Study Sun Tzu's Art of War on how to be a person and do things

Author: Ma Yinchun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In 200 BC, Liu Bang was besieged in Pingcheng and fell victim to the "feigning weakness" strategy of the Xiongnu ruler Modun. At that time, Modun was stationed at Daiguo, and Liu Bang personally went to Jinyang to oversee the battle, aiming to eliminate the enemy in one go to solve the northern border crisis. Modun deliberately showed himself as weak and vulnerable. Liu Bang's scouts reported that the Xiongnu were composed of old, weak, and disabled soldiers, their horses too thin to move, and that decisive action would surely lead to a major victory. Thus, Liu Bang led a 320,000-strong army forward. Liu Jing advised Liu Bang not to be fooled, but Liu Bang ignored him and instead ordered the troops to advance quickly, fearing Modun would escape. When Liu Bang hurriedly arrived at Pingcheng, Modun's hidden troops attacked from all sides, the sound of battle shaking the earth, surrounding Liu Bang and his army tightly. Modun used a 400,000-strong army to encircle and besiege the vanguard of the Han army, while the rear forces were too far away to come to the rescue. Liu Bang was besieged in Pingcheng for seven days and nights, running short of food and water, and trapped in a desperate situation. Later, thanks to Chen Ping's clever strategy, Liu Bang managed to escape in the thick of fog. Showing weakness can also reduce or even eliminate others' dissatisfaction or envy toward you. To make others relax their vigilance and create a sense of closeness, as long as you can skillfully and subtly expose some trivial flaws or make minor blunders in front of others, demonstrating that you are not an aloof, perfect figure, it will make people feel more at ease when interacting with you and less likely to see you as an enemy.
Once, a reporter went to visit a young professor to obtain some scandalous information about him. However, before they could even exchange pleasantries, the professor stopped the reporter who wanted to question him and said, "There's plenty of time; we can talk slowly." The reporter was greatly surprised by the young professor's calm demeanor. Shortly after, a servant brought coffee to the table, and the professor picked up the cup, took a sip, and exclaimed, "Oh! It's so hot!" The coffee cup then fell to the ground. After the servant cleaned up, the professor tried to insert a cigarette into his mouth upside down and light it from the filter end. At this point, the reporter quickly reminded, "Sir, you're holding the cigarette upside down." Upon hearing this, the professor hastily corrected the cigarette, only to accidentally knock over the ashtray in the process. The usually arrogant professor made a series of blunders, which greatly surprised the reporter and, without realizing it, the original confrontational attitude vanished, replaced instead by a sense of closeness toward him. The entire process was actually orchestrated by the young professor himself. When people discover that outstanding and authoritative figures also have many weaknesses, the fear they once held toward them diminishes, and driven by sympathy, they may even develop a certain degree of intimacy. Wherever there are people, there will inevitably be competition, and you must be mentally prepared to face external attacks. You may not intend to harm others, but it is still necessary to equip yourself with a "bulletproof vest," and showing weakness can serve as such a function, making any arguments or confrontations hesitate to escalate. As the 19th-century British statesman Lord Charles Fitzwilliam once told his son: "Be smarter than others—if possible, don't tell them you're smarter."
Xiao Li is an employee at a certain government agency, highly competent in his work, but he never lets this define him