The 36 Stratagems: Any real-life examples?

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Credit: Various websites (Disclaimer: I find many of these stratagems interesting but unethical.)

Hi all. I have an obsession with the 36 Stratagems (which originated in ancient China) that waxes and wanes. I have read about how these stratagems work in theory but I'm not very sure if they have any relevance to modern-day politics. If you know of any real-life examples related to these 36 Stratagems, do feel free to share here. Thanks.

Set 1: Use these stratagems when you are in a superior position
Stratagem #1: "Deceive the sky so that you can cross the sea"
(You deceive your enemy into believing that you are a harmless person involved in harmless activities, but in reality, these harmless activities merely mask your efforts in undermining your enemy.)
Stratagem #2: "Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao"
(Attack your enemy's weakest spot. If you can't identify your enemy's weakest spot, try attacking his weakest ally.)
Stratagem #3: "Borrow a weapon to kill"
(Hire a third party to attack your enemy. If the third party succeeds, people will generally blame the third party (not you) for the enemy's downfall. If the third party fails, at least you didn't waste your own time attacking your enemy.)
Stratagem #4: "Conserve your own strength while sapping your enemy's strength"
(Lure your enemy into a trap. Once trapped, your enemy will panic non-stop to get out of the trap, resulting in fatigue. You will then find ways and means to build up your own strength while watching your enemy panic.)
Stratagem #5: “Commit crimes during a fire”
(When your enemy is in trouble, seize the opportunity to launch an attack against your weakened enemy.)
Stratagem #6: “Make a din in the East but attack the West”
(Let us assume that Enemy A and Enemy B are allies. Spread rumors that you intend to attack Enemy A, then attack Enemy B when he least expects you to attack.)

Set 2: Use these stratagems when you are battling your enemy face-to-face
Stratagem #7: “Create something out of nothing”
(If no illusion exists, then create an illusion. Attack your enemy when he is still busy deciphering your illusion.)
Stratagem #8: “Repair a bridge to Place A openly but march off to Place B in secret”
(This stratagem resembles Stratagem #6. You create the illusion that you have been focusing all your attention on one particular project when in reality, that project isn’t very important to you. Once your enemy keeps himself busy by trying to sabotage that so-called “pet project” of yours, it’s your turn to sabotage your enemy’s projects.)
Stratagem #9: “Watch the fire on the other side of the river”
(Do nothing while your enemies are still busy fighting among themselves. Attack them only after their own battles have weakened themselves.)
Stratagem #10: “Hide a dagger behind your smile”
(Befriend your enemy to earn his trust. Betray him once you have earned his trust.)
Stratagem #11: “Sacrifice the plum tree to save the peach tree”
(If you want to preserve something that is important to you, you may want to sacrifice something else that is unimportant to you. As long as you are confident that you will ultimately emerge as the winner, it’s alright to lose some minor battles to your enemy.)
Stratagem #12: “Seize the opportunity to steal a sheep”
(No matter how minor your enemy’s flaws might seem, you can always exploit any of these flaws to maximize your own advantage.)

Set 3: Use these stratagems when you are leading an attack
Stratagem #13: “Stomp the grass to scare the snake”
(If you are unsure about your enemy’s agenda, launch an attack that forces your enemy to show his hand.)
Stratagem #14: “Borrow a corpse to bring yourself back to life”
(Emphasize your own agenda shares many similarities with historical precedents so that people will accept your agenda.)
Stratagem #15: “Lure a tiger away from its mountain”
(Lure your enemy away from his stronghold.)
Stratagem #16: “Allow your enemy to flee before capturing him”
(Since a cornered enemy is usually desperate and dangerous, allow your enemy to flee, but capture him while he is fleeing.)
Stratagem #17: “Throw away a brick to obtain a piece of jade”
(Give your enemy something that he desires, but in return, your enemy must repay your generosity with something that is even more valuable that what he had obtained from you.)
Stratagem #18: “Capture the bandits’ leader before capturing other bandits”
(If your enemy’s allies aren’t truly loyal to him, they will disperse or even surrender to you once you have defeated your enemy.)

