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

After the fake prince's identity was exposed, more and more soldiers deserted from Maling City. General Gao strengthened the city patrols to prevent the number of deserters from increasing, and sent Uncle Wei to Chuidu to persuade General Fei to lead troops to support Maling in order to stabilize the morale of the army.

General Fei, fearing Sun Bin and worried about being ambushed by the Qi army on the way, said to Uncle Wei, "Go back and tell General Gao to break out towards Chui Du. I will lead the army to meet you."

Wei Shu said, "The morale of the troops at Maling is wavering. If we leave Maling, most of the soldiers will take the opportunity to desert. At that time, not only will we fail to break through the encirclement, but the entire army will be wiped out... General Fei, you can't just stand by and watch us die!"

General Fei said with difficulty, "It's not that I'm refusing to help, but I'm worried that Sun Bin will launch another 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' strategy and ambush my army on the way."

"General Fei is overthinking it. Sun Bin only has 50,000 troops. It is already beyond his strength to besiege Maling. He does not have enough troops to ambush General Fei."

"That's hard to say. Sun Bin has always been a master of deception, mixing truth with falsehood."

Uncle Wei knew that General Fei was truly terrified of Sun Bin, and sighed, "General Gao was right after all..." He bowed to General Fei and said, "General Fei, I won't make things difficult for you. I will go back and tell General Gao to surrender to Sun Bin."

"You're threatening me!" General Fei's face immediately darkened.

Wei Shu said, "General Fei, I had no intention of coercing you... To tell you the truth, when I came to ask for help, General Gao did not approve. He said that General Fei was afraid of Sun Bin and dared not send troops; he planned to surrender to Sun Bin. The three of us brothers were recommended to him by General Fei. We argued with him on his behalf, and General Gao finally agreed to let me come to Chui Du to give it a try. Unexpectedly, General Fei is just as General Gao said. The three of us brothers have no reason to stop him from surrendering..."

General Fei remained silent. If he lost the Qi rebels, Pang Juan would not forgive him, but he was unwilling to confront Sun Bin. Seeing General Fei's hesitation, Wei Shu rose to take his leave, but General Fei stopped him, gritting his teeth and saying, "Go back and tell General Gao to hold Maling. My army will arrive soon."

After Uncle Wei left, General Fei did not immediately launch an attack. Instead, he sent a messenger on horseback back to Daliang to ask Pang Juan for a decision.

Pang Juan agreed to General Fei's plan to send troops to Maling, instructing him to advance cautiously with a small force in front and the main force behind, step by step, so that Sun Bin would have no opportunity to attack. After arriving at Maling, he was to set up camp twenty miles outside the city, coordinating with the garrison inside Maling. He was not to engage Sun Bin in battle easily, but to wear him down until he was exhausted. Then, Pang Juan would lead the Wei army from Daliang to attack.

As dawn broke, wisps of morning mist drifted over the walls of Maling City. General Gao had arrived at the city wall early in the morning, patrolling the city while keeping a close watch on the direction of Chui Du. He eagerly awaited General Fei's arrival; if General Fei's army were to arrive a few days later, Maling City would crumble.

Suddenly, shouts came from ahead: "Grab him! Catch the deserter!"

General Gao looked up and saw a bearded soldier walking towards him.

General Gao drew his sword and blocked the bearded soldier's path, shouting, "Halt!"

The bearded soldier hesitated, but it was too late to stop. He charged at General Gao with his sword raised. General Gao deflected the sword, sidestepped, and kicked the bearded soldier. The soldier was knocked to the ground, his sword flying from his hand.

Before the bearded soldier could even get up, General Gao's sword was already pressed against his throat. Undeterred, the bearded soldier rose from the ground and said, "Kill me then, I don't intend to live anyway!"

A sergeant led several soldiers in pursuit, and the soldiers stepped forward and captured the bearded soldier.

General Gao sheathed his sword and asked the squad leader, "What number is he?"

The sergeant asked, "General, do you mean in total, or just today?"

"today."

"The third one..." The sergeant looked timidly at General Gao.

The bearded soldier standing nearby sneered, "I'm the sixth!"

The sergeant quickly corrected him, "General, this is the third one we've caught."

