Chapter 70: The Beauty Trap

The Beauty Trap is a historical strategy, originating from the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and also referenced in the Six Secret Teachings: "Raise their treacherous ministers to confuse them; send beautiful women and seductive music to bewitch them." The essence is that when an enemy cannot be subdued by military force, one must employ "sugar-coated bullets"—first undermining the enemy commanders’ resolve and will, causing internal decay and loss of fighting strength, and only then launching an attack.

The phrase "Thirty-Six Stratagems" predates the written compilation, its origin traceable to Tan Daoji, a general of the Southern Song Dynasty (died in 436 AD). According to the Book of Southern Qi, in the biography of Wang Jingze: "Tan’s thirty-six schemes; retreat is the best. You and your son should flee." This implies that when defeat is inevitable and irreparable, retreat is the wisest course.

This saying was passed down through generations, and during the Song Dynasty, Hui Hong wrote in Night Conversations from the Cold Studio: "Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best." By the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the phrase became even more widely quoted. Consequently, scholars gathered materials from many books and compiled the Thirty-Six Stratagems. However, the exact author and date of compilation remain uncertain.

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