Political Schemes & Mind Games in Nirvana in Fire

While watching this drama a few years ago, I'm just simply in awe with the political schemes and mind games that they are playing. So while watching each episode, I wrote them down just for fun.

1st Episode

- When you have something big to accomplished, plan thoroughly from start to finish with analyzing every possible outcome from each action. Make sure your plan is bulletproof with no mistake possible.

- You need to have good foundation and strength to start something big. Your reputation needs to be made years before you start your mission. Plant someone that you know to start the mission without being overly suspicious to the enemies. The first encounter must be as coincident or innocent as possible.

- Use innocent reason to start your plan so people would not be suspicious esp your enemies. The more you want to successfully accomplished a plan, the more reluctant or 'dont care' you need to appear on the outside.

2nd Episode

- Create a big impression (not something that cant be explained or suspicious or too obvious) for people of target to notice you.

- When being questioned with something you cant answer, divert the question and give difficult question for the other party to answer instead. Once being put into difficult position, the other party will forgot to original question directed to you.

3rd Episode 

- Read people with the way they overprotective of something. All humankind do thing with motives so when something happen out of ordinary, there's must be reason behind it. Use this information to get things that you desired.

- Do something in public to achieve your mission in order not to create suspicion. Involve as many people as possible so that the targeted person didnt know they are targeted.

- If you know the truth will make someone weak or waver, hide the truth from them so it wont hinder your plan/mission.

- Pretend to help you enemy so that they will think you are on their side.

- Plan your men in events to control it so that it wont go out of spiral IF something unexpected happen. Always have plan B to get your target.

- Never receive any favour in term of gift or favours from your enemies so that you will always be on natural side of thing. It shows your integrity and you are not in favor of any fractions.

- When you want to give something expensive to the targeted person (but you know they will decline the gift), pretend the gift fom someone else (from children to children) so they couldnt decline the gift.

- Give information to one of your enemy so that they will use the information to bring down the other enemy without you having to dirty your hand.

_ Create an instances where you can kill 2 of your enemy with one stone. One mistake (cover up crime) lead to another mistake that bring down both of them.

- Always do plan that highlight the other enemy as the real mastermind while you scheme secretly behind their back.

- Create an instances to help people so that people will be grateful for you. This grateful feeling will be used in the future when you want to ask for a favour later.

- Do not care what other people perceive of you no matter how much you hate it -- the label or etc. Whats important is that you hide your identity and intention so your plan will be successful in the end.

- Always have counter plan even when something happen out of your prediction.

- Dont be too obvious in showing your desire to impress the people you targeted. Give him meaningful gift that is not extravagant and not too cheap but enough to show your respect (having sentimental value that you coincidently have with yourself -- interest or etc..).

- When given something that your desired, act reluctant to receive it as it involved lots of responsibilities but impress later with successful results.

- Pretend as you never involved in party conflicts and just do your job. Always be natural from power struggle so the targeted person will know you are sincere without ulterior motives. They will take your advice even more.

-When digging something from your enemy, fish that you already know the secret from other people (although you didnt know the real truth) and use it to fish another big secret from him. The feelings of betrayal will encourage the other person to tell everything.

- Never leave any evidences behind or motive that could point downfall of one enemies to you. Always make plan that you are on the natural side of things.

27th Episode

- Don't request continuously for instructions despite you are right. There are reasons why the other party didnt give you the written instructions as they are being careful with their decision. Repeatedly asking for something makes you suspicious and not partial in your job.

- Wait and see and dont aggravate the situation when the person on target already in unfavorable place, do not add to the fire to bring him down even more. As it will be suspicious to do so (like you are responsible to his downfall / people will downplay the crime and treat it as power struggles). Let the nature took its course.

- When you are caught unguarded exposing your secret, think fast and use other people's name that might know the secret too to cover your mistake.

