During the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, there dwelled within the palace walls a monstrous rat, large as an old house cat, wreaking terrible havoc.

The imperial court issued a decree, calling upon the common folk to contribute skilled fighting cats to deal with the behemoth.

The result was utter annihilation; every one of the offered felines met its end between the rat's jaws.

It was at this critical juncture that a Lion Cat, snow-white of fur, arrived as a tribute from a foreign land.

The palace maids placed it into the rat's lair, sealing the doors and windows, waiting in silence to observe the outcome.

The white cat crouched low on the floor, utterly motionless.

After a long while, the giant rat crept out of its hole, slinking and prowling.

Upon catching sight of the white cat, it became instantly enraged and lunged forward to tear and bite.

The white cat sprang onto a table to evade the attack, and the giant rat followed close behind.

Thus ensued a chase, up and down, back and forth, no less than a hundred times.

The onlookers began to believe the white cat was timid, cowardly, and utterly incompetent.

A few moments later, the giant rat's movements grew sluggish, its breathing heavy with panting, seemingly utterly drained of energy.

The white cat seized the opportunity, closing the distance with sudden speed, its forepaws locking onto the rat’s neck, its claws piercing the skin.

The giant rat roared in fury, struggling desperately; the white cat merely meowed, growing bolder with the fight, and then, in a swift motion, clamped its jaws onto the rat’s head and began to chew with powerful force.

In a brief moment, the giant rat's skull shattered, and it collapsed dead upon the floor.

Only then did the observers understand: the white cat’s earlier evasion was not born of fear, but a deliberate tactic—feigning weakness to exhaust the adversary’s strength.

The give and take, the constant maneuvering—it was indeed the work of a master strategist.

How often are the common men of this world, in their blinding rage, quick to draw their swords, so very similar to that giant rat?