brothers lived in the Prince's mansion, watching beautiful women dance, eating meat heartily, and drinking wine from large bowls, living a rather pleasant life. But after a while, they grew tired of the same routine. They were used to being outdoors, and without leaving the house, even the best wine and the most beautiful women lost their flavor. So they decided to go for a walk in the streets.

The streets of Linzi were bustling with activity, a vibrant mix of people and goods. The three Wei brothers strolled through the market, their eyes dazzled by the sights, reluctant to leave. They regretted listening to their tutor, Gongzi, and having been cooped up in the house for so many days.

Just then, Sun Bin's carriage happened to pass by on the street, and all the passersby greeted him respectfully. The three brothers had never seen Sun Bin before, and when they heard that the person sitting in the carriage was Sun Bin, they all crowded forward to look at him.

Sun Bin inadvertently caught a glimpse of the three brothers, each with a distinct appearance, and their murderous gazes were deeply imprinted in his mind.

Ever since meeting Sun Bin, Wei Bo had been thinking, why not assassinate Sun Bin first? Killing Sun Bin would still bring him fame throughout the land. He told Wei Zhong and Wei Shu about his idea. Wei Shu disagreed because Prince Jiao Shi had not allowed them to act on their own.

"He's afraid of Sun Bin, but I'm not," Wei Bo said dismissively.

Wei Shu voiced his concerns: "We are employed by the young master. Even if we kill Sun Bin, we will not receive a generous reward unless he gives the order."

"Hmph, after killing Sun Bin, I'll go to the young master for a reward. If he doesn't give me a generous reward, I won't let him go."

"Brother, it would be best to inform the young master."

"Tell him we can't kill him then."

"Third brother, let's do it," Wei Zhong also agreed to kill Sun Bin. He said to Uncle Wei, "After all, killing people is more exciting than sleeping with women."

A crescent moon hung in the quiet night sky. Everyone was asleep, and the streets and alleys were so quiet and unguarded.

The three Wei brothers scaled the wall of the Tian residence and quietly made their way to Sun Bin's residence. They gently opened the door and went inside. Behind a low table sat a man, slumped over it, already asleep. The candlelight on the table illuminated him, revealing that he was wearing the same clothes Sun Bin had worn on the street during the day.

Wei Bo walked over to the man and sneered, "Mr. Sun, wake up, it's time to get going..." He then shoved the man. Wei Bo sensed something was wrong, grabbed the man's collar, and pulled him off the table. He saw that it was a dummy. The three brothers knew something was amiss and turned to slip out of the house.

The three brothers escaped without encountering any resistance within the Tian family compound. They fled back to the Prince's mansion in one breath, their minds filled with confusion.

Wei Zhong, panting, said, "Someone must have leaked the information."

Wei Bo shook his head and said, "Impossible, only the three of us know about this."

"Sun Bin probably has no idea we're going to kill him," Wei Shu said after a moment's thought. "If he did, he would have already laid an ambush inside and outside the courtyard."

Wei Bo nodded, then said, "However, if he didn't know, why did he put a dummy in the room?"

Uncle Wei, thinking himself clever, said, "The dummy was always in his house, while the real person had another place to live. This is called taking precautions before problems arise."

Wei Zhongdao said, "That makes sense... It's a pity that Third Brother didn't think of this beforehand."

"What do you think, should we tell the young master about this?" Wei Bo asked.

Wei Shu said, "We can't tell him. If we tell the young master, he will definitely think twice and hesitate to take action against the Prince of Qi. In that case, we don't know how much longer we will have to wait."

Wei Zhong held the opposite opinion, saying, "We should tell the prince that we have already alerted Sun Bin, who will surely strengthen his defenses. If the prince is unaware of this and acts rashly, it will be difficult to succeed."

Wei Shu said, "If Sun Bin strengthens his own defenses, he will inevitably neglect the defenses of the royal palace. Wouldn't it be more certain for us to kill the King of Qi?"

Wei Bo thought Wei Shu's words made sense.

Sun Bin didn't sleep that night; he played chess with Tian Ji the whole time. He had a premonition from the menacing looks in the three brothers' eyes that they might make their move that night. Only after the brothers left did he tell Tian Ji about their assassination attempt. Tian Ji complained to Sun Bin, "Why didn't you tell me about such a big thing beforehand? I could have laid an ambush in the courtyard and captured them alive to eliminate this threat."

Sun Bin laughed and said, "That's precisely why I can't tell you. I don't want to alarm Young Master Jiao. I want to continue to indulge him so that he can make his move sooner."

"If they fail this time, they'll come back..." Tian Ji glanced at Sun Bin, "If it weren't for your premonition, you'd probably be dead already... We must eliminate these assassins; they're too dangerous!"

"Eliminating the assassin will surely frighten away Prince Jiao Shi. If he escapes to Wei again, eliminating him will become even more difficult."

"Then what do you suggest we do? Assassins could come at any time. If we're careless, it will be too late to regret it."

Sun Bin smiled slightly and said, "General, don't worry, I've already made up my mind. We'll leave Linzi and go to my fiefdom, Bochang... Is that safe?"

Tian Ji nodded and said, "Alright, you can leave tomorrow, I'll stay in Linzi."

"You can't stay; you have to leave too."

"If I leave, who will protect the king?"

"My goal is to make Prince Jiao Shi feel that we have no intention of protecting the King. That way, he will act quickly, and we can get rid of him as soon as possible."

The news of Tian Ji and Sun Bin leaving Linzi quickly reached Prince Jiaoshi's ears. He felt his opportunity to start a rebellion had arrived, but he needed to find out the reason for their departure to avoid falling into another trap. He ordered Zou Ji to investigate, and Zou Ji quickly uncovered the truth. Zou Ji told him, "Last night, someone broke into Tian's residence and attempted to assassinate Sun Bin, but failed. Sun Bin discovered the attempt afterward... His departure from Linzi with Tian Ji must be related to this."

