Create Something Out of Nothing

Create Something from Nothing Use false appearances to deceive the opponent—but not to sustain the false to the very end; rather, after the false, cleverly make the truth solid. First employ a small feint, then a greater one, and finally let the false suddenly turn into the true, catching the opponent off guard in the shift between the real and the feigned. Allusion:During the An Lushan Rebellion, Zhang Xun defended Yongqiu while Linghu Chao besieged the city. Zhang Xun had more than a thousand straw men made, dressed them in black, and had them lowered from the city wall by ropes at night. Linghu Chao’s troops thought the defenders were coming out and vied with one another to shoot arrows; Zhang Xun thus obtained hundreds of thousands of arrows. Later, Zhang Xun again had men lowered from the wall at night. Seeing this, Linghu Chao’s troops laughed and ceased to take precautions. Perceiving that the enemy had been lulled, Zhang Xun quickly lowered five hundred brave warriors, who rushed into the enemy camp, slashing and burning; Linghu Chao was decisively defeated......