In the Art of War, this is the combination of "approach from the east, appear from the west, march from the north, and attack from the south"
Using these elements this will throw the enemy into confusion and fear. Combined with the stealth and the stalking at night, when the Chinese show themselves, they are all around their enemies in close proximity with large swarming numbers and their enemies are for a very nasty surprise.
Regardless of everyone's different stance and viewpoints, I believe the Chinese commanders were clearly aware of what they are doing. Fighting a better equipped army, the smart one will adapt and use their strength to attack enemy's weakness. Also even if you have superior equipment, if one knows how to tactically outmanuver you, then they stand a higher chance of winning. :china:
Chinese military history have proven that with an intelligent leader, he can win a battle against a superior force by applying the right management and tactics.
If anyone is familiar with Eastern Han vs Chu, they will know that Xiangyu sunk the junks in which his army travelled in, and destroyed the woks they brought with them. So what happened in the end? His army broke into Xiangyang. When you know there's no alternative, you will fight to your death. Sounds brutal, but a rather effective tactic. And who knows? Perhaps the soldiers asked to chain themselves to it.
