The Art of Counter-Espionage
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Cao Cao's navy was defeated by Jhou Yu, a general of Wu. So Cao Cao recruited generals Cai Mao and Jhang Yun, who are experts in naval battles, to train an rebuild his navy. When the news reached Jhou Yu, he thought that both generals must be removed in order to prevent future threat. When Cao Cao learned that Jhou Yu was inquiring about his new navy, he was very nervous. At this point, Jiang Gan, a subordinate famous for his eloquence, told Cao Cao that given the fact that he and Jhou Yu were old acquaintances, he is confident that he could persuade Jhou Yu to defect to Cao Cao.
When Jiang Gan arrived at the Wu camp, Jhou Yu said, "The king of Wu regards me highly. I will not offer my services to Cao Cao. In any case, we have not seen each other for a long time. Let's not talk politics tonight but just chat. I have prepared food and wine for you. Let's drink till we drop." Jhou Yu was in an extremely good mood and drank cup after cup until he passed out. Jiang Gan saw some papers lying on Jhou Yu's desk and thought about rummaging through them to look for some useful intelligence. To his shock, he found some secret correspondence between Jhou Yu and the two generals Cai Mao and Jhang Yun.
The next morning, upon his return, he reported what he had learned to Cao Cao immediately. Of course, he told Cao Cao of discovery that Cai Mao and Jhang Yun were actually spies sent by Wu. Cao Cao was furious. On impulse, and without verifying the truthfulness of this information, he executed the two immediately. It was only afterwards, when he reflected on the whole event, that he realized he had been tricked by Jhou Yu's counter-intelligence and disinformation efforts. But it was too late.
Strategy 33: The Art of Counter-Espionage
Bribe your enemy's subordinates to spy on or spread disinformation to your enemy, thereby tricking your enemy into making the wrong judgment or the wrong decision.
