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三十六计英文-Thirty-Six Stratagems 15. Lure the tiger out of the mountain 三十六计

三十六计英文

Thirty-Six Stratagems

 (三十六计法语-Les 36 stratagèmes)

16. Let the enemy off in order to snare him
This stratagem has two possible applications. The admonition can be taken quite literally in that---in a situation in which you defeat your enemy---you can sometimes more effectively snare the opponent by releasing him or forgiving him. (After all, if you execute an enemy general, then his lieutenant becomes general in his stead, so you still have an enemy to fight. But if you spare the general and win him over, you gain an ally.) Sun Tzu repeatedly urges that those who are defeated be treated humanely, because if you win their loyalties, then you increase your own fighting force with very little expenditure. The Chinese generals who wrote extensive commentaries on Sun Tzu have observed that feeding and clothing prisoners means you are really feeding and clothing recruits. The opportunity to be magnanimous shows the opponent that you are not the devil he assumed you to be. And after being defeated, a proud fighter may be much more approachable and agreeable when treated with dignity and respect.

The USA accomplished this, after a fashion, by bringing German POWs back to the USA for interment during WWII. One German prisoner wrote that they all knew they would understand their real conditions only when they arrived at the prison barracks. They were frightened and dispirited, and the incredibly long journey across a vast ocean had made them all feel cut off and isolated. There then followed several days of travel by bus, so that all of the young men felt that they were powerless to escape or return.

But when he entered the barracks and saw a row of neat bunks, each with a mattress, and clean sheets, and a small kit bag stocked with shaving cream, a razor, soap, a toothbrush, and toothpaste, he was overcome with both gratitude and humility. He realized that his captors were not cruel. Prisoners were not beaten nor humiliated, and they were required to attend classes on law, ethics, and the Constitution of the United States. Eventually, they were allowed to work off site, under guard, for ranchers in the area. By the end of the war, with the exception of three hold outs, all of the men in his section of the camp were willing to see Constitutional government with equal rights for all instituted in Germany.

On the other hand, relying on the loyalty of a former enemy can be dangerous to the point of disastrous. The second application of this stratagem is more pragmatic and quite efficient: Make the enemy believe that a means of escape is open to him, and---rather than fight whole heartedly---he will turn his energies to get away, and thus you can direct him into a trap or harry his troops as they try to flee.

Sun Tzu warns that trapped soldiers---your own or the other general's---will fight at their best if they think there is no hope. They will resolve to take as many of the enemy with them as possible, so the great general writes, "When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard" (from Section Seven, "Mauevering," Art of War). It's better to get the other person to run for cover or run for escape. Provided you arrange the situation so that you know which way he will run, you can still effectively destroy his army. And this way, you suffer fewer losses.

孙子兵法 欲擒故纵

三十六计英文-Thirty-Six Stratagems 17. Hold out a brick to attract a gem  上屋抽梯 管理咨询 Herbert Zhang Zhi Yong 口才 

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