Set 4: Use these stratagems when the situation is chaotic
Stratagem #19: “Remove the firewood underneath the pot”
(Attack the root cause of your enemy’s success.)
Stratagem #20: “Stir the water to catch fish”
(Sow discord among your enemy’s allies through psychological warfare. Once they are agitated, they will be so busy fighting among themselves that they have no time to aid your enemy.)
Stratagem #21: “The golden cicada sheds its shell”
(Create the illusion that you will no longer attack your enemy because you fear him, then launch a surprise attack against him.)
Stratagem #22: “Shut all doors before capturing the burglar”
(Isolate your enemy.)
Stratagem #23: “Befriend faraway kingdoms while attacking your neighbours”
(Befriend those whose agendas differ from yours. They are usually willing to help you since there is no conflict of interests. Attack those whose agendas are similar to yours because they are your competitors.)
Stratagem #24: “Borrow a route to conquer Guo”
(Let us assume that both A and you hate B. Combine forces with A to get rid of B, then get rid of A once B is gone.)

Set 5: Use these stratagems when dealing with frenemies
Stratagem #25: “Replace beams with pillars”
(Win your enemy’s allies over to your faction. Meanwhile, send spies to your enemy’s faction to watch his every move.)
Stratagem #26: “Scold the locust tree while pointing at the mulberry tree”
(Pretend that you are rebuking somebody else when you are rebuking your frenemy in reality. If your frenemy gets upset, just reply, “But I was talking about somebody else!”)
Stratagem #27: “Feign madness”
(Pretend that you are a clown or a fool or a lunatic so that your enemy will underestimate you.)
Stratagem #28: “Remove the ladder once your enemy has reached the top”
(Lure your frenemy into a trap, then cut off your support once your frenemy is trapped.)
Stratagem #29: “Paste silk flowers onto a dying tree”
(If you lack confidence in yourself, just fake it till you make it.)
Stratagem #30: “The guest who swapped places with the host”
(Follow a leader. Pretend to serve the leader humbly and wholeheartedly. When the time is ripe, get rid of the leader and become leader yourself.)

Set 6: Use these strategies when you are in an inferior position
Stratagem #31: “The beauty”
(Present your enemy with something desirable that turns out to be the very thing that ultimately destroys him.)
Stratagem #32: “The empty city”
(Act calm and relaxed even when you are panicking.)
Stratagem #33: “The double agent”
(You discover that your enemy has sent a spy to spy on you. Win the spy over to your side so that he will serve you as a double agent who supplies your enemy with information that disorients him.)
Stratagem #34: “The wounded flesh”
(Sabotage yourself so that your enemy will let down his guard. Your enemy might even sympathize with you. )
Stratagem #35: “The chain”
(If using one stratagem against your enemy isn’t enough to defeat him, then use a series of stratagems against him. However, if any of these stratagems fails, then the whole scheme will fail.)
Stratagem #36: “The escape”
(When all your stratagems fail, you might still stand a chance of defeating your enemy one day if you manage to escape.)

I was under the impression that the 36 Stratagems were something of a historical mystery, in that they probably never existed in one form. Sun Tzu's Art of War has a confusing history, but appears to have been one real document, even if some of the notes and commentary were added later.

I'm curious, how familar are you with Robert Greene's works?

I was reading Robert Greene's "The 48 Laws of Power" when I thought, "Hey, this book somehow reminds me of the 36 Stratagems that I read years ago." I had read the 36 Stratagems (published in book form) twice.
1st time: I borrowed an unillustrated version from a cousin.
2nd time: I borrowed an illustrated version from the library. Every chapter began with a depiction of how the stratagem was supposed to be executed successfully followed by a story about some ancient Chinese dude who executed the stratagem to his own advantage. I remembered that this version was much easier to comprehend than the unillustrated version because every story was accompanied by lots and lots of illustrations.
(Um, I have never heard about Robert Greene until I stumbled upon some Amazon reviews of "The 48 Laws of Power" recently.)