Strategic Maneuver Archives - understand-culture

The Thirty-Six Stratagems

檀公三十六策，走是上计. “Of Lord Tan’s thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best.” The line is in the Book of Southern Qi, where thirty-six means simply “many.” The book called The Thirty-Six Stratagems came much later. Its earliest printed edition appeared in Chengdu in 1941, from a manuscript found at a book stall in Shaanxi.

Each stratagem has a short name. Number 6 is 声东击西, make a noise in the east and strike in the west. Number 16 is 欲擒故纵, let the enemy go in order to catch him. Number 17 is 抛砖引玉, throw out a brick to draw in jade.

The Empty Fort

In chapter 95 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sima Yi’s army reaches a town where Zhuge Liang sits on the tower and plays the qin. Sima Yi suspects an ambush and withdraws without a fight. The ruse is known as 空城计, the Empty Fort Stratagem. Peking opera stages it together with the loss of Jieting and the execution of Ma Su.

The story is not in the historical Records of the Three Kingdoms. Pei Songzhi, who wrote the commentary to that history, quoted an earlier account of it and judged that “all of it is doubtful” (实皆可疑).

The Way of Deception

The first chapter of The Art of War says: “War is the way of deception (兵者，诡道也). So when able, appear unable. When active, appear inactive. When near, appear far. When far, appear near.”

It continues: “Offer a gain to lure him. Create disorder and take him. When he is full, prepare for him. Where he is strong, avoid him. Where he is angry, provoke him. Where he is humble, make him proud. When he is at ease, wear him down. When he is united, divide him. Attack where he is not prepared. Appear where he does not expect it.”

Zhuge Liang Provokes Zhou Yu

Chapter 44 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is titled “Kongming Uses Cunning to Provoke Zhou Yu.” Zhuge Liang wants the state of Wu to fight Cao Cao. He offers Zhou Yu a way to make Cao Cao withdraw: “Why not find Lord Qiao, buy his two daughters for a thousand gold and send them to Cao Cao? Once he has them, he will be satisfied and will surely withdraw.”

He then recites a poem by Cao Cao’s son Cao Zhi, with the line “to gather the two Qiao in the southeast.” Zhou Yu answers: “The elder Qiao is the wife of General Sun Ce, and the younger Qiao is my wife.” He rises in anger: “The old traitor insults me too much! I and the old traitor cannot both live!”

Borrowing Arrows With Straw Boats

In chapter 46 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu asks Zhuge Liang for 100,000 arrows. Zhuge Liang promises: “In just three days, I can deliver one hundred thousand arrows. If I fail in three days, I accept severe punishment.”

On the third night, “a heavy fog filled the sky.” His boats sail toward Cao Cao’s fleet, and Cao Cao’s archers shoot into the fog. As the boats turn back, full of arrows, the men call out: “Thank you, Chancellor, for the arrows!”

The historical record gives a similar trick with arrows to Sun Quan, not to Zhuge Liang.

Jiang Gan’s Visit

In chapter 45 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Jiang Gan tells Cao Cao: “Since childhood I have been Zhou Yu’s schoolmate and close friend.” He offers to talk Zhou Yu into surrendering.

Zhou Yu welcomes him, drinks with him late into the night and shares his bed. Jiang Gan finds papers on the desk, among them a letter from Cao Cao’s admirals, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, and reads it in secret. Back in camp, he hands it to Cao Cao, who has both admirals beheaded. Then Cao Cao realizes: “I have fallen for a trick.”

An older account, quoted in a commentary to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, tells it differently. There, Jiang Gan says that he and Zhou Yu come from the same region. After a meal, Zhou Yu sends him to his lodgings: “I have a secret matter just now.” Three days later, Zhou Yu shows him the camp and its stores. Jiang Gan only laughs and in the end says nothing.

Tian Ji’s Horse Race

Tian Ji, a general of Qi, often raced horses against the princes for high stakes. Sun Bin noticed that the horses on each side were not far apart in speed and fell into three classes. He told Tian Ji: “Race your lowest team against their best, your best against their middle, and your middle against their lowest.”

Tian Ji lost one race and won two, and he took the king’s thousand pieces of gold. Afterwards he introduced Sun Bin to the king, who made him his teacher in war. (Records of the Grand Historian)

The Vocabulary of Bargaining

讨价还价 To ask a price and return a price. To bargain. Also to argue over terms when negotiating or accepting a task.

杀价 To kill the price. To push a price down hard.

变卦 To change the hexagram. To go back on a decision already made. The word comes from divination, where a second reading gave a different result from the first.

Huang Gai Is Beaten

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu has the general Huang Gai beaten so that Cao Cao will believe Huang Gai’s false offer to defect. The trick is called kurouji, the ruse of the suffering body.

A common saying comes from the story: Zhou Yu da Huang Gai, yi ge yuan da, yi ge yuan ai. “Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai. One is willing to beat, and one is willing to be beaten.”