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

After the successful attack on Chui Du, Qin Hua instructed the captured Wei soldiers to tell General Fei outside Maling that if he did not leave Maling within two days, all the captured Wei soldiers in Chui Du should be killed. General Fei initially disregarded Qin Hua's words, but when the messenger mentioned a handsome general with exceptional swordsmanship in the Qi army, it immediately caught his attention. He was convinced that this general was Queen Zhongli Chun of Qi, and that if he could capture Zhongli Chun, Sun Bin would retreat without a fight. However, General Fei dared not act rashly and again sent a guard on horseback back to Daliang to report to Pang Juan.

Seeing that General Fei remained inactive, Sun Bin ordered each of the captured Wei soldiers in Chui Du to write a letter to their relatives and friends in General Fei's camp. Those who couldn't write were asked to have someone else write for them. These letters were then shot into General Fei's camp with arrows. The letters were mostly expressions of affection and homesickness. After reading them, General Fei believed Sun Bin was trying to demoralize the Wei army. He cursed Sun Bin and immediately ordered his generals to collect and burn all the letters shot in by the Qi army, threatening those who refused to hand them over with military law.

The soldiers resented General Fei's orders, and many refused to hand over the letter. A young soldier pleaded with his general, "General, please let me keep this letter. It's my brother's last letter..."

Other soldiers also spoke on his behalf:

"General, let him leave the letter. He and his brother depend on each other for survival, and he is already heartbroken enough that he cannot go to save his brother..."

"General, let him leave a letter. If his brother is killed by the Qi people, he will have something to look forward to."

The general wouldn't listen. He said sternly to the young soldier, "This is a military order. You can't keep even your father's letter, let alone your elder brother's. Hand it over, or I'll kill you."

The young soldier could no longer contain himself. He roared, "Kill them! If my brother can't live, I don't want to live either!"

The general drew his sword: "I'll ask you one more time, will you hand it over or not?"

The young soldier steeled his resolve and said, "I won't hand it over."

"Then I have no choice but to follow orders..." The general's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he raised his sword.

A burly captain strode over and grabbed the general's sword-wielding hand. The captain said to the general, "General, your sword should be aimed at the Qi people, not your own soldiers!"

The general angrily said to the sergeant, "You also want to disobey military orders?"

The sergeant, neither humble nor arrogant, said, "I just want to speak up for the soldiers."

The general, still furious, said viciously, "If this sword doesn't kill you, then say another word..."

The general raised his sword and thrust it at the sergeant. The sergeant hurriedly dodged, but the sword still pierced his shoulder, drawing blood. Seeing this, the soldiers were enraged and grabbed their weapons, surrounding the general.

The general looked at the enraged soldiers in horror and said, "What...what do you want to do?"

The young soldier, his eyes red, said, "When people are pushed to the limit, they'll do anything!"

The sergeant covered the wound on his arm and said to the general, "General, the soldiers' relatives and friends are being held hostage by the Qi people in Chui Du. They are already extremely anxious. Instead of trying to rescue the hostages, you are forcing your soldiers to hand over letters from their loved ones. Once the soldiers are pushed to the limit, they will fall into chaos without a fight."

The general said, "What do you know? This is a conspiracy by the people of Qi."

"As a general, you should try to thwart the Qi people's plot, not suppress the soldiers' hatred."

"Tell those words to General Fei. I'm just following his orders."

The sergeant led his angry soldiers to see General Fei, and said to him, "My brothers want to know, General, how you intend to rescue our brothers in Chui Du?"

General Fei said, "The people of Qi only want to use this as an excuse to lure us back; they won't kill us."

"What if we kill him?"

"I will avenge them."

"It's better to save them and bring them back to life than to seek revenge after they've died."

The young soldier shouted from the side, "If my brother dies, I'll take your life!"

General Fei glared and shouted, "Insolence!"

The young soldier glared and said, "We are being insolent! If you don't agree to return to Chui Du, we'll take your life right now!" As he spoke, he drew his sword, and the other soldiers followed suit.

Facing this group of extremely angry soldiers, General Fei cursed Sun Bin in his heart once again for being despicable and cunning.

