Part I of the 36 Strategems of Ancient China
(Adapted for Contemporary Readers)
By: Travis Anderson
1.Crossing the sea under camouflage
It goes without saying that camouflage is of utmost importance in any covert movement of forces.
2.Relieve the State of Zhao by besieging the state of Wei
To attack, he must leave his lair. Instead of defending a minor area (which you may lose anyway) attack his base of operations. He will be weakened and he may lose both his capital and the city he was attacking if he tries to turn back around to defend his base of operations. If he stays on the attack, the loss of his base should be made very public, so that it demoralizes his attacking forces. This is how you can turn a loss into two victories.
3.Kill somebody by using another person's knife
Never pass up the opportunity to destroy your enemy using methods and means that are not yours. It matters not how he is defeated, so long as he is defeated. Why expend your forces when you can have your allies do it for you? Even better, have a future rival do it for you, so that he is weakened as well.
4.Wait at one's ease for the fatigued enemy
To be on the defense is not always a bad thing when you instigate the attack. Let him come to you, keep your moral high, and fight his tired force with your ready one. In the sense of martial arts, I would often let my more energetic opponents hop all over the place trying to intimidate me. In a long match, the victory almost always went to me because my energy was conserved while theirs was expended in their futile attempts. It is also a method to use whereby the path to get to you is long and difficult-be sure to position yourself in such a way that it makes it hard to reach you without losses and with little energy. Make him climb uphill to get to you.
5.Plunder a house when it is on fire (profit from another's misfortune)
When the enemy’s state is ready to collapse, march in and take what you want. Don’t feel bad for this-he’s sure to have others doing the same. All is fair in love and war.
6.Make faint to the east but attack in the west
A classic of strategy. The enemy cannot defend where he is not. Adolph Hitler was fooled into thinking that the D-Day Invasion would take place at Pas de Calais. Even though he suspected that Normandy was the possible location, this strategy prevented him from acting quickly enough to defend.
7.Produce something out of nothing
Again, Normandy is a great example. Patton's inflatable army kept the illusion that the Allies would strike Pas de Calais. This is closely connected to strategy 6.
8.Secretly crossing over to Chencang
Understand the area better than your rivals. Know where to make your move where he cannot fathom you moving. Put on a garb of convention-lure him into thinking that it’s just another day at work, then hit him from an angle he didn’t know existed, or that he long ago disregarded.
9.Watch the fire from the other side of the river
Related to #5. Let your rivals tire themselves out, then show up with a prepared force and take what they cannot defend. When the Crusades were winding down, it left neither the Muslim nor Christian states with the ability to really defend against the Mongol Hordes, who ravaged them at every turn. only the death of Ogedai Khan stopped what would have almost certainly been the defeat of Western Europe.
10.Conceal a knife in your smile
Your rival cannot defend against what he does not know threatens him. Approach as a friend and leave victorious over your rival. This is more commonly known as being “Passive Aggressive”.
11.The plum dies for the apricot (substitute this for that)
One of the more cold-hearted strategies, it is often also a strategy of last resort. The idea being that you allow a loss of a less important position or even person, in order to avoid the loss of a more important position or person. This does however, give one a chance to be rid of a poor position or a disloyal subordinate.
12.Make off with a sheep in passing by
All plans need flexibility. This flexibility will allow for more options, whether they be possible gains not on the main agenda, or possible escape routes.
13.Beat the grass and frighten away the snake
Test your enemy by making moves designed to gauge his reaction. Watch how he responds to your moves, get an idea of his strengths and weaknesses. It was also a practice that if a commander thought an ambush might be up ahead in a forest or jungle, he would have that area burned or riddled with arrows. Hence, "frighting away the snake".
14.Borrow the Corpse, revive it's soul
This is in effect, the strategy of using those in power. This power can be real or figurative. The more incompetent the person the better. The idea is to find a patron-rich, powerful-but incompetent, and be the true power behind him. Let him have the illusion of power, but take it all for yourself.
15.Lure the tiger out of the mountain
Hello, I am the Prince of Nigeria, and I have a remarkable opportunity for you…it takes one of a few things for someone who is worried to leave the safety of their home, fortifications or position-one of the most alluring is the prospect of an easy gain. This prospect appears as though it can solve all their problems. This is a powerful method by which even brilliant men have been lured away to their defeat by seeing what they thought was "opportunity" which in truth you set out there for them. More simply, bait.
16.Let the enemy leave in order to catch him
Give him a way out-your way out. In an argument, purposely make a seemingly weak point when his back is against the wall. In so doing, he will strike at it thinking it’s a way out. In truth, the argument was quite strong, and you move in for the kill. If you keep bashing away at him, he won’t budge. But if you offer him a “way out”, he’ll almost certainly take it, and in so doing-expose himself fully for your counter attack.
17.Throw a brick to lure a gem
This is in a sense a type of unwitting dealing. You give the enemy a tempting target that doesn't necessarily hurt you by it's loss, and they use their best to take it-thus coming into an ambush.
18.Catch the ringleader first in order to capture all his bandit followers
Some groups depend heavily on their leader. Before he came along, they were divided, weak and soon to collapse. When faced with such a group, taking out the leader will make them easy prey.