General Gao grunted in acknowledgment and said to the sergeant, "You may leave now. Hand him over to me."

The sergeant led his soldiers away.

General Gao said to the bearded soldier, "Do you know what I'm going to do with you?"

"It's just beheading and public display of power," the bearded soldier sneered.

"No, I'll tear you to pieces!" General Gao said, trying to scare him.

"It's all the same, we'll all die, it's just a matter of suffering a little more." The bearded soldier seemed indifferent.

General Gao stared at his face for a moment and then said, "If I don't kill you this time, will you still try to escape?"

The bearded soldier answered decisively, "Run."

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"No, I'm afraid of death. Even ants know how to survive, let alone humans. Besides, I have elderly parents to care for and young children to raise; how can I not be afraid of death?"

"Then why did you run away?"

"There must be hope in life. I thought that with the Empress Dowager's support, Prince Jiao Shi would one day rule the State of Qi. At that time, I could get an official position and return home to bring glory to my ancestors... But who would have thought that this Prince Jiao Shi was an imposter... General Gao, tell me, what hope do we have left?"

General Gao was silent for a moment before speaking, "It's always better to be alive than dead."

The bearded soldier shook his head and said, "That depends on how you live. If you have to deceive your ancestors and betray your country to survive, then living is worse than dying."

General Gao remained silent.

"General Gao, kill me! Kill me, and I can at least earn the reputation of never betraying my country, even unto death!"

"You have betrayed the country. Our capture of Maling is an act of defiance against the country."

"It's no wonder I was deceived; my family and ancestors will forgive me. Now that I know the truth, if I still refuse to abandon darkness and embrace the light, not only will my family despise me, but my descendants will also scorn me!"

General Gao silently looked at the bearded soldier, and after a moment said, "I am by no means a heartless person, nor am I someone who abandons my ancestors and country. I really want to let you go, but I can't. I am a general who leads troops. Even if a general has gone astray, he cannot tolerate his soldiers betraying him. Only by killing the traitor will his soldiers obey his commands without hesitation." General Gao drew his sword. "I'm sorry, brave warrior..." he said, raising his sword.

"General, wait..."

"You regret it?"

"No. Please kill me from behind, General."

"Are you afraid to face death?" General Gao asked, puzzled.

"No, I am not the general's enemy, but a deserter under your command. Enemies should die fighting face to face with the general, while deserters should die with their backs to the general." The bearded soldier said, turning his back to General Gao. "Please, General, make your move."

General Gao raised his sword again, hesitated for a moment, then lowered it once more and sighed, "I'll let you go. Go."

The bearded soldier was stunned. He turned around and asked, "Why did the general release me?"

General Gao said, "It's rare to find such a sensible soldier among my men. It would be a great pity to kill you... If I had discovered you earlier, I would have made you a general, but now it's too late... You may leave."

The bearded soldier was deeply moved and said, "If I were to leave you now, General, it would be too heartless and ungrateful."

"Then you'll stay?" General Gao was overjoyed.

The bearded soldier shook his head and said, "If I stay, it would be a great act of treason."

General Gao said disappointedly, "Then you should leave."

The bearded soldier kowtowed to General Gao and said, "I will repay your kindness in my next life."

General Gao urged, "Let's go. If we don't leave now, and someone sees us, I won't be able to say anything."

The bearded soldier got up, went to the city wall, and climbed onto the battlements.

General Gao shouted from behind, "The rope!"

The bearded soldier turned around, smiled slightly, and said, "No need." After he finished speaking, he jumped headfirst off the city wall.

General Gao walked to the edge of the battlements, looked at the bearded soldier who had fallen to his death beneath the city wall, and let out a long sigh.

As the sun shone brightly, General Fei's army arrived, and General Gao finally felt relieved. General Fei set up camp twenty li from Maling, adopting a defensive posture. He sent word to General Gao that Pang Juan's army was approaching. Before Pang Juan arrived, if Sun Bin attacked Maling, he would seize the opportunity to raid Sun Bin's main camp, preventing Sun Bin from defending both ends; if Sun Bin made a show of force and only sent a small force to attack the city, he would ignore it; if Sun Bin attacked his main camp, he would hold his ground; if Sun Bin withdrew his army, he would return to Chui Du with General Gao.

