明修栈道，暗渡陈仓 — “To make a feint in one direction while attacking in another”

After the Qin Dynasty was overthrown in 206 BC, Xiang Yu, relying on his powerful military strength, forced Liu Bang, who had first entered the Qin capital Xianyang, to withdraw. Xiang Yu then led his own troops in and proclaimed himself King of Western Chu. Subsequently, Xiang Yu enfeoffed Liu Bang as King of Han, granting him rule over the remote Hanzhong (present-day southern Shaanxi) and Bashu (present-day Sichuan) regions. At the same time, to prevent Liu Bang from re-entering Guanzhong, Xiang Yu assigned the fertile Guanzhong region to former Qin generals who had surrendered.

Liu Bang, knowing his military strength was inferior to Xiang Yu's, could only swallow his anger and submit. On his way to the enfeoffed territory, he adopted Zhang Liang's strategy: he ordered the burning of the hundreds of miles of plank roads, signaling that he had no intention of returning to Guanzhong, thereby making Xiang Yu relax his guard against him.

In the eighth month of the same year, some forces rebelled against Xiang Yu. Liu Bang saw this as a good opportunity to dispatch troops to Guanzhong. His general Han Xin proposed the strategy of 'openly repairing the plank roads while secretly crossing Chencang' (明修栈道，暗渡陈仓), suggesting sending people to repair the plank roads to mislead the enemy. Liu Bang adopted his advice and began repairing the roads.

Zhang Han, the former Qin general guarding Guanzhong, mocked Liu Bang, wondering how many years it would take him to finish. In reality, Han Xin was secretly making active preparations to attack Chencang. Soon after, Han Xin swiftly led his troops and captured Chencang. Zhang Han was greatly alarmed upon hearing this, but it was too late. Using Chencang as a path, Liu Bang's army quickly attacked and occupied Guanzhong, laying the foundation for the establishment of the Han Dynasty.