Interconnected Ploys, 连环计 - 36 Strategies
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36 Strategies - Strategy No 35: Interconnected Ploys, 连环计
Original: 将多兵众，不可以敌，使其自累，以杀其势。在师中吉，承天宠也。
Modern: 敌人兵力强大时，就不要去硬拼。应当运用计谋使他们自我牵制，借以削弱它的力量。主帅如能巧妙地运用计谋，克敌制胜就如同有天神帮助一样。
English: If the enemy has a strong and powerful army, a head-on confrontation is not advisable. Instead, one should utilise a few connected strategies to decrease the enemy's power. With good leadership and planning, it will be easy to win the battle as if heaven is on one's side.
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During the Three Kingdoms Period, Zhou Yu and Pang Tong set up "chain schemes" or a series of related scheme to trap Cao Cao. First when Cao Cao sent his man, Jiang Gan to spy on Zhou Yu, Zhou Yu used the "Double Agent Scheme" to lure Cao Cao into killing two of his best marine commanders, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun. This weakened Cao Cao greatly and eventually led to Cao Cao losing the Battle of Red Cliff.
Next Zhou Yu used the "Self-Injury Scheme" to punish one of his best generals, Huang Gai to make Cao Cao believed that there was internal chaos in Zhou Yu's camp. Therefore, when Jiang Gan visited Zhou Yu for the second time, he 'accidentally' bumped into Pang Tong. Jiang Gan was taken in when Pang Tong said that he had plans to defect Cao Cao's camp.
Pang Tong's "surrender" to Cao Cao triggered the final plan. Cao Cao was pleased to see Pang Tong and exchanged view with him on war strategies. As Cao Cao had lost his best marine commander, he was desperate to see advice from Pang Tong. Cao Cao's men could not swim and suffered seasickness. Pang Tong said,"Although your men are well-trained, they are not used to traveling at sea so they get seasick, especially in strong currents. You should tie your ships together, thirty or fifty in a row. This way the ships will be stable and the soldiers can walk on the decks freely.
Cao Cao thanked Pang Tong for his great suggestion and ordered his blacksmiths to chain all the ships together in their next attack on Zhou Yu. However, Zhou Yu learnt of Cao Cao's plan and set fire to Cao Cao's ships. With all the ships chained together, it was almost impossible for the soldiers to escaped from the burning ships. Thus Cao Cao suffered a bitter defeat at the Battle of the Red Cliff.
赤壁大战时，周瑜巧用反间，让曹操误杀了熟悉水战的蔡瑁、张允，又让庞统向曹操献上锁船之计，又用苦肉计让黄盖诈降。三计连环，打得曹操大败而逃。
在“反间计”那一章里，我们讲了周瑜让曹操误杀蔡、张二将之事，曹操后悔莫及，更要命的是曹营再也没有熟悉水战的将领了。
东吴老将黄盖见曹操水寨船只一个挨一个，又无得力指挥，建议周瑜用火攻曹军。并主动提出，自己愿去诈降，趁曹操不备，放火烧船。周瑜说：“此计甚好，只是将军去诈降，曹贼定生疑。”黄盖说：“何不使用苦肉计？”周瑜说：“那样，将军会吃大苦。”黄盖说：“为了击败曹贼，我甘愿受苦。”
第二日，周瑜与众将在营中议事。黄盖当众顶撞周瑜，骂周瑜不识时务，并极力主张投降曹操。周瑜大怒，下令推出斩首。众将苦苦求情，，老将军功劳卓著，请免一死。”周瑜说：“死罪既免，活罪难逃。”命令重打一百军棍，打得黄盖鲜血淋漓。
黄盖私下派人送信曹操，大骂周瑜，表示一定寻找机会前来降曹。曹操派人打听，黄盖确实受刑，现正在养伤。他将信将疑，于是，派蒋干再次过江察看虚实。
周瑜这次见了蒋干，指责他盗书逃跑，坏了东吴的大事。这次过江，又有什么打算？周瑜说：“莫怪我不念旧情，先请你住到西山，等我大破曹军之后再说。”把蒋干给软禁起来了。其实，周瑜想再次利用这个过于自作聪明的呆子，所以名为软禁，实际上又在诱他上钩。
一日，蒋干心中烦闷，在山间闲逛。忽然听到从一间茅屋中传出琅琅书声。蒋干进屋一看，见一隐士正在读兵法，攀谈之后，知道此人是名士庞统。他说，周瑜年轻自负，难以容人，所以隐居在山里。蒋干果然又自作聪明，劝庞统投奔曹操，夸耀曹操最重视人才，先生此去，定得重用。庞统应允，并偷偷把蒋干引到江边僻静处，坐一小船，悄悄驶向曹营。
蒋干哪里会想到又中周瑜一计：原来庞统早与周瑜谋划，故意向曹操献锁船之计，让周瑜火攻之计更显神效。曹操得了庞统，十分欢喜，言谈之中，很佩服庞统的学问。他们巡视了各营寨，曹操请庞统提提意见。庞统说：“北方兵士不习水战，在风浪中颠簸，肯定受不了，怎能与周瑜决战？”曹操问：“先生有何妙计？”庞统说：“曹军兵多船众，数倍于东吴，不愁不胜。为了克服北方兵士的弱点，何不将船连锁起来，平平稳稳，如在陆地之上。”曹操果然依计而行，将士们都十分满意。
一日，黄盖在快舰上满载油、柴、硫，硝等引火物资，遮得严严实实。他们按事先与曹操联系的信号，插上青牙旗，飞速渡江诈降。这日刮起东南风，正是周瑜他们选定的好日子。曹营官兵，见是黄盖投降的船只，并不防备，忽然间，黄盖的船上火势熊熊，直冲首营。风助火势，火乘风威，曹营水寨的大船一个连着一个，想分也分不开，一齐着火，越烧越旺。周瑜早已准备快船，驶向曹营，只杀得曹操数十万人马一败涂地。曹操本人仓皇逃奔，捡了一条性命。