Fool the Emperor to Cross the Sea
故事全文
On year 17 of Tang Tai Zong Jhen-guan's reign, the emperor personally led his army in a military campaign out east to conquer and expand his domain. One day, the army arrived at a seashore. Looking at the vast waters beyond, he asked his generals for any ideas on how to cross the sea. They looked at each other for any suggestions but had none.
Suddenly, a civilian who lived by the sea requested to see the emperor. He informed the emperor that all the food for the three hundred thousand troops and the means to transport such a vast army across the sea have been prepared. The man led Emperor Tang Tai Zong and his officials to the sea. There, by the shore, they saw thousands of households tightly packed together and covered with colored tents.
This man led Tang Tai Zong into a luxurious house. Around the walls there were embroidered curtains and colored silks. There Tang Tai Zong and his officials drank , relaxed, and had fun.
Soon afterwards, the wind started to howl, and the sound of the waves felt like thunder. Glasses and plates fell all over the place, and no one could stand still. Startled, Tang Tai Zong ordered his chamberlains to draw back the curtains immediately, and they were stunned by what they saw. They were not partying at a civilian's house like they thought. Instead, they were already at sea together with a giant armada of boats carrying the three hundred thousands soldiers. Later the emperor found out that his general Syue Ren Guei had thought up this deception. He was afraid that the emperor did not have the guts to cross the sea and would have withdrawn the troops and cancelled the military campaign. So he disguised himself as a civilian and devised such a scheme to "Fool the heaven (the emperor) to cross the sea".
Strategy 1 : Fool the Emperor to Cross the Sea
In ancient china, the emperor was considered "The Son of Heaven". And heaven is often used in literature to refer to the emperor. Therefore, the saying "fool the heaven to cross the sea" means to fool the emperor to cross the sea.
In military parlance, "fool the heaven to cross the sea" means using disguise to create opportunities and striking suddenly when the enemy is unaware.
