The Counter-Spy Stratagem

Turn the Enemy’s Spies Against Him Within the enemy’s own web of deception, set up a further web of deception; use the spies the enemy sends to transmit false intelligence back on our behalf, and our side will suffer no loss. The commentary further clarifies: “spy” means causing the enemy to suspect one another; “counter-spy” means exploiting the rifts already existing among the enemy to deepen their internal fractures. Allusion:In the early Southern Song dynasty, the Jin installed Liu Yu as the puppet ruler of “Great Qi,” which repeatedly joined Jin forces in invading the south. Yue Fei captured a spy sent by Jin Wuzhu. Pretending to mistake him for “Zhang Bin,” a courier sent by his own side, Yue Fei berated him for delivering the letter poorly, then wrote a letter purporting to be a secret plot with Liu Yu to kill Jin Wuzhu. He sealed it with wax, cut open the spy’s thigh, hid the secret letter inside, stitched the wound, and ordered him to deliver it at once to Liu Yu. After escaping, the spy naturally presented the letter directly to Jin Wuzhu. Jin Wuzhu......