The 36 Strategies
Strategies for Desperate Situations

When retreat is the best option

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, Tan Daoji was the founding general of the Song Dynasty. King Wen Di put Tan in charge of a punitive expedition to the south.

In the year AD 431, Tan Daoji led troops to fight the state of Northern Wei. The Song army won more than thirty battles. The Song army advanced to Zhili city but was short of food.

The enemy had sent a spy to the Song camp. Realizing that the enemy's spy will know that they are short of food, Tan Daoji formulated a plan with the provisions officer.

That night, the provisions officer took stock of the food. The spy saw many sacks of food and found it strange, he had thought that the Song army had run out of food.

When the provisions officer finished taking stock and kept the sacks of food, the spy came out to inspect the ground, where the provisions officer had taken stock of the food. The spy found on the ground real grains that were presumably dropped from the sacks.

The spy reported back saying that the Song army had enough food and was unlikely to leave. By the time the Norhern Wei army realized they were tricked, the Song forces had safely pulled out.

Actually, the grains were scattered on the ground and the rest were sacks of sand.