Original Text
During the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, a giant rat was discovered in the palace, as large as a cat and causing great havoc. The court sought the finest cats from among the people to capture and subdue it, but instead the rat devoured them. Just then, a foreign tribute brought a lion cat, its fur as white as snow. The palace attendants carried the cat into the room where the giant rat dwelled, shut the door, and secretly observed it. The lion cat crouched for a long time, until the giant rat warily emerged from its hole. Seeing the lion cat, it charged furiously. The lion cat evaded it by leaping onto a table; the rat followed, and the cat jumped down again. Thus they went back and forth, up and down, no less than a hundred times. Everyone thought the lion cat was timid and lacked ability. Before long, the rat's movements gradually slowed, its belly heaving as if panting, and it crouched on the ground to rest briefly. The lion cat then swiftly pounced down, seized the rat by the scruff of its neck with its claws, and bit into its throat. They tussled back and forth, the cat roaring "woo-woo" and the rat squeaking "jiu-jiu." The attendants hurriedly opened the door to look, and saw that the rat's head had already been crushed by the lion cat. Only then did they realize that the lion cat had avoided the rat not out of cowardice, but to wait for the rat to tire. When it came out, the cat retreated; when it retreated, the cat came out—this was the cat's strategy. Alas! Those who are brave but lack strategy and act rashly—how are they any different from this giant rat!
Commentary
In modern Chinese history, there is the so-called sixteen-character guerrilla tactic: "When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we strike; when the enemy retreats, we pursue." In fact, the tactic of the lion cat in this tale is exactly the same. This tactic has long existed, though expressed differently; "When it goes forth, we return; when it returns, we go forth again—this is the wisdom employed," is Pu Songling's summary of the lion cat's strategy.
As a piece of fiction, we marvel at how Pu Songling has vividly presented the splendid struggle between cat and rat before our eyes in merely a hundred words or so. The title is The Great Rat, but the true protagonist is actually the Lion Cat.