BusinessThe Art Of War Series

36To Win

All Warfare is Based on Deception. --Sun Tzu

“The Chinese art of stratagems is a two-millennium old doctrine of war that emphasizes deception to achieve victory” It started with the ‘Art of War’, a famous book attributed to Master Sun, who was a warlord himself during the Spring and Autumn Period. The 36 stratagems came centuries later. The stratagems are excellent unorthodox moves that brought the Chinese art of stratagems to a much higher level than Master Sun’s ‘Art of War’ . The 36 stratagems are a compilation of the Chinese heritage of military tricks. While the ‘Art of war’ is about fundamental principles, the 36 stratagems are actions. One should start studying the ‘Art of war’ in order to grasp the fundamental terms that are needed to understand the 36 stratagems.”

Most Chinese strategies and tactics are based on three concepts:1) There is rarely a good reason to let your competitor know what you are doing, there may be very good reasons to mislead your competitor as to your intentions 2) Do not play the competitor's game instead find out where your competitor is weak and attack them there. 3) Determine your competitor's tactics, just because someone is being friendly does not mean they should be trusted - they may have ulterior motives.

Six multiplied by six equals thirty-six. Calculations produce tactics which in turn produce calculations. Each side depends upon the other. Based on this correlative relationship, ploys against the enemy are devised. Rigid application of Military theory will only result in defeat on the battlefield.

The 36 stratagems were divided into six categories, depending on situation :

Stratagems 1 - 6 are STRATAGEMS FOR THE STRONGER FORCE Stratagems 7 - 12 are STRATAGEMS FOR TWO EQUAL FORCESStratagems 13 - 18 are STRATAGEMS FOR DIRECT ATTACK Stratagems 19 - 24 are STRATAGEMS TO CONFUSE THE ENEMYStratagems 25 - 30 are STRATAGEMS TO GAIN GROUND Stratagems 31 - 36 are STRATAGEMS BEFORE THE LAST STAND

36 STRATAGEMS

1. Stratagems for the Stronger Force This division was always fluid and flexible, for the Chinese view of war is that the situation continually changes. In modern times, the divisions are, perhaps, even less applicable. Rather than viewing the first six stratagems as being most applicable for a stronger force to use, perhaps it will be better to apply a descriptor to them. These stratagems advocate ways to mis-direct the energy of others and to seize the advantage of misdirected energy.

1. Deceive the heavens to cross the ocean 2. Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao 3. Kill with a borrowed knife 4. Leisurely await for the laboured 5. Loot a burning house 6. Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west

1 Deceive the heavens to cross the ocean : Conceal your preparations by being completely open and public. Do not advertise your preparations by trying to hide, doing so will cause increased interest by your competitors. Instead make it appear you are going about your routine business and that there is nothing unusual happening. The reference to the ocean alludes to overcoming a significant barrier or achieving a significant goal while being in full view. Competitors may give the appearance of being open and honest while they disguise their true intentions until they have achieved their goal.

Another form of deceiving the sky to cross the sea is to make open preparations for war without ever actually going to war---until the enemy no longer takes you seriously.

2. Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao : Attack a strong competitor indirectly by seizing something of importance to them. Some competitors are too strong to tackle directly but it is possible to distract them from their strong position by seizing something of importance to them that they have been ignoring. This could be a position on an influential industry representative body or committee for example. The title refers to an historical battle in China.

To draw off the energy of an attack against an ally, let the enemy fully commit himself against his prey, and then---instead of rushing to the rescue---attack the enemy's dearest possessions.

3. Kill with a borrowed knife : Convince others to fight your battles for you. It is better to conserve your strength and not expose yourself to a strong competitor. This stratagem may be used against you in a number of ways:- You may be told the "Boss" or "Corporate Headquarters" are responsible for a new policy. This may be someone hiding behind the authority of a more senior person or in effect "borrowing their knife". Sometimes a person will "supply the bullets for someone else to fire". This protects the perpetrator and allows them to monitor the effectiveness of their attack with little risk to themselves.