It goes without saying that camouflage is of utmost importance in any covert movement of forces.
2.Relieve the State of Zhao by besieging the state of Wei
To attack, he must leave his lair. Instead of defending a minor area (which you may lose anyway) attack his base of operations. He will be weakened and he may lose both his capital and the city he was attacking if he tries to turn back around to defend his base of operations. If he stays on the attack, the loss of his base should be made very public, so that it demoralizes his attacking forces. This is how you can turn a loss into two victories.
3.Kill somebody by using another person's knife
Never pass up the opportunity to destroy your enemy using methods and means that are not yours. It matters not how he is defeated, so long as he is defeated. Why expend your forces when you can have your allies do it for you? Even better, have a future rival do it for you, so that he is weakened as well.
4.Wait at one's ease for the fatigued enemy
To be on the defense is not always a bad thing when you instigate the attack. Let him come to you, keep your moral high, and fight his tired force with your ready one. In the sense of martial arts, I would often let my more energetic opponents hop all over the place trying to intimidate me. In a long match, the victory almost always went to me because my energy was conserved while theirs was expended in their futile attempts. It is also a method to use whereby the path to get to you is long and difficult-be sure to position yourself in such a way that it makes it hard to reach you without losses and with little energy. Make him climb uphill to get to you.
5.Plunder a house when it is on fire (profit from another's misfortune)
When the enemy’s state is ready to collapse, march in and take what you want. Don’t feel bad for this-he’s sure to have others doing the same. All is fair in love and war.
6.Make faint to the east but attack in the west
A classic of strategy. The enemy cannot defend where he is not. Adolph Hitler was fooled into thinking that the D-Day Invasion would take place at Pas de Calais. Even though he suspected that Normandy was the possible location, this strategy prevented him from acting quickly enough to defend.
7.Produce something out of nothing
Again, Normandy is a great example. Patton's inflatable army kept the illusion that the Allies would strike Pas de Calais. This is closely connected to strategy 6.
8.Secretly crossing over to Chencang
Understand the area better than your rivals. Know where to make your move where he cannot fathom you moving. Put on a garb of convention-lure him into thinking that it’s just another day at work, then hit him from an angle he didn’t know existed, or that he long ago disregarded.
9.Watch the fire from the other side of the river
Related to #5. Let your rivals tire themselves out, then show up with a prepared force and take what they cannot defend. When the Crusades were winding down, it left neither the Muslim nor Christian states with the ability to really defend against the Mongol Hordes, who ravaged them at every turn. only the death of Ogedai Khan stopped what would have almost certainly been the defeat of Western Europe.
10.Conceal a knife in your smile
Your rival cannot defend against what he does not know threatens him. Approach as a friend and leave victorious over your rival. This is more commonly known as being “Passive Aggressive”.
11.The plum dies for the apricot (substitute this for that)
One of the more cold-hearted strategies, it is often also a strategy of last resort. The idea being that you allow a loss of a less important position or even person, in order to avoid the loss of a more important position or person. This does however, give one a chance to be rid of a poor position or a disloyal subordinate.
12.Make off with a sheep in passing by
All plans need flexibility. This flexibility will allow for more options, whether they be possible gains not on the main agenda, or possible escape routes.
13.Beat the grass and frighten away the snake
Test your enemy by making moves designed to gauge his reaction. Watch how he responds to your moves, get an idea of his strengths and weaknesses. It was also a practice that if a commander thought an ambush might be up ahead in a forest or jungle, he would have that area burned or riddled with arrows. Hence, "frighting away the snake".
14.Borrow the Corpse, revive it's soul
This is in effect, the strategy of using those in power. This power can be real or figurative. The more incompetent the person the better. The idea is to find a patron-rich, powerful-but incompetent, and be the true power behind him. Let him have the illusion of power, but take it all for yourself.
15.Lure the tiger out of the mountain
Hello, I am the Prince of Nigeria, and I have a remarkable opportunity for you…it takes one of a few things for someone who is worried to leave the safety of their home, fortifications or position-one of the most alluring is the prospect of an easy gain. This prospect appears as though it can solve all their problems. This is a powerful method by which even brilliant men have been lured away to their defeat by seeing what they thought was "opportunity" which in truth you set out there for them. More simply, bait.
16.Let the enemy leave in order to catch him
Give him a way out-your way out. In an argument, purposely make a seemingly weak point when his back is against the wall. In so doing, he will strike at it thinking it’s a way out. In truth, the argument was quite strong, and you move in for the kill. If you keep bashing away at him, he won’t budge. But if you offer him a “way out”, he’ll almost certainly take it, and in so doing-expose himself fully for your counter attack.
17.Throw a brick to lure a gem
This is in a sense a type of unwitting dealing. You give the enemy a tempting target that doesn't necessarily hurt you by it's loss, and they use their best to take it-thus coming into an ambush.
18.Catch the ringleader first in order to capture all his bandit followers
Some groups depend heavily on their leader. Before he came along, they were divided, weak and soon to collapse. When faced with such a group, taking out the leader will make them easy prey.
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