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36 Ji Introduction Table of content – Thirty-Six Strategies

A recently uncovered notebook of 36 proverbs commented as military tactics that helps dealing with conflicts. Tr. Verstappen (en), Doc Mac Jr (fr).

36ji VI. 33.

The Strategy of Sowing Discord

Undermine your enemy's ability to fight by secretly causing discord between him and his friends, allies, advisors, family, commanders, soldiers, and population. While he is preoccupied settling internal disputes his ability to attack or defend, is compromised.

Six Dynasties Period China

In the later Wei dynasty, the emperor Tai Wu led a hundred thousand troops against the Song general Zang Zhi. The emperor, with his superior forces, chased general Zhang to the city of Yu where he was cornered. The city was strongly fortified and so the emperor planned to surround it and starve the defenders into surrender. Feeling confident of his position, the emperor sent a cart carrying a large jar of wine to the city gate with the message asking for the traditional exchange of wine before commencing his siege of the city. Zang Zhi knew that he needed to fight a decisive battle quickly, or suffer defeat, saw this as an opportunity. He sent some soldiers to gratefully accept the jar of wine and in turn deliver another large jar sealed with the wine maker's stamp. When a cup of this wine was poured for the emperor it was discovered to be urine. This caused the emperor a humiliating loss of face before his own troops and in a rage ordered an immediate assault on the city. The defenders were well prepared and the bodies of the slain imperial troops piled up nearly to the top of the ramparts.In his haste and anger the emperor lost half his forces.

Verstappen

« Le piège de l'agent double »

Pour répandre de fausses informations,
sème méfiance et dissension parmi tes adversaires ;
jette le trouble et la confusion chez l'ennemi
au moyen de ses propres contre-espions.

Amener l'ennemi dans son propre piège.

L'union intérieure ; on ne s'égarera pas soi-même.*

Quand vous détectez un agent ennemi, vous pouvez le faire arrêter puis lui offrir vos plus belles concubines, et ainsi obtenir des informations sur les forces ennemies. Ou bien, comme le prône cette stratégie (polysémie de Jian), vous pouvez feindre l'ignorance, donner de faux renseignements à l'espion et le laisser partir faire son rapport au commandant adverse. Prenant ces informations pour des faits, l'ennemi aura un jugement faussé de la situation et ainsi commettra des erreurs stratégiques dans ses plans de bataille.

Cette stratégie met en valeur le principe de base consistant à feindre l'ignorance lorsque l'on est en fait bien informé. La connaissance est un élément vital de la force militaire, et vous devez généralement dissimuler vos forces jusqu'au moment de l'action décisive. Lorsque vous étudiez les manœuvres secrètes de l'adversaire, il vaut mieux simuler, ne rien savoir et en même temps prendre les contre-mesures qui s'imposent avec la plus grande discrétion.

Cf. Sun Zi Bingfa XIII.

* Issu du texte de l'hexagramme n°8 du Yi Jing : Bi (l'alliance)... Dans ce texte, il faut entendre que l'on s'est assuré les services dévoués de quelqu'un au sein du camp ennemi.

Doc Mac Jr

[Xref] Strategy 33 quotes I Ching hexagram 8 (second line)
gbog – Yijing 8 – 2005/12/02
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AliasThirty-Six Strategies, Thirty-Six Stratagems, Secret Art of War, Les 36 stratagèmes, Les Trente-six stratégies

The Book of Odes, The Analects, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Three-characters book, The Book of Changes, The Way and its Power, 300 Tang Poems, The Art of War, Thirty-Six Strategies
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