The enlightened fighter lets somebody else do the fighting for him and can either watch the battle to its conclusion or else enter at the end and win.

4. Leisurely await for the labored : Do not go chasing around after your competitor, make them come to you. It is better if you choose the time and place for a confrontation, prepare well, arrive early and rest. When your competitor then has to respond they will not be well prepared and will use more resources to come to you. This can also be used against you! If you are busy fighting competitors for market share and in the process spending your marketing budget you may run low on funds at a time a new competitor, who has been observing your actions, decides to enter the market. It is important you maintain sufficient reserves to deal with new situations and continue to monitor all potential competitors.

An intelligent commander will avoid enemy when their spirit is at peak, but attack the enemy when their spirit is at low point and when they are tired. Keepyourself calm and orderly, well fed, wellrested, to await chaotic, exhausted and confused enemy. Sun Tzu

5. Loot a burning house : If your opponent suffers an adversity not related to your battle, you can use the diversion of his attention, energy, and resources to further weaken him. If you allow yourself to get into difficulties do not expect sympathy from your competitors. You may be forced to sell off assets at well below their true value - in a "fire sale" - or enter into a contract at disadvantageous terms in order to survive a bit longer. You may be better off salvaging the valuable assets, let the old house burn down, build a new house and start again with the assets you saved.

Now, when your army is exhausted and yourresources are spent, this is the time that newopponents enter the field to take advantage of your weakness. No matter how clever the leader is, once this situation has become about, the end is inevitable. Sun Tzu

6. Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west : your opponent must have no real insight on what you are about to do. Give the impression you are where you are not. If you are close make it look as if you are far away, if you are far away make it look as if you are close. Let your competitor think you are moving into a market sector that is of little interest to you while you prepare for a completely different market sector. Your competitor will busily prepare to enter the wrong market sector, waste their resources and will not be prepared to deal with your new products

The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known,for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at different points and his force will be then spread out too thin. Sun Tzu

2. Stratagems for Two Equal Forces : These stratagems focus on immediate options that you have on hand. Using what you already have or what exists in your environment, create illusions, make new weapons, or form new and innovative plans. These stratagems require that you look at your own situation with fresh eyes and that you understand how your opponent looks at your environment and arsenal, so that you can create convincing illusions or put old items to new uses.

7. Create something from nothing 8. Openly repair the gallery roads, but sneak through the passage of Chencang 9. Watch the fires burning across the river 10. Hide a knife behind a smile 11. Sacrifice the plum tree to preserve the peach tree 12. Take the opportunity to pilfer a goat

The world are born fromsomething and something from nothing. Lao Tze

7. Create something from nothing : The original strategy is to mix real things with illusions to confuse the Enemy in war. It also means that “nothing” and “something” are not absolute. Get what you need by trickery or illusion. This tactic is based on carrying out the same feint a number of times until your competitor no longer perceives it as a threat. When your competitor appears off-guard repeat the action again but this time follow through and complete. 

8. Advance to Chen Cang by a hidden route : Use the commonly expected strategy to hide the real strategy. Fix your competitor's attention in one area by using a standard approach then attack in a completely different area or from an unexpected direction.

It offered so little advantage, so it was lightly guarded.

9. Watch the fires burning across the river : Use delay if it enhances in-fighting within the enemy alliances. If you become aware of conflict within an alliance of your competitors monitor the situation but do not join in the conflict. If the alliance appears to be self-destructing get ready to pick up the assets that are of interest.

The wise fighter waits to let a foolishly aggressive or egotistical opponent alienate those around him and creates problems within his own administration.

10. Conceal a dagger behind a smile : Never express anger, and never express sarcasm. Do not appear to be out-rightly aggressive to your competitor, give the impression of neutrality or even friendship. In the meantime prepare for possible confrontation in the future and make any moves at a time and manner advantageous to yourself.

