The book says this strategy worked for similar reasons as the strategy in the story The Romance of the Three Kingdoms:
One of the classic tales of the Chinese strategic tradition was that of Zhuge Liang’s “Empty City Stratagem” from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In it, a commander notices an approaching army far superior to his own. Since resistance guarantees destruction, and surrender would bring about loss of control over the future, the commander opts for a stratagem. He opens the gates of his city, places himself there in a posture of repose, playing a lute, and behind him shows normal life without any sign of panic or concern. The general of the invading army interprets this sangfroid as a sign of the existence of hidden reserves, stops his advance, and withdraws.
But Mao obviously wasn’t fooling anyone about China’s military might!
The book says this strategy worked for similar reasons as the strategy in the story The Romance of the Three Kingdoms:
But Mao obviously wasn’t fooling anyone about China’s military might!