The sergeant ordered his soldiers to put away their weapons, then calmly said to General Fei, "General Fei, you should understand how the soldiers feel right now. If your loved ones were captured by the Qi people and were about to die, you wouldn't stand idly by."

General Fei said, "I will exercise restraint. As a general commanding an army, I will not disregard the overall situation because of this."

"General Fei, if I were you, I would have to consider both the overall situation and saving lives."

"It's easier said than done."

The squad leader said, "It's not difficult. We can raid the Qi people's camp, capture the Qi people as hostages, and exchange them for our brothers."

"A sneak attack?" General Fei chuckled dismissively. "Not so easy. Sun Bin was prepared."

"General, you can find a way to lure Sun Bin's army out of the camp, and then launch a surprise attack. That would make things much easier."

"How can Sun Bin be at your beck and call?" General Fei sneered.

"General, you can pretend to return to Chuidu, and Sun Bin can then leave the camp."

General Fei was taken aback and looked at the sergeant, asking, "Who gave you this idea?"

"Sun Bin," the squad leader said in a deep voice, "We have clashed with Sun Bin many times. Sun Bin won by using feints and diversions, and by attacking from the east while striking from the west. I was inspired by him."

General Fei hadn't expected to have such a thoughtful squad leader among his men. To defeat a powerful enemy, one must be good at thinking, and he knew what to do. General Fei's spirits immediately lifted, and he said to his soldiers, "Go back and sharpen your weapons, prepare for a bloody battle with the Qi people."

Just as General Fei was planning to use a scheme to recapture Chui Du, Pang Juan finalized his plan to deal with Sun Bin. He ordered the messenger to quickly return to Maling and tell General Fei: hold the Maling camp and hold off Sun Bin. He immediately ordered Pang Cong to lead 30,000 troops to rush to Chui Du.

Pang Cong hadn't expected the army to march on Chui Du so soon. When Pang Juan sent someone to find him, he was standing alone in the woods outside the city, his burning eyes fixed on Zhong Liqiu by the stream beyond the woods. Zhong Liqiu had come to wash clothes; the newly washed garments were draped over the bushes beside her. She sat on the grass by the river, silently watching the white clouds reflected in the water. The patches of white clouds constantly changed their shapes, drifting slowly across the sky above the river.

Zhong Liqiu sighed softly and murmured to herself, "If only I were a cloud..."

"It's a pity you're not." Pang Cong had already walked up behind Zhong Liqiu.

Zhong Liqiu suddenly stood up, turned around, looked at Pang Cong warily, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

As Pang Cong walked forward, he said, "I wanted to talk to you about what's on my mind."

"Don't come any closer..." Zhong Liqiu backed away.

Pang Cong stopped and said with concern, "Be careful, there's a river behind us."

Zhong Liqiu subconsciously turned around and looked at the river behind her.

Pang Cong suddenly lunged forward and hugged Zhong Liqiu tightly.

Zhong Liqiu was terrified and struggled, crying out, "Let me go! Let me go!"

Pang Cong carried the struggling Zhong Liqiu away from the riverbank, leering, "You're going to be my wife... it was only a matter of time..."

Zhong Liqiu angrily shouted, "You bastard, I will not marry you! Let me go! Let me go!"

Pang Cong carried Zhong Liqiu to the bushes by the river and said, "You've already promised me, you can't not marry me..." As he spoke, he laid Zhong Liqiu down on the grass, pressed one hand against Zhong Liqiu's chest, and unbuttoned Zhong Liqiu's clothes with the other.

Zhong Liqiu gripped the opening of her clothes tightly with both hands and shouted, "Pang Cong, you damned bastard, I'd rather die than marry you!"

Pang Cong forcefully pulled away Zhong Liqiu's hands that were gripping her shirt, panting heavily, "Your cursing won't do any good. If I want you today, I'm going to have you!"

In her desperation, Zhong Liqiu inadvertently noticed the sword at Pang Cong's waist, and gradually stopped struggling, saying to Pang Cong, "Pang Cong, I promise you... let go..."

Pang Cong watched as Zhong Liqiu's body slowly relaxed, released Zhong Liqiu's hand, and a smug smile appeared on his face. He said, "That's right. It's no use not agreeing. You'll only suffer..." As he spoke, he took the sword from his waist, placed it on the ground, and then unbuckled his belt.

