24
Chapter 4 · Chaos Stratagems

假道伐虢

Jiǎ dào fá Guó

Borrow the Road to Conquer Guo

General Bao acting out Borrow the Road to Conquer Guo
General Bao demonstrates 假道伐虢 — Borrow the Road to Conquer Guo.
假道伐虢 borrow · road · conquer · Guo

Get access through a neighbour by promising it's about someone else — then use that access on the neighbour.

Today

A friend brings their charming new partner into the tight-knit group and vouches for them — opens every door, every invite. Six months on, the newcomer is the centre of everything, and somehow the friend who introduced them is the one left on the outside.

When it backfires

The borrowed road runs both ways. Take the access under false pretenses and a wary host can feed you exactly what they want you to see — then close the gate behind you.