"Excellent!" General Gao laughed. "Sun Bin will be helpless against us now."

Since the Empress Dowager was injured at the foot of Maling City, Zhong Lichun had been living with her, feeding her medicine, delivering meals, taking care of her daily needs, and dressing her with utmost devotion. Within a few days, the Empress Dowager was able to get out of bed and walk again. She was very grateful to Zhong Lichun and liked her very much, treating her like her own daughter.

Every morning, the first thing the Empress Dowager thought about was attacking Maling. She wanted to see the fake prince executed on the spot to vent her anger. However, Sun Bin was slow to send troops, which made the Empress Dowager anxious. That night, the Empress Dowager took Zhong Lichun to see Sun Bin, demanding a clear answer from him.

Sun Bin said to the Empress Dowager, "Empress Dowager, I plan to postpone the attack on Maling and instead take advantage of the situation to attack Chui Du, a border city of Wei. Chui Du is weak and easy to capture."

The Empress Dowager was very displeased and asked, "The fake prince is in Maling, what use is it for you to occupy Chuidu?"

Sun Bin explained, "Chuidu is a key border town of Wei. Occupying Chuidu will provide Qi with another barrier on its borders. In addition, it will allow us to mobilize Wei's army. If they return to retake Chuidu, we can find an opportunity to defeat them en route. With Wei's army defeated, Maling will fall without a fight."

The Empress Dowager said, "That's wishful thinking on your part. What if the rebels at Maling take the opportunity to escape?"

"The rebels in Maling are like frightened birds. If they escape from Maling, we can avoid the difficulty of besieging the city and wipe them out in the wilderness without a bloody battle."

"You have a good idea, but you are not sure. If the fake prince escapes in the chaos, he will continue to use my son's name to swindle and ruin my reputation... In short, you cannot attack Chui Du. You must do everything you can to besiege Maling and not give the fake prince any chance to escape."

"Your Majesty, if we attack Maling, the Wei army, which is only twenty miles away, will not take us lightly. We will be attacked from both sides."

"Why didn't you attack Maling before the Wei army arrived?"

"Your Majesty, a direct assault would result in too many casualties. If we cannot capture it quickly, the Wei army from Chui Du will arrive, which would be even more disadvantageous for us..."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand to interrupt him, saying, "You don't need to explain anymore. I only have one thing to say: you must take Maling as soon as possible and eliminate the fake prince. If you are not confident, I will have the King send a large army to Maling. Tell me, do you want to send a large army to Maling?"

Sun Bin said, "No need."

The Empress Dowager asked, "Then, how many days will it take you to capture Maling?"

Sun Bin pondered for a moment and said, "Three days."

The Empress Dowager then asked, "What if we can't take Maling in three days?"

"If you can't take Maling, take my head."

"Okay, it's settled then."

Zhongli Chun said to Sun Bin with concern, "Strategist, don't speak so definitively."

Sun Bin smiled slightly and said, "The art of war says: 'Put them in a desperate situation, and then they will live.'"

After the Empress Dowager and Zhongli Chun left, Tian Guo asked Sun Bin, "Strategist, should we still attack Chui Du?"

Sun Bin said, "Of course we must fight."

What if the Empress Dowager blames us?

"A general in the field can disobey the emperor's orders, let alone the Empress Dowager," Sun Bin said to Qin Hua. "Mr. Qin, General Tian and I cannot leave the camp. We can only trouble you to lead the army to Chui Du. What do you say?"

Qin Hua laughed heartily: "Strategist, there's no need for such formalities. Since you need me, I should serve you."

Sun Bin asked, "How many men do you need?"

Qin Hua thought for a moment and said, "Five thousand."

"Five thousand men is a bit too few; I can give you another five thousand."

"Five thousand is already quite a lot. The strategist has to deal with General Fei's army and also encircle and annihilate the rebels in Maling. He must leave enough troops."

"If the sneak attack fails to succeed quickly, not only will you be in a dilemma, but it will also affect the overall situation."

"Hmm... If Miss Zhongli could come with me, I would be confident of victory."

"I'm afraid the Empress Dowager won't agree."

"I'll go negotiate."

Qin Hua paid his respects to the Empress Dowager and asked, "Does Your Majesty wish to get rid of the fake prince as soon as possible?"

