併戰計Chapter 5 of 6 · Bìng zhàn jì
Close-Quarters Stratagems
Get close, combine schemes, and turn a partner's house into your own.
25
Tōu liáng huàn zhù
Steal the Beams, Swap the Pillars
Quietly replace the load-bearing parts of something while its familiar exterior stays exactly where it was.
26
Zhǐ sāng mà huái
Point at the Mulberry, Curse the Locust
Warn or discipline someone powerful indirectly, by making an example of a safer target they'll recognise.
27
Jiǎ chī bù diān
Feign Foolishness Without Going Mad
Play the harmless fool so nobody guards against you — while your judgement stays perfectly sharp underneath.
28
Shàng wū chōu tī
Lure onto the Roof, Then Remove the Ladder
Get someone committed to a position they can't retreat from — then take away the way back.
29
Shù shàng kāi huā
Deck the Tree with False Blossoms
Make a modest force look formidable by dressing it up — borrowed scale, a staged flourish, the look of momentum.
30
Fǎn kè wéi zhǔ
Turn the Guest into the Host
Enter as the guest, make yourself useful and then indispensable, then quietly take over the house.