Gongzi Jiaoshi asked, "You mean they're afraid?"

Zou Ji shook his head and said, "Sun Bin and Tian Ji are by no means cowards. The reason they left is another matter... Tian Ji and Sun Bin both want to establish a lasting legacy in Qi. To achieve this, they must ensure the stability of Qi's court. Therefore, they were determined to eliminate the prince. However, Your Majesty is afraid of the Queen Dowager and is too lenient with the prince. They have shown their disillusionment to many officials and are unwilling to interfere in the struggle for the throne... Last night, they encountered assassins again. They must have thought that dying at the hands of assassins was not worth it and that it would be better to leave Linzi, this place of trouble, for the time being."

Gongzi Jiaoshi nodded in agreement: "Mr. Zou is right... However, as far as I know, no one in Linzi City wants to kill them, nor does anyone dare to kill them."

"Didn't you want to kill them, young master?"

But I didn't do it.

"Young master, do you not believe me?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"It is said that three people went to the Tian residence last night to assassinate Sun Bin... Besides the Wei brothers, who else could these three be?"

"It couldn't be the Wei brothers. They wouldn't act on their own without my orders."

Zou Ji sighed and said, "It's understandable that you don't believe me, sir. After all, I tricked you into coming to Linzi and almost lost your life..."

Gongzi Jiaoshi hurriedly said, "Mr. Zou, please don't misunderstand. I will confront the Wei brothers face to face right now."

Zou Ji pretended to be indifferent: "Forget it, it's not worth taking such a small matter so seriously."

Gongzi Jiaoshi said calmly, "This is no small matter. If the Wei brothers are not assassins, Sun Bin's departure from Linzi is very likely a conspiracy."

Prince Jiaoshi summoned the Wei brothers and questioned them about their alleged assassination attempt on Sun Bin. The Wei brothers unanimously denied it. Wei Zhong said to Prince Jiaoshi, "My lord, we haven't left the manor these past few days. How could we possibly have gone to assassinate Sun Bin?"

Gongzi Jiaoshi said, "What's done is done. I won't blame you."

Uncle Wei said, "We didn't go, that's all. We're not afraid of the young master's wrath."

Zou Ji chimed in, "If it weren't you, who else would you dare? No one else would have the guts."

Wei Zhong said, "We may have courage, but we will never use it without your orders, sir."

Zou Ji asked, "Do you dare to swear an oath?"

Uncle Wei replied dismissively, "This is a trivial matter; there's no need for an oath."

"You wouldn't dare," Zou Ji deliberately provoked them.

"What's there to be afraid of? I swear..." Uncle Wei drew his sword, pointing it to the sky: "If I, Uncle Wei, were to assassinate Sun Bin, I would die..."

Wei Bo, who had been silent all along, snatched the sword from Wei Shu's hand and said to him very seriously, "You can lie about other things, but you cannot lie to Heaven." He turned to Gongzi Jiaoshi and said, "My lord, we did indeed try to assassinate Sun Bin last night, but unfortunately we failed. If this has disrupted your plans, we are willing to accept punishment."

The young master's face immediately lit up with joy, and he said, "Not only will I not punish you, but I will also reward you!"

The three brothers looked at Gongzi Jiaoshi with puzzlement.

Gongzi Jiaoshi said, "Sun Bin and Tian Ji have been scared away by you. Seizing the throne will be as easy as taking something out of a bag!"

Wei Bo immediately became interested and said, "My lord, let's go and kill the King of Qi today."

Gongzi Jiaoshi said smugly, "No, we won't kill him. We'll surround the palace and force Bijiang to hand over the throne. That way, we'll avoid a lot of trouble afterward."

Prince Jiao Shi, General Gao, and the Wei brothers, leading General Gao's former troops, surrounded the palace. General Gao, with an air of arrogance, shouted to the palace guards standing on the palace walls, "Please tell the King that if he does not grant the prince's request, we will attack the palace!"

The palace guard general replied, "General Gao, the king said that even if he dies, he will not relinquish the throne to a traitor."

"Then we're sorry." General Gao raised his sword, and a dozen rebel soldiers, carrying a huge log battering ram, rammed towards the palace gate.

With a loud crash at the palace gates, a dense mass of archers emerged from the palace walls, unleashing a barrage of arrows at the rebel army below. Caught off guard, the rebels were thrown into chaos.

Before the rebels could react, the sound of rapid war drums and shouts of battle erupted behind them.

General Gao realized they had fallen for his trap once again. He pushed aside the soldiers driving the carriage and personally drove away, with the Wei brothers close behind. General Gao's men were thrown into chaos and scattered in all directions.

Prince Jiaoshi was unable to escape. He was trapped under the palace wall by the soldiers of the Tian Kingdom. The archers drew their bows and aimed at Prince Jiaoshi, who was standing on the royal chariot.

A volley of arrows flew past, and Gongzi Jiaoshi was struck by one, falling from the carriage.

Prince Jiao Shi never expected to die. He struggled to get up and went to see the Empress Dowager.

At Tian Guo's command, "Kill him! Don't let him live!"

The soldiers simultaneously thrust their weapons at Gongzi Jiaoshi.

Note: "To lure the enemy into a trap, one must first let him go," the sixteenth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. It means that to more effectively eliminate the enemy, one intentionally lets him go temporarily, causing him to lower his guard, and then seizes the opportunity to annihilate him. Sun Bin used this stratagem to let Prince Jiao Shi go during his rebellion, and then eliminated him when the rebellion began. To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter: "Resurrection."