28th Episode

- Don't be overly obvious when you want something back! People will become even more suspicious. XD

- When giving suggestion to your allies, do something that didn't put him in uncomfortable position unless it is unavoidable. Intelligent allies will understand your intention and appreciate you even more.

- When you meet with a natural person that didn't side with anyone in conflict (people who play safe), no need to bring that person to your side. Even if they aren't on your side, they will automatically be on your side when the times comes because of their unbiased/natural view.

- Don't scare people off in order to join you. No need to say things purposely. Do it with action instead of words. When the time comes, they will figure out naturally. Patience is the key.

29th Episode

- Spread a rumour when you cant win against powerful force. People's voice can make a different in handling injustice situations.

- When you want to fish for information, make an indirect question to know your answer. The question must be delicate and not obvious so that people wont be suspicious.

30th Episode

- Ask someone to join your fight when you know who they stands for. They will automatically join your fight even without much persuasion if they share the same ideology as you no matter how unfavorable your position is.

- Be alert of your surrounding. Any small change is indication that something is not right esp when it involved one's personality or habit.

- When you plan something to bring you enemy down (or to implicate him) but he is innocent, create a situation where his reaction to that plan will make him guilty or trapped. Your prediction on his reaction to the situation would be the very reason of his downfall. 

31st Episode

- To break up a bond between your enemy and their allies, create a situation and intercept it so the allies thought it is a deed done by your enemy when it is not. This will create a distrust between your enemy and their allies.

- Always have counter measure tactic when you are captured or caught off guard. So the enemy will thought you are giving the right information when in fact your information serve as a sign of warning to your base.

32nd Episode 

- Create a situation where all reactions coming out from your enemy benefited you. Like in this case no matter what Sir Su said to Prince Jing, the outcome will be the same. Whether Sir Su keeps quite, Prince Jing will save Wei Zheng and if Sir Su actually stopped Prince Jing, it will add oil to the fire and riled Prince Jing even more as he already distrust Sir Su due to his mother situation. So in the end, whether Sir Su stop Prince Jing or not, the outcome would be the same which both benefited the enemy (Prince Yu).

33rd Episode 

- Its good to have tons of loyalty, but YOU NEED TO HAVE BRAIN AS WELL. XD

- When you are caught with difficult questions to answer, reply to the person that both of the answers will upset them so you didnt dare to answer but explain the reasons why. That will create a mirage that you are natural while at the same time highlight to the person whats on your mind regarding the issue.

- Act innocently when you are caught off guard no matter how much the issue surprised you. Maintaining a calm exterior is very important so that people can't read you.

34th Episode

- Rewarding someone can also be used to warn them -- to remind them to be grateful and not to go against you.

- Make peace with yourself. You are the master of your own world so if you dont let people to upset you, they wont be able to no matter how much they try. See everything positively so you will be like cotton ball --  you cant be tramp nor break.

35th Episode

- All important people who is directly involved in this mission need to have an alibi so that anything mishaps that happen during the mission will not be directly tie to them.

- When you are thinking of attacking your enemy's den, use someone who is not suspicious (someone unrelated or distant to help you) to lure the leader of the enemy out of the den. So even if the mission is not successful, there's no way to tie that person to you as he is unrelated to you or your party.

- When you know an enemy is going to attack, remove the desired item /person out of your place so the item/person is safe and sound. Even if you failed to plant a trap to catch the enemy while he is raiding your place, at least the item/person is safe somewhere else.

36th Episode 

- Create a diversion as big as you can as smokescreen to misled your enemy.

- If you do not know where is the location of your desired item/person, create a plan that lead the enemy to bring them to you on their own.

- Create an alibi purposely using unrelated important person to show that the criminal has been captured by your men. This unrelated important person will served as an evidence that you are innocent.

37th Episode 

- When you know that there's spy in your team, use this opportunity to create a bulletproof plan to capture the spy red handed and make them confess and turn them to your side.

- When you are caught, save the trouble for all the torture and confess to everything. Once you are bring to the justice in front of everyone, tell them that you are being coerced for that confession to make everything even more difficult to decipher.

