In 206 B.C., Cao Cao (155-220), a great statesman, artist
of war and man of letters, led his army to attack the
city of Huguan. As the city was strategically located
and very difficult to access, Cao's army could not take
it in spite of great efforts. Cao got extremely outraged
and said, "Once I get into the city, I will have
all those in it buried alive."
Soon his words were spread throughout the city. As the
defenders in the city feared that it would really happen
to them, they waged a desperate resistance. As a result,
Cao's army found it even harder to win the battle. They
made months of attempts to get in but in vain. Cao became
more uneasy and consulted with his generals for a scheme.
At a meeting, General Cao Ren rose from his seat and
said, "The art of war tells us that we should not
put the enemy in too tight a ring, that the enemy should
be left a way to survive. But now we have been trapping
our enemy in a deadly corner. What's more, you have
declared to have them all buried alive. This will only
make them battle desperately against us, for they would
rather fight to death than be buried alive. As I estimate,
the enemy has almost run out of supplies. If we now
give them a ray of hope by leaving an open in the ring,
they are very likely to surrender to us, for they would
rather survive than fight to death for nothing."
Cao Cao thought the idea quite sensible and ordered
to do as the general said. As had been expected, the
defending troops in the city soon crossed over to Cao's
side. The city was finally seized without a cruel fight.
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