Kong Cheng Ji (Empty City Scheme)

Those who know the Romance of the Three Kingdoms must be familiar with Zhuge Liang. He led his troops for the North Expedition but was trapped in a city. What’s worse, his troops and generals were all sent out. When Wei’s troops came, the city gate was open and Zhuge Liang just played the zither calmly on the city wall. The leader Sima yi suspected that they might be ambushed if they attacked the city. So he ordered his troops to retreat. Eventually, Zhuge Liang drove his enemies away with an empty city.

Now you know the origin of Kong Cheng Ji.