Zhong Liqiu suddenly reached out and grabbed Pang Cong's sword. She rolled over and stood up a few steps away, the sword already drawn from its sheath.

Pang Cong was taken aback, but immediately realized what was happening. He stood up and said with a cold smile, "As expected of Zhong Lichun's sister, she has some skills after all..." As he spoke, he slowly walked towards Zhong Liqiu.

Zhong Liqiu pointed his sword at Pang Cong, backing away, and said, "Don't come any closer, or I... won't be polite."

Pang Cong walked step by step toward Zhong Liqiu, smiled slightly, and said, "It's no use. Even though I'm empty-handed, I can still catch you again."

Zhong Liqiu suddenly turned his hand around, pointing the sword tip at his own abdomen, and said, "If you take another step forward, I'll die right in front of you!"

Pang Cong stopped, looked at Zhong Liqiu, and said helplessly, "Miss Zhongli, why are you doing this... You'll have to marry me sooner or later..."

Zhong Liqiu said bitterly, "You're dreaming! I'd rather die than marry a bastard like you!"

Pang Cong was silent for a moment, then said, "Miss Zhongli, please don't be angry. I just acted on a whim and couldn't control myself... I will never force you again."

"Fine, then please leave now and never bother me again."

Pang Cong stood there without moving.

"Go away, go away!" Zhong Liqiu roared.

Pang Cong began, "There's something I need to make clear..."

"Speak."

"I know it was you who told the spies in Qi about the whole story of the fake Prince Jiao Shi Feng Cuo..."

"So what if it is?"

"This is treason, and you will be executed."

Zhong Liqiu sneered, "I was never a citizen of your Wei Kingdom, so how can you say I'm a traitor?"

"You are the wife of Gongsun Yue of Wei."

"I have never acknowledged myself as his wife. I married him to rescue Sun Bin, and my return to your Wei Kingdom is also for Sun Bin."

After a moment of silence, Pang Cong said, "So you're saying you're a spy?"

"I'm glad you call me that."

"The traitor will die a much worse death."

"If you want, I can die right now!"

Pang Cong quickly said, "No, I don't want you to die. If I wanted you to die, I would have told my uncle about this long ago..." He stared at Zhong Liqiu, his eyes filled with longing, "I don't want to lose you." After Pang Cong finished speaking, he turned and left.

As Zhong Liqiu watched his departing figure, a sense of indescribable melancholy filled her heart.

When Pang Juan heard that Pang Cong was late because of a woman, he angrily scolded Pang Cong, "You're so infatuated with a woman that you're listless and can't find me even after several attempts... You'll ruin everything sooner or later!"

Pang Cong lowered his head and said, "Uncle, I was wrong..."

Pang Juan commanded sternly, "You are not allowed to go see Zhong Liqiu again!"

"Uncle, I can't live without her..." Pang Cong said, still keeping his head down.

Pang Juan, with a dignified expression, said solemnly, "As a general who has fought on the battlefield, there is no woman in the world I cannot live without."

"Uncle, I really can't..."

"Very well, from today onwards, you will leave your uncle and the army!"

Pang Cong remained silent; as a general, he could not leave his army.

Pang Juan looked at him for a moment, then softened his tone and said, "You've already heard about what happened in Chui Du, haven't you?"

Pang Cong nodded and said, "I've heard about it."

Pang Juan said, "You immediately lead 30,000 troops, marching day and night, to Chui Du. I will lead the main army to follow soon."

In order to recapture Chui Du and quell the soldiers' resentment, General Fei wrote to General Gao, saying that in order to retaliate against Sun Bin, he planned to pretend to return to retake Chui Du and draw Sun Bin's main force away from the camp. General Gao could then take the opportunity to attack Sun Bin's camp, making Sun Bin unable to attend to both sides.

