The stratagem allows you to achieve a favorable situation.
The Greek word stratēgós , which refers to a "general" of the armed forces, is the most distant etymological antecedent of the term stratagem . The concept refers to a ruse or trick that is used in the context of a war conflict to achieve an advantage .
War zone
The stratagem leads one side to achieve a favorable situation with respect to the enemy . Each stratagem depends on multiple factors and its application is valid in a specific context: this means that there are no stratagems of universal or invariable use.
Although the characteristics of stratagems are linked to the ingenuity and creativity of high military commanders, their implementation is limited by the law of war . Stratagems cannot be contrary to the rules that define the legal framework of belligerence.
A cunning ruse
Beyond the military field, the concept of stratagem is used to refer to a ruse that is implemented with cunning. Whoever resorts to a stratagem does so with the intention of deceiving or confusing to obtain a benefit , or looking for an alternative way to achieve an objective that is impossible to achieve in any other way.
Suppose that the mayor of a municipality has a very positive image among voters. This man has no intention of abandoning his position , but at the same time he wants to take advantage of that popularity in favor of his political party. Therefore, with legislative elections imminent, he resorts to a stratagem: he asks for a license as mayor and heads the list for councilor , knowing that, if elected, he will not take office since he will return to his position as communal chief. In this way, he contributes to his party obtaining more seats without giving up his position.
The Thirty-Six Stratagems
This is the title of a book of Chinese origin in which we find a legacy related to stratagems to obtain an advantage in a war conflict. It is a work of incomparable richness that reflects the mentality of this people, which has always been based on avoiding fighting to obtain victory. It is not known precisely who its author was, nor the point in history at which it was published, but these stratagems have been used repeatedly throughout Chinese history.
Let's start with the stratagem titled Darken the Sky to Cross the Sea . In short, it consists of repeating certain false movements to confuse the enemy. The goal is for his attention level to progressively decline until he completely lowers his guard, and then it is effective to attack him. Then we can mention Killing with a borrowed knife , which is based on taking advantage of the work of a third party to attack. It is suitable for unfavorable situations such as lack of force or suspicion that our allies are selling information.
The Thirty-Six Stratagems is an invaluable Chinese work.
Another of the many interesting stratagems in this book is titled Waiting Calmly for Exhaustion , which focuses on reserving energy until it is really necessary to attack, while we get the opponent to exhaust himself. In more precise terms, the idea is that one's own troops are well rested but that the opposing troops are exhausted. This can be achieved by arriving before the enemy to the battlefield , to recover from the trip and be as good as new when the confrontation begins.
The book concludes with a very significant stratagem for Chinese culture regarding war: If all else fails, retreat . For these people, death on the battlefield is only justified in certain very specific cases, but in general they prefer to avoid defeat and reserve their strength for the future.