Borrowing the Empty Fort Strategy

Author: Agave Studio
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-03-01
Features: Sima Yi led his troops to attack Xicheng, while Xicheng was only manned by old, weak, and remaining soldiers. With Sima Yi's ( means "the enemy army is pressing the city"), Zhuge Liang immediately climbed to the tower and played the lute. Sima Yi heard the calm lute music and suspected there were ambushes in the city, so he quickly withdrew his troops. On the way, he encountered Shu army flags waving and shouting, further believing he had stumbled upon an ambush, and retreated back to Jieting that night. Later, he learned he had fallen for Zhuge Liang's empty city strategy and regretted it deeply.