General Gao saw through General Fei's scheme, but he didn't say anything. He said to the Wei brothers, "General Fei and I have agreed to attack Sun Bin's camp. To be cautious, I plan to send several dozen daredevils to infiltrate the enemy camp first. If Sun Bin is indeed unprepared, we will set fire to signal the attack, and then I will lead my troops out of Maling to completely destroy the enemy camp." He looked at the Wei brothers, "No one but you brothers can take on this task. However, this mission is dangerous, with a slim chance of survival. If you are unwilling to go, I will not force you."

When Sun Bin first arrived at Maling, the three brothers repeatedly proposed to attack Sun Bin's camp. General Gao was worried that if the three brothers failed, there would be no one else available to help them, so he refused. Now that General Gao was in charge, the three brothers could not refuse even if they did not want to go, so they had no choice but to agree.

That night, when the moon was high in the sky, General Fei's army left the camp without a sound or a neigh. Sun Bin then led his troops away from the Qi army camp as well. General Gao also saw the Wei brothers off, specially selecting fifty strong soldiers to help the three brothers.

Wei Bo and Wei Zhong slid down the city wall one by one using ropes. Wei Shu was the last to leave. He said to General Gao, "If you dare to deceive us brothers, even if you become a ghost, we will not forgive you."

Watching the Wei brothers disappear beneath the city walls, General Gao felt ashamed towards them, but he could not change the situation and had no choice but to do so.

Finally, a flame appeared in the distance—the burning tents of the Qi army camp. General Gao couldn't help but exclaim, "Well done, Wei brothers!" He ordered the general beside him, "Leave a thousand men to guard Maling as a show; the rest of the soldiers, exit through the west gate and head straight for Chui Du."

The fake prince, Jiao Shi, asked in bewilderment, "General Gao, are we not going to attack Sun Bin's camp?"

General Gao said with a wry smile, "General Fei has already gone to Chui Du. If we don't leave now, we will bring about our own destruction."

"Didn't you say that General Fei's return to Chuidu was just a show?"

"I was only saying that for the Wei brothers to hear," General Gao sneered. "Hmph, I saw through General Fei's true intentions long ago."

"Then...weren't Wei Zhuangshi and the others just going to their deaths for nothing?"

"If they don't go to their deaths, how can we leave Maling safely?"

The three Wei brothers swaggered around the empty Qi army camp, surrounded by tents they had set ablaze. They were very pleased with themselves; they had never felt so carefree since joining General Gao's army. Wei Zhong said to Wei Shu, "Third brother, didn't you say there was an ambush? Why haven't they come out yet?"

Uncle Wei looked around warily and said, "We'll be out in a bit."

Wei Zhong laughed and said, "Even if there were an ambush, they would have run away long ago when they saw us..."

Before the words were finished, a drumbeat sounded, and a row of archers suddenly appeared in front.

Uncle Wei shouted "Run!" Wei Zhong casually threw out a few stones, which hit several archers. The three brothers took the opportunity to turn around and flee in the direction they came from.

The Wei brothers, leading the dozens of rebel soldiers, ran all the way to the camp's fence. Suddenly, they stopped and stared at the fence in terror.

Rows of Qi soldiers stood outside the fence, their bows and arrows aimed at the Wei brothers and the rebel soldiers.

The Wei brothers and their group turned around, only to find that the Qi archers had caught up with them. They looked to their left, and there were archers there too; they looked to their right, and there were archers there as well.

A Qi general on the right shouted, "You have nowhere to escape. If you don't want to die, surrender!"

Wei Bo laughed wildly, looking up at the sky, and said, "Surrender? I won't!"

Wei Zhong sneered, "It's nothing to worry about. It's just death. If we die, not many of you will survive either. General Gao's army will be here soon."

Uncle Wei chuckled and said, "Let us out. We can make General Gao retreat back to Maling."

The Qi general mocked, "Brothers of Wei, you're still in the dark! General Gao has already led his army to Chui Du; you've been abandoned by him!"

Wei Bo scoffed, "You're lying! General Gao wouldn't abandon us!"

The Qi general said, "If he hadn't abandoned you, he would have arrived long ago, but listen, there's no movement from the direction of Maling."

Only then did the Wei brothers notice the direction of Maling, and indeed there was no sound at all. They were dumbfounded.

The Qi general laughed and said, "However, he can't escape either. Military Advisor Sun has already laid a trap."

