The Empty City Stratagem

Introduction

From chapter 95 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Zhuge Liang plays the zither on the wall and an army turns back

The Empty City Stratagem is a traditional laosheng play of Peking opera, drawn from chapter 95 of the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. After Ma Su loses the pass of Jieting, Sima Yi's army bears down on the town of Xicheng, and Zhuge Liang, with almost no troops inside, has the gates thrown open, sets a few old soldiers to sweep the street and sits on the wall playing the zither. Knowing Zhuge Liang as a cautious man, Sima Yi suspects an ambush, does not dare to attack and finally withdraws. The play is often staged in sequence with The Loss of Jieting and The Execution of Ma Su as a three-part evening, though it can also be performed alone. The China Intangible Cultural Heritage site lists it among the best-known plays of the Peking opera repertoire.