The kindly person who suddenly and decisively reveals the dagger sheathed in his belt is going to be taken more seriously than the fool who brandishes a dagger on any provocation.

11. Sacrifice the plum tree for the peach tree : When you cannot avoid losses, sacrifice the lesser for the benefit of the greater. Not all tactics will work as planned, be prepared to sacrifice something non-critical to ensure survival. It is better to take the long-term view and not waste too many resources bolstering every short-term tactic.

The person who knows that he must engage in struggle sets up a hierarchy of goals so that he knows ahead of time what he can sacrifice and what he cannot.

12. Take a goat in passing : Make use of everything you get from the other side. Ensure your plans are not too rigid. During the execution of your strategic plan an opportunity may present itself - take advantage of the opportunity no matter how small as long as it does not distract you from your end goal . You should be aware of any opportunity that comes across your path. Anything that happens during negotiations should be taken into account. The Chinese consider this constantly, so the Chinese know that crises bring opportunities.”

While following the rules of the strategy and tactics be prepared to take advantage of circumstances not covered by conventionalthinking. If the opportunities present themselvesthen the leader should be flexible in his plans and adapt to the new circumstances. Sun Tzu

3. STRATAGEMS FOR DIRECT ATTACK These are the stratagems of "mind games". Two of them focus on intimidation; two of them focus on tempting the enemy's greed, and two of them focus on the enemy's premises, assumptions, or morality. The section is well named as "direct attack," for it shows that battle takes place in the mind, and direct attacks succeed if you know how your opponent thinks.

13. Stomp the grass to scare the snake 14. Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul 15. Entice the tiger to leave its mountain lair 16. In order to capture, one must let loose 17. Tossing out a brick to get a jade gem 18. Defeat the enemy by capturing their chief

13. Beat the grass to startle the snake : Frighten or startle the enemy to see how he will react. Before taking any action ensure you know as much as possible about your competitor's circumstances but do not alert them to your intentions or strategy. It is important the element of surprise rests with you and not your competitor.

Farmers often use a stick to beat the grass to create vibration so the snakes will get out and run away.

14. Raise a corpse from the dead : Putting a "puppet" ruler on the throne is a means of raising a corpse from the dead.Revive an old design, technology or method that others have discarded and by applying new technology bring it to life and thereby gain an advantage. Ideas that may have been rejected as too risky or expensive may have become viable due to the development of technology or a change in market economics.

The soldier used Zhuge Liang’s crops to deceive the enemy that his chief was still alive.

15. Lure the tiger from his mountain lair : Bring the opponent out from a situation that favors him to a situation that favors you. This stratagem is for a situation where an attack is necessary on a powerful and well entrenched competitor. The idea is to either get the tiger to abandon a lair or market that you want or to lure someone away from their established support mechanisms. It is also possible to lure a tiger by arranging for an apparently attractive target only to either attack the tiger in a carefully bated trap or occupy the territory he abandoned

When we fight, the best strategy is to win by intelligence and wisdom, the second is to win by diplomacy then it is to win by battle. The worst strategy is to win by costly city by city fight. Sun Tzu

16. Let your competitor have an apparent escape route : Anyone who is cornered may as well fight to the death thereby destroying assets you wanted to gain and inflicting substantial damage on you. If there is an apparent escape route your competitor will concentrate on that instead of fighting you. Later, your competitor will be in a weakened condition as the escape route will have depleted his reserves and willingness for another confrontation and may be taken over at little cost.Although this sounds like contradictory advice it is aimed at reducing the probability of a counter attack when you are attacking a competitor.

When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard Sun Tzu

17. Throw out a brick in order to gain a jewel : By tossing out a bait that cost relatively little, and you hauled in a lot of profit in return. Or present your competitor with an illusion of a gain and then, having moved him away from safety, spring your trap.

The brick means something insignificant, the jade means something valuable. Throw something insignificant as bait to attract a big fish in return.

