A wonderful card of a Chinese junk in Victoria Harbour with the modern skyscrapers of Hong Kong in the background.
The postage stamp caught my eye. It is commemorating the Empty Fort Strategy. The Empty Fort Strategy involves using reverse psychology, and some luck, to deceive one's enemies into thinking that an empty location is full of traps and ambushes, and therefore induce the enemy to retreat. It is the 32nd of the Chinese Thirty-Six Stratagems, an essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in politics, war, and civil interaction. Its focus is on using cunning and deception both on the battlefield and in court.
Apparently this stratagem was employed in CE 195 by the war lord Cao Cao against his rival Lu Bu at Chengshi County. Lu Bu had 10 000 soldiers attack Cao Cao, but Cao Cao, who had very few soldiers, managed to set up an ambush and defeat Lu Bu. Cao Cao had about 1000 men available to defend his base. He had women stand guard on the walls to give Lu Bu the impression that Cao Cao had more soldiers than he actually did. Lu Bu also thought that Cao Cao was setting up an ambush, so he led his soldiers south of the base. During this lull, Cao Cao was able to get more soldiers and did set up an ambush. When Lu Bu came to attack the next day, Cao Cao's soldiers were waiting for them in ambush and were able to defeat Lu Bu.
Mölln is a small city of about 20 000 located in northern Germany. The Elbe-Lübeck Canal flows through the town, and there are eight small lakes that surround the city. It was founded in the 12th century and was a part of the Old Salt Route. Salt that was produced in the salt mines of Lower-Saxony was shipped to the Baltic Sea. Till Eulenspiegel, a legendary trickster known for exposing vices and provoking thought, is said to have lived in Mölln the last year of his life. He apparently died of the plague in 1350, but his existence has never been proven. Mölln has several monuments dedicated to him.
Happy birthday to me! What a lovely handmade card from the sender. Beautiful penmanship. Am Rothenbaum is the site of the main court of the German Open Tennis Championships. The International German Open has been played at the Rothernbaum since 1892, making it Germany's longest running tennis tournament. The current stadium was built in 1999 and can hold 13 200 people.
The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light was built in 1882. There were nine keepers of the light until 1897. It was redesigned in 1903 and is 12 meters high. The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was started in 1872 and wasn't opened for large-scale watercraft until 1890. The canal is 2.1 kilometers long that goes from Sturgeon Bay in Lake Michigan to Green Bay. There are no locks on this canal. The canal was sold to the United States government in 1893 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the canal.
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