Classic Form: When faced with an overwhelming enemy force and having no troops to defend your city, you throw open the gates, sit atop the wall, and act with serene confidence. The enemy, fearing a massive ambush, hesitates and retreats. The principle is to use a deceptive display of weakness or an audacious bluff to conceal your actual vulnerability.
Modern Version: Project a false image of overwhelming military, economic, or technological strength through propaganda, disinformation, and AI-generated media to deter an adversary from challenging you. Conversely, create an illusion of vulnerability to lure an attacker into a carefully prepared trap.
AI-Powered Execution: AI can generate vast amounts of realistic but fake data to create an "empty fortress" in either direction. It can produce doctored satellite imagery of non-existent military bases, deepfake videos of successful weapons tests, or fabricated economic reports showing unstoppable growth to project false strength. Conversely, an AI-secured network can present easily exploitable vulnerabilities on its perimeter as decoys. These are designed to entice cyber attackers into a controlled "sandbox" where their methods can be captured, their origins traced, and sophisticated, automated counter-responses can be triggered from hidden, robust systems.
CCP Application: The CCP's propaganda machine constantly showcases its military power with flashy videos of new aircraft carriers, hypersonic missiles, and advanced fighter jets. Much of this is designed to create an aura of invincibility and inevitability, deterring the U.S. and its allies from intervention over issues like Taiwan. However, behind this curtain of projected strength lie significant weaknesses: pervasive corruption within the PLA, a lack of real combat experience, and rigid, over-centralized command structures that stifle initiative. The projected power is, in many ways, an empty fortress designed to win without fighting.
Collaborators: Western journalists, academics, and military analysts who take the CCP's propaganda at face value, amplifying the narrative of Chinese military superiority without critical examination of its underlying weaknesses. Think tanks that, fearing to appear hawkish, downplay the threat or accept the bluff, advocating for appeasement.
Counter: Do not mistake volume for strength. Test every claim. Invest in intelligence capabilities that can penetrate the propaganda and assess the real state of the PLA's readiness, morale, and logistical capabilities. Expose the weaknesses beneath the noise to call the bluff.