18. Defeat your competitor through his chief : If you can destroy or capture your competitor's key people your competitor will collapse. Sometimes, if you can persuade a senior manager from a competitor to join you he will also bring with him other key people. This can be a better investment than an direct confrontation.

“To kill a snake in one shot, You have to hit its vital point precisely.” Chinese Proverb

4. STRATAGEMS TO CONFUSE THE ENEMY : If you want to confuse the other guy, then you must operate with proper and thorough method. These six stratagems all rise up from the commander's complete knowledge of what he has on hand, what the enemy has, and what the enemy will require in order to advance. Thus if you cannot outgun the enemy, you may be able to starve him. If you cannot starve him, you may be able to exhaust his other supplies. If you cannot exhaust his supplies you may be able to send him down the wrong path, etc., etc. No matter how strong the enemy's supplies, by attending to a systematic and thorough knowledge of the enemy, the commander may see where the enemy has damaged himself. In this section, two of the stratagems advocate waiting for the enemy's flaws to catch up to him.

19. Remove the firewood from under the pot 20. Catch a fish while the water is disturbed 21. Slough off the cicada's golden shell 22. Shut the door to catch the thief 23. Befriend a distant state while attacking a neighbor 24. Obtain safe passage to conquer the

19. Remove the Fire from the Cooking Pot : If your enemy lives on rice, then steal the wood for the cauldrons, and the enemy will starve. Some competitors are too strong to tackle head-on. In these situations find their weakest point or their source of power and undermine them there

“When you have boiling water in the pot, adding cold water will not cool it down effectively, but removing the firewood will.” Chinese Proverb

20. Disturb the water in order to catch the fish : Sometimes waters become troubled by storms you haven't created. Whether or not you throw your opponent's resources into confusion, be sure to take advantage of disarray in the other camps. Your task will be easier if you first confuse your competitor about your true intentions. Do something completely different to attract your competitor's attention and, while they are trying to understand what you are doing, make your real move.

“If you can make water really murky then fish will lose sight so it is easy to catch.” Chinese proverb

21. The cicada sheds its skin : The cicada sheds its skin intact, so that the shell looks like a real cicada. This is another stratagem to confuse your competitors. The cicada sheds its skin to both distract competitors and to allow itself to grow.In business you may have started a company and have decided you need a fundamental change of direction or scale of operation. If you extract the assets from your first company and use them to set up another company you are using this stratagem. You may well keep the first company operational to distract your competitors into thinking there has been no change in your activities.

Outnumbered generals or those who were targets for assassination created false impersonations of themselves to escape danger.

22. Shut the door to catch the thief : Sometimes a person gets himself into a trap, and all that is necessary is that you shut the door. It is often useful to confuse your opponents and even you customers in order to gain what you want. The thief in this stratagem is anyone who may not do what you want them to do and instead steal away to one of your competitors. If you are about to enter a lengthy and potentially expensive negotiation it is normal to agree ground rules about the type of information that will be provided, confidentiality, timescales and who will be involved from both sides. As negotiations progress you may sign off Heads of Agreement prior to signing a final agreement.

When faced with a weak enemy ifthere is a chance to eliminate it onceand for all make sure to shut down all escape routes and eliminate the enemy without leaving any possibilityfor its rebirth or to regrow.

23.Befriend a distant competitor while attacking a close competitor : Build strategic alliances with others that will give you the upper hand. This stratagem has two applications: the first is the more obvious. Avoid a two-front war by making peace with everybody else before you go to war against an opponent. Additionally, if you have two battles to fight, it's wiser first to fight the one that is near at hand. The second, less apparent application of this stratagem is that your route of advance must be organized. Sometimes, winning one battle makes the next battle easier to win.

“Let us proceed with caution, concentrating our strength and add to it daily. By winning over to our side those barons who are vassal of the enemy then when the enemy stands alone, like a tree shorn of its leaves and branches we will attack and destroy the root.”

