📚 Xinwu Canbian — a Ming-dynasty endgame manual
Red to move, under visible pressure: five Black pawns have flooded deep into Red's half, backed by two chariots and a pair of elephants, while Red has only two chariots, two cannons and three pawns to resist. Yet Tâm Võ Tàn Biên concludes this position is a draw — an ending that calls for composure rather than strength. The name comes from a military tale recorded in Thế Thuyết Tân Ngữ: his army parched on the march, Cao Cao pointed ahead and lied that a plum grove lay just beyond — and his soldiers' mouths watered at the thought, carrying them onward to real water. That “kind lie” is retold just below. And you — pressed this hard, how long could you hold the draw?
'Plums ahead!' — Cao Cao's thirst-quenching lie
An army was collapsing from thirst on a waterless march, men falling behind with every step. Then Cao Cao pointed ahead and announced: there is a great grove of plum trees just over the ridge. Instantly, every mouth watered. There were no plums. So why did the lie work better than water? The tale…
Stories around this position — storytelling, not part of the engine-verified content.
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