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Warfare was transformed into an art by the Chinese. Centuries ago, they crafted strategic manuals that continue to be consulted in the present day. Their innovative approaches and mastery of deception in battle were unparalleled, setting them apart from other nations.
The military strategies of ancient China were both unconventional and remarkably effective. Their history is filled with some of the most unusual and ingenious tactics imaginable—many of which are hard to believe actually succeeded.
10. The Dancing Girls
In 623, General Chai Shao faced a dire situation as the Tuyuhun forces descended upon the Tang Empire. Outnumbered and at a strategic disadvantage, he realized a conventional battle would lead to defeat. Instead, he opted for an unconventional approach to turn the tide.
Rather than deploying his troops, Chai Shao sent two stunning women and a group of pipa musicians onto the battlefield. They performed an alluring dance in front of the advancing Tuyuhun army, creating an unexpected spectacle.
The Tuyuhun soldiers, bewildered and perhaps longing for companionship, halted their advance. They stood transfixed, watching the dancers, trying to comprehend the bizarre scene and the absence of the Tang forces.
Seizing the opportunity, the Tang army flanked the distracted Tuyuhun from behind. They launched a surprise attack, decimating the invaders. A marauding horde that had plagued the region for years was finally vanquished—all thanks to an erotic dance performed by two women.
9. The Yue Suicide Squad
Shortly after ascending the throne in 496 BC, King Goujian of Yue faced an invading force. With limited experience in both governance and warfare, he understood the power of fear and surprise. To leverage these, he devised a strategy that defied all expectations.
Prior to the battle, Goujian assembled history's most literal suicide squad and positioned them at the forefront of his army. As they advanced onto the battlefield, his men locked eyes with the enemy. Then, in a chilling display, the front line slowly slit their own throats.
The invading forces were utterly bewildered by the spectacle, finding it horrifying to witness men slit their own throats while glaring at them with intense hatred.
Goujian’s troops then launched their assault. The enemy, now terrified and convinced they were facing deranged warriors, panicked. Their formations crumbled, their lines collapsed, and Goujian secured his triumph.
8. The Burning Cattle Charge
For five years, the city of Chi-mo endured a relentless siege until T’ien Tan assumed command of their forces in 279 BC. Despite being vastly outnumbered—facing 100,000 enemy troops with only 7,000 men, according to some possibly exaggerated reports—the Chi-mo army had stubbornly held their position.
T’ien Tan devised an unconventional strategy to repel the enemy: cattle. He gathered 1,000 oxen, draped them in red cloth, and affixed blades to their horns. The Chi-mo soldiers soaked reeds in fat, attached them to the oxen’s tails, and, under the cover of night, ignited the reeds, releasing the oxen toward the enemy.
From within the city walls, elderly men and young boys began beating drums with thunderous intensity. The enemy forces awoke to the terrifying sight of 1,000 flaming oxen charging directly at them.
Amid the chaos of the drums and the stampede, the enemy failed to notice the Chi-mo soldiers stealthily encircling them. The Chi-mo army launched their attack, overwhelming the enemy with the combined force of the rampaging cattle and their own troops, forcing the invaders to flee.
7. The Jealous Wife
The Xiongnu forces had dominated the Han Empire in every confrontation. In 199 BC, the Han emperor fled to Pingcheng, only to be pursued by the Xiongnu. The city was besieged, its supplies and communication severed, and its inhabitants left to starve.
Within the besieged city, Chen Ping, the emperor’s advisor, devised a cunning plan. Recognizing their inability to defeat the Xiongnu in battle, he sought an alternative way to drive them away.
Chen Ping commissioned an artist to create a portrait of an exceptionally beautiful woman. This painting was sent to the Xiongnu commander’s wife, accompanied by a message: “The Han emperor plans to surrender to your husband and, to gain his favor, is offering one of China’s most renowned beauties as his concubine.”
Consumed by jealousy, the commander’s wife destroyed the message and confronted her husband. She insisted that he end the siege and return home immediately. By dawn, the Xiongnu army had withdrawn. The commander, fearless in battle, was terrified of his wife.
6. The Straw Arrows
In AD 755, when Yin Ziqi led his forces to attack the Tang Empire, his soldiers followed him out of admiration for his leadership. Recognizing Yin Ziqi’s brilliance, the defending general, Zhang Xun, believed that eliminating him would shatter the enemy’s morale.
However, Zhang Xun faced a significant obstacle: he had no knowledge of Yin Ziqi’s appearance. To resolve this, he instructed his archers to cease using real arrows and instead equipped them with straw arrows.
As Yin Ziqi’s troops advanced and noticed the feeble straw arrows being launched, they became convinced that Zhang Xun’s forces had exhausted their ammunition. They hurried to inform Yin Ziqi, allowing Zhang Xun to catch his first sight of the enemy leader.
