Probably worth noting that castle designs at the time basically screamed “this is a trap”. Castles were designed with a courtyard inside of the first gate. Then there was a second gate on the other side of the courtyard. Attackers would be funneled into the courtyard, where they would be surrounded by archers on the tall palace walls. Notice this palace has several courtyards arranged in series, with gatehouses between each one:
Sima Yi’s fear was that if he had his army enter the gate, it would be closed behind them and they would be trapped in the courtyard. It wasn’t just a sarcastic “Hey come on in” signal as a Hail Mary. It was a very clear “My hidden archers are going to chew you up as soon as the gate closes behind you” signal.Reminds me of Serious Sam. I bet a hundred headless kamikazes spawn as soon as you step inside.
That was the real trap all along
I thought it was the friends we made along the way?
That’s not gaslighting
Hell, it’s not even any of the things the Internet has taken to calling “gaslighting,” most which aren’t gaslighting either. It’s just reverse psychology.
I see what you did there
It’s literally not gaslighting
Riiiiight wink
All warfare is deception. Yi then had the entire army enter the town pretending to be tourists. Then of course Liang and his men put on different disguises pretending to be tour guides. After a lengthy comedy of errors, everyone went home and told their wives that it was a brave and heroic battle. All warfare is deception.
relevant c&h (youtube)
