Secretly Cross at Chencang

Chǔ-Hàn xiāngzhēng shí, Hán Xìn fèng Liú Bāng zhī mìng, zhǔnbèi cóng Hànzhōng chūbīng, duóhuí bèi Zhāng Hán děng rén zhànjù de Guānzhōng.

During the Chu–Han struggle, Han Xin, under Liu Bang's orders, prepared to march out of Hanzhong and take back Guanzhong, which Zhang Han and others held.

Cóng Hànzhōng dào Guānzhōng, běibiān hénggèn zhe xiǎnjùn de Qínlǐng, néng zǒu de zhǐyǒu jǐ tiáo qíqū de zhàndào.

Between Hanzhong and Guanzhong lay the steep Qinling range to the north, and the only way across was a few rugged plank roads cut into the cliffs.

Zhāng Hán pài zhòngbīng shǒuzhù zhàndào chūkǒu, zhǐ děng Hán Xìn yì lái, biàn yào jiāngqí yìjǔ jiānmiè.

Zhang Han posted a heavy force at the mouth of the plank road, waiting only for Han Xin to arrive so he could wipe him out in one stroke.

Hán Xìn kànchuān dírén de xīnsi, biàn dìngxiàle “Míngxiū-zhàndào, Àndù-Chéncāng” de miàojì.

Reading the enemy's mind, Han Xin laid down the brilliant plan of 'openly repairing the plank road, while secretly crossing at Chencang'.

Tā xiān shì gōngkāi pài bīng qù shāohuǐ de zhàndào shàng dàxīng-tǔmù, zuòchū yào cóng zhèlǐ chūguān de yàngzi.

He first publicly sent troops to do major construction on the burnt plank road, making it look as if he meant to leave the pass that way.

Zhāng Hán tīngshuō hòu, liánmáng bǎ zhǔlì diàodào zhàndào yíxiàn, yánmì fángshǒu.

When Zhang Han heard this, he hurriedly shifted his main force to the plank road and dug in to defend it.

Tā què bù zhīdào, Hán Xìn zǎoyǐ qiāoqiāo shuài dàjūn ràodào xībiān, xiàng Chéncāng nà tiáo jiùlù jìnfā.

What he did not know was that Han Xin had long since quietly led his main army by a western detour, advancing along the old road to Chencang.

Chéncāng shǒujūn háowú zhǔnbèi, bèi Hànjūn dǎle ge cuòshǒu-bùjí, hěn kuài jiù shīshǒu le.

The Chencang garrison was completely unprepared; caught off guard by the Han army, the city soon fell.

Zhāng Hán dédào xiāoxī zài huí bīng jiùyuán, yǐjīng láibùjí, Guānzhōng dà bùfèn dìqū hěn kuài jiù bèi Hán Xìn píngdìng.

By the time Zhang Han heard and rushed back to help, it was already too late, and most of Guanzhong was soon pacified by Han Xin.

Zhè jiùshì “Àndù-Chéncāng” —— biǎomiàn shàng dàzhāng-qígǔ zuò yí jiàn shì, ànlǐ què cóng lìng yì tiáo lù dádào zhēnzhèng mùdì.

This is 'secretly crossing at Chencang': make a great show of doing one thing on the surface, while in secret you take another road to your real goal.

Gōngzuò zhōng yě shì rúcǐ: nǐ xiǎng tuīdòng yí xiàng gǎigé, kěyǐ xiān zài xiǎoshì shàng zuò shēngshì, zhuǎnyí fǎnduìzhě de zhùyì, zài qiāoqiāo bǎ zhēnzhèng zhòngyào de fāng'àn tuīxíng xiàqù.

It is the same at work: to push through a reform, you can first make noise over small things to draw the opponents' attention, then quietly carry out the plan that really matters.

Tā de zhìhuì zàiyú: míngchù shìruò, ànzhōng chūjī, ràng duìshǒu dīngcuòle fāngxiàng, zìjǐ què néng cóngróng défēn.

Its wisdom lies here: look weak in the open and strike in the dark, so the opponent watches the wrong direction while you calmly score.