- 作者对于史料的部分浅尝即止/生搬硬套 – 2/5.
- 这种写作方法和以前”读者”杂志编一个故事然后推出一个道理有异曲同工之妙.
- 这本书带来的一个警示是在阅读这种大部头并且融合多个历史/故事的书时，要在读20%的时候对作者提到的历史故事的真伪性进行辨别，如果九真一假/半真半假则看个大概速读之，如果都是真知灼见则精读之.
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- Nicholas Fouquet outshines his master (Louis XIV) via a big party.
- At the time in French, when tax was collected, only half ends up in royal treasury, the other half gets skimmed by various parties along the way.
- Nicholas Fouquet purchased Vaux-le-Vicomte which is forerunner of Versailles.
- Galileo get funding & a full-time salary from the Medici family by finding moons of Jupiter, which is a symbol for Medici family, to honor Medici’s greatness.
- 科学家是掌权者的附庸.
- Tea Master Sen No Rikyu exhibits his ambition and killed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- Michael III (Byzantine Emperor) & his friend (which he thought is loyal) Basilius who took power from Michael step-by-step.
- Talleyrand (French politician) aligned his former enemy Joseph Fouche to try topple Napoleon.
- Talleyrand : most skilled diplomat. Initially a bishop, then French Revolution happened, he supported French Revolution. He’s safely in London when bloodbath hits. Then he stays with Aaron Burr. Then Napoleon happens, and he supports Napoleon. Eventually when Napoleon was defeated, helps to negotiate for French.
- 有在对话中让别人不经意间讲太多信息的谍报技能, 自己少说话的同时给别人说的话以重视感，让别人说的更有自信;
- 同时释放假新闻，看看对方的反应来获取情报;
- Ninon De Lenclos – teaching a young man to “conceal his intention” when chasing a woman.
- Otto Von Bismarck concealed his intention (want war but speak for peace) to get promoted.
- Helped the “spineless” king Frederick William IV & got promoted (same for Frederick’s brother, who later become king)
- Make kings dependent on him
- In Prussia – Austria negotiation, night before the negotiation, play cards – Bismarck appear foolish. Then setup traps in the contract once opponent feels overconfident.
- Helped the “spineless” king Frederick William IV & got promoted (same for Frederick’s brother, who later become king)
- “Yellow Kid” Joseph Weil : Con-artist
- Book: Yellow Kid Weil, autobiography of America’s master swindler.
- Haile Selassie / Ras Tafari, while banqueting a rebel general, “purchased” the remaining of his army, and solved the threat
- Joseph Duveen – art dealer create museums for art buyers to buy more arts (no long spaced constrained by walls in their homes).
- 为了得到客户Andrew Mellon, 买通Mellow的几个用人了解他的个人偏好(Spy Network).
- 制造偶遇，定同一宾馆制造逛博物馆的机会，体现相同的艺术品位
- Jay Gould, take control of Western Union by making them think he’s interested in selling his smaller company.
- Railroad speculation: Erie Railroad stock price – “Erie War”
- Tried to corner gold market – caused black Friday in 1869.
- Gnaeus Marcius – spoke too much unsavvy things that doesn’t appeal to the public. Good at war but bad at politics, got banished.
- Louis XIV – big boss speaks less (to keep people below him off-balance).
- Andy Warhol – when interviewed, master of “oracular speech” (Vague words and let others interpret the meaning).
- The less you say, the more others talk about your art work.
- P. T. Barnum
- vs. Peale’s museum’s reputation war regarding collections of American Museum in Manhattan.
- 通过弄个大新闻让自己的马戏团生意更好.
- [槽点] Mi Tzu-hsia : 这是一个槽点满满的故事
- Robert Greene 用这个故事说一个叫弥子瑕的人一开始声名好，所以做什么皇帝都看到了光明面，后来被造谣之后皇帝都只看到阴暗面.
- 但事实是弥子瑕是卫灵公男宠，在年老色衰之后做什么都只看到阴暗面. 本书生搬硬套.
- Edison (inventor)
- Attention attracting talk (big thoughts/ideas)
- Take credit from Nicola Tesla
- Margaretha Zelle – exotic dancer says she’s from India and got famous, in reality she’s from Holland – she got power via mystery .
- Hannibal (第二次布匿战争) – 被围困时假装声势浩大天兵下凡，然后顺利跑路.
- Vasco Nunez de Balboa: working on discovering Peru / Inca Empire & seizing its gold but didn’t keep low-key, got beheaded and a fellow soldier got all the gold.
- Peter Paul Rubens – 客户来见时假装在工作，会加上雇了一堆画师帮忙画画
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- On Elba exile, still escaped & reclaimed the throne.
- Talleyrand behind the scene – against Napoleon, baited him to escape and wait for him to reclaim throne again.
