Before assaults, spy out enemy officials’ identities. Turn captured enemy spies into double agents, the core of all intelligence work. They support other four spy types and deserve lavish rewards under royal supervision.
Sun Tzu categorizes five spy types: native, internal, double, doomed and surviving spies. Deploying all five simultaneously hides intelligence operations perfectly, forming an invaluable secret strategy for rulers.
Chapter 47 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms – titled “Kan Ze Delivers the Surrender Letter; Pang Tong Proposes the Linked Ships Stratagem” – marks the culmination of a meticulously woven tapestry of deception that sets the stage for the Battle of Red Cliffs.