Lets Fly

Chapter 1: Winning Stratagems

1. Deceive the heavens to cross the ocean
This stratagem means that you mask your real goals, thus deceiving even the emperor / heavens itself with a fake
goal, until they are confronted with finished facts. Harro von Senger notes in the German-Language "Die List" that to
grasp the full meaning, it would be something like "to deceive the holy virgin Mary" in the western hemisphere.
2. Besiege Wèi to rescue Zhào
When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that he cannot be
superior in all things. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead.
3. Kill with a borrowed knife
Attack using the strength of another (in a situation where using one's own strength is not favourable). Trick an ally
into attacking him, bribe an official to turn traitor, or use the enemy's own strength against him.
4. Substitute leisure for labour
It is an advantage to choose the time and place for battle. In this way you know when and where the battle will take
place, while your enemy does not. Encourage your enemy to expend his energy in futile quests while you conserve
your strength. When he is exhausted and confused, you attack with energy and purpose.
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.
6. Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west
In any battle the element of surprise can provide an overwhelming advantage. Even when face to face with an
enemy, surprise can still be employed by attacking where he least expects it. To do this you must create an
expectation in the enemy's mind through the use of a feint.
Chapter 2: Enemy Dealing Stratagems
7. Create something from nothing
A plain lie. Make somebody believe there was something when there is in fact nothing.
8. Openly repair the gallery roads, but sneak through the passage of Chencang
Deceive the enemy with an obvious approach that will take a very long time, while surprising him by taking a
shortcut and sneak up to him. As the enemy concentrates on the decoy, he will miss you sneaking up to him.
9. Watch the fires burning across the river
Delay entering the field of battle until all the other players have become exhausted fighting amongst themselves.
Then go in at full strength and pick up the pieces.
10. Hide a knife behind a smile
Charm and ingratiate yourself to your enemy. When you have gained his trust, move against him in secret.
11. Sacrifice the plum tree to preserve the peach tree
There are circumstances in which you must sacrifice short-term objectives in order to gain the long-term goal. This is
the scapegoat strategy whereby someone else suffers the consequences so that the rest do not.
12. Take the opportunity to pilfer a goat
While carrying out your plans be flexible enough to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself, however
small, and avail yourself of any profit, however slight.
Chapter 3: Attacking Stratagems
13. Startle the snake by hitting the grass around it Lets Fly
Do something unaimed, but spectacular ("hitting the grass") to provoke a response of the enemy ("startle the
snake"), thereby giving away his plans or position, or just taunt him. Do something unusual, strange, and unexpected
as this will arouse the enemy's suspicion and disrupt his thinking. More widely used as "[Do not] startle the snake by
hitting the grass". An imprudent act will give your position or intentions away to the enemy.
14. Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul
Take an institution, a technology, or a method that has been forgotten or discarded and appropriate it for your own
purpose. Revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or bring to life old ideas, customs, or traditions
and reinterpret them to fit your purposes.
15. Entice the tiger to leave its mountain lair
Never directly attack an opponent whose advantage is derived from its position. Instead lure him away from his
position thus separating him from his source of strength.
16. In order to capture, one must let loose
Cornered prey will often mount a final desperate attack. To prevent this you let the enemy believe he still has a
chance for freedom. His will to fight is thus dampened by his desire to escape. When in the end the freedom is
proven a falsehood the enemy's morale will be defeated and he will surrender without a fight.
17. Tossing out a brick to get a jade gem
Bait someone by making him believe he gains something or just make him react to it ("toss out a brick") and obtain
something valuable from him in return ("get a jade gem").
18. Defeat the enemy by capturing their chief
If the enemy's army is strong but is allied to the commander only by money or threats, then take aim at the leader. If
the commander falls the rest of the army will disperse or come over to your side. If, however, they are allied to the
leader through loyalty then beware, the army can continue to fight on after his death out of vengeance.
Chapter 4: Chaos Stratagems
19. Remove the firewood under the cooking pot
Take out the leading argument or asset of someone; "steal someone's thunder".
20. Catch a fish while the water is disturbed
Create confusion and use this confusion to further your own goals.
