Kill with a Borrowed Sword

Kill with a Borrowed Sword When the enemy’s situation is already clear while the ally remains hesitant and watchful, one should contrive to induce the ally to attack the enemy, without expending one’s own strength directly, deriving and applying the principle of the Sun (Decrease) hexagram. Allusion:Duke Huan of Zheng prepared to attack the State of Kuai. He first ascertained who in Kuai were outstanding men, loyal ministers, and men of wisdom and valor, and publicly drew up a list of their names, proclaiming that after the conquest of Kuai he would grant them fertile lands and official titles. He also built an altar and buried a covenant text, staging the appearance of an alliance. The ruler of Kuai believed it, concluded that these men meant to collude with Zheng as internal agents, and put all the loyal ministers and outstanding men in the state to death. Duke Huan of Zheng then sent forth his troops and easily destroyed Kuai. The essence lies not in striking directly, but in manufacturing information and suspicion so that the enemy’s own ranks or a third party......