38th Episode 

- Study your enemies and know all the actions that they're going to take next and plan every single possible outcome that might be taken by your enemies and create a counter measure plan to encounter it. Basically, create a bulletproof plan that has no mistakes.

39th Episode

- Devise a plan by understanding your enemy that even when people tell the real truth, it becomes a lie since you used the enemy weaknesses against him -- by controlling his belief and perspective in understanding the situation.

40th Episode

- Using reverse psychology to get what you want. By behaving the complete opposite with what you desired that makes your enemy have the intention/will to give what you want even more.

41st Episode 

- Act like an idiot to avoid suspicious. Well, Prince Jing finally learn some basic manipulation techniques. :D

42nd Episode 

- Acting out a situation that is so alarming (usually an elaborated lie that attack very deep in the heart) that it forces out the information you desired from your enemy. Fool them by acting your are on their side to fish out information from them.

43rd Episode 

- Use fake seal/letter in order to take control of something you have no authority. No one will question you esp if you are people of power.

- Bribe people when you want people to behave according to your plan. It is an effective way to control people since people in nature are greedy when it comes to money.

44th Episode 

- Attack arriving enemy army first right after they arrived at the battlefield before they managed to rest and set up tents. The probability to win despite the lesser army number is higher because the enemy army are tired and not alert after the long journey.

- Block every route to prevent enemy army from surrounding you by hiding and set up trap when they try to do so.

- Abandoned your tents but pretend that you are still there so that when the enemy army arrived to attack you unexpectedly (in your sleep), you can send fire arrows or bombs and kill them from a far.

45th Episode

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46th Episode

- When 2 people are keeping secrets from you or lying to you, ask them the same question individually to see whether their answers matched. This is the easiest way to expose their lies.

- Acting as an idiot is a great façade to cover who you really are in the inside from your enemy. So people are not suspicious of you and you could carry dangerous plan/mission successfully without the watchful eyes of your enemy.

47th Episode

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48th Episode 

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49th Episode

- In an effort to expose the truth but your person in target do not believe you, use your life and safety as a reason why you are willing to risk it in order to tell the truth. Your enemy will value this dangerous act of putting your life on the line and the truth you are going to expose.

- When you are caught red-handed by your enemy, admit with to the truth of what you are being accused for but added a little suspicious statement like you're just admitting it since it is not the truth. Because at the end of the day, the enemy cant prove it whether it is the truth or not and you just highlight it to them on how foolish they are to think that way.

50th Episode

- When you are faced with a person who is suspicious of everyone, just a laugh as an agreement is enough to convince them. Insisting on the matter will make the matter even more suspicious to that person.

- When you are caught red-handed doing something wrong, cook up a reasons that you are doing that thing in order to help you enemy. But the details must be very thoroughly or your enemy will see through your lies.

- Plant spies everywhere in your enemy's den -- so much that your enemy cant even filter them as it is so hidden and the number is overwhelming. Let them mingle that it has become their blood to serve the enemy (like its always been the enemy's people but when in truth they never were) and only use them when it is absolute necessary only.

51st Episode

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52nd Episode

- When you want to present a case that is so big and important, you need to pick someone who is whole heartedly want to present the case as there is no room for mistake. That someone need to have absolute resolution not to back off even when faced with the greatest pressure.

- When you are ready to present your case, avoid 'Yes-men' to taint the purity of your case. It must be done in surprise manner so everyone reaction will be genuine and not planned before hand.

- When you faced with absolute power who is not ready to back off, use the collection support from all the people around (related or not related to the case) to back you up. This will force the absolute power to cave in despite his refusal as everyone (except him) wants the truth to be out.

53rd Episode

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54th Episode

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This is such a well  and carefully written article outlining so much details. Thank you for sharing it ?

The part where you wrote, “don’t scare people off to join you …… be patient” 

it resonated so much with me! Our little baby sub is proof of our patience ?