Confident that he faced a defenseless opponent, Yin Ziqi led a charge. However, Zhang Xun’s archers now used real arrows, with explicit orders to focus solely on Yin Ziqi. Soon, an arrow struck Yin Ziqi through the eye. With their leader dead, his army disintegrated and fled in disarray.
5. The Seven Captures of Meng Huo
During the third century AD, the Shu Han kingdom struggled to suppress a persistent rebellion. Despite winning every battle, they couldn’t crush the rebels’ morale. No matter how many times the kingdom attempted to eliminate the uprising, it continued to resurface.
Chancellor Zhuge Liang captured the rebel leader, Meng Huo, and attempted to convince him of the futility of his cause. Meng Huo, however, remained defiant, insisting that his followers would fight on relentlessly, even in his absence.
Rather than executing Meng Huo and creating a martyr, Zhuge Liang released him. They clashed again, and Meng Huo was captured once more. Despite repeated refusals to surrender, Zhuge Liang continued to release him, only to capture him again.
After being captured and released seven times, Meng Huo finally acknowledged the inevitability of his defeat. Conceding that resistance was futile, he swore loyalty to the throne and commanded his followers to lay down their arms, bringing the rebellion to a permanent end.
4. The Parting of the Wei River
In 204 BC, Han Xin, a young and inexperienced general, faced a formidable opponent in Long Ju, a seasoned commander with a proven track record. Long Ju was confident of an easy victory, but Han Xin saw an opportunity in his enemy’s overconfidence.
The two armies were separated by a river, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Han Xin dispatched a group of soldiers upstream to construct a dam using sandbags, reducing the river to a mere trickle. With the water level lowered, he led his troops across.
Han Xin’s forces engaged Long Ju’s army but quickly pretended to retreat. Long Ju, convinced that his young adversary was fleeing out of fear, pursued him without hesitation.
Once Han Xin’s troops had crossed the river, they destroyed the dam, unleashing a torrent of water toward Long Ju’s forces. Many of his soldiers were swept away, while others found themselves stranded on the opposite bank, unable to advance.
Long Ju, however, was trapped on the enemy’s side with only a handful of men to protect him. His army could do nothing but watch helplessly from across the river as their commander was slain before their eyes.
3. The Death of Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was renowned as one of China’s most formidable generals, famous for his cunning strategies. Despite being outnumbered during his siege of Sima Yi’s army, Sima Yi refused to engage, fearing that Zhuge Liang had laid a trap.
As the siege dragged on, Zhuge Liang fell ill and passed away in AD 234 before the battle could commence. His disheartened troops collected his body and began their journey home.
Upon learning of Zhuge Liang’s death, Sima Yi seized the opportunity to attack. He sent his forces to pursue the retreating army, confident that without their brilliant strategist, they would be easily defeated.
However, Zhuge Liang’s men simply needed to turn and feign readiness to fight. This act convinced Sima Yi that Zhuge Liang had staged his death as a ruse. Terrified of the supposedly deceased general, Sima Yi’s army retreated to their city, allowing Zhuge Liang’s body to be safely returned home.
2. The Battle of Chengpu
As the Chu army observed the Jin forces advancing in 632 BC, they likely noticed something unusual: each Jin chariot dragged a tree behind it. With the battle imminent, the Chu soldiers had no time to ponder this oddity and focused on repelling the enemy.
The Jin army soon retreated, and the Chu forces, believing they were victorious, pursued them. However, the trees attached to the chariots stirred up a thick cloud of dust. Before they realized it, the Chu army was engulfed in a blinding haze.
Unbeknownst to the Chu army, they were only engaging one flank of the Jin forces. The other flank had maneuvered to their rear. Once the Chu soldiers were disoriented in the dust, the second flank charged from behind, sealing their fate.
The Chu army, blinded by the dust, was caught off guard when the Jin forces attacked from behind. The flank they believed was retreating suddenly turned on them. Trapped and disoriented, the Chu soldiers were swiftly overwhelmed.
1. Sima Yan’s Burning Navy
By AD 280, Sima Yan had nearly unified all of China, with only the kingdom of Wu remaining. The Wu king lived in constant fear, anticipating Sima Yan’s inevitable invasion. Consumed by paranoia and drunkenness, he executed most of his advisors, convinced they were spies.
Upon learning that Sima Yan’s fleet was advancing, the Wu king erected a bamboo barrier across the river to halt their progress. His plan was to trap and destroy the ships before they could reach the city.
The strategy seemed sound, but his paranoia proved justified—spies had indeed infiltrated his ranks. These informants revealed the barricade’s location to Sima Yan’s general, Wang Jun.
Wang Jun ordered his men to construct massive rafts, loading them with oil-soaked straw dummies clad in armor. These decoys were sent drifting toward Wu’s capital. Upon hitting the barrier, a trip mechanism ignited the rafts, setting them ablaze and burning through the blockade. The flaming dummies appeared like demonic invaders to the terrified citizens.
Convinced they were under attack by hellish fire ships, the people of Wu fled in panic. Wang Jun then effortlessly marched in and seized the kingdom.
