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围魏救赵 (wei2 wei4 jiu4 zhao4) - Besieging Wei to Save Zhao
By Zhang Ciyun |
July 13, 2008, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
People who dare to confront their enemies head-on may be brave but not necessarily clever. Quite the opposite, according to Sun Bin, an ancient Chinese strategist.
In 354 BC, the State of Wei sent more than 80,000 soldiers to attack the State of Zhao and lay siege to its capital Handan.
So, the ruler of Zhao sent an envoy to the State of Qi to ask for help.
The duke of Qi decided to lend a hand and summoned 80,000 men with General Tian Ji as the commander and Sun Bin as the military advisor.
After getting everything ready, Tian ordered the troops to march directly to Handan and fight a decisive battle with the Wei army there.
Sun immediately came forward and said: "General Tian, we are definitely not going to Handan."
Tian was surprised and asked: "Why not?"
Sun then explained: "General Tian, to untangle a knot of twisted silk threads, you can't hit it with a fist. And to break up a fight between two men, you don't jump into the fight yourself.
"So, to bail Zhao out of the current predicament, it's unwise to engage in a head-on battle with the Wei troops.
"Instead, we should march toward Wei's capital Daliang, where the defense must be weak as most of Wei's crack troops are besieging Zhao.
"And by doing so, the Wei troops will be forced to abandon their siege of Handan to defend their own country.
"That's exactly what we want to see."
Tian was then very happy to follow Sun's advice and ordered his troops to move toward Daliang.
When the Wei troops besieging Handan learned that the Qi army was on its way to attack their capital, they immediately withdrew from Zhao and rushed back to defend Daliang.
On the way, the Wei troops were ambushed by the Qi troops and suffered a complete defeat. As a result, Zhao was saved.
So, what strategist Sun Bin has taught us in this story is to avoid a head-on battle with a strong enemy.
Always try to find a weak link in a chain and attack the flimsy part of your enemy, since no one can be superior in all aspects. This is true not just in war, but in many other areas of life.
In 354 BC, the State of Wei sent more than 80,000 soldiers to attack the State of Zhao and lay siege to its capital Handan.
So, the ruler of Zhao sent an envoy to the State of Qi to ask for help.
The duke of Qi decided to lend a hand and summoned 80,000 men with General Tian Ji as the commander and Sun Bin as the military advisor.
After getting everything ready, Tian ordered the troops to march directly to Handan and fight a decisive battle with the Wei army there.
Sun immediately came forward and said: "General Tian, we are definitely not going to Handan."
Tian was surprised and asked: "Why not?"
Sun then explained: "General Tian, to untangle a knot of twisted silk threads, you can't hit it with a fist. And to break up a fight between two men, you don't jump into the fight yourself.
"So, to bail Zhao out of the current predicament, it's unwise to engage in a head-on battle with the Wei troops.
"Instead, we should march toward Wei's capital Daliang, where the defense must be weak as most of Wei's crack troops are besieging Zhao.
"And by doing so, the Wei troops will be forced to abandon their siege of Handan to defend their own country.
"That's exactly what we want to see."
Tian was then very happy to follow Sun's advice and ordered his troops to move toward Daliang.
When the Wei troops besieging Handan learned that the Qi army was on its way to attack their capital, they immediately withdrew from Zhao and rushed back to defend Daliang.
On the way, the Wei troops were ambushed by the Qi troops and suffered a complete defeat. As a result, Zhao was saved.
So, what strategist Sun Bin has taught us in this story is to avoid a head-on battle with a strong enemy.
Always try to find a weak link in a chain and attack the flimsy part of your enemy, since no one can be superior in all aspects. This is true not just in war, but in many other areas of life.
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