Kautilya's Arthashastra 12.2.23

12.2.23

tad asya vaidehakavyañjanaḥ pratisaṃdadhyāt, kāryasiddhiṃ ca brūyāt //

Spies, under the guise of cooks, may, under the pretence of the king's (the enemy's) order, take some covetable wealth (to the minister) meant for use in an immediate expedition. A spy under the guise of a merchant may, by some contrivance or other, take possession of that wealth and inform the minister of the readiness of all the preparations (for the expedition). Thus by the employment of one, two, or three of the strategic means, the ministers of each of the combined enemies may be induced to set out on the expedition and thus to be away from the inimical kings.