The threat is more terrifying than the thing itself

Colochel war, fought between erstwhile Travancore and the Dutch resulted in the defeat of Dutch. They never recovered from the defeat and no longer posed a large colonial threat to India. The story goes that the fishermen in Travancore were ordered by the King to stand along the beach in multiple rows with their oars kept along the shoulders so that it would appear like soldiers with guns. It is said that this frightened the Dutch army and led to their failure. If the story is true, then this is an example of the ninth rule of tactics.