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三十六计英文-Thirty-Six Stratagems 30. Host and guest reversed 三十六计
三十六计英文
31. Beauty trap
The "Beauty Trap" is the oldest stratagem in the book: use prostitutes to
distract the military commander, drug him, or get information from him. The
French Resistance in WWII, called the FFI, used this ploy with great success.
They employed prostitutes loyal to France who were willing to sleep with Nazi
commanders, do anything they wanted, and thus gain information during pillow
talk. The prostitutes passed this information on to their FFI comrades.
It may be startling to realize that such an immoral trade would be so
successful. But there's a reason to note that this strategy comes towards the
end of the list. It is a "last stand" measure, something to use when all else
fails. Even in France, it was used by a people whose army had already been
defeated, and even while employing this strategy, the French had to be saved by
their allies. All the prostitutes in the world could not reassemble the French
army and throw the Nazis out of Paris.
Taking the stratagem negatively, we can see that Sun Tzu had a reason to insist
that the commander must be a man of integrity and moral uprightness. The
commander who does not commit adultery will be immune to this stratagem. Many
Chinese generals made it a point of honor to eat exactly what their men ate
while in the field. They did not enjoy luxuries until they were home again, and
the war was over. This standard of behavior not only wins over the hearts of the
foot soldiers, it also ensures that the commander will not be trapped by luxury.
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.
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