A motley group of old and weak soldiers; (by extension) a team or group consisting of people who are old, frail, or generally less capable and unfit for demanding tasks.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Yuan Shang attacked Pingyuan. Shen Pei and Chen Lin were left to guard Jizhou. Cao Cao seized this opportunity to besiege Jizhou.
Yuan Shang dispatched his chief clerk, Li Fu, to disguise himself as a Cao Cao's soldier and attack Jizhou.
When Shen Pei recognized Li Fu, they agreed on a plan: they would first send women, children, and a group of old, weak, and disabled soldiers to feign surrender to Cao Cao. Meanwhile, their main forces would secretly sneak out of the city to engage Cao Cao in a decisive battle.
However, Cao Cao saw through their stratagem. He turned the tables on them, feigning acceptance of the surrender, and eventually captured Jizhou.