In Order to Capture, One Must Let Loose…
If the enemy has no way of retreat, desperation will increase their valour. The enemy should be given room to retreat and in doing so their strength and spirit will be sapped.
The Three Kingdoms period is one of the bloodiest in Chinese history.
It ran from 220–280 AD and was the tripartite division of China among the states of Wei, Shu, and Wu. It started with the end of the Han dynasty and was followed by the Jin dynasty.
During this period the Prime Minister of Shu, Zhuge Liang was battling with his Eastern and Northern neighbours and was continually harried by his barbarian neighbour in the South. He finally lost patience with the barbarian chief in the South and during the campaign to subdue him he captured him and then released him!
This chain of events took place seven times and every time the barbarian chief was caught he was released! Finally the barbarian realised he was powerless against such a powerful adversary and decided to pledge his loyalty to Zhuge Liang.
Kung Min knew that to have real peace on his Southern border he needed to have the loyalty of the barbarians so he could concentrate on his enemies in the north and east. By simply defeating the South he knew that sooner or later they would rise again and present problems.
During the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations, the weather was unseasonably hot and the government troops assembled on the fringes of the square were very uncomfortable. The demonstrators helped the soldiers by bringing them cool drinks and popsicles to show them respect and friendship.
When the order was made by the Chinese government to attack and clear the square the soldiers refused to carry out the orders on their countrymen. The government then had to bring in troops from outer provinces, whom had no knowledge of recent events in Beijing to attack and clear the demonstrators.
The student strategy demonstrated a soft approach, showing kindness can be effective.
What will the Chinese government do when the time to quell the current unrest in Hong Kong takes place?
When you surround an enemy, you must leave an outlet for him to go free. Do not press a desperate enemy too hard’. – Sun – Tzu Bing Fa
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