24. Negotiate a route to attack a competitor : Temporarily join forces with a friend against a common enemy. One benefit is that a "middleman" gets the heat, and your own homeland can be saved from becoming a battlefield. Another benefit is that your forces can be stationed long term on friendly turf so that problems of supply line management are limited in severity. And a third benefit is that if your battle is successful, you now have your troops stationed in somebody else's kingdom.

When there are major powers and small powers, the smart way to play is for a major power to make a bit better offer to smaller powers in order to gain control over them.

5. STRATAGEMS TO GAIN GROUND : Trickery and deception are the key words for this section. Three of the stratagems are about deceiving the enemy about his own forces and position, and three of the stratagems are about deceiving the enemy about your own forces and position.

25. Replace the beams with rotten timbers 26. Point at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree 27. Feign madness but keep your balance 28. Remove the ladder when the enemy has ascended to the roof 29. Deck the tree with false blossoms 30. Make the host and the guest exchange roles

25. Replace the beams with rotten timbers : Replace the enemy's strength with weakness. Sabotage, incapacitate, or destroy them by removing their key support. One way of making for the enemy's weak points is to give the enemy weaknesses that he does not recognize. Infiltration of your own picked personnel to take key roles in the enemy's forces is one way of following this stratagem. Another application is to confuse the opponent about how to prepare for you.

“The generals are the supporting pillar of the state. If their talents are superior, the state will be strong. If the supporting pillar is marked by fissures, the state will grow weak.”

26. Point at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree : Clearly telling an opponent his strategic mistakes and promising to exploit them and defeat the opponent. Use indirect warning instead of direct action. To discipline others to show that the individual rules. You may have a competitor who has a strong and dominant position in your market sectoror an individual who holds a very senior position in your client’s company or in government. If you attack them directly youare likely to loose and suffer significant long term damage in the process. However you could point to a business practice, for which your competitor is well known and, without naming them attack them sufficiently to put them off balance.

“Kill a chicken to scare monkeys.” Chinese proverb

“ It is better to pretend knowing nothing, than pretend to know a lot more than you actually are, so you won't make decision or do things recklessly.”

27. Feign foolishness : pretending to be insane or mentally deficient. It's not fun to be thought of as stupid, but it is safer than to be reckoned intelligent and therefore dangerous. Too much of a display could draw too much attention and make opponents well prepared. Keeping a low profile and pretending to be weaker or knowing less than what is actually know can make an opponent lower their guard. This will create advantages. It's not fun to be thought of as stupid, but it is safer than to be reckoned intelligent and therefore dangerous.

28. Remove the ladder after the competitor ascends : Create an opening into a precarious place and draw the opponent into a trap. Use bait and deception, lure the enemy into traps and then shut off the escape routes. An impatient, overly sensitive, choleric person is prone to say too much, and so the best way to handle such a person is by patience and quietness at the start and then firmness and immoveable resolution at the end.

Avoid terrain that features cliffs and crags, narrow passes, tangled bush and quagmires. While avoiding such places ourselves, try to lure the enemy into such areas so that when we attack the enemy will have this type of terrain at his rear.” Sun Tzu

29. Put false blossoms on the tree : This stratagem is aimed at gaining ground or market share. It is likely that if you make competitors or potential customers aware of your weaknesses and problems you will go out of business very quickly. Although you need to be aware of your weaknesses you need to portray a different picture outside your organization. Small, start-up companies can make themselves appear well established and professional with the marketing literature they produce and the quality of written proposals they present.

“Birds ’ feathers make them look bigger than they actually are. Fake flowers combined with real trees can make them look nice.”

“ At first, you need to put a foothold on the place then make gain steadily, finally you can take over the key positions.”

30. Exchange places with the host : This stratagem applies to taking over without violence. If an individual cannot defeatthem, join them. If an individual is weak then they can participate in the game as a guest. Make a truce with opponents, Work with them, learn from them, but also observe their vulnerabilities. Grow in the process. After gaining enough strength, take control. In business, becoming an authority on the job of any higher person so that you cause that person tocome to you for advice is a means of role reversal.

