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三十六计英文-Thirty-Six Stratagems 30. Host and guest reversed 三十六计

三十六计英文

Thirty-Six Stratagems

 (三十六计法语-Les 36 stratagèmes)

31. Beauty trap
The "Beauty Trap" is the oldest stratagem in the book: use prostitutes to distract the military commander, drug him, or get information from him. The French Resistance in WWII, called the FFI, used this ploy with great success. They employed prostitutes loyal to France who were willing to sleep with Nazi commanders, do anything they wanted, and thus gain information during pillow talk. The prostitutes passed this information on to their FFI comrades.

It may be startling to realize that such an immoral trade would be so successful. But there's a reason to note that this strategy comes towards the end of the list. It is a "last stand" measure, something to use when all else fails. Even in France, it was used by a people whose army had already been defeated, and even while employing this strategy, the French had to be saved by their allies. All the prostitutes in the world could not reassemble the French army and throw the Nazis out of Paris.

Taking the stratagem negatively, we can see that Sun Tzu had a reason to insist that the commander must be a man of integrity and moral uprightness. The commander who does not commit adultery will be immune to this stratagem. Many Chinese generals made it a point of honor to eat exactly what their men ate while in the field. They did not enjoy luxuries until they were home again, and the war was over. This standard of behavior not only wins over the hearts of the foot soldiers, it also ensures that the commander will not be trapped by luxury.

Sex, drugs, gambling, cash, riches, even sympathy and flattery, are "beauty traps" that will break the will of a leader. Moral integrity and a realistic moral inventory of one's own weaknesses help to keep a person on-track in any struggle.

孙子兵法 美人计

三十六计英文-Thirty-Six Stratagems 32. Empty city ploy 上屋抽梯 管理咨询 Herbert Zhang Zhi Yong 口才 

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