This article explains Sun Tzu’s tactic of feigning humility to inflate enemy arrogance. Modu Chanyu yielded treasures and his wife to lull Donghu, then crushed them. It also parallels Lu Xun’s flattering ploy that tricked arrogant Guan Yu into losing Jingzhou.
This article interprets Sun Tzu’s “war relies on deception” via Weber’s instrumental rationality. It contrasts his pragmatic trickery with moralistic warfare, citing historical battles to prove deception minimizes losses and secures survival.
Armies can stay orderly amid chaos. Disorder, cowardice and weakness stem from organization, momentum and troop deployment. Skilled generals use false appearances and bait to lure enemies, then await them with solid forces.