Running Away Is the Best Stratagem

Nán Sòng zhī shí, Jīn bīng dàjǔ nán qīn, bīng fēng shèn ruì, Sòng jiàng Bì Zàiyù suǒ bù bīng wēi jiàng guǎ, dú shǒu gū yíng.

In the Southern Song, the Jin army swept south in force, its spearheads very sharp; the Song general Bi Zaiyu held a lone camp with only a thin, under-officered force.

Bì Zàiyù shēn zhī yìng pīn bì wáng, sānshíliù jì zhī zhōng, tā xuǎn le zuì bú bèi kànhǎo de —— “zǒu”.

Knowing full well that a head-on fight meant certain death, of all the Thirty-Six Stratagems he chose the one held in lowest esteem: “walk away”.

Rán'ér ruò cānghuáng chè yíng, Jīn bīng bì chèn shì zhuīshā, Sòng jūn jiāng quánjūn-fùméi, xū děi xiǎng yí ge qiǎo wú shēngxī quán shēn ér tuì de fǎzi.

But a panicked withdrawal would invite the Jin to hunt them down and wipe the army out; he had to find a way to slip away whole and unheard.

Bì Zàiyù xīn shēng yí jì, mìng rén jiāng huóyáng dàoxuán yú yíngzhàng zhī zhōng, qiántí zhènghǎo dā zài zhàngǔ zhī shàng.

An idea came to him: he had live sheep hung upside down inside the tents, their forelegs just resting on the war drums.

Rù yè zhī hòu, Jīn yíng yuǎn yuǎn tīngjiàn Sòng yíng gǔ shēng bù jué, yǐwéi Sòng jūn chèn yè jiājǐn bèizhàn, biàn bù gǎn màorán chūjī.

After dark, the Jin camp could hear the Song drums beating without pause in the distance; thinking the Song army was busily preparing for battle through the night, they dared not attack rashly.

Ér cǐ shí de Sòng jūn, zǎo yǐ yǎnqí-xīgǔ, rén xián méi, mǎ guǒ tí, jiè zhe yèsè qiǎorán chè chū dà yíng.

Meanwhile the Song army had long since furled its flags and silenced its drums; with bits in their mouths and hooves muffled, they slipped out of the great camp under cover of the dark.

Nà gǔ shēng yuán shì xuán yáng zhēngzhá, shuāng tí luàn dēng suǒ zhì, Jīn bīng bèi zhè “yíng zhōng” de gǔ shēng piàn le zhěng zhěng yí yè.

That drumbeat was only the hung sheep thrashing about, both hooves kicking wildly; the Jin soldiers had been fooled by this “in-camp” drumming for a whole night.

Cìrì tiān míng, Jīn bīng gǔ qǐ yǒngqì chōng rù Sòng yíng, zhǐ jiàn kōng yíng yí zuò, xuán yáng shù zhī, nǎ lǐ hái yǒu bàn ge Sòng bīng?

At dawn the next day, the Jin soldiers screwed up their courage and charged into the Song camp — only to find one empty camp and a few hung sheep; not a single Song soldier was anywhere to be seen.

Bì Zàiyù zǎo yǐ shuài quán jūn ānrán tuì zhì xiǎnyào, jì bǎozhù le shílì, yòu ràng Jīn jūn pū le ge kōng, zhè biàn shì bīngfǎ suǒwèi “quán shēn ér tuì”.

Bi Zaiyu had long since led his whole army safely back to a strong position, keeping his strength intact and leaving the Jin to grasp at thin air — what the art of war calls “withdrawing the whole body”.

Zhè biàn shì “Zǒu-wéi-shàng-jì” —— xíngshì búlì shí zhǔdòng chètuì, bǎoquán shílì yǐ tú zài zhàn, shì sānshíliù jì de zuì hòu yí jì, yě shì zuì gāomíng de tuìquè.

This is “Running Away Is the Best”: when the situation turns against you, retreat on your own terms and keep your strength to fight another day — it is the last of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and the most brilliant of all withdrawals.

Zài xiàndài shēnghuó lǐ, dāng yí xiàng tóuzī liánlián kuīsǔn, yí ge xiàngmù háo wú xīwàng shí, jíshí “zhǐsǔn tuìchū” yuǎn bǐ sǐ chēng yìng káng yào míngzhì de duō.

In modern life, when an investment keeps losing money or a project has no hope left, “cutting your losses and stepping out” in time is far wiser than gritting your teeth and pushing through.

Tā de zhìhuì zàiyú: zhēnzhèng de yǒnggǎn bú shì yǒu jìn wú tuì, ér shì dǒngdé zài hé shí zhuǎn shēn —— zhǐyào shílì hái zài, jīhuì jiù yǒngyuǎn bú huì quēxí.

Its wisdom: true bravery is not pressing forward without retreat, but knowing when to turn around — so long as your strength remains, opportunity will never fail to show up.