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Thirty-Six Strategies 1-4
History and Culture

1. Fool the Emperor to Cross the Sea

Moving about in the darkness and shadows, occupying isolated places, or hiding behind screens will only attract suspicious attention. To lower an enemy's guard you must act in the open hiding your true intentions under the guise of common every day activities.
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Thirty-Six Strategies 5-8
History and Culture

5. Loot a Burning House

When a country is beset by internal conflicts, when disease and famine ravage the population, when corruption and crime are rampant, then it will be unable to deal with an outside threat. This is the time to attack.

Originally this stratagem means: When someone's house is on fire, take advantage of the chaos and steal his valuables.
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Thirty-Six Strategies 9-12
History and Culture

9. Observe the Fire on the Opposite Shore

Delay entering the field of battle until all the other players have become exhausted fighting amongst themselves. Then go in full strength and pick up the pieces.

Towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao's forces in the Battle of Guandu. After Yuan Shao's death, his three sons fought among themselves in a battle of succession.
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Thirty-Six Strategies 13-16
History and Culture

13. Beat The Grass To Startle The Snake
When you cannot detect the opponent's plans launch a direct, but brief, attack and observe your opponent reactions. His behavior will reveal his strategy.

During the Tang dynasty, there lived a corrupt county magistrate named Wang Lu. The people made an indirect attack on him by accusing his bookkeeper of embezzlement. Without thinking Wang wrote, "By merely beating the grass, you have startled the snake within".
 

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Thirty-Six Strategies 17-20
History and Culture

17.Throw out a brick to attract a jade

It was said that a poet named Chang Jian of the Tang Dynasty one day heard that Zhao Gu would visited Ling Yan Temple of Su Zhou. In order to invite Zhao Gu to poetize, he wrote down two sentences on the wall in advance. Sure enough this unfinished poem attracted Zhao Gu's attention, and he wrote down another two more wonderful sentences to finish this poem. Later on people described Chang Jian's action as " Throw out a brick to attract a jade ".
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Thirty-Six Strategies 21-24
History and Culture

21.Shed Your Skin Like The Golden Cicada
The cicada sheds its skin intact, so that the shell looks like a real cicada. Similarly, outnumbered generals or those who were targets for assassination created false impersonations of themselves to escape danger. When use it for military affairs, you can create the illusion that you are where your opponent expects you to be. Meanwhile, you can put your energies into your real plans.
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