6. STRATAGEMS BEFORE THE LAST STAND The final set of stratagems are the riskiest of the entire group, and they require finesse and skill. These are reserved for the high stakes gamble and can be used successfully only by experienced commanders.

31. The beauty trap (honey trap) 32. The empty fort strategy 33. Let the enemy's own spy sow discord in the enemy camp 34. Inflict injury on one's self to win the enemy's trust 35. Chain stratagems 36. If everything else fails, retreat

31. Beauty trap : use prostitutes to distract the military commander, drug him, or get information from him. Take advantage of the fatal attractions of the opponents to weaken them. Make them make mistakes. Provide alluring distractions. Sex, drugs, gambling, cash, riches, even sympathy and flattery, are "beauty traps" that will break the will of a leader. Moral integrity and a realistic moral inventory of one's own weaknesses help to keep a person on-track in any struggle.

If enemy's soldiers are too strong then you will try to work on their generals. If their generals are very smart then you will try to mess up their emotional life and spirit.

32. Empty city stratagem : If all is lost, and your resources are exhausted or depleted, try the unexpected. Deliberately displaying your weakness can conceal your vulnerability. Psychologically, people are used to following paradigms. When behavior is out of the ordinary it will confuse people. Take advantage of this and get out of trouble temporarily. Perhaps this tactic should be used only in situation in which the enemy has demonstrated an upper hand all along and believes himself to be the sure victor.

“ When weak, appear strong, when strong, appear weak.” Sun Tzu

33. Sow discord in the competitors organization : Once won over, these spies will deceive their former comrades with false information and act against them in the enemy camp. Disputes and discord will arise as the divided spies advise their masters of the situation. Provide inaccurate information to mislead them, especially through informal channels. But even when you have no access to "spies" as such, remember to listen to what your opponent says. His or her words will reveal the thinking and the heart's deception behind them. And when you know your opponent's thoughts, then you can disrupt and discredit his thinking.

Reduce the effectiveness of your enemy by inflicting discord among them. Sun Tzu

34. Pretend to injure yourself : Use this status to an individual's advantage. Pretending to be injured has two possible applications. In the first, the enemy is lulled into relaxing his guard since he no longer considers you to be an immediate threat. The second is a way of ingratiating yourself to your enemy by pretending the injury was caused by a mutual enemy.The planted person could soon gather abundant information to return to his own superiors and hasten the end of those who were plotting an overthrow or coup.

Portray the individual as a victim to gain trust.

35. Combine tactics to win : If your own forces are exhausted and depleted, then the time is not right to launch a decisive battle. In important matters one should use several strategies applied simultaneously. Keep different plans operating in an overall scheme; in this manner if any one strategy fails you would still have several others to fall back on.

“ Do not repeat tactics which gained you victory in the past, but let your tactics be molded by infinite variety of circumstances.” Sun Tzu

36. If all else fails retreat : If it becomes obvious that your current course of action will lead to defeat then retreat and regroup. If you cannot win, then losing is no solution, and dying will not solve any military justice. Therefore, flee. Return when the time is right. There are many generals who wanted to win so much that they retreated when they could not win. Then they figured out new strategies and came fresh to the attack and won.

He Who Runs Away Today Lives to Fight Another Day

The stratagems do not have a single author, and their wisdom pre-dates Sun Tzu. Indeed, some strategists find links between the 36 stratagems and the ancient I-Ching. The 36 stratagems are laid out in Chinese as brief, pithy proverbs. The English translation fails to catch the flavor of this ancient and wise language, but it conveys the meaning. More than just advice on how to win, the stratagems can also be viewed as proverbs of wisdom: observations of the way life runs whether we are at war or not at peace.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. — Sun Tzu

Thank You Very MuchSompong Yusoontorn