Lure the tiger from the mountains.
Rather than plunging into dangerous and unfamiliar territory to confront an adversary, it was far better to make him come out and fight you.
“You are setting us loose for an arduous battle,” the adversary said. “One that you are not willing to fight with us. Some of us may succeed, many of us will not. You, though, cannot lose.”
“What would you have me do?”
“At a minimum, stay here.”
A smart stratagem, Tang thought. When an opponent possessed the edge, rather than resisting directly, deplete his resources, sap his strength. Cause a mistake. On a lesser man the ploy may have worked—
“But then you would not be able to undermine me,” Pau said.
Gazes locked.
“I am aware of what you have been doing,” Pau declared. “I know that once I leave, you will usurp all that I have planned. That is why you were not chosen as my emissary. That is why we are here, for all to know of your treachery.”
The man stood his ground, his back as rigid as his attitude. “You will be our ruin.”
Pau’s arms were folded across his chest, each hand concealed within the robe’s sleeves. Tang watched as only the older man’s eyes glanced left, and the brother standing close to Pau’s challenger advanced two steps, grabbed the man’s head with both hands, and spun it right.
A crack broke the silence and the body sank to the marble.
None of the others reacted.
Pau Wen stood rigid.
“After writing The Art of War, Sun Tzu was given an audience with the king of Wu. He wanted command of the king’s army, but the king did not believe that anyone could be trained as a soldier, so the king presented Sun Tzu a challenge. Train the court concubines to fight and you may command my army. Sun Tzu accepted the challenge, appointing two of the women as officers and explaining the commands for marching. But when the drum signals were given, all the women burst out laughing. Sun Tzu knew that if orders are not clear, the general is at fault. So he repeated his explanation, but the officers and the women only laughed again. Sun Tzu also knew that when orders are clear but not followed, the officers are at fault. So he ordered the officers, the king’s two favorite concubines, beheaded. After that, the remaining women followed orders perfectly and became well trained. The king, though disgusted and angry, gave Sun Tzu command of the army.”
All of them stood silent.
“Are my orders clear?” Pau asked the group.
They all nodded.
