Everyone has read in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that Zhuge Liang was famous for using empty cities in the first Northern Expedition.
But according to historical records, Zhuge Liang did not use the empty city strategy, and this tactic was not original to him. The earliest record is in the Spring and Autumn Period, which is still a rare case in history where the two warring sides used the empty city plan at the same time.
According to historical records, in the Spring and Autumn Period, Yin Gongziyuan, the commander of the Chu State, wanted to establish a meritorious career and set his sights on the weak Zheng State. So in 666 BC, Gongzi Yuanqin led 600 troops to attack Zheng State. Zheng Guo's national strength was weak, and the capital was even more empty, unable to resist the attack of the Chu army. 
Shangqing Shu Zhan proposed an empty city plan after gaining insight into Gongzi Yuan's inner thoughts. Zheng Guo followed Shu Zhan's strategy and made peace in the city. Order all the soldiers to lie in ambush so that not a single soldier or pawn is visible to the enemy. Let the shops open as usual, and the people will come and go as usual, and they will not show a trace of panic. The gates of the city were opened, the drawbridge was lowered, and it appeared to be completely undefended. 
After the vanguard of the Chu army arrived at the city of Zhengguo, when they saw this scene, they became suspicious and did not dare to act rashly. Gongzi Yuan rushed to the city to observe the situation and also thought that there was fraud in it, and he should not attack rashly. At this time, Zheng Guo's allies received Zheng Guo's letter of help and sent troops to rescue Zheng. Gongzi Yuan heard the newspaper and thought that he would accept it when he saw it. He was afraid of being pursued and surrounded when he retreated, so he ordered the whole army to withdraw overnight, with men and horses bound to their hooves, without making a sound. All the camps were not demolished, and the clan flag was still flying. In the early morning of the next day, Shu Zhan took a look at the city and decided that the Chu State had withdrawn its troops by using the empty city strategy after hovering with flying birds. Zheng Guo also turned the corner, which was the first example in Chinese history to use the empty city strategy.
In addition, Zhao Yun, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Wang Ping in the late Eastern Han Dynasty also used the empty city strategy, and the famous Tang Dynasty general Zhang Shouqi also used the empty city strategy when resisting the Tibetans.