The Empress Dowager said, "Of course... I can't bear to see him live even an extra hour!"

Qin Hua then asked, "Does the Empress Dowager believe that Military Advisor Sun can capture Maling and eliminate the fake prince within three days?"

"What do you think?" the Empress Dowager asked in return.

"I believe that he will not be able to conquer Maling within three days."

"If he can't, the old woman will hold him accountable!"

"Your Majesty, I have a plan that can guarantee the elimination of the fake prince within three days."

What plan?

"This plan is very simple. Please have the Queen disguise herself as a rebel soldier, infiltrate Maling, and assassinate the fake prince."

"The Queen?" The Empress Dowager was taken aback upon hearing this. She looked at Zhongli Chun beside her and said, "No, she is a woman, and the Queen at that. How can she take on such a dangerous task?"

"Your Majesty, the Queen's swordsmanship is superb. Not only in Maling City, but even in the Qi army, no one can match the Queen." Qin Hua said, giving Zhong Lichun a wink.

Zhong Lichun said, "Your Majesty, what Mr. Qin said is correct. There is no one in Maling City who can match me. I can enter Maling as if it were an empty place."

The Empress Dowager said, "The rebels are numerous. No matter how skilled you are in swordsmanship, it will be difficult for you to defeat them all."

Zhong Lichun smiled and said, "Empress Dowager, don't forget, I entered the city disguised as a rebel. The rebels didn't recognize me, so what use are their numbers?"

"Your Majesty, this is too dangerous. I am truly worried. If the rebels discover this, how can I explain it to His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty, even if the rebels discover me, they won't be able to capture me. Your Majesty, have you forgotten that the assassin Cao Yang infiltrated Linzi all by himself? So many Qi guards couldn't do anything to him. If it weren't for my superior swordsmanship, he would have already escaped."

"Hmm...you're right." The Empress Dowager nodded and said to Qin Hua, "Why didn't you think of such a simple plan sooner?"

Qin Hua said, "It's not that we didn't think of it. Before the Empress Dowager saw through the fake prince, we didn't dare to assassinate him without her permission. After the Empress Dowager was injured, the Queen was busy taking care of her and couldn't get away, so we couldn't propose this plan."

The Empress Dowager sneered, "All these men of yours are not as good as one woman like us."

The next morning, as the morning light quietly peeked in through the tent flap, the Empress Dowager awoke. She habitually called out "Your Majesty" a few times, but no one answered from inside the tent. She opened her sleepy eyes, looked around, then at the tent flap, sat up, and clapped her hands.

"Your Majesty, what are your orders?" a guard asked respectfully as he entered the tent.

"Where is the Queen? Where has the Queen gone?"

"The Queen left last night... Empress Dowager, didn't you know that?"

"Oh, right, she's gone." The Empress Dowager remembered and said, "Let's go to the camp gate and wait for the Queen to return."

"The Queen will not be returning today."

"How do you know she won't come back? Maybe the Queen killed the fake prince last night and is on her way back now."

After the Empress Dowager finished washing and dressing, she came to the camp gate with the help of her guards. She looked into the distance through the fence.

The guard at the gate asked, "Empress Dowager, who are you waiting for?"

The Empress Dowager said, "Your Majesty."

The gatekeeper said, "The Queen won't be coming back; she might not even make it to Chui Du yet."

The Empress Dowager was taken aback and asked, "What did you say? The Queen went to Chui Du?"

The guard quickly gave the soldier a wink and corrected him, "He's wrong. The Queen didn't go to Chui Du; she went to Maling..."

“He’s right,” a soldier who was unaware of the situation walked over and said honestly, “The Queen did go to Chui Du. Last night, I saw the Queen leave the camp with Mr. Qin.”

The Empress Dowager, with a stern face, asked the guards, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

The guard stammered, "I... Mr. Qin told me not to say..."

The Empress Dowager stormed over to find Sun Bin, pointing angrily at him and saying, "Sun Bin, how dare you collude with Qin Hua to deceive this old woman... This is a crime of deceiving the Emperor!"

Sun Bin looked puzzled and said, "Your Majesty, I have not lied to you."

"Very well," the Empress Dowager calmed down and questioned, "Qin Hua told this old woman to send the Queen to assassinate the fake prince, but you sent her to Chui Du instead. What is this if not deception?"

