Lure the Tiger out of the Mountain

Lure the Tiger Down from the Mountain In the late Eastern Han dynasty, the Qiang people held the Xiao Valley of Chencang, occupying favorable terrain. Yu Xu was ordered to suppress the rebellion, but he could neither attack head-on nor take a detour. Yu Xu ordered his troops to halt and pitch camp on the spot, and spread word that the march had been blocked and that they were waiting for reinforcements from the court. Seeing that Yu Xu had stopped advancing, the Qiang relaxed their guard and left their strongholds one after another to go plundering. Seizing the moment when the enemy had dispersed, Yu Xu ordered a forced march day and night, covering more than a hundred li a day through the valley, and along the way increased the number of cooking stoves day by day, making the Qiang believe that Han reinforcements had arrived and dare not pursue. Yu Xu passed safely through the Xiao Valley and moved to the outer line, and the Qiang were soon pacified. Modern Application:When an opponent’s core advantage depends on a particular position—a channel, a scenario, or a......