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走为上计 (zou3 wei2 shang4 ji4) - When everything fails, retreat
March 8, 2009, Sunday
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IN face of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy and seeing no chance for winning the battle, to retreat is usually the best choice. Many people believe that to surrender represents a complete defeat; to compromise means a half defeat; but to retreat is no defeat. As long as you are not defeated, you still retain a chance for victory in the future. This is the so-called "retreat-in-order-to-advance" principle.
This stratagem is always listed as the last of the famous "36 Stratagems," because this scheme is deemed as the last, but usually the best, option when everything else fails.
However, "retreat" sometimes is also a deceptive ploy. The purpose is to dodge the brunt of an invading force and create a fake sign of "defeat." When it's the right time, the retreating army could turn back and pounce upon a misled and lightheaded enemy.
One good example of implementing this stratagem happened in the early Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), when the powerful State of Chu sent out a strong army to attack the State of Qin. Led by General Zi Yu, the Chu troops comprised three contingents, namely, the Left Army, the Right Army and the Central Army. Both the Left and Right armies were made up of soldiers recruited from four small states by Chu through coercion. Only the Central Army was a well-trained force from the State of Chu itself.
When the ruler of Qin learned about the invasion, he decided to withdraw his troops to a geographically advantageous location along the state's mountainous border. At the same time, he sent people out to ask for help from other states.
The Chu general first ordered the Right Army to launch an attack against the Qin troops. Again, the Qin troops quickly retreated deeper into a valley. With the Right Army in hot pursuit, they met a large phalanx of battle chariots all covered with tiger skins.
The horses of the Right Army were startled as they thought they were seeing real tigers and it was soon defeated.
The Qin troops took the uniforms of the surrendered soldiers and disguised themselves as members of the Right Army. They rushed to see the Chu general and told him that the Right Army had already won a big battle against the Qin troops and urged the general to come forward and finish off the enemy.
The general was delighted. He ordered the Left Army to advance into the valley and he himself led the Central Army to follow behind.
The Qin troops played the same "retreat" trick as before to trap the Left Army which they ruthlessly wiped out and set up another trap for the general.
When the Central Army reached the battlefield, the general suddenly found out that both armies had been eliminated and he was ambushed by the Qin troops.
The general eventually escaped the battlefield and returned to the State of Chu but almost all his troops were killed.
The weak State of Qin therefore won a big victory over the powerful State of Chu thanks to the ruler's adroit implementation of this scheme of "retreat."
This stratagem is always listed as the last of the famous "36 Stratagems," because this scheme is deemed as the last, but usually the best, option when everything else fails.
However, "retreat" sometimes is also a deceptive ploy. The purpose is to dodge the brunt of an invading force and create a fake sign of "defeat." When it's the right time, the retreating army could turn back and pounce upon a misled and lightheaded enemy.
One good example of implementing this stratagem happened in the early Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), when the powerful State of Chu sent out a strong army to attack the State of Qin. Led by General Zi Yu, the Chu troops comprised three contingents, namely, the Left Army, the Right Army and the Central Army. Both the Left and Right armies were made up of soldiers recruited from four small states by Chu through coercion. Only the Central Army was a well-trained force from the State of Chu itself.
When the ruler of Qin learned about the invasion, he decided to withdraw his troops to a geographically advantageous location along the state's mountainous border. At the same time, he sent people out to ask for help from other states.
The Chu general first ordered the Right Army to launch an attack against the Qin troops. Again, the Qin troops quickly retreated deeper into a valley. With the Right Army in hot pursuit, they met a large phalanx of battle chariots all covered with tiger skins.
The horses of the Right Army were startled as they thought they were seeing real tigers and it was soon defeated.
The Qin troops took the uniforms of the surrendered soldiers and disguised themselves as members of the Right Army. They rushed to see the Chu general and told him that the Right Army had already won a big battle against the Qin troops and urged the general to come forward and finish off the enemy.
The general was delighted. He ordered the Left Army to advance into the valley and he himself led the Central Army to follow behind.
The Qin troops played the same "retreat" trick as before to trap the Left Army which they ruthlessly wiped out and set up another trap for the general.
When the Central Army reached the battlefield, the general suddenly found out that both armies had been eliminated and he was ambushed by the Qin troops.
The general eventually escaped the battlefield and returned to the State of Chu but almost all his troops were killed.
The weak State of Qin therefore won a big victory over the powerful State of Chu thanks to the ruler's adroit implementation of this scheme of "retreat."
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