"Your Majesty, after the Queen returned from Chui Du, she went to assassinate the fake prince."

"Last night, Qin Hua did not say that the Queen went to Chui Du first."

"Your Majesty, Mr. Qin did not say last night that the Queen should not go to Chui Du."

The Empress Dowager was speechless for a moment, then said, "Last night he said he would get rid of the fake prince within three days. Since the Queen has gone to Chui Du, how can she get rid of the fake prince within three days?"

Sun Bin stated, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we will definitely eliminate the fake prince within three days."

"What if we can't?"

"That would be committing the crime of deceiving one's superior."

"Fine, I'll settle the score with you in three days!"

As dawn broke, an exhausted Qi army, flying the banners of rebels, arrived outside Chui Du city. The Wei soldiers on the city walls, bows nocked and halberds in hand, watched the uninvited guests with heightened vigilance.

A Qi general standing on a carriage shouted loudly to the city wall, "Don't shoot arrows! We've come to seek refuge with Prince Jiao Shi. Please let us in."

The Wei general on the city wall sneered, "The prince is leading his troops at Maling, what are you doing in Chui Du?"

"Maling is completely surrounded by Sun Bin, and we cannot enter the city."

"You can go and seek refuge with General Fei; his camp is just outside Maling City."

"General Fei's troops and Sun Bin's camp are within sight of each other. General Fei is worried that we are feigning surrender and will not allow us to enter the camp."

The Wei general smiled and said, "Do you think I'm not worried?"

The Qi general said, "General, there is no need to worry. Sun Bin is over a hundred miles away, and we have less than a thousand men. If we feign surrender, wouldn't we be walking into a trap?"

The Wei general pondered for a moment and asked, "What proof do you have?"

"I have a recruitment letter for the position of tutor to the young master."

"Send someone to bring it up."

Zhong Lichun, disguised as a general, jumped off his horse and walked to the foot of the city wall. At this moment, a rope was hanging down from the city wall. Just as Zhong Lichun was about to climb up the rope, the Wei general said from the city wall: "You don't need to come up. Tie the letter to the rope."

Zhong Lichun looked up at the city wall; several Wei soldiers' arrows were aimed at her. She took out a letter, tied it to a rope, left the wall, and returned to her unit. Zhong Lichun whispered to the Qi general beside her, "Proceed with the second plan."

After reading the letter, the Wei general said to the people below the city, "I'm still not at ease."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Please lay down your weapons."

The Qi general threw his weapon on the ground and then shouted to the soldiers behind him, "Put down your weapons!"

The soldiers laid down their weapons, but still held their shields.

The Qi general said to those on the city wall, "Is it ready now?"

The Wei general said, "Soldiers, step back a hundred paces. Generals, enter the city first."

The Qi general ordered his soldiers, "Retreat a hundred paces."

The soldiers retreated in disarray, including Qin Hua, who was disguised as a soldier. Only seven or eight generals of Qi remained in front of the city gate, including Zhongli Chun.

The gates of Chui Du slowly opened, and Zhong Lichun and his generals led their horses toward the gate. Upon reaching the gate, Zhong Lichun suddenly stopped, casually drew a short sword from under his saddle, and with a swift swing, a flash of cold light appeared. Instantly, the Wei soldiers inside the gate fell dead. The Qi generals picked up the weapons of the Wei soldiers from the ground, leaped onto their horses, and followed Zhong Lichun into the city.

Outside the city, the Qin swindlers, disguised as soldiers, suddenly waved their flags. As if on command, the soldiers, with shield bearers in front and the others behind, rushed to the spot where they had just thrown down their weapons, picked them up, and shouted as they surged into the city gate.

Note: "Taking advantage of an opportunity" is the twelfth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. This stratagem means that if you discover a small weakness in the enemy, as long as you don't lose more than you gain, you should take advantage of it; even a small victory should not be missed. When Sun Bin was locked in a stalemate with the enemy and unable to gain the upper hand, he discovered that Chui Du was undefended and, taking advantage of the situation, seized Chui Du. To find out how Sun Bin turned a small victory into a major one, please read the next chapter: "Closing the Gate to Catch the Thief."