Meaning of the Idiom
xu zhang sheng shi（make an empty show of strength）
During the Western Han Dynasty, the Huns invaded Shangjun, and Li Guang, as the prefect of Shangjun, was responsible for resisting the attack of the Xiongnu.
One day, an official went out hunting with several entourages. He encountered three Huns and fought with them. All the entourages died, and only one of them was shot and fled back.
Li Guang said: “These people must be the Huns who shot the vultures.” So he immediately led a hundred cavalry to pursue the three Huns. As a result, Li Guang killed two of them and captured one alive.
When Li Guang went back, he suddenly found some Huns cavalry not far away. The Huns cavalry also saw Li Guang, and the two sides confronted each other.
Li Guang’s entourage was very frightened and wanted to run away quickly. Li Guang said: “We are dozens of miles away from our army. If we escape like this, the Hun cavalry will surely chase and kill us, and we will die. If we do nothing, the Hun soldiers will think that we are soldiers to lure the enemy, and they will not dare to attack us.”
Li Guang ordered the soldiers to move forward, and then ordered to take off the saddle. The entourage said: “There are so many enemies, take off the saddle, what if the situation is urgent?” Li Guang said: “Take off the saddle, so that the Huns soldiers can be more convinced that we are soldiers to lure the enemy.”
At this time, a general of the Huns soldiers on a white horse came into battle. Li Guang immediately mounted the horse and shot the general on the white horse to death. Then he returned to the original place, took off the saddle, and let the horse lie down and rest.
Until the evening, the Huns soldiers did not dare to advance, and they were afraid that there were ambush soldiers in the Han Dynasty nearby who would attack in the dark and retreat in the middle of the night.
The next day, Li Guang led his entourage back to the military camp safely.
虚张声势
[xū zhāng shēng shì]，指大造声势，借以吓人。
出自唐·韩愈《论淮西事宜状》。
例句
他样子吓人，其实是虚张声势而已。
他这不是虚张声势，而是真的做最后一搏，要取得好名次。
那些没有真正能力的人，才只会虚张声势，来吸引别人的注意力。
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