According to "Haga Kikigaki," most of Kira's retainers became too scared to come out from their long house since the guards in the yard truly made Kira's retainers believe that there were more than a hundred people joined up for this raid by shouting 'a group of fifty go around to the east' and 'a group of thirty go around to the west.'
『波賀聞書』によると、庭の見張り組は「五十人組は東へ回れ」「三十人組は西へ回れ」などと声高に叫ぶことであたかも百人以上の大勢が討ち入ったかに装ったとしており、これが功を奏し、長屋にいた吉良家臣たちは本当にその人数がいると信じ込み、ほとんどの者が恐怖で長屋から出てこなかったという。