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 ...