- Victor Lustig – con artist
- Sell a machine that claims can “copy money”
- One angry customer, assuaged the customer & give him $10K counterfeit bills
- The customer got arrested.
- Story with Al Capone – pretend honesty (selective) for a small fee
- Sell Eiffel tower
- Pretend gov official – ask for bribe to make it look real
- Lola Montez – 主夫星衰败
- Count of Carmagnola – 功高盖主而被干掉
- Henry Kissinger – not killed in political bloodbath in Nixon era because he’s very deeply involved in everything in politics and letting him go would lead to chaos
- 在1968大选中站边多方获得政治利益
- Lord Gordon Gordon
- Scammed Jay Gould
- Stefano Di Poggio
- 家族主战他主和，他调解战事平定后全家被杀
- Corcyra vs. Corinth : both wants Athens’ help in war.
- 与幕府日本合作: 荷兰只想搞钱与日本利益一致，而葡萄牙想搞宗教利益不一致
- 耶律楚才组织蒙古屠城宋朝，通过描述南宋能工巧匠对攻城有益.
- Chosroes II / Khosrow II
- Test People: 官员A&B关系不错，通过告诉A准备秘密处决B，观察B的反应来决定A口风严不严 -> 来决定是不是提拔A
- 武则天：通过陷害皇后杀婴变成皇后，对其他对手斩尽杀绝来维护自己统治
- Deioces – King of Media
- Become king by first having a reputation of fairness & become a judge, then withdraw to make him want him more, and beg him to rule. 人为制造物以稀为贵.
- World Chess Championship 1972: mind game (uncertainty tactics) of Bobby Fischer vs. Boris Spassky
- Endless waiting + unusual strategy
- Filippo Maria – duke of Milan – 让别人感到伴君如伴虎
- Stonewall Jackson – 美国南北战争南方将领 – 让对手不能揣摩他的意图
- Jacapo de Pontormo – 艺术家闭门造车搞出特别不符合审美的作品.
- Muhammad II of Khwarazm – 惹错人导致被成吉思汗灭国的国王.
- Norfleet – destroyed con artist group by chasing them down after losing money.
- Con artists: Joe Furey, W. B. Spencer.
- Related book – “The Mark Inside”.
- 英国伊丽莎白一世 – 选丈夫慢慢来把水搅浑，绝不站边，从而获得/保持权力永驻
- Alcibiades – 在雅典/斯巴达/波斯之间反复横跳从而获得权力，因为他对各边都有影响力， 竞争各方都想”统一战线”他
- 毕加索
- 不把自己的话限制给专门的一个经销商，而是保持non-commital从而使自己利润最大化
- Isabella d’Este
- 意大利小城邦Mantua城主 – 左右横跳让自己城邦不被大的势力干掉的外交形式
- 1. 与法国搞好关系;
- 2. 与军阀Cesare Borgia搞好关系但保持距离，防止被他灭国;
- 3. 教皇与法国矛盾: 让法军过境的同时让他的丈夫假装帮教皇打仗
- Great Diamond Hoax
- Arnold & Slack – two prospects pretend to discover a diamond mine, hoax the financiers out of money – probably bribed some verifier.
- 扮猪吃老虎 – 让受骗对象(当时的大亨们)觉得勘探家才是这比交易中受欺负的一方.
- Book – the great diamond hoax of 1972.
- Salting the mine, 手动在矿井表面加点宝石提高估值.
- Peloponnesian war – weak people of Melos defeated by strong Athens, without help from Sparta.
- Bertolt Brecht – 共产主义作家 – 被美国反共调查 – 明哲保身，用翻译德语->英语使得语言看上去不反资本主义
- Mayer Amschel – Rothschild家族第一个赚大钱的人 – 家族企业五子称雄
- 不让外人染指，集中力量 – 导致他们以近亲结婚为荣(不把权力分给外人)
- [槽点] 希腊Alexander军中Callisthenes在书中是因为说话太多而被处死，在wikipedia是意欲行刺Alexander而被处死.
- Yellow Kid – Cat’s Paw technique – 用韭菜的熟人来坑韭菜
- Francesco Giuseppe Borri – 新兴宗教捐款跑路
- Scam Artist – Oscar Hartzell
- Cardinal Richelieu – 权臣之路,过路者皆为垫脚石
- Louis-Phillipe – the bourgeois king
- 哥伦布 – 出征之前问国王要了一堆权力，比如新大陆10%的贸易所得世代流传.
- Pancho Villa: 墨西哥叛军领袖, 巧妙地与美国总统军队猫捉老鼠.
- Marie Mancini: Seduction of the future Sun King.
- Mademe de Pompadour : Parc-aux-Certs, the royal brothel.