To quote coolsubmission on reddit: This does not mean that the enemy is to be allowed to escape. The object, as Tu Mu puts it, is "to make him believe that the

To quote coolsubmission on reddit: This does not mean that the enemy is to be allowed to escape. The object, as Tu Mu puts it, is "to make him believe that there is a road to safety, and thus prevent his fighting with the courage of despair." Tu Mu adds pleasantly: "After that, you may crush him."