ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Empty Fort Strategy

Okay, so imagine you're playing a game of hide-and-seek with your friends. Instead of hiding in one spot and waiting to be found, you decide to run around the house and switch hiding spots every few minutes. This way, your friends can't catch you because they never know where you are.

The empty fort strategy is kind of like playing a really advanced version of hide-and-seek. It's a tactic used in war or battle where you pretend like you have a weaker army than you actually do. You might make it look like you have abandoned your castle or fort and left it empty, so your enemies think it's an easy target to take over.

But here's the trick: you're not really gone. Your army is hiding nearby, waiting for the right moment to attack. When your enemies break into the "empty" fort, they'll be surprised to find your soldiers waiting for them. This is called a surprise attack, and it can be very effective in winning battles.

So, in other words, the empty fort strategy is like pretending to be weak when you're actually strong, so that your enemies underestimate you and make a mistake. It's a way to win a battle without fighting a full-out war, and it requires a lot of strategy and planning.