Strategy #1 from The 36 Strategies, "Deceive the Heavens to Cross the Ocean" involves using a ruse, which is just what our Romeo did.
The story which goes along with this strategy goes something like this:
This stratagem references an episode in 643 AD, when Emperor Taizong of Tang, balked from crossing the sea to a campaign against Koguryo. His general Xue Rengui thought of a stratagem to get the emperor across and allay his fear of seasickness: on a clear day, the emperor was invited to meet a wise man. They entered through a dark tunnel into a hall where they feasted. After feasting several days, the Emperor heard the sound of waves and realised that he had been lured onto a ship! General Xue drew aside the curtains to reveal the ocean and confessed that they had already crossed the sea: Upon discovering this, the emperor decided to carry on and later completed the successful campaign.
Hitman falls in love with target and fakes her murder with tomato sauce
With a gag in her mouth, a machete in her side and covered in “blood” this woman looks like the victim of a brutal murder.
But Iranildes Araujo did not suffer a cruel end – her death was faked with tomato sauce after a hitman fell in love with her.
Hired killer Carlos de Jesus was paid £345 to murder Iranildes by Maria Simoes who thought she was having an affair with her husband.
But when de Jesus saw his intended target he fell head over heels and confessed to her.
The pair then conjured up a plan to fool his employer into believing he carried out the hit.
Iranildes said: “I tore my shirt, put the knife by my side, then he tied me up and smothered me with tomato ketchup.”
The former convict then sent the sham photo of Iranildes to his client.
But the ruse was discovered three days later when Maria saw them kissing.
Amazingly she went to police to complain she had been conned out of her money.
The 36 strategems are interesting - they seem very similar to a lot of childhood games - I wonder where the influences come from. Practicality aside, its a pity that adults turn these childhood games into warfare.
ReplyDelete36 seems a good one for martial arts self-defence - if all else fails retreat / escape
Thanks for an interesting post
Thanks for visiting.
ReplyDeleteThe 36 Strategies and martial arts - that sounds like a post that's waiting to be written.