The Empty Fort
故事全文
The Shu army suffered a huge loss in the battle of Jie Ting where the general Ma Su lost the strategic city of Jie Ting and many soldiers. As a result, Jhu Ge Liang, the military advisor of Shu, only had five thousand soldiers left with him. While they were busy moving military supplies at 西城, news arrived that the enemy force of one hundred and fifty thousand troops, led by its general Sih Ma Yi, was heading towards them. Jhu Ge Liang thought this was bad news because his general Ma Su was not available and half of the soldiers had already gone back with the military supplies. In other words, they were extremely outnumbered by the enemy. However, after some contemplation, he decided to fight nevertheless.
Jhu Ge Liang ordered his soldiers to remove all the battle flags and had all four gates of the fort flung wide open. He then sent twenty soldiers to each gate disguised as civilians sweeping the grounds, acting nonchalantly. No one was allowed to leave the city nor talk in a loud voice. Anyone who acted against the orders would be executed on the spot. Then, he ascended the tower with two servants carrying his lute. After burning some incense, he started to play his lute.
When the Wei army arrived at the gate, the sight of a smiling Jhu Ge Liang playing his lute and the civilians quietly sweeping the grounds stunned them. No one dared to attack. It was all too quiet and peaceful. There was not the slightest anxiety of impending war. Seeing this, Sih Ma Yi ordered his troops to retreat immediately. He said to his son who was against the retreat, "Jhu Ge Liang is a thoughtful and resourceful man. He would not take such a huge risk. There must be an ambush waiting for us inside. This is why he played his lute with such ease and cool composure."
Strategy 32: The Empty Fort
This is a daring and highly risky strategy of psychological warfare. When your strength is relatively weak, drop all pretence of military preparation and act casually. The incongruity of the situation will confuse your enemy and make him believe that there is a trap waiting for him. This way, your enemy would be hesitant to advance.
