Hey – It’s Fulong.
Unfortunately, I had to cancel last week’s issue of the newsletter as I was working on a new project.
But worry not, for this week I’m back with a banger!
Estimated read time: 2 minutes 45 seconds
Let’s get started…
One Thrilling Story
I.
A Small Ruse Takes Down A Kingdom
During the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China, the duke of Zheng wanted to invade the state of Kuai.
To prepare for his invasion he first sent out spies to find out who were the most capable military advisors at the Kuai court.
Once he had a list of names, the duke had a rumor spread among his troops saying that victory was assured since he had Kuai’s best generals secretly on his side.
He also had a decree drawn up promising these generals that, once he had conquered Kuai, they would all be richly rewarded with titles and territories.
To back up his promise he had the decree enshrined in a local temple where everyone could see it.
Naturally, the king of Kuai had spies in Zheng’s army and they reported the names of the alleged treacherous generals to the king.
Believing his trusted advisors were preparing to betray him, the king of Kuai had them all executed.
When the duke of Zheng heard of the executions, he launched his attack.
The king of Kuai became alarmed at the sudden invasion of his territory and called his army staff together to mount a counterattack.
But the recent executions had eliminated all his capable leaders.
The remaining junior officers were inexperienced and unsure of how to respond.
Their hesitation cost the king his throne, and his head.
Two Warfare Lessons
I.
Borrow The Enemy’s Strength
When you do not have the means to attack your enemy directly, then attack using the strength of another.
Trick his ally into attacking him, bribe an official to turn traitor, or use the enemy’s own strength against him.
In this instance the duke of Zheng identified Kuai’s military advisors as his biggest threat, so he tricked their own king into solving his problem.
II.
Trickery Conserves Resources
To succeed in any endeavor one must be frugal in expending one’s resources.
Where possible, use trickery and deception to appropriate the strength of others while conserving your own.
Three Favourite Quotes
I.
Sun Tzu on borrowing the strength of an enemy:
“If you are limited in your own strength, then borrow the strength of the enemy. If you cannot neutralize an enemy, borrow an enemy’s knife to do so. If you have no generals, borrow those of the enemy.”
II.
Sun Tzu on deception in war:
“The way of war is a way of deception.”
III.
Thomas Huxley on hesitation:
“Make up your mind to act decidedly and take the consequences. No good is ever done in this world by hesitation.”
See you next Monday — Fulong