General Gao led his rebel army in a hasty retreat from Maling. Countless soldiers fell behind along the way, but he couldn't care less. He had only one thought: to leave as quickly as possible and catch up with General Fei. However, he never expected that only twenty li from Maling, Sun Bin's army would block their path. General Gao dared not think twice, turned his chariot around, and led a contingent of the rebel army back to Maling in one swift move.

At this moment, the gates of Maling City were tightly shut, and the city walls were silent, save for two men bearing rebel insignia patrolling the ramparts. One soldier shouted to the rebels below, "Who are you?"

General Gao did not answer immediately. He had a premonition that something had changed in Maling City, but he could not see any clues. He looked around warily.

The soldiers on the city wall said again, "If you don't answer, we'll fire our arrows."

General Gao gestured to a general on horseback beside him, who shouted, "I am General Gao, open the door quickly!"

"You are not General Gao. General Gao has already gone to Chui Du."

"I'm back."

"General Gao is not coming back. You'd better leave now, or I'll fire my arrows."

The general whispered to General Gao, "It seems that nothing has changed at Maling."

General Gao hesitated, but then he could faintly hear shouts of battle behind him. The fake young master, Jiao Shi, who was in the same carriage, could no longer contain himself and said, "General Gao, don't hesitate any longer! If we don't enter the city now, it will be too late!"

General Gao finally spoke, saying to those on the city wall, "Open the gate, I am General Gao."

The soldier on the city wall said, "I recognize you. You're General Gao. The one from before wasn't. General Gao, what brings you back?"

General Gao said, "Let's go inside and talk. Open the door quickly."

The city gate slowly opened, and General Gao drove his carriage through the gate first. The fake young master let out a long sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a drumbeat sounded, and General Gao was startled. The city gate was slammed shut, and many Qi soldiers poured out from both sides of the city wall, surrounding General Gao and the fake prince. General Gao's premonition was correct; he had just left Maling, and Maling had fallen into the hands of the Tian state.

Standing atop a carriage, Tian Guo shouted, "General Gao, the strategist's plan is a classic case of 'closing the door and becoming a thief.' The Wei brothers are imprisoned in the main camp, while you are trapped in Maling City. Only General Fei escaped, but his fate won't be any better. General Gao, you are utterly finished. The only way to survive is to surrender; otherwise, you are doomed!"

General Gao drew his sword with a solemn expression, sighed deeply, and said, "One wrong step leads to another..." He drew his sword, slowly raised it, and then suddenly thrust it into his own abdomen. His burly body fell heavily to the ground.

The fake prince was so frightened that he surrendered to the State of Tian.

Tian Guo handed the fake prince over to the Empress Dowager, who immediately slapped him twice, angrily saying to the kneeling fake prince, "Why did you impersonate my son and tarnish my reputation?"

The fake young master lowered his head and remained silent.

The Empress Dowager slapped her twice more, saying, "Why did you become an enemy of Qi and work for the people of Wei?"

The fake young master remained silent with his head down.

The Empress Dowager raised her hand and struck again, saying, "Why did you secretly harm this old woman? You deserve to die!"

The Empress Dowager continued to slap the fake prince, who hung his head and endured the blows. When the Empress Dowager grew tired and panted heavily, she pointed at the fake prince and said, "Even if I beat you to death, I still wouldn't be able to quell my hatred!"

Sun Bin, standing to the side, asked, "Empress Dowager, should he be executed on the spot, or taken back to Linzi and executed there?"

The Empress Dowager, panting heavily, looked at the fake prince and sighed after a moment: "Fine, spare his life."

The fake prince was taken aback and looked up at the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager murmured, "It's rare that he looks so much like my son, Jiao Shi. Let him stay by my side and serve me."

Upon hearing this, the fake young master immediately kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life. I will serve you with my life, even unto death!"

Note: "Closing the door to catch the thief" is the twenty-second of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. This stratagem means to surround a weak enemy on all sides and annihilate them, just like "closing the door to catch a thief, or blocking the cage to catch a chicken." Sun Bin used this stratagem to eliminate the rebel army, quell the internal strife in Qi, and buy time for the Qi army to regroup. To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter: "The Self-Inflicted Injury Stratagem."