| Driving a Wedge between the Enemy | |
General Liu Yu of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) betrayed his country and
surrendered to the emperor of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) in the north.
In 1137, General Yue Fei of the Southern Song got an order to
stage a war against the Jin army. Yue Fei knew that there
would be a rough battle now that Liu and his new master formed
an alliance. But he also knew that there was a conflict
between General Liu and Jinwuzhu, a general of Jin. Yue Fei
would take advantage of this and weaken the enemy force by
driving a wedge between the two generals. But how?
It so happened that Yue Fei received a report that a spy sent
by Jinwuzhu was captured. Hearing this, Yue had an idea. He
sent a word that he would see this spy.
When the spy was called in, Yue pretended to know the spy and
said to him reproachfully, "What has happened to you, Zhang
Bing? A few days ago, I ordered you to take Liu Yu a message
expecting to collaborate with him to kill Jinwuzhu, but I
haven't got any information from you. Where have you been? I
am thinking of sending another man to complete the mission."
The spy felt puzzled, but he soon believed that Yue Fei had
mistaken him for someone else. He said to himself, "Why don't
I make the best of this mistake by taking this important
message to my general?" He suddenly knelt down and said
beseechingly, "Pardon me, General. Give me one more chance and
I promise to hand the message to General Liu this time."
"Well, I pardon you", replied Yue Fei, "I give you another
chance. But if you fail again, you can't escape bad luck." He
picked up a writing brush and wrote a letter including an
elaborated false scheme to kill Jinwuzhu. To make the wedge
plan more credible, Yue wrapped the letter in a wax ball. Then
he cut open the skin on the spy's leg and put the ball in the
cut.
The enemy spy was so excited to get the information. He
eagerly ran to Jinwuzhu and handed the letter to him. Jinwuzhu
was greatly shocked when he learned that Liu Yu had been
plotting to kill him. He immediately reported the message to
the emperor. Very soon, Liu Yu was deposed and Yue Fei
succeeded in weakening the enemy force and paved the way for
his defeating the enemy.
Written by our column writer Ye Qinfa.
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