21. Slough off the cicada's golden shell
Mask yourself. Either leave flamboyant traits behind, thus going incognito; or just masquerade yourself and create
an illusion to fit your goals and distract others.
22. Shut the door to catch the thief
If you have the chance to completely capture the enemy then you should do so thereby bringing the battle or war to
a quick and lasting conclusion. To allow your enemy to escape plants the seeds for future conflict. But if they
succeed in escaping, be wary of giving chase.
23. Befriend a distant state while attacking a neighbour
It is known that nations that border each other become enemies while nations separated by distance and obstacles
make better allies. When you are the strongest in one field, your greatest threat is from the second strongest in your
field, not the strongest from another field.
24. Obtain safe passage to conquer the State of Guo
Borrow the resources of an ally to attack a common enemy. Once the enemy is defeated, use those resources to
turn on the ally that lent you them in the first place.
Chapter 5, Proximate Stratagems
25. Replace the beams with rotten timbers
Disrupt the enemy's formations, interfere with their methods of operations, change theLets rules inFly
which they are used
to follow, go contrary to their standard training. In this way you remove the supporting pillar, the common link that
makes a group of men an effective fighting force.
26. Point at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree
To discipline, control, or warn others whose status or position excludes them from direct confrontation; use analogy
and innuendo. Without directly naming names, those accused cannot retaliate without revealing their complicity.
27. Feign madness but keep your balance
Hide behind the mask of a fool, a drunk, or a madman to create confusion about your intentions and motivations.
Lure your opponent into underestimating your ability until, overconfident, he drops his guard. Then you may attack.
28. Remove the ladder when the enemy has ascended to the roof
With baits and deceptions, lure your enemy into treacherous terrain. Then cut off his lines of communication and
avenue of escape. To save himself, he must fight both your own forces and the elements of nature.
29. Deck the tree with false blossoms
Tying silk blossoms on a dead tree gives the illusion that the tree is healthy. Through the use of artifice and disguise,
make something of no value appear valuable; of no threat appear dangerous; of no use appear useful.
30. Make the host and the guest exchange roles
Usurp leadership in a situation where you are normally subordinate. Infiltrate your target.
Chapter 6: Defeat Stratagems
31. The beauty trap(honey trap)
Send your enemy beautiful women to cause discord within his camp. This strategy can work on three levels. First,
the ruler becomes so enamoured with the beauty that he neglects his duties and allows his vigilance to wane.
Second, other males at court will begin to display aggressive behaviour that inflames minor differences hindering co-
operation and destroying morale. Third, other females at court, motivated by jealousy and envy, begin to plot
intrigues further exacerbating the situation.
32. The empty fort strategy
When the enemy is superior in numbers and your situation is such that you expect to be overrun at any moment,
then drop all pretence of military preparedness and act casually. Unless the enemy has an accurate description of
your situation, this unusual behaviour will arouse suspicions. With luck, he will be dissuaded from attacking.
33. Let the enemy's own spy sow discord in the enemy camp
Undermine your enemy's ability to fight by secretly causing discord between him and his friends, allies, advisors,
family, commanders, soldiers, and population. While he is preoccupied settling internal disputes, his ability to attack
or defend, is compromised.
34. Inflict injury on one's self to win the enemy's trust
Pretending to be injured has two possible applications. In the first, the enemy is lulled into relaxing his guard since
he no longer considers you to be an immediate threat. The second is a way of ingratiating yourself to your enemy by
pretending the injury was caused by a mutual enemy.
35. Chain stratagems
In important matters, one should use several stratagems applied simultaneously after another as in a chain of
stratagems. Keep different plans operating in an overall scheme; however, in this manner if any one strategy fails,
then the chain breaks and the whole scheme fails.
36. If everything else fails, retreat
If it becomes obvious that your current course of action will lead to defeat, then retreat and regroup. When your
side is losing, there are only three choices remaining: surrender, compromise, or escape. Surrender is complete
defeat, compromise is half defeat, but escape is not defeat. As long as you are not defeated, you still have a chance.