Sage - 36 Strategems

5 sage - I research the wood scroll with chinese runes on it entitled “36 Strategems”. It came from the Fey mod that was the reward from the egg hunt. The Fey described it as having an interesting story.

Studying the scroll, you translate the following strategies:

  1. Deceive the heavens and cross the ocean
  2. Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao
  3. Kill With a Borrowed Knife
  4. Substitute Leisure for Labor
  5. Loot a Burning House
  6. Clamor in the East, Attack in the West
  7. Create Something from Nothing
  8. Openly Repair the Walkway, but Sneak through the passage of Chencang
  9. Observe the Fire from the Opposite Shore
  10. Hide a Knife behind a Smile
  11. Sacrifice the Plum Tree to Preserve the Peach Tree
  12. Take the Opportunity to Pilfer a Goat
  13. Beat the Grass to Startle the Snake
  14. Borrow a Corpse to Resurrect the Soul
  15. Lure the Tiger Down From the Mountain
  16. To Catch Something, First Set it Free
  17. Toss out a Brick to attract Jade
  18. To Capture the Bandits, capture their Leader
  19. Steal the Firewood from under the Pot
  20. Stir up the Waters to catch a Fish
  21. Slough off the Cicada's Golden Shell
  22. Shut the Door to catch the Thief
  23. Befriend a Distant State while attacking a Neighbor
  24. Obtain Safe Passage to conquer the state of Guo
  25. Replace the Beams with Rotten Timbers
  26. Point at the Mulberry tree, but curse the pagoda tree
  27. Feign Madness but Keep your Balance
  28. Lure them onto the Roof, then take away the Ladder
  29. Deck the Tree with False Blossoms
  30. Exchange the roles of Host and Guest
  31. The Beauty Trap
  32. The Empty Fort Strategy
  33. Let the Enemy's own spy sow discord in the Enemy camp
  34. Injure yourself to gain the Enemy's trust
  35. Chain Stratagems
  36. If all else fails, return to the first strategy

These appear to be short descriptions of strategies one can use in war or peace to gain positions of power. Certain parts of the scroll appear more worn than others. Of those, you were able to find the details behind the pithy phrase for the following:

11. Sacrifice the Plum Tree to Preserve the Peach Tree: It was said that the ancients would plant plum trees next to peach trees so that the pests that would harm the peach tree would harm the plum tree instead. The meaning is similar to that of the act of castling in chess, where the knight is exposed to protect the king.

26. Point at the Mulberry tree, but curse the pagoda tree: To discipline, control, or warn others whose status or position excludes them from direct confrontation; use analogy and innuendo. Without directly naming names, those accused cannot retaliate without revealing their complicity.